Sasuke sat in his usual position – as far away from his teammates as he possibly could – while he listened idly to Kakashi’s droning about an upcoming assignment. He twirled his kunai lazily in one hand, his smoldering eyes lowered to the ground as he tried to make sense of what had made him act that way on that fateful night. It wasn’t as if it was something that he wanted to rehash over and over again in his mind, but there was no denying that he was still embarrassed about the way he had gone about getting Naruto’s attention.
Anything but a kiss, he thought wearily.
Rubbing a hand across his eyes, he stole another glance at his rival, embarrassed yet again to find himself wondering just what Naruto had really thought about the entire thing. They had not spoken much to each other since the festival had ended two weeks ago. Sure, they saw each other every now and then on the streets, but neither had brought up the incident. It wasn’t as if they had anything in particular to talk about. It was usually a ‘Hey’ and some customary pleasantries before heading their separate ways.
Sasuke couldn’t help feeling the disappointment well within him at the thought. Just what had he been expecting? Had he actually thought that showing he cared a little bit would have made the blond shinobi any friendlier? No, that wasn’t it. Naruto had always been friendly; it was just he, Sasuke, had the problems being more acceptable to Naruto’s advances – no, to anyone’s advances.
But, I made the first move. He should have at least said something…
Something like what? ‘Oh, I love you, Sasuke and never ever want to let you go!’ Bah…who was he kidding? Naruto would never say such a thing. And the genius chuunin knew that he would be unable to say it either. So basically, they were both going to continue living like relative strangers for the rest of their lives. That seemed like the perfect plan.
But then again…he couldn’t help feeling resentful at the blond for making him feel this way. Who was Naruto to make him feel so insecure and helpless? Who did Naruto think he was to make him want to throttle and yet kiss those lips a million times over? Who did Naruto…?
“Sasuke-kun? Sasuke-kun?! We’re ready to go now.”
He lifted his gaze to stare at the smiling green-eyed girl before him, wondering what she could be talking about now. It took all of a few seconds to realize that Kakashi’s speech was finally over. Everyone was staring at him. Sakura was staring with concern, Kakashi looked passive, and Naruto...wasn’t even looking at him! The blond was busy fixing up his headband. For a brief instant Sasuke had the insane urge to rip the headgear off the kyubi’s head and toss it away forever.
“Sasuke-kun?” Sakura asked again, until Sasuke gave a small sigh and rose to his feet.
“I’m ready…let’s go.”
Seeing the pleased smile on the pink-haired girl’s face made the genius chunnin a bit queasy. He had been upset with her for what she had said to Naruto on the night of the festival, but Sakura had apologized – and in front of him, too – to Naruto. And now apparently things were back to normal between his two teammates, although Sasuke had noticed that Naruto wasn’t as enthusiastic in his usual accolades about the young girl.
Maybe things were looking up… he hoped.
Sasuke stole another glance over his shoulder to see what his rival was up to. He wasn’t the least surprised to find the vivacious blond talking to their instructor in a way that made Sasuke wish he was the one in Kakashi’s position. Unaware that he had given a small sigh, he was surprised to hear the question from Sakura’s lips.
“Is everything alright, Sasuke-kun? You look a bit…” She twiddled her thumbs shyly as she wondered if she dared say it out loud. But deciding that it wouldn’t hurt, she finished softly. “You look a bit…eh…sad. Is there anything I can get for you?”
Or do for you? She thought desperately as she tried hard to keep up with the striding figure. She would be seventeen in a few months and she was yet to have her first real sexual experience. All this time, she had been saving herself for the dark-haired shinobi, wondering if he would ever ask her out for a real date or even for something more than just a chaste kiss on the cheek. But no, she never could get the nerve to ask Sasuke for such a thing. As much as she longed for the boy to claim her as his, she was beginning to have a small nudge of doubt in her mind.
The rumor was beginning to rise out of the grapevines like an annoying pest. She had tried to ignore them all. She had tried to tell herself that perhaps it was all just one big elaborate plot by Ino-pig to get Sasuke all to herself. But as time had gone by and days had turned into weeks and weeks into months and months into years, Sakura had yet to find something tangible to dispel the rumor.
Had Sasuke ever kissed a girl at all before?
The fact was well known that the genius chuunin had kissed at least one person, as her mind took her back to that damning moment so long ago. It was an accident, she reminded herself, like she always did when she thought of it. If it wasn’t for Naruto being so nosey and getting in Sasuke’s face all the time, none of that would have happened. That kiss would never have happened! And that was why all the rumors had begun to spread. Many were beginning to think that Sasuke might be…
“Ah, it’s not true!”
The dark-haired boy blinked in surprise at the outburst, wondering what had gotten his companion so flustered. He watched her slap a hand over her mouth before she began to apologize profusely.
“Uh…sorry, Sasuke-kun. I was just…just…thinking out loud…” Her voice faded to an embarrassed whisper, feeling suddenly grateful that they had finally reached her house.
Sasuke frowned lightly and opened up his mouth to say something, but closed it again.
They both stood with eyes lowered to the ground, neither knowing what to do now as the awkward goodbyes were about to be said. Finally giving a heavy sigh, Sakura whispered softly.
“Will you at least give me a good bye kiss, Sasuke-kun?”
With a barely audible sigh of resignation, he leaned forward to place the customary kiss on her cheek, before stepping away with a wan smile. “You have a good evening now, Sakura. I will see you tomorrow morning on the bridge.” And without waiting for her response, he sunk his hands into the pockets of his pants and made his way back down the street and towards his lonely apartment.
Sakura watched his retreating form make the turn around the corner and disappear from sight. Shaking her head slowly in dismay, she was just about to make her way into her home, when the familiar taunting voice was heard.
“I told you he wasn’t into girls, Sakura. You just wouldn’t listen to me, would you?”
The girl’s grip on the doorknob tightened as she grit her teeth in growing irritation. “Ino-pig. What are you doing here?”
“Haha! Did you think I wasn’t going to see your little romantic farewell, hmm, Sakura? Come now, you only know that I am looking out for you…”
“Shut up, Ino. Sasuke is not like that!” Sakura bellowed in frustration, not caring if the neighbors heard. “Just because he doesn’t show his emotions, does not mean that he likes…he likes…” She squeezed her eyes shut and screamed out angrily. “He is that way with everybody!”
Ino gave a light snort and brushed off an imaginary line of lint from her shirt. “Hmph. If you wish to keep deluding yourself, then so be it. But we all know that he is ‘that’ way. Either that…or he’s not even a real boy. Hah! See you around, Sakura-pig!”
And with gleeful laughter on her lips, Ino pranced away, already congratulating herself on having crushed her rival for the day.
Naruto waved goodbye to the older man with a pleased smile and spun on his heels to make his way back home. His daily evening meals with Iruka-sensei were something he always enjoyed, even after all these years. Humming softly to himself, he made his way down the street, feeling as if nothing could go wrong this evening. Tomorrow, they would have a new assignment. They were to guard the Miura family, who were traveling to the Sand Village. It wasn’t exactly a Type A job that Naruto had been hoping for, but it would have to do for now. Besides, he hadn’t traveled out of Hidden Leaf since the Zabuza incident.
Kicking at a stone on the ground, he eyed the nearby shops that were beginning to close down for the night. Couples, both old and young, were making their way out on the streets and for a brief instant Naruto felt a dull ache in his chest before shaking his head and quickening his pace.
This was no time to think of that other boy. He had enough things to worry about besides having to deal with Sasuke and his issues. Unconsciously his hand went into his pocket, warm fingers wrapping around something cool and slender. Naruto pulled it out, his footsteps slowing down as he silently stared down at the bracelet. He stood in the middle of the street, the noise and bustle of early evening fading into oblivion as the letters on the bracelet glared back at him.
S-A-S-U-K-E
Kami, he was going insane.
The kyubi had told himself that, that night had only been a figment of his imagination. He had placed the bracelet beneath his pillow and had slept on it, hoping that perhaps the next day, the name would have vanished and be replaced with Sakura’s name instead. But no such luck. The annoying boy’s name had still been etched into the silver jewelry. Naruto refused to think of what it meant.
Explain the kiss then, his mind taunted.
Fingers brushed against parted lips, like they had been doing for the past two weeks. He still could not believe that he and Sasuke had actually done that. And to make things worse, Naruto found that he wanted to do it all over again. He wanted to do a whole lot more than just a…
“That’s it,” Naruto told himself sternly. “I need to take some medicine and then lie down and then forget this whole thing. I have an assignment tomorrow and I have to get a good night’s rest. Kakashi-sensei’s orders!”
“Oi…Naruto-kun!”
The blond spun around quickly as he heard the familiar voice of the old lady who’d sold him the bracelet.
“Ojousan!” Naruto cried out happily as he ran towards her hunched form. He had tried to visit her shop the day after the festival to get some answers, but had found only her grandson instead. She was traveling out of the village to heal a dying child and the young man had had no idea when his grandmother would return.
Her bright green eyes sparkled with wisdom and knowledge as she watched the blond sprint towards her, prompting a light chuckle from the old woman. She shifted her walking stick from one hand to the other and waited patiently for him to approach closer.
“Anou-san! Anou-san! I came looking for you the other day and they told me that you had traveled!” came the excited words from the teenager.
“Ah, hai…I had to do some work, Naruto-kun,” she replied quietly as she stared into the shinobi’s brilliant blue eyes. “So, why don’t you show me the bracelet? It is practically burning a hole in your pocket.”
Naruto flushed furiously, certain the old woman had already figured out what he had been seeking her presence for. Shuffling from one foot to the other, he reluctantly pulled out the silver bracelet and gave it to her, too ashamed to lift his gaze from the floor as he held his breath and waited for her verdict.
For long heart-stopping minutes, she said nothing. When Naruto felt he couldn’t take it any more, she spoke up with faint amusement in her voice. “Just as I had thought, Naruto-kun. The right name has been etched in forever.”
The kyubi shook his head frantically. “But why is that? Why did it have to be Sasuke? I don’t even really like him that well! I thought you said that the name of the one you love is supposed to appear.”
An enigmatic smile came to her lips. “Magic never lies, Naruto-kun,” she replied softly as she began to make her way home. “Why try to deny an emotion that has only grown throughout the years, hmm?”
Naruto followed her silently, not really able to think up of some excuse that sounded feasible. Had he really had such a strong emotion for the dark-haired boy? Was that really the reason for this helplessness that seemed to wash over him whenever he was near Sasuke? That voice that kept crying out for him to see the situation as ‘wrong’ seemed to grow weaker and weaker and before he realized it, he muttered softly.
“He doesn’t even…I don’t think he…”
“Then why don’t you find out, Naruto-kun?” She had finally stopped in front of her doorstep as she turned slowly to smile at the frustrated teen. “There’s only one way to find out.”
With eyes that blazed with desperation, he cried out. “How, Ojousan? Tell me how!”
But all he got in reply was another enigmatic smile and the softly spoken words. “You will find out soon enough.”
Half an hour later, the kyubi was standing in front of a certain dark-haired boy’s house with a flood of curses spilling out of his lips. Of all his rotten luck, he had to be here. Why couldn’t he have gone to anyone else’s house? Why did it have to be this one? He didn’t want to be here. He would have rather slept on his rooftop or on his patio, but with the rising winds and the smell of rain in the air, Naruto knew that those options were at the bottom of his list.
He cursed his luck one more time for good measure. When he’d gotten to his front door, he’d discovered his keys were not in his pockets. He had nearly stripped down to bare skin as he searched desperately, hoping and praying that it was all a sick, practical joke. But five minutes of frantic searching had revealed nothing. His keys were not in his pockets.
Without wasting any time, he had begun to retrace his steps back to the Ramen shop, the last place he’d been. To his growing sense of panic, the shop had closed down for the night. He’d been left with the option of going to Iruka-sensei’s house to ask for help, but on getting there, he had been surprised to find that the man in question was not at home. Second option: go to Kakashi-sensei’s house, but somehow he wasn’t sure that the white-haired man would be willing to house him for the night. There was no harm in trying. But as luck would have it, Kakashi wasn’t home either. Had all the jounins decided to leave town tonight?
Or maybe, Naruto thought with another curse, the universe is just back to its old tricks.
With a hopelessness he hadn’t felt in a long time, Naruto had sat on a nearby street bench and tried to think of anywhere else he could spend the night. Well, there was Shikamaru, but he could already envision the boy’s answer. Shikamaru would probably think he was insane and then make up some excuse for him not to be there. He couldn’t ask Chouji, they weren’t really that close. Kiba…no. Lee…no…he was sure he would have nightmares just thinking about sleeping beside Super Thick Eyebrows, let alone being close to him. Neji…? He might as well sleep with a thorn. Which left only one other choice – a choice that he had carefully avoided trying to think about. But it couldn’t be helped. Naruto was about to ask Sasuke for another favor and this time, he wasn’t sure he had to strength to control what might happen.
...You will find out soon enough...
Find out what? The blond wiped a hand across his lips and swallowed tightly as he stared at the door. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t bring himself to ask Sasuke for a chance to spend the night with him. He was too ashamed and embarrassed and…
“How long do you plan on standing here like a moron?”
Naruto spun around so fast that he almost fell to the ground in his shock. The dark-haired boy looked as if he had just returned from the baths. There was a white towel draped around his neck as his familiar spiky locks were now plastered to his scalp and face, making him look so much younger than his seventeen years.
For how long they stood there staring at each other was anyone’s guess, but finally Sasuke broke the spell with a weary sigh as he unlocked his front door. “Did you want something, Naruto?” He asked quietly, but there was a hint of impatience in his voice.
Starting in surprise at the question, the blond’s face filled with color as he shuffled his feet restlessly and murmured more to himself. “I lost my keys.”
Sasuke’s grip tightened on his doorknob as he heard the words. So, did this mean that Naruto had come here to possibly spend the night with him? The idea alone was ludicrous. There was no way that Naruto would want to…
“Well? Can I?” came the desperate plea as the first droplets of rain began to fall to the ground. “I have no where else to go to. I went to Kakashi and Iruka sensei, but neither of them were home and…and…”
A crack of thunder had them both wincing. Not allowing Naruto to finish, Sasuke placed a hand on his arm and pulled him into the small but cozy room, slamming the door shut with his foot at the same time.
“Sit down and don’t touch anything,” Sasuke retorted coldly as he stalked through a doorway. Naruto caught a glimpse of a sink, and guessed it was the bathroom. He fell to the floor in a boneless heap, his hand reaching to touch his thudding chest. Heart pounding, his curious blue eyes examined the unfamiliar surroundings in silent awe. He had never been to Sasuke’s home before, and he wasn’t that surprised to find that it was as neat and as organized as he had imagined it to be. There was a small bookshelf with several books. Most of them about Ninja fighting techniques, but that was to be expected. What seemed to be a million scrolls lined another part of the shelf and Naruto idly wondered what could possibly be in all of them. A small TV sat beside what looked to be a…video game console?
Sasuke plays video games?
His curiosity getting the better of him, Naruto got onto his hands and knees and began to crawl towards the equipment. He was just about to reach out to pick up one of the games that were stacked neatly, when Sasuke’s angry voice had him rearing back in faint alarm.
“Didn’t I tell you not to touch anything, Naruto?”
“Aieee! You don’t have to scream so loud, Sasuke! I can hear you just fine,” the blond replied loudly as they glared at each other. His line of vision was soon cut off as something soft and warm was thrown in his direction. He barely caught the pillow and blankets as he watched his rival begin to prepare two futons on the floor…with some relative distance between them. It was then that Naruto finally noticed that Sasuke was dressed in only a pair of black pajamas bottoms that barely covered his lean hips.
The smooth, pale chest was barely marred with faint scars from previous fights. Naruto’s fingers itched. He gripped the pillow a bit tighter and shifted restlessly on the floor as the silence became a bit too deafening. He opened up his mouth to say something to break the tension when Sasuke spoke curtly.
“The bathroom is over there.” The genius chuunin nodded towards a small door that stood slightly ajar. “You can change into an extra pair of pajamas that I have…if you want.”
Naruto nodded, hesitant, as he rose unsteadily to his feet. “Ah…eh…thank you,” he mumbled before entering the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Resting his forehead against the small mirror above the sink, he groaned weakly in frustration.
This was going to be one of the longest nights of his life.
Sasuke stared at the empty futon with his hands clasped tightly on his lap. He still wasn’t sure that this was really happening. He could very well be having another one of his hallucinations or daydreams or fantasies and it would all seem perfectly reasonable to him. He pinched himself on the arm gently just to be sure that he wasn’t actually dreaming things. No, he really was here. This really was his apartment and Naruto really was a few feet away from him about to sleep in the very same room.
Kuso!
He got to his feet and began pacing the enclosed space. He ran fingers through his now dry locks and stole another glance towards the closed bathroom door. What in Kami’s name was the blond still doing in there? It seemed like eons since Naruto had gone in to change. Was he suddenly deciding not to stay after all? Sasuke tried to squash down the feeling of panic at the thought. He couldn’t lose Naruto now that he had him here. This was the perfect time to…to what, exactly?
Hearing the water finally turn off, Sasuke made a beeline for his futon and slid beneath the sheets. He closed his eyes and tried to even out his breathing so it wouldn’t seem as if he had been awake. He could hear Naruto’s feet pad around the room softly. It was soon followed by the rustling sounds of he getting into his futon and then…
“Good night…Sasuke. Ah…th... thanks…”
It had been spoken softly – so softly that Sasuke was nearly sure he had been imagining it. He felt his heartbeat quicken at the words of gratitude as they sent a slow warmth down his spine, then throughout his body. Before he could stop himself, he responded in a voice that sounded a bit too thick to his ears.
“Good night…Naruto…”
The kyubi blinked in surprise at the response. He had thought that Sasuke had fallen asleep or he wouldn’t have said anything in the first place. With his face flooding with color, he burrowed deeper within the futon and tried to will himself to sleep.
Another crack of thunder had both boys wincing again. Biting his lower lip, Naruto pushed down the blanket gently knowing full well that sleep was going to be impossible…at least for a while. He stared longingly at the figure across the room, as a small sigh escaped his lips and finally deciding that he had to talk or he would go insane, he began to speak, his voice just barely a whisper.
“Are you nervous about tomorrow’s mission?”
Lightening flashed and filled the darkened room with color for a brief instant, but that was the only reply that Naruto got. Thinking that Sasuke must have fallen asleep, he gave another sigh in disappointment, only to hear the familiar voice respond quietly.
“No. Not really.”
“Oh.”
The silence fell again before it was broken by the sound of thunder. The winds had really begun to pick up now and without a doubt, Naruto knew that the roads were bound to be muddy. The journey ahead was going to be far more difficult than they had anticipated.
“I’m nervous,” Naruto finally volunteered, as it seemed like Sasuke had no plans to talk. “This is our first big test. Especially since that time we fought with Za…bu…”
His words faltered as the memory came flooding back. He had almost lost Sasuke back then. And the memory of releasing the sealed power within him, just to protect the dark-haired shinobi made him clench his hands into tight fists.
...A shinobi’s real strength comes from protecting the most important thing in his life...
Was that the answer then? Had his real strength finally come through because he had set out to avenge Sasuke’s ‘death’?
...He died protecting the most important thing...
Sasuke had ‘died’ trying to save him. Haku’s words rang like a warning bell in his mind.
“Am I…am I important to you, Sasuke?” Naruto croaked weakly. “You never did answer my question back then, you know?”
The genius chuunin stiffened at the question. He knew what Naruto meant, and he really didn’t wish to discuss it this night. “How many times do I have to tell you? I just did it, okay? Now, could you please go to sleep? You should stop thinking about things that happened in the past.
We have a mission tomorrow and we have to get some res – ”
“So why did you kiss me again, Sasuke?” Naruto interrupted with faint anger in his tone. “Did you just do that because you just felt like it?”
“And what if I did?” came the angry retort. “You make it sound like it’s the end of the world, dobe!”
“Stop calling me that!” By this time, Naruto had sat up on his futon, blue eyes blazing with growing anger as he glared at the lying boy. “You said that…you said that…”
“I say a lot of things, Naruto. Now, go to bed!”
“You said that you hated me!”
A brilliant flash of lightening filled the room again as the loud sound of thunder followed soon after. It filled the thick silence in the room. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut in a vain attempt to dispel the growing ache within his chest.
“Naruto…” he began weakly, but it seemed the blond wasn’t finished.
“You said it back then, too. You said you hated me and yet you willingly gave up your life for me!”
“Get your head out of the goddamn clouds and listen to what you are saying!” Sasuke finally yelled back as he sat up on his futon to glare across the room at the other boy. “I am alive, aren’t I? I did that because I had to. It’s part of being a shinobi - you have to protect your comrades. Now just shut up and go to…mmmmphfff!”
The lips that claimed his were filled with a desperation that resonated through Sasuke’s being. Without giving it a second thought, he parted his own lips to welcome the kyubi’s questing tongue, his eyes fluttering closed as he reached for the slender figure before him. Tongues met and clashed in a rhythm as old as time, bodies straining for release as they pressed against each other, needing more than just a mere kiss to quench the burning fire that had risen between them.
Sasuke pulled the smaller figure between his thighs, whimpering within the heated duel between their mouths as he slowly began to push Naruto back onto the comfort of the futon. With a small groan, he released the blond. His dark eyes smoldering with an intensity that almost brought out the familiar blood red coloring of the famous Sharingan within them.
Naruto opened his eyes weakly, idly thinking to himself that this moment had somehow turned out to be more than he had bargained for. He could feel Sasuke’s lips begin to trail down his neck and for a while, the blond could only sigh softly in pleasure at the sensation. It felt good to be treated like this. It felt really good to feel Sasuke respond to his kiss in such a manner. This was what he wanted, wasn’t it? A chance to see just what Sasuke thought of him. So why didn’t he feel as if this was enough? What was he really looking for from his rival?
I want him to…I want him to…
Another crack of thunder, sent the kyubi’s eyes opening wide in awareness and with a sharp cry, he pushed Sasuke away from him to quickly slip his way back into his futon. With his back turned away from the other boy, Naruto tried hard to control the trembling that continued to wrack his body. His lips still burned from the intense kiss – his body still thrumming with heat at being so close to the other. There had to be more to being in love with another person that just the physical attraction that was clearly obvious, Naruto thought sadly. True, his body now craved to know just what Sasuke had to offer, but his heart cried out for something else and until those three magical words were said to him, Naruto knew that he could never be truly satisfied.
As for Sasuke, he hadn’t even bothered to go after the blond, for he knew just what must have been going through his head. He lowered his lashes in dismay, biting his swollen lower lip as he tried to gain back some semblance of control. Eyes fading back to their usual black, he got to his feet and moved silently into the bathroom.
There really wasn’t anything much to say now. For they both knew that the hardest part of being in love was to actually say the words out loud.
Sasuke opened his eyes wearily, blinking a few times to get used to the soft light that filled the room. Yawning, he tried to rise to his feet, automatically turning his gaze towards the other side to seek for his impromptu guest. He stared at the other side of the room, noticing with a faint dismay that the futon had been wrapped up and placed neatly in a corner.
So, he has left already, hasn’t he? Naruto…
Shaking his head and trying hard not to show his disappointment, he walked into the bathroom and tried to get himself ready for the day. He was supposed to be at the bridge in a few minutes. He realized that for the first time he was actually going to be late for something. He just hoped that Kakashi would not think it too odd and start questioning him later on.
As he reached for his toothbrush inside the small cabinet above the sink, his peripheral vision caught something bright that seemed to flash for an instant. He frowned a little and bent down to pick up the slender piece of silver jewelry that looked like a bracelet. He stared at it in confusion for several minutes, wondering how it had gotten there in the first place, only to gasp in disbelief at what seemed to be happening.
Early morning light was sneaking in through the bathroom window, as Sasuke held the bracelet up to read the letters taking shape. The letters:
N-A-R-U-T-O...
…seemed to be etching itself into the silver lining. Fighting his first instinct, which was to drop it to the ground in horror, he instead, only gave a small enigmatic smile.
Hn. Interesting…
He tightened his fingers around the cool object as he spun back to continue with his toilette.
Apparently, it looked as if he and the blond shinobi had some unfinished business to take care of. Things were finally beginning to look up, after all.
Don’t worry, Naruto. We will have till eternity to finally tell each other the truth.
~ OWARI ~
Naruto Fiction
|
|