Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, this is purely fanmade and I do not make any money from these writings.

ML: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theflushingtoilet

Author: Dragon Dung (don’t ask)

Pairings: Naruto x Sasuke/Sasuke x Naruto

Warning: Alternate Universe, yaoi, general OOC…

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Chapter 1: Transcending

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How is the universe connected? Is it all tied together like the strands of a spider’s web? Is it measured by what we see with our eyes, or is there more? The heavens. The cosmos. Where do they begin and end?

Running parallel to the Milky Way galaxy (but on the other side of the universe) existed a dying planet named Yainehm. The creatures that thrived on this planet were classified as angels to those on Earth. The angels didn’t originate from Yainehm. They were actually from Earth. They had lived in a city they called Atlantis, but were sent to Yainehm during a war.

The angels were safe after the war, but now Yainehm was fading and they no longer had the nerve or power to send themselves to another planet. The burgundy ground was dry and cracking. Some mad clouds surrounded the planet, obscuring its two moons. One of those clouds sat a small blonde angel. He had his arms wrapped around his knees and was staring with wide, blank, but tearful eyes at his weak friend beside him. He sat there, his head tilted to the side and his large white wings drooping behind him. His silvery cloak became as dull a grey as the clouds filled with un-pouring rain nearby.

Starving. He was starving and he didn’t care. He didn’t know what to do or where to go. But, he was desperate to get away from everything…everything. When he heard that his best friend was going to become the anchor of the planet, he was so shocked that he fell to his knees. At first, he thought that it had to be a lie. How could the elders ever choose someone so young to become the next anchor? But, when the realization hit him, it felt like a heavy, invisible cloak came over him and pulled him unto his side on the ground. There, he had curled into a ball and cried uncontrollably. His wings twitched, pinned beneath him as the most miserable sounds fell from his mouth after every other shaky gasp.

On any other day, the title of anchor would have made both little angels joyous. But, that day was the day that the planet began to die.

So, there he was, by his friend’s side and yet distant…comforting and yet in despair as his friend’s life faded away. When he moved towards the dark-haired angel, his arms were shaking. His hand hovered over the long black strands of his friend’s hair, his own long blonde strands falling over his shoulder. His entire body was shaking convulsively now as he placed his head unto the other’s chest to hear his slowing heartbeats. He wanted to cry, but his tears had run out.

“Naruto…”

The blonde looked up at the sound of the hoarse whisper, frantically searching his friend’s face. “Sasuke? What are you doing!” he demanded frantically. “You need to stay in hibernation mode!”

The dark-haired angel took one of the blonde’s hands in both of his. “When I leave…follow…me.” Every word that he spoke brought him one step closer to death. “Promise me…”

“Where?” Naruto asked desperately. “Where do you want me to go?”

His answer came as barely more than a whisper. “Earth…”

“Earth?” Naruto was confused. “How? Sasuke, how-“ Naruto’s breath hitched as he felt Sasuke’s hand go limp. “Sasuke? SASUKE!!”

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BAM! Uzumaki Naruto fell off his bed, gulping for air. “The hell?” His dreams had always been strange. They were random and made no sense, but this was the first time in fifteen years that his dream was so vivid. Naruto groaned as he righted himself and carefully sat up. Now that he thought about it, he remembered bits and pieces of his dreams in the last couple of months. They were always glimpses of the same two angels. He stood up, rubbing his hip and heading unsteadily to his bathroom to get ready. In a way, he was glad that the dream woke him up. He had only meant to take a nap before going to the university, but he had fallen asleep. By the time he came out of the bathroom, he was groomed and dressed.

During the mornings, Naruto was being trained to become the manager of a comic book store. During the night, he was a model for art students. The second job didn’t pay much, but it was a favor for a professor that was like a father to him. Besides, he really did enjoy art in all its aspects and being part of it was a privilege. He exited his apartment on the second floor and walked down the stairs on the side of the building to get to his car. The pitiful red Saturn was a bit beaten up, but it served its purpose. He tapped the headboard of his car before driving off. Sometimes it was as if the car had a mind of its own.

By the time he arrived at the college, Naruto was a little late. The students shuffled their supplies and set up to start drawing him. Naruto disrobed and stepped unto the podium. Once in his zone, he imagined a time or civilization that wore barely any clothes. Native Americans, for example. The human body really was the most intriguing thing. Changing shape, lithe or clumsy…the art students were there to learn and drawing the human body was the key to knowing how to draw anything.

The hour completed, Naruto got dressed as the students packed their things and left. He held a respect for the arts. He knew he had no talent, having taken the drawing classes Mr. Iruka taught years before and passing on effort alone. But, he was surprised when Iruka stopped him just as he was about to walk through the door.

“Was there something else, Mr. Iruka?” Naruto asked, curious.

“A brilliant young artist is holding some of his artwork in our gallery this weekend,” Iruka explained. “I’ve only seen copies of his work, but they still left quite an impression on me. Why don’t you come? I assure you, you won’t regret it.” Iruka handed him a card.

‘Uchiha, Sasuke,’ he read to himself before nearly dropping the jacket he was holding in his other hand. His eyes widened in shock. “Sasuke?”

“Have you already heard about him?” Iruka asked, concerned.

“I don’t think so,” Naruto replied, a bit tense. “It’s just the name…it sounds familiar. Either way, I’ll try to come.”
Naruto took the elevator down to leave the building. Before heading over to his car, however, he decided to cross the street to peek at the gallery in the other building. He couldn’t see anything from through the reflections on the windows and doors, so he quietly entered the building. Just as he had thought, stands and some of Uchiha’s artwork were already on the ground, leaning against the wall and covered. They were starting to set up the gallery for the weekend. He was almost tempted to sneak into the gallery and peek at one of the art pieces when he saw one of the doors inside the gallery open.

Naruto took a few steps back, concealing himself beneath the staircase. He hadn’t expected anyone to still be there. A man came out of the door and Naruto held his breath. He already knew that his name was Sasuke…because, besides his hair, he was the spitting image of the dark-haired angel in his dream.

------------------------------------------------------

TBC

Title: A New Vessel

Author: Dragon Dung

Beta: Riki

Pairings: Naruto x Sasuke/Sasuke x Naruto

Warning: Alternate Universe, yaoi, general OOC…

Disclaimer: See first Chapter.

ML: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theflushingtoilet

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Chapter 2: Echoes

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A pain, unlike any that Naruto ever felt before, shot through his stomach. The pain was so immense that he found himself curling forward and bracing himself on the nearest structure he could find, which happened to be the side of the stairwell. Seconds later, the pain was gone,almost as if the pain had never been there to begin with. Naruto righted himself, straightening his back and loosening his jaw. He hadn't realized that he was clenching his teeth until that moment. Who was that man for Naruto to have gotten such a reaction from him? A hallucination? A dream come to life? A nightmare? He didn't care as long as he could stop feeling such a whirlwind inside. He carefully lifted his gaze back towards the man he had in his sight before, his blue eyes peering out from the shadows, and found himself looking into the eyes of Uchiha, Sasuke.

Sasuke knew that there was someone just outside his gallery. He wanted to take one last look at his work before it was mounted, trying to decide if he should actually go through with the exhibit. As he neared a covered sculpture in the front corner of the gallery, he sensed a strange feeling in the back of his head. The feeling was of being watched. He looked over his right shoulder and ended up locking gazes with startled blue eyes. That was the same blue that Sasuke could never quite replicate in his paintings. Such an intense blue, that color was…a blue that changed with the light or dark of the sky. But, to whom did those eyes belong to? Sasuke took two steps backwards before turning around and heading towards the gallery door.

His movement must have frightened the person on the other side, because even before he turned the handle on the door, he saw the figure dash out of the building through the glass doors. Sasuke sighed, removing his hand from the door knob. He wanted to see who that person was. There was something in those eyes that reminded him of his own troubling feelings. The feeling was of being worn thin, as if something inside of him could come out at any moment and he was helpless to it. Almost as if he was angry with himself, Sasuke nearly stomped towards the sculpture in the corner and peeled off the sheet that it was covered with. Was it possible to feel superfluous and hollow at the same time?

------------------------

As Naruto slipped into his car, he felt increasingly stupid. Just what was he doing, sneaking around a gallery without thinking that someone might be there setting up? And it had to be the artist himself, no less! To anyone else, it wouldn't have mattered, but it irked Naruto that he had possibly interrupted something that he shouldn't have and that he was almost caught in the act. He rested his chin over an arm that was on top of the steering wheel, a sullen, child-like expression on his face. He was twenty-one years old, he wasn't supposed to embarrass himself so suddenly. He was about to turn the car on when he saw someone coming out of the corner of his eye. As soon as he saw who it was, Naruto automatically slid low into his seat, peering out the window. For crying out loud, did that Uchiha have to park in the same lot, as well? Feeling oddly cornered, though several cars separated them, Naruto watched as Sasuke got into his silver Mercury Cougar. Naruto's car was starting to feel very crappy. Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, Naruto waited until Sasuke's car pulled out of the parking lot and was completely out of sight before he started up his car and drove home.

The first thing that Naruto did when he got back to his apartment was to trudge into his bathroom and jump in the shower. The warm water soothed him, even as his mind wandered. The image of Sasuke looking over his shoulder at him was engraved into his mind. Those were the darkest eyes he had ever seen and, to Naruto's surprise, he found Sasuke to be most alluring.

"Argh!" Naruto exclaimed while side-punching the wall beside him. "What is wrong with me?"

When he was a kid, Naruto had always been an attention hog. In his teens, he drew attention to himself by his mere presence and without meaning to. He went on his share of dates and genuinely liked girls. So, there he was at twenty-one, almost drooling over a glance. From a guy, no less! And yet, his being a guy wasn't what bothered him. What bothered Naruto the most was the reactions he had whenever he was around. Annoyed with himself, Naruto shut off the water and dried himself before putting on his pajamas and going straight to bed. He'd sort out the rest later.

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"He's not strong enough to be my partner! I don't accept it!" fumed an angel about the size of a human twelve-year-old. He had long, black hair and piercing coal-colored eyes. He was currently pacing back and forth in front of a much taller angel with long, silvery white hair tied back. The 'adult' angel had one blue eye and one red eye which both kept the smaller angel in his sight wearily.

"Just give him a chance, Sasuke," sighed Kakashi, not worried in the slightest bit.

"He'll weigh down my chances on becoming the anchor!" Sasuke complained. "He'll slow me down!"

"Your becoming the anchor of the planet is almost inevitable," Kakashi explained. "He'll do nothing of the sort. If he were a Derelfin, you still wouldn't be held back in the least."

That seemed to pacify Sasuke for the moment. "Just where is he, anyway- ?"

"BOO!" another young angel yelled from somewhere behind Sasuke. He had long, blond hair pulled back into a low braid and the most luminous blue eyes.

"YOU!" Sasuke winced slightly after sensing the blonde's presence, turning his head to look at him over his shoulder. "You're late."

"I can explain-" Naruto began, but was cut off by Sasuke.

"Don't ever be late again," Sasuke pressed, slightly glaring at Naruto. Naruto only gave him a sheepish grin. "Come on!"

"All right already! Sheesh," Naruto replied, flying after his partner.

------------------------------

Two young angels taking off into the sky was the theme of Sasuke's gallery. Paintings, pastels, sculptures, and collages were full of them in various backgrounds and colors and feelings. Naruto thought that he was dreaming again as he hid behind his friend and co-worker in order to sneak in without being noticed by the raven-haired artist talking to his old professor. His unusual behavior was driving his pink-haired friend to the wall.

"These are all so gorgeous- Naruto, just what do you think you're doing!?" cried Sakura.

"Shh!" Naruto motioned frantically. "Not so loud! He'll notice us!"

"Who are you hiding from?" Sakura questioned. "Have you been borrowing money from strangers again?"

"No!" Naruto countered, but lowered his voice when he realized that he nearly yelled. "No, it's just that I don't want to draw unnecessary attention to myself. Crap! Too late!" That being said, Naruto quickly turned around, pretending to be engaged in the strokes of a painting. He didn't need to pretend for too long, because once he saw the scene before him, he was rooted in place. That very scene was what he saw in one of his last dreams. Nothing made sense to him then. Was the whole world playing a big joke on him?

"My name is Uchiha, Sasuke," Sasuke began. "I'm the artist. If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to ask. This is my first exhibit and I hope that you enjoy looking at my work…" Sasuke trailed off the moment he saw the gaping blonde. He side-stepped Sakura and moved over to the man that was staring so intently at one of his paintings. "The death of an angel…"

Naruto nearly jumped at the sound of Sasuke's voice, but he tried to recover with a cough. "Almost seems…real." Great, Naruto thought. Now he sounded like a lame fan.

"Yes, doesn't it?" Sasuke asked in a soft voice. He found himself leaning forward to take a good look at Naruto's eyes.

Naruto tensed as Sasuke moved closer. He relaxed a bit when Sasuke took a step back, but tensed again when Sasuke's eyes slowly raked his body over once. Naruto felt his mouth drop open at the look in Sasuke's dark eyes. His eyes seemed to say 'I'm going to eat you whole,' though the rest of Sasuke's stance said otherwise.

" Uzumaki Naruto?" Sasuke asked. Naruto nodded once, shocked that he even knew his name. "If it's not too much trouble, I would like for you to be my model."

-----------------------------

TBC

Title: A New Vessel

Author: Dragon Dung

Beta: Riki

Pairings: Naruto x Sasuke/Sasuke x Naruto

Warning: Alternate Universe, yaoi, general OOC…

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

ML: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theflushingtoilet


Chapter 3: Trapped

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Superfluous and hollow. There was that damn feeling again, Sasuke thought, when he caught sight of Naruto Uzumaki's eyes. He was just talking to Mr. Iruka about him and their gazes met. Were those the same blue eyes that watched him the night he was uncovering his work? He was too far away to tell. He was becoming increasingly annoyed as the man used his pink-haired friend as a shield and avoided his gaze like the plague. No one ignored Sasuke Uchiha. No one.

Similar thoughts of being miffed and annoyed to the point of being angry dissipated the closer Sasuke stepped towards Naruto. The other man seemed to be taken with one of the most difficult scenes he had ever painted. Sasuke felt a bit disoriented. He felt…as if he was in the stage of sleep when a dream finishes, but just before one awakens.

"The death of an angel…" whispered Sasuke. He regretted saying anything when he found that it had startled the blonde beside him.

"Almost seems…real." Naruto replied.

"Yes, doesn't it?" Sasuke leaned forward to take a good look at Naruto's eyes. Yes. They were the same eyes he had seen that night…no, not just that night, but before also.

Images fluttered inside Sasuke's mind. Scenes as if from a movie or a fairytale overtook his very thoughts. He moved closer to Naruto, feeling overwhelmed. Suddenly, the images tucked away and it was as if he was now awake. Taking a step back, Sasuke fought the urge to shake his head. Something strange was happening to his vision. He slowly lifted his gaze, looking at Naruto all the while. He felt feverish. His insides were warm and heat was drifting to an inconvenient part of his body at the time.

Within the span of that small moment, Sasuke decided that the only way to stop that feeling was to assure himself that Naruto stayed near him. Yes. There had to be some way to keep this blue-eyed man by his side. Everything in his being demanded him to.

"Naruto Uzumaki?" Sasuke asked. "If it's not too much trouble, I would like for you to be my model."

Sasuke studied Naruto's expression. The blonde was stunned, but he could have sworn that he saw a flicker of something in his eyes. Something akin to acceptance, though the rest of his body language seemed to scream otherwise. "It doesn't have to be right away. I'll pay you ten times as much an hour and it could be at your own schedule. Please think about it. Your stature is…perfect."

After what seemed to be an inner battle, Naruto looked directly into Sasuke's eyes. "Does every other evening sound ok?"

Sasuke fought the feral grin that threatened to sneak unto his face. "Sounds great," he agreed. "Could you start tomorrow?" At Naruto's nod, Sasuke's entire being became at ease.


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"Damn!" Sasuke the angel cursed. He was holding a sapphire shard to the entrance of a small cavern-sized hole near the core of Yainehm. "I can't get this one completely sealed."

"I don't know why we have to seal them," Naruto sighed. He was holding a Topaz shard on his end of the cavern. "The holes will still be here…only they will be more like bubbles instead. We should just face the fact that Yainehm is turning into Swiss cheese."

"Don't you get it?" barked Sasuke. "The more holes that appear, the weaker Yainehm becomes. Soon, there will be no Yainehm."

"But, it's lasted this long hasn't it?" Naruto mused. "It should be able to handle a few more generations. At least until we find a way to transfer to another planet."

"I don't believe in miracles," Sasuke huffed, rolling his eyes and doubling his efforts to seal the hole.

"Well you should," Naruto countered in a serious tone while getting back to sealing his side. "Hell, it's a miracle we're even alive now."

"Less talking, more working," Sasuke chastised. "Do you always have to talk so much-"
The ground slid beneath the angels as their area began to shake. Naruto was knocked into Sasuke. Sasuke held the blonde's shoulders and tried to steady them.

"The hell is that?" Naruto yelled above the noise.

Sasuke searched frantically with his eyes, that had taken on a red hue. "Another hole is forming! Bigger than the others! We have to move!"

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hands and the two angels fled the cavern-like hole. As they exited the hole, they followed a hollow tunnel that was connected to the surface and flew higher and higher. Chunks of earth and rock crumbled and fell around them. Somewhere in their ascent, Naruto was hit with one of them. Their linked hands were separated.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Sasuke. Without thinking, he flew down, pulling Naruto into another hole and pinning him to the cavern-like wall. The mantle of the planet continued to shake around them. A large piece of rock descended nearby, roughly scraping Sasuke's back. The boys went down on their knees, Naruto clinging to Sasuke's arms.

"Sasuke," Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the rubble that was behind them. "Sasuke, we're trapped!"

Sasuke hissed in pain. "You're so reckless," he whimpered without any real spite behind it. That was when Naruto noticed Sasuke's wounds.

"And just who asked you to come after me?" Naruto countered as he forced Sasuke to lay upside down on the ground. Naruto reached behind his own back to pluck out three feathers.

"Don't," Sasuke gasped. "The less feathers you have…"

Naruto ignored him and placed his feathers on Sasuke's back. Almost instantly, they began to heal the raven-haired angel. "Doesn't matter. I can still beat you at becoming anchor even if with less feathers than you." Sasuke's eyes softened. Life for a life, huh?

Sasuke carefully sat up. He looked at their surroundings carefully. "And now we're trapped."

"If you're trying to make me panic more," Naruto whined. "It's working."


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"Does every other evening sound ok?" Sakura mimicked Naruto's voice. "You should have seen the look on their faces, Ino. Sasuke's was like he had just won the lotto and Naruto's was like a little lost puppy."

"Will you quit it already?" Naruto sighed. "Like I said before, I don't know what came over me."

"Maybe it was the black-haired cutie's smile," Ino teased. "Is he really as cute as Sakura says?"

"Girl, he was downright hot," Sakura added with a wink. "Alas, he had only eyes for Na-ru-to."

"Stop it!" Naruto hid his blushing face in his hands. "I'm so confused."

"Don't be," Ino pressed. "It's better that you accept it now."

"I'm not gay," Naruto complained. "…am I?" He slid down in his chair. "Maybe I am. It just doesn't make sense. I've always liked girls."

"Mmhmm," Sakura began. "And yet how many of them have you slept with?"

"I don't have to sleep with them to like them!" Naruto argued.

"Exactly," Ino nearly sang. "But, this guy turns you on, doesn't he?" Ino laughed as Naruto's face turned red. "Rings of the truth."

"Why? WHY am I still friends with you girls?" Naruto cried, but without really meaning it.

"Because," Sakura explained with a grin, "we're about the only girls who won't ever try to get into your pants."

"But, now that you've accepted you're gay," Ino declared, "some of the guys might."

"God, why?" Naruto groaned. He dreaded the rest of the day. This evening was the one he promised to model for Sasuke. He didn't know whether he wanted the day to go by slower or faster. Not that his friends were helping him any. All of them were busy and led separate lives, but he met a few of them at a time whenever they had the same days off. Today was when he promised to hang with some of the girls.

Naruto liked hanging out with his friends. But, he was always the one doing the teasing, not the other way around. And yet they all didn't want to waste the opportunity to tease him about something, apparently. After he survived this, his mental note would be to never go overboard with teasing any of his friends ever again.


---------------------------------------

TBC

Title: A New Vessel

Author: Dragon Dung

Beta: Riki

Pairings: Naruto x Sasuke/Sasuke x Naruto

Warning: Alternate Universe, yaoi, general OOC…

Disclaimer: See first chapter.


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Chapter 4: No Control

------------------------------


Sasuke was torn between anger and despair as he stared at the canvas before him and the light sketch that was drawn upon it. He was seated on a stool, one arm resting across the right leg that he had propped up on the stool in front of him. The scene would have made an amusing drawing itself- the artist being consumed by the art from ,what seemed to be, the inside out. The only method that he ever used to channel all of his feelings and strange dreams was by spilling it all unto paper. His older brother once told him that, by capturing a scene of his dreams unto paper, he would never be haunted by that dream again. Sasuke had tried his best to replicate the scenes perfectly. The more dreams he had, the more fervently he tried to take "snapshots" of them using any media available. His artwork was almost perfect in accurately representing his dreams and emotions but, the dreams continued to persist. And Sasuke had never been able to replicate...

"Those eyes," he murmured into the empty room.

The drawing before him was only a sketch, but the portrait captured Naruto in a way that no one else could. Such a thing both frightened and intrigued Sasuke.It nearly drove him mad; after all, how was it that he managed such a likeness when he had only met the guy once?


"Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked up at Kakashi, his old tutor and a person he considered to be as close to him as a father. Sasuke had actually managed to drag Kakashi with him when he decided to live away from the family estate. Even though he was no longer his tutor, Sasuke knew that he always had something to learn from the scarecrow.

"There's someone at the door," Kakashi told him slowly. He realized, just by looking at Sasuke's expression, that his mind was somewhere far away. Sure enough, the words didn't seem to register just then, "Should I let him in?"


---------------------------


The young angels, Sasuke and Naruto, had managed to land themselves in a tricky situation. They were trapped several miles beneath Yainehm's surface. Though Sasuke was mostly healed, Naruto was frantically thinking of a way to get out. If they were careless, they could easily be snuffed out. Naruto wanted to find a way to let the others know of their location. He knew that Neji would easily do the rest if only he, and the others, knew where they were.

Naruto looked over to where Sasuke was sleeping. The way his friend seemed vulnerable and fragile asleep was a mystery to him. He had this overwhelming feeling of wanting to protect him with everything he had, and it was strange. Up until then, the one that always acted superior, smarter, and stronger had always been Sasuke. Come to think of it, all that Naruto had ever thought about was the honor of possibly becoming an anchor. He knew that the planet was becoming unstable, but he had never realized how bad the situation was until Sasuke risked his life to protect him. Naruto never wanted Sasuke to have to risk his life ever again. He was determined to figure out a way out of their dilemma, for both their sakes.

However, even as those thoughts echoed in the blond angel's mind, the weariness of the day tugged a dark blanket of sleep over him.

Sasuke woke up, hours later, in the arms of his friend. The warmth behind him, though comforting, had him fighting a blush. He carefully lifted Naruto's right wing and scooted out of his grasp. Now that he was fully awake, he was starting to remember why he had awoken in the first place. He had heard a sad, soothing voice calling him. Sasuke looked all around but, of course, there was no one there besides them. Was he just imagining the voice? A light vibration drew Sasuke's attention to the ground beneath them. Instinctively, Sasuke put his ear to the floor.

"...broken."

The whisper was faint, but Sasuke knew that he wasn't dreaming. The voice was real.

"...tired and broken."

Sasuke frowned, willing his entire body to listen, if possible.

"I am so tired and broken."

Tentatively, Sasuke whispered. "Where is your voice coming from?"

Instantly, a small, burgundy glowing spot appeared near his hand. Sasuke gaped at in in shock. The burgundy spot expanded around him and green light shot up around him. With a gasp, Sasuke looked at Naruto's sleeping form before everything disappeared in a blinding, burgundy light.


---------------------------


Naruto stood at Sasuke's doorstep. He wasn't sure that he had the right address at first, but the person at the door had told him that he'd let Sasuke know that he was there. The house was big enough to fit five average-sized houses inside. When the door opened again, Sasuke was standing before him. They stared at each other for what seemed like hours.

"I better get going," Kakashi broke the silence, nodding a good-bye to both of them. "Sasuke. Naruto." A moment later, Kakashi was pulling out of the driveway.

"Follow me," stated Sasuke. Not an order, but a masked plea.

Naruto followed Sasuke upstairs to the room where, he assumed, that Sasuke did most of his work in. Everything from rough sketches to finished work lined the walls of that particular room. Naruto was surprised to see that they were all angelically themed. He was even more surprised to find that they were all familiar scenes to him. Naruto wondered why he couldn't bring up the courage to tell the artist about his dreams but, he was lucky-he didn't have to.

"Do you believe in past lives, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, taking two steps towards Naruto.

"I believe in past pain," Naruto replied, taking two steps back. The words felt strange to him; as if, someone else said them.

"Past loneliness?" Sasuke asked, continuing to walk towards Naruto.

"Past powerlessness," Naruto supplied, looking down at his heels coming into contact with the wall behind him. He looked up to find Sasuke's entire body all but a couple of inches away from his own and his arms on either side of his shoulders.

"Past love?" This question was more of a whisper.

"Past heartache," Naruto whispered back, his eyes closing of their own free will.

Sasuke's entire being was in synch when he realized just how much he wanted to kiss the man before him. He wasn't going to deny himself that need. He carefully pressed his lips against Naruto's, his body almost trembling with the pleasure of that small contact alone. When Naruto didn't pull away, he parted his lips, deepening the kiss. He was savoring the moment, as if it was something that he had coveted for hundreds of years. He savored Naruto's mouth as if he was savoring the rarest of wines and there was only one bottle left in the world. He stopped, however, when he realized that Naruto wasn't kissing back. In fact, he was...

A sob escaped Naruto's lips. Tears fell from his eyes, tears that he couldn't control or even try to stop. Naruto wiped at them with a hand, letting his body slide down the wall until he was sitting down. He wrapped his arms around his knees, his head buried.

He was mumbling something that Sasuke couldn't hear. Sasuke kneeled down trying to make out what Naruto was saying.

"Is this real?" the words came out as a wisper.

Sasuke himself didn't know. What was real and what was a dream seemed to be a jumbled mess in his head. "Does it matter? We're together, aren't we?"

Naruto lifted his head, a sad smile on his face. "For now."

---------------------------
TBC

Title: A New Vessel

Author: Dragon Dung

Beta: Riki

Pairings: Naruto x Sasuke/Sasuke x Naruto

Warning: Alternate Universe, yaoi, general OOC…

Disclaimer: See first chapter.



--------------------------------

Chapter 5: Regrets or Apologies?

--------------------------------



"Is this real?"

"Does it matter? We're together, aren't we?"

The angel Naruto opened his eyes by a sliver. The earth was still above him and all around him, so what he saw was a dream? And it felt so REAL. Or was THIS the dream? Naruto couldn't figure it out. He carefully lifted himself into a sitting position, his skin feeling sore at the places that had lain bare across the rocks. One thing was missing though...

"Sasuke?" Naruto's eyes widened a fraction as they surveyed the area. Everything was still sealed off, so where the hell had he gone?


-----


"What IS this place?" the angel Sasuke wondered aloud. He was cautiously flying through a tunnel. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. Web-like lines of opalish light shimmered in between the crevices and within every indentation of the earth and rocks. He didn't know what he expected to find at the mouth of the tunnel, but he was surprised at what he found regardless. The mouth of the tunnel opened up to a wide empty globe. Floating in the middle of the globe was a round barrier that looked like it was made out of crystal, and floating inside the middle of the crystal-like barrier was the curled up form of a little girl. She seemed to be made out of the same opalish light, waning into burgundy and green. She wore a tattered dress made of the same material and her thick, long, wavy hair floated all around her. Sasuke's shoulder involuntarily twitched as the girl lifted her head to look at him with large, sad, silver eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Sasuke finally realized where he was. He was in the center of Yainehm, where the spirit of the planet resided. The Anchor of the planet was chosen only by the spirit of the planet. The Anchor's job was to help channel the spirit's power throughout the entire planet to keep it safe, to help it flourish, and to keep it intact. The Anchor was only to be the vessel of the spirit of the planet, but it was a position that was held in the highest respect. But, everything that was told of the spirit of Yainehm declared that it was an energetic, happy, and powerful spirit;the image before Sasuke pointed to the complete opposite.

"You're right," she spoke weakly. "Everything that you're thinking about was once true. I AM Yainehm. I WAS powerful and happy and just what planet wouldn't be energetic and happy to have such resourceful and respecting creatures living on it?"

"What happened to you?" Sasuke asked tremulously.

"An Anchor managed to have sweep up an immense amount of my power," she explained. "I should have foreseen it, but I had forgotten that even among angels, there could be traitors. The Anchor took so much of my energy that I was left torn and unable to stop him from leaving. I thought that a very powerful Anchor could help fill out the imbalance of my strength,but he died just now."

Sasuke felt his face becoming pale. An Anchor had never died from his or her pact with the spirit of the planet,EVER. An even more horrible thought came to Sasuke, "Why did you bring ME to you?"

Her face lowered once again. "I'm so sorry..."


-----


The angel Naruto was desperately trying not to panic as he searched every inch of the blockage. He was convinced that he wasn't going crazy. He didn't dream up that Sasuke was with him- the raven-haired angel WAS there. His lack of a few feathers PROVED that. Since he WAS with him at some point, just where was he NOW? Luckily, Naruto didn't have to fret for much longer. Green and burgundy rays of light were shooting up from the earth beneath him.,and with the rays came a very serious Sasuke.

"I know how to get out of here," he told Naruto, grabbing him by the hands. "Just trust me and don't let go."

Naruto obeyed, but couldn't help staring down frantically at the light that shot up around them. "Are you sure about this?" Naruto voiced his worry only to shut his eyes as the light became brighter. When he opened his eyes again, they were already above the ground. "HOLY..."

Sasuke let go of his friend's hands, immediately taking off in the direction of where the Advisors usually gathered. Naruto started following him, but Sasuke cut him off. "NO. You report to Kakashi about what happened down there. I have something important to take care of."

Naruto gave him a weird look, but he did as Sasuke demanded. Something in Sasuke's voice told him that he HAD to.


---------------------------


They stared at each other for what felt like hours. Content and scared, warm and chilled. In their gazes, they apologized for so much time being lost, for not appreciating what they had before, and for not realizing how stupid they were. They had just started to relax when Naruto 'woke-up' from the moment.

The blonde shook his head, his smile disappearing and being replaced with a frown. What...the hell...just happened? The last thing he remembered was being led to the art room and now he was suddenly on the floor? And only inches away from an intent-looking Sasuke. What happened?

"Did I pass out or something?" Naruto asked, concerned. "The last thing I remember was walking through that door. Everything else is a complete blank." He scratched the back of his head as if, somehow, that would help his mind bridge the missing gap.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You don't remember what just happened? Is this some kind of a joke?" But, even as he said that, Sasuke realized that Naruto spoke the truth. He could read it in his confused, blue eyes. A feeling of something that was almost rage grew from a small point in his heart and expanded so suddenly that Sasuke had to let it out that very instant. This resulted in his punching the wall behind Naruto and pulling the blonde into a fierce kiss. He felt the man in front of him trying to pull away, but Sasuke managed to pin both of them to the wall without breaking the kiss. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry when Naruto actually kissed back this time. Half of him was thrilled.,but the other half...the half that was dominant right now was very upset and confused. He pulled away, breaking the kiss and helping Naruto to his feet. "I'm...sorry."

Naruto's head was spinning. Was he already losing his memory at such a young age? Sasuke was clearly upset about something that happened that he couldn't for the life of him remember! "Sasuke, just what the hell happened? And I don't mean that stunt you pulled a second ago."

Now Sasuke was feeling sheepish. Honestly, it wasn't Naruto's fault that he couldn't remember. The least he owed him was some insight on what was happening to them both. "You might want to sit down for this."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TBC

Title: A New Vessel

Author: Dragon Dung

Beta: Riki

Pairings: Naruto x Sasuke/Sasuke x Naruto

Warning: Alternate Universe, yaoi, general OOC…

Disclaimer: See first chapter.




---------------------------

Chapter 6: Fate or Destiny?

---------------------------


"Where's Naruto?" Neji voiced the question that was on the mind of all of his friends. "He's usually never this late."

"Don't know, but I give him five more minutes before I start the marathon," Kiba yawned from the couch. His head was resting on Shino's lap and his legs were propped over Hinata's lap on the other end.

"He would have called if something came up," Gaara thought aloud from the dining room table. His chin was resting on his folded hands, elbows on the table, and he wasn't even touching his food. "Wouldn't he?"

Sakura winced from where she was lying on the floor. "Actually, I've sent him a few text messages and he hasn't replied yet." She then glared at Ino for smacking her with a pillow. She threw her own pillow at Ino's head, but she ducked and it hit Tenten instead, making her drop the game she had in her hands and bump into Shikamaru, who then bumped into Chouji. Deciding it was too much of a pain to sit back up, Shikamaru made himself more comfortable on the floor.

"Hey!" Tenten cried, clearly upset about losing valuable seconds in the game.

"Come on guys," Lee piped up after he had finished eating. "Have faith that Naruto will get here fine, even if he's later than usual. Didn't he say he had another job to do? Anyone know what that's about?"

Sakura and Ino looked at each other guiltily before Ino began to spill the beans. "To tell you the truth, Naruto's mo-"
Sakura promptly covered Ino's mouth with her hand. "WE aren't at liberty to say. Naruto will probably explain everything when he gets here." Naruto had practically BEGGED the girls not to reveal anything until he figured everything out himself.
Neji narrowed his eyes, but didn't press any further. Just what could be delaying their blonde friend?


---------------------------


"You mean to tell me that both you and I have the spirits of angels inside us," Naruto recapped, rubbing his temples with a hand. "And that our dreams weren't just dreams and we are probably their reincarnations?"

"Is that so difficult to believe?" the words left Sasuke before he could stop them. He was angry because not too long ago, he was as incredulous and in denial as Naruto was at the moment,but unlike Naruto, he was aware of everything that happened when the angels "took over" and kissed. He FELT the complex emotions of the spirits when they were reunited. In his dreams, Sasuke saw and did everything through the eyes of his angel spirit counterpart. If he had to guess, he would say that Naruto probably saw their dreams in the same exact way, so why was he refusing to believe it?

Naruto ran his hands down the sides of his face. Sasuke was right. After so many of the strange feelings that he had been having, such a thing wasn't far from possible, and maybe he DID remember a little of what happened before he 'blacked out.' But, why the hell was Sasuke just sitting there and accepting his fate like it was a normal thing? 'Oh, we just have a couple of angel spirits fighting for dominance inside us.' Was he SERIOUS? Naruto sure as hell wasn't going to give up his body without a fight. "No, I guess it's not all that difficult to believe, but Sasuke...why are you so calm about these angel spirits taking over our bodies?"

Sasuke looked straight into Naruto's eyes. "You think I'm calm?" Again, the words slipped right out of his mouth. Though it was true that he pitied the angels for all that they had to go through but, what he really felt more of was anger. He was angry at the fact that he knew he felt an attraction towards the man before him and he didn't need another's spirit to tell him that. He was also angry at the fact that, even if their counterparts wanted to "take over," Sasuke didn't want to have to deal with it alone, and he was even angrier at the fact that he accepted this as the truth...that he was willing to actually DEPEND on someone else.

"Sasuke," Naruto stood up from his chair. "I don't like the thought of someone else living inside of me. I want to live my own life, not someone else's, even if it WAS a past life."

"Fighting yourself?" Sasuke questioned. "What if it's our fate to let these angel spirits continue their lives through us?"

That question reminded Naruto of a conversation he had with his friend Neji. Thinking of Neji reminded him that his friends were waiting for him. "I don't believe in a predetermined fate. We choose our own destiny, don't we?"
Those words brought a smirk unto Sasuke's face. "What do you suggest we do about this?"

---------------------------

The entire living room became silent and the marathon was put on pause the minute that the sound of keys being dropped was heard from behind the door. All heads turned towards the door as curses were groaned on the other side before more stumbling with the keys resumed. Gaara, who was the closest to the door at the time, walked towards it. The redhead paused with his hand over the lock when a voice he hadn't heard before drifted from the other side.

"Does it always take you this long to open a door?"

"Shut up! I didn't expect to get back so late and no one bothered to leave the light outside on!"

"Why do you have so many keys, anyway?"

"None of your business!"

Not wanting the argument to go on forever, Gaara decided that it was due time to open the door and let the owner in. Naruto was caught with an embarrassed and miffed expression aimed towards someone Gaara didn't recognize. Leaving the door opened, Gaara returned to his seat, not even waiting for the other two to enter.

"Um, ha ha," Naruto's laughter was strained as he slowly approached his friends. "Sorry I'm so late."

"Is that all you have to say after making us worry so much?" Sakura demanded. "You didn't bother to call us or reply to my texts...What's the matter with you!?"

"I said I'm sorry, geez," Naruto whined, not appreciating the guilt trip Sakura was throwing at him. "Just let me explain." Taking a deep breath, he motioned towards Sasuke. "Everyone, this is Sasuke. Sasuke, these are my friends." Naruto's eye twitched when Sasuke only gave a nod as a greeting. He looked around at his unusually quiet friends, waiting for the bomb that would surely blow.

"Who the hell is this guy?"

"Where did you find him?"

"What does he have anything to do with why you were late?"

"Do you have any more chips in the pantry?"

"Pretty pathetic when you arrive dead last to your own apartment."

Sasuke was amused at the reactions of Naruto's group of friends. He was particularly attached to the "dead last" comment and tucked that away in his memory to use later.

Naruto subconsciously ducked his head as the questions began flying from left and right. Even though he was bracing himself for the onslaught, he didn't think that everyone would start talking at once. Little did he know that a moment later, silence would reign in his apartment once more.

"I'm his boyfriend."

Naruto's face was stuck between frowning and shock, his mouth hanging open as he both gaped and glared at the dark-haired man beside him. Sasuke's head tilted to the side, a half-smirk on his lips. He lifted a hand carelessly as if to say "well, their questions are now answered."

"Uh, yeah," Naruto found his voice. He sent one last glare at Sasuke before turning towards his friends and feeding the lie. That WAS a lie, wasn't it? "And the reason I was so late is because we had to sort some things out." Naruto winced inwardly. He didn't make it a habit to lie, but if it was viewed a certain way, it technically wasn't a lie. "I'm sure I have an extra bag of Doritos in the pantry. Let me get those out for you guys."

Sasuke scourged the room. All the chairs around the table were taken and so was the couch. The floor directly in front of the couch was occupied by girls and pillows. He decided to sit on the floor of the left side of the couch. This was a mistake, for as soon as he leaned his head back against the wall, three of the girls came crawling to sit right in front of him.

"So, you two are officially going out?" asked an excited Ino.

"Have you gotten very far?" Sakura wondered, her anger towards Naruto being replaced by curiosity.

"Well, we did make out," Sasuke supplied, suppressing a grin when he heard a "pop" coming from the kitchen. Naruto apparently gripped the bag of potato chips too hard.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TBC


********


Note: I'm going to be out of town (and computerless) This entire week that's coming. I posted twice to be fair!

From Riki: first... to the beloved readers...i'm sorry that i didnt beta quick enough..its all my fault our beloved Yuuri updates slow gomen gomen!..

And I love it! I know i say it in the e-mails and everytime we talk... but i love it, it's amazing...really! It's just...awesome to open the story up and read something i edited...makes me feel..special^^' Though you do so well...i can't wait to see what comes next!!(and i've read ahead...)

-Thanks, Riki! I'll keep trying my best! Our energies and caffeine rushes will not be spent in vain!!


********

Title: A New Vessel

Author: Dragon Dung

Beta: Riki

Pairings: Naruto x Sasuke/Sasuke x Naruto

Warning: Alternate Universe, yaoi, general OOC…

Disclaimer: See first Chapter.


----------------------------

Chapter 7: Together

----------------------------


Sasuke was being, more or less, welcomed by the group of Naruto's friends. He was accepted into the group, albeit reluctantly by some, and they continued their marathon as if nothing had interrupted it. Sasuke was even more pleased when Naruto decided to sit right next to him on his left as if it was the most natural thing in the world. A good few feet away on his right, however, he received two different kinds of glares. The first glare was from Gaara. Gaara's glare was protective and promised a world of hurt if Sasuke ever hurt his friend. The second glare was from Neji. Neji's glare was full of jealousy and Sasuke recognized it immediately. Naturally, he put his arm around Naruto's shoulder and pulled him closer, sending Neji a don't-you-wish-you-were-me smirk.

Naruto, unaware of the interaction towards his right, blushed at the sudden contact, but he certainly didn't complain. When he looked up, Sasuke decided to give him a heartattack by kissing him softly on the lips...in front of all his friends! Naruto broke the kiss, covering his ears with his hands, as the girls started squealing and Kiba whistled loudly. The marathon was put on pause once again.

"What the hell?" Naruto chided, shoving Sasuke's shoulder after seeing the other's smug face. "Are you trying to embarrass me to death!?" A streak of pink adorned Naruto's nose and cheeks. The blonde was having trouble looking directly in Sasuke's eyes.

"That wasn't my intention, but it's certainly amusing," Sasuke stated, vowing silently to embarrass Naruto again sometime.

"You're such a bastard!" Naruto declared. The words were half-hearted and everyone could tell, because a moment later, the living room was filled with laughter.


----------------------------------


The angel Naruto was getting sick of lies. Out of the faces he saw everyday, the one person that he was expected not to keep any secrets from was hiding something big. He could tell. None of the people around him could console him or distract him. He couldn't pretend that everything was all right. He'd rather know what was going through his partner's mind, even if it meant that he might make everything worse. Sasuke had managed to avoid him and his questions and Naruto was tiring of it.

"Why don't you request to be reassigned to another partner?" Neji suggested. He was one of the many friends that hated to see Naruto fretting so much. Seeing Naruto restless and serious for so long just wasn't normal. The group of friends took it upon themselves to keep an eye on him occasionally. This time, it was Neji's turn.

"No," Naruto replied immediately. He didn't WANT another partner, he just wanted to figure out what his CURRENT partner was up to. He just couldn't understand how, after they had grown so close, Sasuke was putting so much distance between them. He just couldn't stand it anymore. And when he caught sight of silvery white wings and long black hair in the sky above, Naruto took advantage of it.

Sasuke was flying over to see Kakashi, lost in his thoughts. He was taken by surprise when a blur of yellow shot up several feet in front of him. He looked up, to his mistake, and really wished that he hadn't. An instant later, his partner had nose dived unto him, both of them flopping unto a cloud. Sasuke slowly opened his eyes and closed them again quickly, his left eye nearly being put out by a clump of Naruto's blonde hair. As far as he could tell, they were neither injured nor twisted uncomfortably. He could feel the protective aura that Naruto had apparently placed upon them before they crashed. Sasuke took a deep breath as Naruto moved on top of him. Whatever the blonde had to say better distract him and fast. The fact that he was shifting on top of him was enough to drive him crazy.

Naruto carefully moved onto his elbows, narrowing his eyes at the angel he had pinned beneath him. That's right, Naruto had some guts to catch someone like Sasuke off guard, and doing such a thing willingly meant that he was serious. His golden hair had come loose in wisps from the low braid he usually had it in, albeit framing his face just so. The hair was a mess, the angel was a mess, and he was sure as hell going to get to the bottom of THIS mess.

"Why are you intentionally keeping me in the dark?" Naruto hissed. "Tell me what's going on, and don't you dare lie to me anymore!"

Sasuke tried to lift his shoulders, but Naruto had him sufficiently pinned. He could probably escape if he wanted it badly enough, but the desperation in his friend's voice weighed heavily in his heart. "Yainehm is dying. The spirit needs to choose another anchor soon before we all perish along WITH her. But, Naruto...there isn't a single anchor here that can sustain her anymore. Anyone who tries will surely die."

Naruto's expression changed from one of shock to one of worry once again. "The next anchor will die?" The words sounded incredulous and his mind couldn't quite wrap around them. But, Sasuke was telling him the truth. If things were really this bad, then they would all be in grave danger. "What are we going to do?"


----------------------------------


Naruto wasn't surprised when the "posse" decided to sleep over. They didn't get together very often, so when they did, they took well advantage of it. He grinned at the sleeping bodies scattered everywhere with sleeping bags and air mattresses. Usually the only person to stay awake was the insomniac Gaara, but this time Neji seemed to keep him company. Neji probably wanted to question the existence of Sasuke, and Naruto didn't want to get into that yet. He dragged Sasuke with him outside to talk, waiting until they were seated at the stairs and well away from the front door before he spoke.

"I'm his boyfriend?" Naruto tried not to grin as he repeated Sasuke's phrase, but was failing. "I guess it's better than 'I'm the long lost best friend of the alien angel spirit that resides inside him,' huh?"

"Significantly better, I think," Sasuke replied.

"It isn't true, is it?" Naruto asked softly, unsure. "The excuse you used to cover for me back there?"

"It is if we want it to be," Sasuke stated firmly. They locked gazes for a moment, as if trying to read each other's minds.

"Don't you think we're in a complicated situation as it is?" Naruto wondered aloud, a little fearful, and yet still blushing. "I personally didn't like losing control of my body back there."

"All the more reason for us to figure all this out," Sasuke decided. "Together."

"You're right about that," Naruto smiled. "And I guess I CAN grow to like you..."

Sasuke, caught off guard, let out a slight chuckle at the teasing statement. "That could go vice versa, don't you think?" He stood up, giving Naruto a hand. When Naruto was fully standing, he threw an arm over his shoulder.

"Right," Naruto said sarcastically, trying to ignore what he felt when Sasuke laughed, and yet already getting used to close contact with the artist. "And how do I know that's not your angel spirit talking."

"You don't. Though, I wouldn't count on help to make sure you're on time for anything. Now that you're officially my boyfriend, I won't be able to resist making sure that you arrive 'dead last' to everything." Sasuke barely ducked away from Naruto's grasp in time. He noiselessly ran back into the apartment, rapidly locking Naruto outside. The only person that was still awake by that time was Gaara, who lifted his head at the stunt, but chose to just observe from his spot at the kitchen.

"I can't believe you locked me out of my own apartment!" Naruto hissed, tugging at the door knob. "Let me in! Now!"

"Not until you promise to not attempt to throttle me," Sasuke answered, struggling with the grin that threatened to appear on his face. For a reason that had nothing to do with his angel counterpart, Sasuke found that he rather enjoyed teasing Naruto. Childish as it was, he just couldn't seem to help it.

"Damn," Naruto cursed. "You had to demand the one thing I can't guarantee."

Sasuke slowly opened the door a crack to peer at Naruto's miffed expression. His arms were folded and he was tapping his foot as if to say 'oh, come on!' Sasuke opened the door the rest of the way, leaning on the frame as if he did nothing wrong. Naruto gave him a puzzled look before moving forward, but Sasuke blocked his way. Naruto moved to the other side, but Sasuke wouldn't let him.

What an annoying, cocky bastard, Naruto thought. How the hell did he like this guy? He knew that artists marched to their own beat, but Sasuke was something else. Naruto thought of a way to end their little game and decided to use the element of surprise. He tugged Sasuke forward by the collar and kissed him on the mouth, effectively distracting the man, and allowing him enough room to sneak back inside his apartment. The first thing he saw the minute he walked inside was Gaara's amused expression watching them from the kitchen. For the umpteenth time that day, Naruto wanted to die of embarrassment.


----------------------------------


Naruto woke up late the following morning. He maneuvered his way around the 'dead bodies' everywhere while getting ready. Some of his friends were miraculously still sleeping soundly while others were rousing thanks to the sound of Sakura's angry voice. They were both going to be late for work and Sakura was enraged. Naruto made his way to the pantry to grab a few snacks, but the sight he saw before him made him freeze in his tracks.

"Good...morning..." Naruto hesitantly greeted. Sasuke gave him a nod and Gaara raised his coffee mug in response. What was going on? Naruto's gaze jumped from his redheaded friend to Sasuke and back again. They were both in the kitchen, with no murderous vibes coming from Gaara, and in comfortable silence. Comfortable silence! This was the first time Naruto had ever seen Gaara get along with a stranger so quickly.

"Naruto, hurry up!" Sakura chastised from somewhere around his left.

The mystery of the mutual acceptance between Gaara and Sasuke had to wait. Naruto and Sakura were going to get a very strange lecture from their boss and they both wanted to get it over with as soon as humanly possible. Still somewhat wary about Gaara, Naruto prodded Lee on the side with a toe. "Wake up! Sakura and I gotta go and SOMEONE has to ensure Sasuke stays in one piece..." Lee woke up with a start, his body obeying his new mission, but his mind not quite catching up. He ended up sitting upright, but falling back asleep in that position.

Sakura, not wanting to waste another minute, pulled Naruto towards the door. Just before he walked through it, Naruto stopped and remembered something mildly important. He turned towards Sasuke, feeling guilty. "Oh wait, that's right...you didn't bring your car with you."

Sakura gaped from the doorway. "Great, you mean we have to drop him off first and THEN get to work?"

"I can take him back." All heads turned towards the source of the voice, each of them surprised that it came from Neji.

"You sure it's ok?" Naruto asked. He glanced at Sasuke, trying to decipher his stance. "What do you have to say about it, Sasuke?"

Sasuke shrugged, not wanting to delay Naruto and Sakura any longer. Out of all of Naruto's friends, Neji would have been his last choice to get dropped off by, but Sasuke didn't seem to have that choice. Sasuke was comforted, however, when Naruto gave him a hug before leaving. He watched Naruto pull out of the driveway from the window before resigning to his fate.

"We better get going as well," Neji stated, leaving no room to argue.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


TBC

Title: A New Vessel

Author: Dragon Dung

Beta: Riki

Pairings: Naruto x Sasuke/Sasuke x Naruto

Warning: Alternate Universe, yaoi, general OOC…

Disclaimer: See first Chapter.


------------------------

Chapter 8: Reincarnation

------------------------


The awkward silence that surrounded Neji and Sasuke as they drove towards the mansion was frustrating. Sasuke knew more or less what Neji wanted to talk to him about, if his thoughts were the same as Gaara's. If he didn't think the same as Gaara then, deriving from what Sasuke observed about the pale-eyed driver, Neji would undoubtedly talk to him about his rights when it came to Naruto. Maybe Neji wanted to address both. Either way, Sasuke found him to be incredibly annoying.

"What are your intentions with Naruto?"

"I have never been as drawn to anyone as I have been to Naruto," Sasuke answered truthfully. "I want him by my side- always."

Neji frowned, his lips in a thin line. The rest of his body was composed, but Sasuke noticed that he gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. "And you think you're worthy enough to be by his side?"

Sasuke subconsciously sat straighter in his seat. Something about Neji just rubbed him the wrong way. He didn't know if it was because Neji reminded him of himself or his brother. Regardless, it had him on automatic defense. "Whether I'm 'worthy' or not is up to Naruto to decide." Who made HIM the expert of what Naruto needs? "And so far, he's chosen ME."

At the red light, Neji took his eyes off the road and other cars long enough to send a glare at Sasuke. Sasuke sent him a glare back, neither of them giving in. The 'interrogation' was going nowhere. Changing the subject, Neji asked another question that was burning in the back of his mind. "Do you know anything about cluster reincarnation?" The question drew a look of confusion and disbelief unto Sasuke's face. Satisfied at Sasuke's reaction and noticing that the light had just turned green, Neji purposely took off at great speed, causing Sasuke's body to slam back against the seat.

"Cluster? As in a cluster of angels from Yainehm?" Sasuke's counterpart questioned.

Neji's eyes spoke volumes of contempt when he realized that he was no longer talking to the human Sasuke. "That's right, Anchor," the title fell spitefully from Neji's lips. "I don't know how you managed it, but we are ALL here."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He didn't like where this conversation was going, even if it was such an important one. At least he wasn't imagining things. They, all of them, really were reincarnated on Earth. He felt like kicking himself over and over again to think that he accidentally dragged Neji with them to Earth. He would have been happier if Neji's soul had been lost, wandering in outer space forever.

"I don't particularly care who we were or where we came from," Neji explained. "But, let me make this clear. If you do anything to cause Naruto pain, I will not hesitate to pick up the broken pieces and steal him away from you."

Sasuke KNEW there was a reason he couldn't stand this guy. He certainly remembered why just then.


-------------------


The days were numbered for the angels on Yainehm. Naruto, for one, jumped on each and every impulse he had. He lived each day to the fullest, hung out with his friends as much as he could, and he took on any challenges without cluttering thoughts of consequences. He couldn't afford to waste time worrying, he couldn't afford to give in to a lousy attitude,and he couldn't afford to stop bringing laughter and happiness to the people he cared about. He wanted everyone to live each day as if it were their last.

"Naruto?" came a sleepy mumble from Naruto's side before a pale arm moved from his waist to his chest.

Yes, Naruto had no regrets these days. He had made sure to drag his partner with him everywhere he went. He had forged innumerable memories with his friends but, most importantly, with Sasuke. Nothing quite like knowing everyone had a limited time to live for Naruto to have realized just how important Sasuke was to him. He couldn't quite pinpoint when they fell in love with each other. Maybe the feeling was there all along and neither of them realized it until such dire circumstances forced them to be more honest with each other.

"Still here," Naruto mumbled back. Yes, they were both still alive, but for how long? "How long until Yainehm chooses a new Anchor?" Naruto felt Sasuke stiffen next to him.

"In a few more days, I believe," Sasuke whispered, feeling a little guilty.

"There was a time that I wanted nothing more than to become an Anchor," Naruto thought out loud. "Now, the burden of being Anchor is a more dangerous responsibility. I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

Sasuke avoided looking into Naruto's eyes. He felt the same exact way. He wouldn't wish the responsibility of being an Anchor on anyone. At least not anyone but himself. He knew that there had to be a way to save Yainehm. He would risk his life to find it, if at the least, to save everyone for Naruto's sake.


-------------------


How was he going to bring up the subject?

Sakura calmed down halfway through the day. She took every opportunity to attack him with questions about Sasuke and how they were moving so fast. Naruto realized that he was going to have to tell her the truth sooner or later, but he was clinging on to the "later" idea as if he was clinging onto a lifesaver. That thought was one of the many reasons that Naruto decided to go to Sasuke's after work. He didn't want to face Sakura with the truth yet, so it was the perfect excuse to escape to his apartment. He showered, changed, brought along his favorite music, and now there he was at Sasuke's...wondering how to ask him about the incident with Gaara that morning.

"You moved," Sasuke warned. He was sketching swiftly with graphite, his eyes taking in the negative space around the blonde and using it to measure. The sound of the graphite moving across the paper and the sight of Naruto before him was very soothing somehow. Sasuke realized how experienced Naruto was at modeling when the blonde managed to get back into the previous position perfectly.

"Right. Sorry." Naruto focused on the pose Sasuke put him in. The artist had given him a white cloak to wear and had him sit down, leaning back with one hand, and holding his other hand above his head as if to shield his eyes from a bright light. Even though the material was definitely different, the cloak was very similar to the ones that the angels wore in his dreams. Naruto wondered where the hell Sasuke found such a cloak, but his curiosity about the cloak was significantly smaller than his curiosity about Sasuke's interaction with his friend. He couldn't think of any other way than to just ask outright.

Carefully speaking so that the rest of his body didn't move, he asked, "Sasuke, what do you think of Gaara?" Naruto winced when he heard a piece of graphite break.

"Gaara?" Sasuke demanded. 'Why's he worrying about Gaara when he's with me?' A little voice in his head taunted. He stopped sketching, standing next to the easel and staring at Naruto. "What do you mean?"

Realizing that he threw off Sasuke's groove, Naruto dropped his arm to relax and turned to face Sasuke fully. "Well, Gaara doesn't usually take to strangers. But, this morning the both of you were in amicable silence! That's nothing short of disturbing, in my eyes. Did something happen between you two that I should know about?"

Sasuke mentally rolled his eyes, relieved. So that was all that worried him? "I can't tell you all the details, but after you went to sleep, Gaara and I had a little discussion and realized that we had something in common."

"And what was that?" Naruto wondered.

"I promised never to speak of it again," Sasuke replied indifferently. Naruto looked a little put out. "It has nothing to do with you or me so relax." The truth was that Sasuke was actually amazed when Gaara pulled him aside to talk after Naruto went to sleep. He had cautiously asked him about reincarnation and was the first of Naruto's friends to realize about the hypothetical 'cluster.' He was concerned when he thought he was the only one that made the connection. He even thought that he was going crazy until Naruto told him about his dreams,but, when he saw Sasuke and Naruto together, he knew that maybe he wasn't all that crazy. Sasuke smiled inwardly when he remembered what Gaara told him afterwards. Apparently, Gaara too had a perilous 'reincarnated relationship' with none other than Rock Lee. They were in the same situation and acknowledged each other without even meaning to.

"Oh," Naruto suddenly remembered. "Did I ruin the sketch?" Sasuke shook his head, remembering where he was and what he was doing. "Can I see it?" Sasuke made a gesture for him to go ahead and look. Naruto slowly stood up, nearly tripping on the cloak before lifting it to walk easier. When he reached the sketch, his mouth dropped open. Sasuke had sketched out Naruto and his pose, but he drew him with the long hair and wings of his angel counterpart. Naruto gaped. The sketch looked like a scene from one of his dreams, but it was so well done that it gave it a very realistic presence...it looked so real...like they were recording with a camera in person. He slowly turned to look at Sasuke. "Sometimes, your talent is scary."

Sasuke took it as a compliment and shrugged. "I had the perfect model." He pulled out his checkbook and was getting ready to pay Naruto for his time, but a hand stopped him. Surprised, Sasuke gave Naruto his full attention. The blonde looked nervous, a tint of pink across his cheeks.

"You're my boyfriend," Naruto explained. "It'd just be too weird to charge you when I can't even act professional around you." Naruto felt more blood rush to his face and he hid his face in Sasuke's chest. He didn't know why, but he was feeling really bashful.

That was the moment that Sasuke realized that he would buy him the moon if Naruto asked him for it. He wanted Naruto to be as happy as he felt just then when he called him his boyfriend. He wanted...he wanted to kiss him. And that was exactly what he did. He leaned down to kiss his blushing cheeks, his nose, and then his mouth. The kiss was light at first, but when Naruto started yielding to it, it became fiercely possessive. They both were well on their way to getting lost in the kiss when Sasuke felt a tug at the back of his mind. He ignored it at first, but then the tug pulled even harder. He was still kissing Naruto, but it felt different somehow. Naruto was gaining more and more control of the kiss. When an arm came around to grab him by the waist, Sasuke figured it out...

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered heatedly, breaking the kiss. Their angel counterparts had all but completely taken over.

Sasuke dragged them both to his room, letting Naruto push him onto the bed and lean over him. He was swept away by the passion in the blonde's kiss and he found his arms automatically wrapped around him almost of their own accord. Naruto's hand came between their bodies to slide underneath Sasuke's shirt and his thumb ran over one of his nipples. The same hand moved down Sasuke's stomach until it slipped into his pants, wriggling into his boxers with some difficulty, and sliding the tips of his fingers around the base of his erection. Sasuke bucked, a disappointed sound falling from his lips when Naruto stopped kissing him so as to be able to unbutton and unzip his pants. Naruto slid his hand into Sasuke's boxers ,with more ease this time, letting his hand roam freely around the other man's erection. After being apart for so long, both of them allowing themselves to let go...it was too much to handle and Sasuke came right in Naruto's hand. A little shocked but still pleased, Naruto removed his hand, licking one of his fingers and relishing in the taste of Sasuke once more.

"How long are we going to be in this limbo?" Naruto wondered aloud, trying not to lose himself in Sasuke's eyes after giving him some time to calm down.

This time it was Sasuke's turn to say, "I don't know." He sat up, discarding his clothes and helping Naruto pull his cloak off. They weren't wasting time this time around, they were going to take full advantage of this. "My human seems to accept us enough to give me some ground." Naruto covered Sasuke's mouth with his, his tongue slipping inside. Sasuke broke the kiss before they lost control again, knowing that they weren't going to stop once they started again. "Though my human compromises, I heard that yours fights back. What are you going to do about it?"

Naruto smiled sideways. "He can fight all he wants, but I'm not giving in, either." The other man was about to argue, but Naruto cut him off, pressing his body against Sasuke's and slowly grinding against him. "I'm not giving in, either..."


----------------------

TBC

Title: A New Vessel

Author: Dragon Dung

Beta: Riki

Pairings: Naruto x Sasuke/Sasuke x Naruto

Warning: Alternate Universe, yaoi, general OOC…

Disclaimer: See first Chapter.


-----------------



Chapter 9: Anchor


-----------------



He heard the sound of fire cackling. The darkness around him became illuminated by a small golden flame. The flame grew and

expanded in a gradient of warm colors;oranges, yellows, and reds radiated in swirls around him. A figure appeared in the

flames before him. The figure seemed to be of a man with fox-like features and the most ominous, dark red eyes that he had

ever seen. The fox-like figure looked straight into his eyes, a wide, knowing smirk on his face. The darkness that had once

engulfed him had all but disappeared.


------------------


Naruto sat up in the bed. The moment he was completely upright, a pulsing headache smacked him on the side of the head. He

rubbed his palm over a spot on the right side of his forehead. As the rest of his body began to awake, Naruto realized the

severe lack of clothing he had on. His eyes landed on a cloak on the floor a few feet away from him. 'That's right!' He was

modeling for Sasuke. Instantly, he felt a little more aware. 'Sasuke!' Twisting around slowly, as if he was trying to catch

sight of a speeding hummingbird, Naruto's line of sight drifted towards the sleeping body of his new boyfriend. The, what

seemed to be, NAKED sleeping body of his new boyfriend. His body subconsciously twitched and, if he were a lesser man, he

might have even squeaked.

"What the hell did I miss?" he muttered softly under his breath.

Battling through a thousand different scenarios and emotions, Naruto's mind settled on peeking at Sasuke under the blankets

to affirm whether he was indeed naked or not, which was exactly what he did. He lifted the covers carefully and dropped them

back down again as if they were covered in poison ivy. Blood rushed to his face and the back of his neck. They were both

definitely lacking clothes. Which brought him back to the question of what the hell he had missed.

"Sasuke," he called loudly while poking at the other man's cheek for a moment. "Come on, Sasuke, you're burning daylight."

Sleepy black eyes opened to gaze at a very naked Naruto. His gaze became feral as he raked the body over. That wasn't exactly

how he had planned to first lay eyes on his boyfriend's naked form, but he certainly wasn't complaining at the moment. He

groaned inwardly when he remembered that he had set himself up without thinking. Ah yes, he was in so much shit. Sasuke's

body must have reinforced how guilty he felt, because before he could utter a word, Naruto spoke up.

"Sasuke..." Naruto felt his temper starting to spark up. All of the scenarios that he had thought up were centered around the

fact that Sasuke might have done something naughty to tease him, but by the other man's subconscious reaction, Naruto

realized that it probably wasn't the case. "What the hell happened?"

Naruto noticed a flash of guilt in Sasuke's eyes as they looked into Naruto's increasingly angry ones. "Our counterparts took

hold of our bodies and wouldn't-"

"Are you fucking serious!" The thought alone was enough to make him want to rip his hair out. For how many hours were they

possessed? Why the hell were the spirits rebelling NOW after being dormant for so long? WHY couldn't he remember ANYTHING of

this? Naruto's voice dropped an octave lower when he asked the question that he was anxious to hear the answer to. "How far

did they go?"

Sasuke forced his face to be as neutral as an expression could be. How far did they go? Well, they milked it for all it was

worth, if his aching backside were any proof. Sasuke didn't particularly enjoy lending his body. He enjoyed the fact that his

body was forced to be the bottom even less. Sasuke had quite a few problems to juggle. He didn't know the best way to explain

everything to the blonde, but when he sat up and winced in pain, the last question he asked was easily answered.

"Oh," Naruto's frown was replace with a look of shock, eyes widening as he put all the pieces together. "Oooooh NO. No

fucking way...they RAPED you? They raped US?"

"What?" was Sasuke's incredulous reaction. "They didn't..." He stopped for a moment to phrase his next words carefully. "I

wouldn't have allowed them to if I didn't think it were necessary." Apparently, he didn't chose his words carefully enough if

Naruto's suddenly livid face was anything to go by. The blonde could sure change expressions rapidly.

"You could have stopped them from going that far and you just LET them?" Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. No, he

didn't WANT to believe what he was hearing. "You said you wanted to figure this out TOGETHER. Since when was it decided that

YOU called all the shots without ever asking me?"

Sasuke had no answer to that. He hadn't thought it would be a problem, knowing that they both felt a certain degree of pity

for their angel counterparts. He knew that he let them go a bit too far, but he wanted to do anything possible to set them

free for his and Naruto's sake. Naruto apparently didn't think the same way.

"Clearly you weren't thinking with the right head," Naruto's dead voice drifted to Sasuke's ears and straight into his heart

with a stab.

The next few moments went by fast. Naruto scrambled to put the cloak on, since it was the only clothing he had with him at

the moment. Without even stopping to look for his other clothes, he left the room and rapidly descended the stairs, Sasuke's

voice trailing behind him.

"Naruto!" Sasuke barely had any time to wrap a blanket around his waist before following after his enraged boyfriend. "Damn

it, Naruto, wait!"

He was already at the door when Sasuke started to catch up to him. Naruto stopped him with a 'don't make me hurt you' glance.

"If you care about me at all, DON'T follow me." The last three words were said in a way that left no room for argument.

Sasuke gave in to the urge and kicked the door a moment after it was slammed shut. He could only look on as Naruto drove off.

He would let him fume on for a few days, but Sasuke couldn't let him be angry forever. Not without fully explaining himself

and not without fixing things. And he was going to mend this. He just didn't know how.


------------------


~Several Hours Earlier~


"Though my human compromises, I heard that yours fights back. What are you going to do about it?"

Naruto smiled sideways. "He can fight all he wants, but I'm not giving in, either." The other man was about to argue, but

Naruto cut him off, pressing his body against Sasuke's and slowly grinding against him. "I'm not giving in, either..."

Sasuke bit his lower lip, his body distracting him from his thoughts. He was very grateful for his human to give him the

opportunity to be with his partner once more, but he was worried about the consequences. His Naruto was a stubborn pain in

the ass and he knew that his human counterpart was probably just as stubborn. Though Sasuke could feel his human

counterpart's presence at the back of his mind, he knew that Naruto and his human didn't have that connection. He didn't know

why this bothered him so much, but it did and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. Mmm, speaking of bottoms...

A strange noise fell from Naruto's lips as Sasuke turned over, stretching his back like a feline before looking over his

shoulder with a sultry look. Who could refuse such an offering? Naruto certainly couldn't. He crawled over Sasuke, his legs

on either side, and placed a single kiss on his shoulder. From there, he swiped his tongue to the back of his neck, where he

placed another kiss. His right hand rested over his other shoulder, the thumb massaging the skin beneath in wide circles.

When his hand traveled inwards to massage the back of his neck, Sasuke leaned back with a pleased groan.

As much as Sasuke was enjoying the attention, the pace wasn't fast enough for his liking. Why was Naruto going so damn slow

when he could be bumped off by his human at any moment? Sasuke was determined to get his point across. He gently pushed at

Naruto's left arm as a warning of what he was going to do. If he shoved it off-balance, Naruto would fall flush against his

back. He knew there was a chance that Naruto wouldn't heed his warning and fall awkwardly, injuring both of them in the

process, but it was a risk he was willing to take. With a steady shove, the arm that was bearing all of Naruto's weight was

pushed aside.

Naruto could feel the impatient aura around Sasuke, but he was going to feign ignorance and push his luck for a while longer.

When Sasuke moved his arm aside, Naruto carefully fell onto his elbows. He smiled at Sasuke's impatient sigh. Ignoring

Sasuke's urgency, Naruto slid his legs back, letting most of his body press against Sasuke's. His erection gave a throb of

excitement, but Naruto had been managing to half-ignore it too. He kissed a path from the back of Sasuke's neck to the top of

his butt cheeks. He tapped one of Sasuke's inner thighs to get him to open his legs wider before positioning himself between

them. He scooted down to spread his cheeks open before blowing at both the bottom of the other man's sack and his entrance.
At that point, Sasuke became as impatient as ever. He squirmed, his erection crying out painfully for them to get a move on.

He lifted himself onto his elbows, glaring back at Naruto in a frustrated manner. His body language screamed 'either fuck me

now, or I'll take care of this all by myself.' Naruto sent him a sexy smirk before he slipped a slick finger into his

entrance. Sasuke's upper body dropped back down, his face directly into the pillow, as Naruto prepared him with ease. Shit,

it was almost as if it were only yesterday that they last had sex. And, more importantly, when exactly did Naruto find the

lube so fast? This wasn't even his house, for crying out loud! His thoughts turned to mush, however, when he felt the

blonde's penis sliding in between his butt cheeks. Wonderful. He had begged the other man to hurry the hell up and now he

didn't feel so ready.

As Naruto led the tip of his penis directly at Sasuke's entrance, he had a revelation. "Well," he voiced his thoughts with a

grin. "I have some crazy luck to be able to take your virginity for a second time." Sasuke shot him a glare over his

shoulder. Naruto had a feeling that Sasuke was going to get him back for that comment, but as he began to slowly enter him,

he knew it was worth it. And when he was completely inside, nothing could take away from that moment...that was until Sasuke

began clenching his butt cheeks, creating a not-so-pleasant vacuum that tightened around him. "Shit, Sasuke, ease up!"

"You're not in any position to demand that," Sasuke complained, but he managed to relax his muscles regardless. He remembered

that it hurt the first time they had sex, but their angel bodies healed almost instantly. Human bodies didn't heal fast at

all, so the flesh around the dick in his ass was burning furiously even with the aid of lube. "Just give me a moment."

Naruto forced himself to think of other things as Sasuke took a few breaths, but after a moment, he couldn't take it anymore

and slowly began to pull out and push back in. The first time Sasuke's butt twitched as if it wanted to clench again, but

after the following few thrusts, Sasuke spread his legs wider before burying his face into the pillow. Damn it. Not again.

Naruto WANTED to hear the sounds coming out of Sasuke's mouth, why was his first instinct to whine into the pillow? Leaning

over Sasuke, he slid his arm around to pull the other man unto his chest, putting both of them in a kneeling position. His

hands held on to Sasuke's hips.

Sasuke leaned his head back unto Naruto's shoulder, his body finally ignoring the pain. As Naruto's thrusts increased in

speed and force, the pleasure built up inside him. He let out a shaky gasp as the heat engulfed him. When one of Naruto's

hands reached down to surround his erection, Sasuke put his own hand over it and kept at his pace. A throaty "oh" fell from

his lips. He heard Naruto's answering growl and let it go, his penis spilling forth white liquid unto both their hands. His

voice weakened to a whisper. "Naruto."

Though barely audible, the sound of his name being whispered by Sasuke brought Naruto to the edge shortly after. "Mmm,

Sasuke..."


~End of Recap~


------------------


Naruto felt betrayed. Even though Sasuke had KNOWN that he had no recollection of any interaction between their angel

counterparts, he had gone ahead and let them rape their bodies like that. And without his knowledge! If perverted angel

spirits wanted to 'borrow' his body to have sex, he needed to give the approval, damn it! Naruto frowned when he bitterly

realized that his angel counterpart had indirectly tapped HIS boyfriend's ass using his own body and he had completely missed

it. Wait! No. No. He was definitely NOT jealous of his angel counterpart! "Fucking shit." Feeling angrier by the second,

Naruto jabbed at the doorbell before him. He needed to rant, hide, and fume. This was the first place that came to mind that

would be a good place for all three. He forced a smile as the door opened, knowing that it probably looked more like a snarl.

"What happened?" A concerned Neji wondered.




-----------------------------

TBC

********

Title: A New Vessel

Author: Dragon Dung

Beta: Riki

Pairings: Naruto x Sasuke/Sasuke x Naruto

Warning: Alternate Universe, yaoi, general OOC…

Disclaimer: See first Chapter.


---------------------------------

Chapter 10: Dominant Counterparts

---------------------------------


A week. An entire week zoomed past Sasuke's head and he had yet to make any progress with Naruto. Twenty-five percent of the problem was focused around his gallery. What should have been one of the proudest moments of the Uchiha's life were spent wondering about the blonde's whereabouts. Which led to the other seventy-five percent of the problem. Naruto might as well could have dropped off the face of the planet because Sasuke could not get a hold of him. He was about to vent out his frustration on a blank canvas in the supply room in the back of the gallery when he caught sight of two vaguely familiar faces...rather, two vaguely familiar hairstyles.

"Hey Sasuke!" Sakura greeted as she approached the artist, Ino right behind her.

"Sakura was right, your artwork's impressive," Ino commented. "In a creepy and depressing way."

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly in response. He was surprised to see any of Naruto's friends stopping by to see his work if Naruto refused to even reveal himself to him. "How's Naruto doing?"

Sakura's head snapped towards him so fast, he was surprised that he didn't hear a resounding crack at the movement. "You're asking us? But, we swore that he's been with you all this time."

Sasuke frowned. Why would Naruto be in seclusion from his friends as well? "I haven't seen him for a while now."

Ino and Sakura looked at each other, completely puzzled. When Naruto stopped replying to his texts and messages, the girls had assumed that it was because he was too 'busy' with his boyfriend. If he wasn't with Sasuke, then where the hell had he been during the week?

"The last I heard of Naruto, he had begged and pleaded his boss to get the week off until Jiraiya finally conceded," Sakura thought aloud.

"And you have no idea as to where he would have gone during all this time?" Sasuke asked carefully. "Other than assuming that he was with me?" Sasuke had stopped by Naruto's apartment day after day and during different hours of the day with no luck.

"Ah," Ino snapped her fingers as the thought occurred to her. "If anyone would know, it'd be Gaara. He keeps secrets with him to the grave-"

"How do I get a hold of Gaara? Could you give me his number?" Sasuke interrupted, handing Ino his cell phone, jumping at the first lead he's had all week.

Ino pulled out her own phone and deftly transferred Gaara's number into Sasuke's. "All done." She handed back Sasuke's phone.

"Thanks," he told them quickly before making his way out of the gallery.

"You so owe us one!" Sakura called out at his retreating back. She shook her head in disbelief. That guy really needed to keep better tabs on his own boyfriend. "So, what do you think, Ino?"

"Hmm," Ino put a finger to her mouth for a moment before they both came to the same conclusion. "Fight, probably."


------------------


"Then, Pearl stepped all over Silver's claws just to get to the other side faster. I don't know whether to write that he was lazy or cruel to his fellow birds." Lee recounted to Gaara.

The two friends were walking back to Lee's house from their daily visit to the zoo. Lee was fascinated with endangered species. He believed that everything deserved a fighting chance to live. Though Gaara wasn't anywhere near as fervent as Lee, he had slowly begun to understand why it was all so important to his black-eyed friend. The peace was broken by the sounds coming from Gaara's cell.

Gaara pulled out the phone and stared at the unknown number on it, wondering if he should answer it or not. He looked towards his right to find Lee being thoroughly and conveniently distracted by a few squirrels. Gaara shut his eyes and unfolded his phone. He was surprised to hear the voice that came from the other end. How the hell did that guy come across his number?

"Gaara, it's Sasuke."

Gaara's eyes narrowed at the different possibilities of where this conversation would go. None of those possibilities worked in Sasuke's favor. "What is it?"

There was a pause on the other end until Sasuke figured out the right words to use. "I seem to have misplaced my boyfriend. He was too livid to see the whole picture of what I was trying to do and demanded that I not follow him. To respect his wishes, I went against my own judgment and let him go."

Gaara covered his eyes with his free hand. He had a feeling it would be something like that. "What is the reason for your call?"

"If anyone would know where Naruto could be, Sakura and Ino said that you would." Sasuke explained.

Gaara thought of the possibilities of where Naruto would go if he didn't want to see Sasuke, Ino, OR Sakura. "You're not going to like this..."

"...what aren't I going to like?"

"There's a very good chance that he's gone to hide out at Neji's," Gaara concluded.

"..."

"You have no idea where Neji lives," Gaara frowned.

"..."

"Of course not." Gaara looked for Lee again. Lee was pretending to be immersed counting all the leaves of a nearby tree. He felt a drop of water fall on the top of his head and he slowly glanced up at the gathering clouds. "Do you know where the zoo is?"


------------------


At first, Sasuke didn't know why Gaara asked him to pick him up instead of just telling him Neji's address. But, as he neared the area around the zoo, rain started to drizzle on his windshield. He slowed his car down to a complete stop, Gaara and Lee quickly got themselves inside as a loud crackling thud of lightning went off somewhere in the distance. Gaara took the passenger seat and Lee sat in the back.

Gaara immediately pilfered around the compartment's of Sasuke's car to emerge with a notepad and a pen. "I'm drawing you a map showing you exactly how to get to Neji's, but you have to drop off Lee and me first-"

"Why don't you stay in the car with him and show him exactly where it is after I'm dropped off?" Lee asked from the back seat.

Gaara gave Lee an exasperated look, hoping above hope that his friend wouldn't press the matter. Gaara knew that he didn't want to be involved at all in whatever "discussions" that were about to take place at Neji's home. All that he wanted to do was to be indoors, in peace, and far, far away from chaos where he would undoubtedly be tempted to kill everyone for some tranquility.

"The map will be fine," Sasuke mumbled. He didn't get himself lost easily, not even in areas that he had never visited before.

A couple of lights and a turn later, Sasuke delivered Gaara and Lee to their doorstep. He barely paused long enough to thank them for their help before driving off far too fast for his own good in the rain.

------------------


Naruto wasn't aware of the rain, thunder, or flashing lightning beyond his window. He was too busy venting to Hinata about his predicament. The long-haired girl looked at him sadly with her big, lilac eyes.

"And get this," Naruto fumed. "I've been having these dreams for a good while and I STILL vaguely know what happened. I bet that asshole knows the whole fucking thing from beginning to end, but he just couldn't bother to tell me all the details."

Hinata lowered her head slightly, holding a curled hand towards her mouth in order not to do something rude like giggling in the middle of Naruto's rant. Her expression made it seem like she was worried rather than holding back laughter, which was something she was grateful for. She understood that Naruto felt betrayed, and overly angry, but that was only because he cared so much about owning Sasuke's full attention...something that was so very difficult for everyone in their group, seeing how they all shared their bodies with a past life's spirit. Of course, there were those that coped better than others, Hinata included. But, it was true that she felt bad for Naruto having such a hard time.

"You both need a good, long talk," she suggested softly with a secretive smile on her face.

Naruto forgot to be angry for a moment when he saw Hinata's contagious smile. He couldn't believe how much better he felt after venting only a little to Hinata in comparison to her cousin. Neji had just constantly fed Naruto's anger by throwing in his two cents here and there, causing Naruto to remain fuming for an entire week. He knew he was quick to anger sometimes, but hanging on to this grudge all week was not healthy. His revelation didn't quite reach full circle when he saw Hinata tilt her head to the side to look out the window curiously. Naruto followed her line of vision. When he realized that he was staring at Sasuke's silver car, he cursed.

"Hmph," Naruto sighed. He didn't know whether to run down to him or whether to climb out the window the minute that bastard entered through the front door. His indecision caused him to stay put where he stood. That was, until he heard a couple of thuds and the sound of things breaking from downstairs. Anxious, he dashed towards the sound of the noise only to stop in the middle of the staircase at the scene that stood before him. Neji and Sasuke were beating the crap out of each other. Naruto carefully walked forward, noticing the very tilted frames hanging on the wall and the delicate furniture at the entrance with all the things they once held thrown across the floor.

Sasuke and Neji's fight had migrated to the front balcony. From there, they rolled down and somehow landed themselves on the grass on the side of the pavement, in front of the railing leading up to the balcony. They didn't care that the cold rain was pouring down on them or that the grass below made their limbs slip now and again. Naruto could only look on in shock as Sasuke managed to pin Neji facedown, a knee on his back and a hand pulling his long hair back painfully. Naruto finally snapped out of his shock when Sasuke shoved Neji's face roughly unto the wet grass beneath them.

"Sasuke! What do you think you're doing!" Naruto cried as he approached Sasuke from behind, disregarding the heavy rain. Sasuke had managed to rub Neji's face unto the grass three more times before Naruto pulled him away, hooking his arms under and in front of his shoulders. "Sasuke! Stop!"

Sasuke thrashed against Naruto's grip, absolutely livid. His fury settled down as soon as he saw the worried Hinata kneeling next to her cousin to survey the damage despite the rain that fell all around them. He breathed once, twice...and then he registered the tight grip that Naruto had him in. "Let go. I'm not going to attack him again." Not unless he says or does something to deserve it again, he added mentally. "Naruto..." Sasuke turned around to see Naruto standing perfectly straight, his eyes aflame with many emotions, fury being mostly dominant.

"Let me take you home," Sasuke pleaded. "Please."

Naruto wanted to refuse. That would have acting on his first impulse to send Sasuke away. He didn't want to stay angry forever, however. So, he nodded instead. The whole car ride there was so quiet and awkward that Naruto barely even acknowledged the fact that he was seated in the passenger seat of the Mercury Cougar. By the time he realized where he was seated, they had already arrived. Naruto dragged his feet up the stairs that lead to his apartment and searched his pockets until he found his keys. When he pulled them out, the keys were hooked on a thread inside his pocket and he fought with them for a moment, already frustrated beyond relief. Honestly, even something as simple as opening the door was becoming an awful chore. When he finally entered the apartment, he set a determined look on Sasuke. He was wet, dragged away from his hiding place, and in no real mood to compromise.

"I hate feeling so disoriented and blank after something that our angel counterparts did in our place," Naruto voiced his worries clearly. "And I find it disturbing that my own boyfriend could allow them so much freedom to do as they wanted with our bodies and without consent. I trusted you Sasuke." Sasuke moved to speak, but Naruto put a hand up. "Let me finish, bastard." When Sasuke closed his mouth, Naruto continued. "And, most importantly," he emphasized by jabbing Sasuke's shoulders with the last two words. "I am incredibly pissed off at the fact that someone else got to fuck you before we even had a chance to get that far in our own relationship. I mean, what the hell Sasuke! What the fucking hell?"

Sasuke struggled to keep a straight face. Out of all of his concerns, he was surprised that he was mostly jealous of his own past life's liberties. Then again, the reason the angel spirit had such liberties was because Sasuke allowed it in the hopes that the spirits would move on and leave them in peace. "My hopes were to let them get on with whatever unfinished business they have and stop haunting our dreams and our lives." Sasuke explained. "I honestly didn't think that you would find any fault in that seeing how you don't like feeling blank and disoriented whenever your angel counterpart takes over." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I promise to go over things with you before I let anything like that happen again."

"Good," Naruto replied, his frown slowly vanishing, being replaced with a look of confusion. His voice shook a little as he asked, "Do you think they've finally moved on now?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I still feel the presence of mine in the back of my head." This time, Sasuke wasn't surprised to note that Naruto's stance shifted and the way he held himself changed.

"Perfect," Naruto's angel counterpart declared. "Could you let him out for a moment now? You don't know how difficult it is to surface in this body."

"I will after you answer a few of my questions," Sasuke countered. He would do things right this time. He wouldn't allow the angel spirits to do anything without Naruto's joint approval.

"I don't have time for your silly questions," AngelNaruto replied. "We can only surface for 20 minutes tops!"

"Either answer my questions or I don't let my counterpart out at all," Sasuke warned. When AngelNaruto scowled, Sasuke assumed that he had won the argument. "Why are the human souls different from the angel souls-?"

"Whoa, wait," AngelNaruto lifted his hands up. "Must you start with the difficult questions first? Hell if I knew why we're stuck like this in our reincarnation. It probably has something to do with the fact that we all came here as a cluster, you're going to have to ask Sas- uh, your angel counterpart about that."

"Alright," Sasuke agreed. "Do you have any idea why you and Naruto can't talk to each other like we can?"

"More questions to which I don't know the answer to," AngelNaruto sighed. "All I know is that there's a barrier around his spirit. It used to be nothing but a black bubble, but now it feels more like red fire."

"..." Sasuke let the new information sink in for a little bit. A black barrier? Red fire? Was there something else interfering with Naruto and his angel counterpart?

"Are we done with the questions already? Time's ticking," AngelNaruto whined.

"For now," Sasuke nodded. "As promised, I'll let my angel counterpart surface, but on one condition."

"Hey, you never said a damn thing about a condition!" AngelNaruto growled.

"You must promise to keep your hands to yourself until I figure out what Naruto's comfortable with and willing to allow you to do," Sasuke demanded.

"Fine," AngelNaruto snorted. "Just let me talk to him."

This time, Sasuke could feel the shift going on inside and outside. When he was pushed to the back of his own mind, he knew the change was complete. "Naruto?"

"Sasuke," AngelNaruto whispered. Completely forgetting about what Sasuke made him promise to do, he crossed the distance between them, slipping a leg between Sasuke's legs and cupping his chin before grinding against him. "Sasu-" His eyes widened when a hand covered his mouth and another pushed at his shoulder.

"I thought I told you that you had to keep your hands to yourself," Sasuke ground out. His body was heating up because of the proximity of Naruto's body, and if he hadn't surfaced faster, he would have had an awkward moment trying to cool another part of his body down. The moment AngelNaruto realized that Sasuke's human counterpart returned, he took a few steps back in shock. Sasuke studied the blonde's face until the shock melted away into confusion.

"I feel that blank feeling again," Naruto announced while rubbing his temples. "Did they do anything crazy?"

"No, I made sure they didn't do anything at all this time," Sasuke smirked.

"For real?" Naruto smiled at Sasuke's nod. "About damn time. So, we should go over the do's and don'ts before we're interrupted again..."

Sasuke couldn't agree more.



-----------------------------

TBC

********

Title: A New Vessel

Author: Dragon Dung

Beta: Riki

Pairings: Naruto x Sasuke/Sasuke x Naruto

Warning: Alternate Universe, yaoi, general OOC…

Disclaimer: See first Chapter.

-----------------------------------------

Chapter 11: Group Reincarnation

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A group of friends gathered around the un-trashed living room of Neji's house.

Neji was kneeling on the ground in front of a short table, his expression blank and refusing to look at anyone with his battered face. Sakura, Ino, and Tenten were seated on the floor beside Neji. Hinata was seated in a chair behind him with the most serious expression on her face that any of the others had ever seen. Shino and Kiba stood behind Hinata, looking at each other nervously, each holding on to the back of her chair. Shikamaru and Chouji were seated on the couch near the door. Shikamaru was on the edge of his seat, his elbows on his knees and the lower half of his face hidden behind his entwined hands. Chouji's stomach made a few sounds of discontent, but he had a feeling he would get tackled to the ground by the entire group if he ran for the kitchen just then.

Gaara and Lee were seated on the couch beside the table. Gaara sighed. He had a feeling that Neji wasn't going to speak to him for months. But, he didn't feel all that guilty about sending Sasuke his way. Once he cooled off, Neji would realize that Naruto's happiness depended on Sasuke now. However, until then, Neji would be very pissed. Hinata had called Sakura immediately to look Neji over in case he had any serious injuries that she wasn't aware of. When Sakura had inquired about it, Hinata told her everything. Once Ino was informed, she informed everyone else. So, there they had all gathered; A group of friends that had everything and nothing in common. One for all and all for one, was it?

Hinata stood up from her chair. Everyone's eyes were on her as she made her way to the front of the living room. "Enough is enough," she scolded. "We need to talk." She threw a glance at Shino and Kiba. Kiba had his head down and was looking at his feet like a child who knew a lecture was about to start. Shino, sensing that something important was about to be discussed, slid his sunglasses over his head, his hazel eyes giving Hinata his undivided attention...


---------------------------


"They're supposed to be us," Naruto thought aloud. "And we're supposed to be them...but, we're not? Why?"

Sasuke and Naruto were sitting on Naruto's bed, their backs to the wall. After they had agreed to sort things out together, they finally realized that they were both still in wet clothes. They took turns showering in Naruto's bathroom and Naruto let Sasuke borrow a change of clothes. Naruto was in a warm pair of pajamas, but Sasuke wasn't planning on staying late, so he wore a comfortable pair of khakis shorts and a grey shirt. They had both washed their hair as well, so blonde and midnight black strands alike fell down straight, no longer confined to spikes. If they were a normal couple, Naruto would have loved to run his hands through Sasuke's recently washed hair or to comb and brush it through just for the hell of it. But, right now he couldn't.

"Sasuke," Naruto continued. "You know the whole story, don't you?" He had said it as a statement more than a question. "Why don't we start with that? Just what the hell happened over there?"

Sasuke leaned his head back unto the wall. "I only know all the details when I'm asleep. When I'm dreaming, everything's clear. But, when I'm awake, it's all faded. That's why I always sketch and paint scenes the minute I wake up." He looked directly into Naruto's eyes. "What I do know is that these angels shared such an immense love that their souls refused to be parted." He reached out, moving his right hand around to rest at the back of Naruto's head, and carefully pressed their foreheads together. "And I also know that I want to be with you. And that feeling has nothing to do with how they feel. I don't know what love is, not like those angels. But, if it means wanting to be with someone enough to be jealous over him and missing his presence so badly that it hurts inside...then I think I may be in love with you."

Naruto's heart was pounding so fast that it even gave him trouble breathing. Wait. No. Damn it, they had to get back on track or they'd never sort this out. With a deep breath, Naruto gently pulled away from Sasuke's hold. "I-I want to be with you too, but Sasuke!" He put his hands on the other's shoulders and shook him. "Get a grip. I know we've been under a lot of pressure and suspense, but we have to work more important things out first."

Sasuke blinked. Though didn't have to resort to shaking him, the blonde was right. "Your angel counterpart said that we should be asking these questions to MY counterpart." He scooted away a little. "And that they can only 'surface' for about twenty minutes. Why? I don't know. But, that gives us a limited time to have our questions answered. And that's only IF he decides to stay out for the whole of the twenty minutes." He smiled wryly. "So, it's all up to you for now." That being said, Sasuke closed his eyes, willing his angel counterpart to surface.

"Crap! Sasuke wait I'm not ready-" Naruto's complaints died on his lips when Sasuke's eyes opened and his all-around presence changed before him...even the way he sat. "Uh, hi?" This was definitely one of the most awkward and disturbing moments of Naruto's life.

"Is there a reason why I'm here or are you just going to sit there and gape at me all day?" AngelSasuke smirked. Things were a little awkward for him, too. He figured that the only way to keep his wits about him was to fall into old habits. Habits that, even though he was a spirit, died hard. Teasing Naruto was one of them.

Was it just him or were these angel spirits more than a little rude? "We have a lot of questions that need answering," Naruto began. "But, I guess the first one is: just what the hell is going on!?"

AngelSasuke fought the urge to roll his eyes. Honestly, Naruto was the same no matter what form he was in. He cleared his throat. "Long story short, our planet was dying. I made a pact with the spirit of the planet to transfer my spirit and my partner's spirit to Earth."

"But, what's happening with US?" Naruto asked. "Why are you different from Sasuke and I'm different from the spirit inside me?"

Neither a simple question nor a simple answer. AngelSasuke's theories were only theories. He had no way of knowing if any of his theories were the truth. "There could be many reasons," he told him cautiously. "Maybe our being transferred here involved a deconstruction of our entities in which we became two parts split from the same soul...or maybe the soul itself developed something similar to a dissociative identity disorder after the trauma of such a sudden move, I have no way of knowing exactly why we are like this."
Naruto was absolutely baffled. He had never heard of anything like souls creating clones or developing split personalities. Things just couldn't get any more complicated, could they? "Well damn," Naruto huffed. "So, you're not some other souls trying to take over our bodies, we're more like two sides of the same coin?"

"Yes, I believe so," AngelSasuke agreed. "It shouldn't really matter whether our spirits were once angels and we were reincarnated as humans. Souls are shape shifters."

"What are we going to do?" Naruto whined, rubbing the palm of his left hand on his forehead.

AngelSasuke could sympathize. "For now, we'll just have to share."

"Now just wait a minute, these are OUR bodies we're talking about-" Naruto frowned when AngelSasuke shook his head.

"We're the same entity remember?" AngelSasuke snapped. "YOU may think you're the original owners of the body, but WE have all the memories of our past lives." He sighed, lowering his head for a moment. "Until the day we are merged again, if that day ever comes, we'll have to negotiate." When he looked back up, he was surprised to see tears building up in Naruto's eyes. A tear rolled down his left cheek as he continued to watch. And, even though this was his partner's 'counterpart,' AngelSasuke just couldn't stand seeing Naruto cry. It still hurt. He retreated to the back of Sasuke's mind and pulled his 'other self' forward to deal with the situation.

Naruto wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. "What are we then? Are we just leftovers? The parts of the souls that they wanted to forget?" He held back a sob. He didn't even realize when Sasuke pulled him into a tight hug or that he was clinging to the other man's back. "It's not fair. How did our places become reversed?"

Sasuke held on to the blonde tightly as the other's body shook with silent sobs. He could have sworn that he heard a voice in the back of his head whisper, 'I'm sorry,' but he could have easily imagined it. Whoever said that ignorance was bliss clearly never suffered through such a complicated situation. Damn. And here Sasuke had thought that he was going to leave tonight. He couldn't leave Naruto despairing like this alone. They were in this together.

Naruto couldn't help the void that he was feeling inside. His body felt so empty and dark. Everything was black. "Sasuke," Naruto pleaded. "Please help me," He whispered. He ran his right hand through Sasuke's hair and moved back to place a trembling kiss on his lips. "I want to feel something...I want to feel real."

Sasuke pulled back to try to piece together what Naruto was trying to say. The blonde's eyes were a dull silvery blue. What should he do? Was it right? Was it wrong? And what of the consequences? Naruto was feeling helpless and desperate to prove that they existed, that they were alive and real. Sasuke pulled at the collar of his shirt, pulling it over his head and throwing it aside. Nearly as soon as the shirt was off, he felt Naruto's hands move all over his skin. Sasuke copied his actions.

A fire began to replace the cold, empty feeling that Naruto felt a moment ago. Fire wherever Sasuke touched his skin. The dark haired man's hands were hotter than a searing ray of the sun. The mouth on his skin cooled him. He felt Sasuke hold the back of his head steadily before he felt his tongue running under his upper lip, a mouth sucking on the center. Naruto's mouth fell open and began seeking Sasuke's when the other had let go. They struggled for a few moments to find a comfortable position. Ah, so Sasuke liked to lean to the left. They broke the kiss to breathe and when Naruto opened his eyes, he realized that Sasuke had managed to pin him down to the bed somewhere down the line. Sasuke liked to be on top too? Naruto tucked all these observations in the back of his mind for later use. For a moment, they just stared at each other, breathing heavily. Sasuke's hair had fallen forward and he had a strange look in his eyes, like he was struggling on a decision. Naruto watched as the black-haired man took a deep breath before getting off of him completely. Naruto's lower regions were already complaining. Naruto ignored them and sat up.

"I-" Sasuke began before he was interrupted by the sound of music. Was that...Blue Bird? What the hell?

Naruto's eyes widened. The sound of music seemed to have snapped him out of the slump that he was in. "Shit! My phone!" He scrambled to find his pants. He dug out his cell and checked to see who it was before hitting the talk button. "Hinata? What is it?" He frowned when the voice that answered sounded a lot less like Hinata and a lot more like Kiba.

"You. Sasuke. Neji's house. Now," was all that was said before he hung up.

---------------------------


All eyes turned their way as Naruto and Sasuke walked into the living room. "Ok, we're here," Naruto greeted, a little out of breath from the rush to get there. "What's up, guys?"

Hinata motioned for Naruto and Sasuke to take a seat. "Some of us may already know what this is about," Hinata began, giving Neji a knowing look. "And some of us don't have a clue." She straightened back her shoulders, looking everyone in the eyes for a moment.
"As all of you know, I have never been one to lie and I don't ever intend to. But, this needs to be discussed right now before we move on any further in our lives." Everyone's attention was on her which was simply excellent because she needed their unwavering attention for a good while. "We are all reincarnations of angels that lived on a planet far, far away from this one...and we all seem to be struggling because of it."

Neji, Gaara, Sakura, and Chouji were quiet. The others squawked, mumbled, and shook their heads in disbelief. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, surprised, and yet knowing that something like this had to happen.

Lee frowned, his thick eyebrows furrowing. The large eyed youth gazed towards Gaara, many pieces of a puzzle he never knew that he was trying to solve were finally starting to fit together in his mind.

Ino was staring at Hinata as if she had grown two heads and Shikamaru had a feeling that things were going to become rather difficult.

Shino and Kiba stood next to Hinata, offering their support.

"Shino, Kiba, and I found this out long ago. In our past lives, I was in love with Shino, who loved Kiba, who loved me. In this life, I love Kiba, who loves Shino, who loves me. Since the three of us are close no matter what, our spirits are satisfied and we hold not only our past memories, but also these new memories close to our hearts." She smiled at the two people she cared the most about, ignoring the confusion that followed her explanation. "But, I didn't realize that we weren't the only ones. We ALL are the reincarnated forms of those angels. When I saw Sasuke and Neji fighting, it all came together at last. We are friends because we've always been friends. And we are all here together because the Anchor of Yainehm sent us here to be safe."

They all stopped to look at Sasuke.

"H-hey," Sasuke's voice bristled as he was accused. "Technically this isn't entirely my fault."

"Technically," Neji growled. "It IS."

---------------------------


"Human."

Naruto felt groggy and sleepy. He vaguely heard a voice calling him, but he ignored it. He didn't want to open his eyes.

"Human..."

After the surreal discussion of their group reincarnation, Naruto managed to convince Sasuke to sleep over. He even shared his bed with him since they were too tired to make other arrangements. Their talk of angels and conflicts and how it was all really happening had dragged on late into the night; Thus, Naruto didn't feel like being fully awake.

"Damn it, human, I don't speak with your kind very often," the voice roared. "So when I decide to speak, you better damn well listen."

Naruto scrunched up his closed eyes before slowly opening them. Before him stood the most beautiful and the most frightening being he had ever seen. Human in shape, but with the ears of a fox and...nine large tails swirling behind him. The most disturbing shade of red for eyes, and hair that seemed to be made out of bubbling fire. Bubbling? Did fire even bubble?

Now that he had finally gotten Naruto to rouse, the being grinned, showing all his sharp teeth. "Very good, little human," he stated, pleased. "I am Kyubi, the spirit of the planet you call Earth. I have brought you here to make a proposition."

-----------------------------

TBC

******

Title: A New Vessel

Author: Dragon Dung

Pairings: Naruto x Sasuke/Sasuke x Naruto

Warning: Alternate Universe, yaoi, general OOC…

Disclaimer: See first Chapter.

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Chapter 12: Shifting Balance

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How does one perceive time?

Sometimes, it feels as though time is running out. As though there is never enough time in a day in order to accomplish all the chores on the list.

Sometimes, a minute feels like an hour...as though the end of the day could not arrive fast enough.

Sometimes, time is just not on your side and the day feels both too long and too short for your liking.

Ever imagined how time perception would feel to an animal? A plant? A spirit...?

...the planet itself?


--

1000 years ago, planet Earth's 'Supernatural' Dimension:

--

Their mission was simple. The Head of the Angels asked the three of them to protect a planet until further notice. One of them became impatient and left. The two that remained were then caught in an ambush. That planet became overrun with an unknown species of demons and the two angels that were trying to protect it found themselves in an even bigger dilemma when they came back home to their dimension on Earth. Apparently their third team member was behind the whole thing.

"Just what is going on here!?" Tsunade cried. She was a beautiful and powerful angel that was strict when necessary. She was vain and selfish at times, but she was a natural leader when she had to be. Especially during times of bewilderment like the one they were facing.

"You're asking me?" Jiraiya huffed, his glowing white hair billowing behind him. He resembled a large cat whose hair spiked up in the face of fear and danger.

Before them was their civilization under siege. All of their towers and the beautiful landscape, all of their homes and the foliage...it was all being destroyed before their eyes. Their angel comrades were trying to hold back swarms of demons. Their demon allies were caught in-between the mess, trying to choose sides. The few human spirits that existed in their dimension had taken on the form of the wind, doing the only thing they could do to help their angel friends...making sure that the weather was on their side.

Tsunade and Jiraiya stood in front of the angel that they trained with since they were mere cherubim. So many things were running through their minds. They wondered when he began to change. They wondered how he could betray them. They wondered why he did all this...if he considered them to be friends at all this entire time, the angel they considered to be as close as a sibling. The one that helped them complete a myriad of missions and defended their home side by side for so long. What could have happened? Why was he doing this?

“Why,” the word was whispered, but the pain was so evident that one would have to wonder how difficult it was for Tsunade to push it through her lips.

“I am tired of having to do everything on the whims of the Heavens,” Orochimaru hissed. “Death, rebirth, missions...our lives are never really our own! I refuse to go on mindlessly following orders and being forced into life and death whenever the Heavens feel like it!”

Jiraiya shook his head in disbelief, no, in denial. He didn’t want to believe what was right before his eyes. His near lifelong partner had completely lost it.

“Do you not see that in the end, the three of us could remain the rulers of this dimension? Of this world? Of this universe?” Orochimaru continued, his demeanor expressed the fact that he didn‘t care what they thought of him at all. He had already made up his mind. “The rest are mere tools. Toys that can easily break.”

“How little you think of those that care about you,” Tsunade’s voice was no more than a whisper again, but it carried to their ears so loudly that it echoed. Tears gathered in her eyes even though her posture and stance was defiant and authoritative. She was the shortest of the three, but as she began to gather power inside of her unto a diamond on her forehead, she felt as tall as ever.

Though Jiraiya didn’t know exactly what Tsunade was planning, he realized that he needed to create a distraction in order for her to have enough time to do whatever she was planning to do. He drew out his crystal shard. Fire began gathering around it and he used it to create a long whip which he used to gain Orochimaru's attention. “You have lost all the respect I once had for you as a warrior.”

Orochimaru’s eyes narrowed to slits. He drew out his own shard and used it to bring out his sword. For a moment the three legendary angels looked at each other. Then, the three of them took to the sky and a fight of epic proportions began far above their realm.

For a brief moment, in the middle of all the chaos that was occurring below, all the angels and demons that were fighting stopped to gawk at the legendary three angels fighting amongst themselves. This was certainly end of their world as they knew it.

Behind a broken wall not too distant from that battle, Sasuke and Kakashi knelt in front of a demon. Sasuke’s brother.

“Whatever happens, get the fuck out of here,” Itachi demanded. The only ways in which he differed from his younger brother was in age, eyes, and the different shade of black in his hair. “I’m going to stay behind to hold the others back.”

“No, why do you think that you have to!?” Sasuke argued as his face scrunched up in a full frown. “You are still an ally, just come with us.”

“More of you can escape if I stay behind,” Itachi countered. His affection for his brother and his duty to the realm went hand in hand. “However, since you are clearly not cooperating...” In a swift move that neither Kakashi nor Sasuke could see, Itachi stamped Sasuke’s forehead with the bottom of the hilt of his sword and the younger angel blacked out as a symbol that appeared on his forehead faded. “He’s in your hands now, Kakashi. Take good care of him.”

The silver-haired angel nodded and took Sasuke’s smaller form in his arms. “Take care of yourself as well.”

Even though he had the smaller angel in his arms to worry about, Kakashi’s thoughts strayed towards another demon ally. The one that owned his heart. With his red eye, he scanned the damaged land until he found him. His heart felt heavier when he saw another demon slash Iruka across the nose. He nearly dropped Sasuke in his determination to aid the brown-haired demon.

Iruka, however, had no other problems in his scuffle with the demon that took a chunk of his nose with him. He fought hard and relentlessly even though the blood ran down his face. Demons healed as fast as angels did, being descendants of fallen angels themselves. As others looked on, Iruka’s wound healed leaving nothing but a scar where the injury once was. When he looked around, he caught Kakashi’s gaze and smiled ruefully. He mouthed the words ‘Never look back’ to the angel.

Several yards away, Naruto fell to the ground. He was exhausted with all the fighting, flying, and defending. His wings just couldn’t carry his own weight anymore. He choked on the dust that kicked up when he landed and felt his eyes burn. He wiped away the tears that threatened to fall. He had barely managed to get away from a high level demon that was throwing her spear into the shoulder blades of any Elder angel she encountered. He was lucky that she didn't deem him important enough to kill on the spot.

Naruto coughed and wheezed, sitting against some rubble. He let his head fall back as he looked at the red-stained sky. Everything happened so suddenly. He was training with his comrades, the angels around his age group, when Orochimaru appeared with an army of a strange species of demon that none of them had ever seen. They heard Orochimaru cackling something about shifting the balance before their realm fell under attack. How quickly Atlantis had fallen.

"Naruto!"

The blonde let his gaze fall towards the direction of the voice, making his head turn in the smallest movement possible. Sakura?

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked anxiously while falling to her knees next to him and holding the blonde's head as she checked him over. "Have you been healing properly? Can you breathe?"

"I'm better than most," Naruto replied roughly. His throat was dry and so were his lips. It was a chore to even talk. He tucked his lips in to lick them a little before trying to talk again. "What about the others?"

"We've been gathering together. I think Tsunade and Jiraiya are coming up with a way to get us out of here safely," she explained.

"Heh," Naruto began bitterly. "A little late for that, don't you think?"

"Yes," a voice that he had never heard before echoed inside Naruto's head. The ground started to shake beneath them and the blonde angel saw a figure surrounded by fire rising from the cracks. "It's far too late for that."

Orange, red, and yellow lights shot up from the ground and carried up through the sky. Everyone stopped what they were doing in shock. A moment later, the lights engulfed the planet whole. Many of the angels began to fade. They looked at each other, frightened.

Sasuke stirred with the power that cackled all around them. Though his vision was blurring, the last thing he saw was a spear being lunged through Itachi's shoulder blade before the lights blinded them all. "BROTHER!"

--
Present Day:
--

"Damn it, human, I don't speak with your kind very often," the voice roared. "So when I decide to speak, you better damn well listen."

Naruto scrunched up his closed eyes before slowly opening them. Before him stood the most beautiful and the most frightening being he had ever seen. Human in shape, but with the ears of a fox and...nine large tails swirling behind him. The most disturbing shade of red for eyes, and hair that seemed to be made out of bubbling fire. Bubbling? Did fire even bubble?

Now that he had finally gotten Naruto to rouse, the being grinned, showing all his sharp teeth. "Very good, little human," he stated, pleased. "I am Kyubi, the spirit of the planet you call Earth. I have brought you here to make a proposition."

Naruto couldn’t believe what he was seeing and hearing. Was this another crazy dream? “Wh-what?”

Kyubi completely ignored Naruto’s discomfort, confusion, and disbelief. “The thing is,” he began. “I’m a hell of a lot more of a tolerant planet spirit than I should be. Humans? They’re like mosquitoes to me. They leech off of me; occasionally give me a disease that threatens my life...”

Naruto tried his very best to understand what Kyubi was trying to tell him. He was trying so hard...

“They’re a nuisance, but have still managed not to incur my full wrath,” Kyubi concluded. “However...” He took a few steps closer to Naruto. “There is a reincarnated asshole that has been trying to suck the very life out of me. Each of his attempts is more successful than the last.” He tried to send Naruto a sardonic grin, but it came out looking more like a snarl. “And as much as it stings my pride, I have come to the conclusion that I need your help. Become my Anchor. You’ll be able to save your little friends from the calamity that is sure to come...I’ll be able to stomp out the leech like a cockroach...we both win.”

“A-A-Anchor?” Naruto stuttered. He had barely figured out what that term meant thanks to the talk he had with Sasuke and his friends, but hearing the word coming out of such a supernatural being was freaking him out to say the least.

“It’s simple,” Kyubi told him with a sultry smirk. He pulled Naruto closer to him, lifting his chin with a finger. “We just have to become one.”

---------

Naruto woke up with a start, falling off his bed. Would there ever be a day that he could have a normal dream and restful sleep? He rubbed his lower back as he sat up, peering over the bed at the no longer sleeping Sasuke that he had completely forgotten had slept over. “Sorry if I woke you,” he apologized with a yawn. “I had such a disturbing dream...”

“What of?” Sasuke asked, hardly showing any signs of groggery.

“The spirit of this planet,” Naruto replied, looking on as Sasuke’s eyes widened. “He wants me to be the Anchor of Earth.”

“WHAT? How?” Sasuke demanded. He didn’t mean for it to come out so harsh, but seeing as how the previous planet spirit had started all this in the first place, he felt justified with his instant suspicion. “What did he say?”

Naruto winced at Sasuke’s tone. “From what I understood, someone was leeching off of him and something terrible is going to happen.”

Sasuke briefly pondered suffocating himself with Naruto’s pillows. “Argh, will this ever end!?”

“What about you? Do you remember what your dream was about?” Naruto asked tentatively, sitting down next to Sasuke on his bed.

“It was more like a nightmare,” Sasuke groaned. “They were images of a war that occurred before the angels were transferred to another planet.”

“A war?” Naruto asked.

“Yeah,” Sasuke explained. “One of the most powerful angels betrayed them all.”

‘Reincarnated asshole,’ Naruto remembered Kyubi’s choice of words. “Did you catch the name of that particular angel?”

----

“I’m impressed that he managed to block us once again,” Kabuto noted. “But, it takes him more and more effort to do so. We’re wearing him down.”

“Heh. Heh,” Orochimaru replied, a serpentine smile on his face. “He can’t defy us forever.”

----

“Kakashi,” Iruka greeted, surprised to find the silver-haired man at his doorstep and wary about the serious face he had on. “How is Sasuke?”

“Bracing himself for the storm that's around the corner," Kakashi replied with a sigh. "They know, Iruka. All of them. They know everything."

Iruka sat with his forearms on his knees as Kakashi explained to him how he came across this information. Sasuke had called him after the younger generation had gathered and discussed the oddities of their past lives.

"It gets worse," the silver-haired man grumbled. He was reluctant to divulge the next part to Iruka, knowing that the man had always been attached to a certain blonde bubble of energy. "Naruto has been contacted by the spirit of the planet Earth. He has been chosen to be this planet's anchor- no; he probably has always been this planet's anchor."

Iruka's reaction to the news was just as he had expected. "No, we have to protect him...we can't have a repeat of what happened to all of you on Yainehm. I won't have it."

A small smile appeared on Kakashi's face. "I thought so. And that is why I need your help. Tell me again everything that happened after we were sent away from Atlantis."

----

Naruto found himself sitting before Sasuke's angel counterpart once again. How could someone ever get used to this? "So, his name was Orochimaru...and he was one of the badass top three reliable angels of that time until he backstabbed everyone."

"Hn," was AngelSasuke's reply.

"Well, what if I told you that ol' Orochimaru's reincarnated and trying to suck this planet's spirit dry?"

"WHAT? How?"

Naruto winced, feeling a bout of déjà vu. "Don't you think that, had I known that, I would have told you already? Hell if I knew!"

"Hmph. Hell sounds about right," AngelSasuke admitted. "I need to talk to your counterpart. Now."

Naruto couldn't help but glare at the order. But, he didn't feel like arguing with him just then. He closed his eyes and felt the ever-familiarizing feeling of a pull. When he reopened his eyes, it was his angel counterpart that spoke. "I don't know whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, but," AngelNaruto remarked. “What used to be a black bubble and had later become red fire is starting to fade away around my human’s spirit.”


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TBC

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