Chapter 27:

Descent into Sin

I have met my love.
When I compare this present
With feelings of the past,
My passion is now as if
I have never loved before.

-Fujiwara no Atsutada

Sasuke:

Rejection is a bitter pill to swallow.

So bitter that it sits heavily on your tongue, unable to make its way down to your stomach, and when it does get there, the churning almost makes you want to regurgitate. Harder still is the humiliation that wears on you like a cloth made of stones; dragging you into depths of thoughts you would rather not contend with. The doubts creep in and you question yourself, ruminating over every single second; wondering what you did or how you could have done things better to spare yourself the agony. Yet it is hard, so damn hard to understand and decipher the human body language; where you are given the signals for one thing and when you dare to act upon it – no matter how little – you are discarded like something filthy and disgusting.

I assume the word ‘hurt’ would fit in this particular case; a difficult concept to get used to I must admit.

I had stormed to my apartment to lick my wounds in solitude; never gladder that Haku was not around to bother me with queries about my welfare. An avalanche of emotions: shame, anger, frustration and yes hurt, overwhelmed me to the point of breaking my leg all over again for my haste had me stumbling into a wall like a blind man. My  hands were shaking so much, I could barely get the key into the keyhole, and when the damned door did finally open, all I could think about was storming back out to give that blond fool a piece of my mind.

(who is the real fool?)

Avoiding him for the rest of the weekend was no problem, and it did give me plenty of time to reconsider my way of dealing with him from then on. I had no idea how he would treat or look at me after my blatant wanton behavior, and yet I would have been a fool not to notice that he had actually responded.

It eventually hit me (after wallowing in my self-pity) that Naruto – despite his dismissal of what might have happened – had reacted to our intimate proximity. His mouth might have said one thing, but his body hadn’t lied. If I closed my eyes, I could still feel and see everything, from the way those blue eyes had darkened ever so slightly (almost akin to Karin’s reaction that time), the way his warm breath had quickened and caressed my face, the gentle bob and dip of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed or – the best thing of all – how he had licked off my sweat in a motion that could be considered seductive (consciously or not). The most glaring evidence of his non-immunity to my presence was the – as embarrassing as this is to admit – the obvious swell below the waist. It was all I could do not to turn crimson at the realization that my movement had affected him that much, and yet a very tiny voice (almost inaudible) had screamed that this going against the scriptures and morals the Great Book had taught me. All the same I tried to convince myself that Naruto would have reacted the same way in any other condition (with any other person), after all while sparring with some officers, it wasn’t that strange to have them sporting erections (myself included) thanks to the adrenaline rush one gets from fighting.

Still, that moment with Naruto had been...different to say the least. It was a jolt to the senses; like being sent a surge of electricity to trigger every single nerve ending in your body. In that moment, I would have done anything to experience that charge again; to fulfill what it promised and to test myself. I wanted to see if I could complete what Orochimaru (and my brother in a way) had instilled within me; to experience if that ‘love’ and ‘passion’ one ought to reserve for members of the opposite sex could really apply to the male body.

Not just any male’s body though...just Naruto’s so far.

(Un)Fortunately.

I was yet to meet another male to trigger off such intense responses (excluding my reactions to Haku’s massages), and I was not about to ask my loyal manservant to become a guinea pig for my experiment anytime soon.

And so I swallowed my pride, did my best to brush away the ‘hurt’ and made up my mind to join him on his excursion with this so-called Jiraiya. I would give him the illusion that what transpired in the gym was of no bother to me, and had to applaud and pat myself on the back for doing a tremendous job in the acting department.

Luckily, Jiraiya’s personality more than made up for any awkwardness that could have occurred between us, and I did find myself warming up to the large man with the uncouth mannerisms (for the most part). I had assumed that our meeting would take place in an undisclosed location and away from prying eyes, so I had to admit that the visit to the Honorable Taego Yi Seong-gye’s elegant home, in the countryside, was one of the highlights of the day. To think he had once been the prime minister of the country, and not only that, but his ancestors and mine had shared drinks and visits to each others homes so many years ago. This knowledge had filled me with warmth that words simply cannot describe. The Uchihas have always been feared, respected or reviled in history. You can take your pick depending on what side of the law you belonged to. So finding anyone willing to share good memories of my family were far and few between. Seong-gye’s affectionate recollections of my great-grandfather and grandfather are stories I will take to my grave, and if possible, I have vowed to visit his home again before leaving for Japan. There was so much more I wanted to learn from the great man.

However, if I had thought those stories were the peak of my day, learning about Naruto’s past - his birth as well as the connection to my family – seemed to make everything else insignificant. I knew he was nothing more than a baby when his father was brutally murdered, but I still tried to place myself in his shoes and to see how my life would have been if the situations were reversed. I had lost my parents after at least a few years of happy memories with them. Naruto had nothing of the sort to draw from. Yet compared to me, he was still able to smile and make friends easily as well as adapt to any new situation thrust upon him with an effortless ease I was slightly envious of. Of course now knowing the truth about the past has stoked those fires of revenge, but instead of ranting, raving and being angry with the world, his sights were set on two of the most powerful men in Japan. It was a battle that was completely foolish and unwise on paper, and yet whenever I looked at him and saw the determination in those eyes, I realized that he was probably going to have the last laugh.

He was going to prove us doubters wrong – no matter how he went about doing it – for there was no doubt in my mind now that with Jiraiya on his side, Naruto was going to return to Japan to work for Danzo. It was a decision I would have chosen myself despite how dangerous it was bound to be. Still, I didn’t know what was worse; knowing he’d be side-by-side with that bastard who could turn on him in a second, or that he’d be leaving much sooner than I was really ready for.

Not that I completely understood the latter part of my thinking. I mean...just what the hell was I so concerned about? It wasn’t my job to babysit or protect Naruto from all harm, and besides, Itachi said there would be others there to help him should he be in trouble, and yet -

(I’d rather go with him)

If Danzo and Ikegami were eliminated would that make Orochimaru weaker and more susceptible to being overtaken by us? Somehow I doubted that, but at least, knowing those two were no longer in the picture would put him on guard and make things a little more difficult for us. Orochimaru was surely making Byaku-Shinkyou even more of a fortified fortress, so the faster we could get the blueprints to those spies working within the grounds, the better. So far, we’ve made copies of the originals and sent them via the ‘intermediary’ to my brother and Shisui. If the travel time was correct, they should be receiving it sometime tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest.

Those were the conflicting thoughts that plagued me for the most part until we were unceremoniously ‘discarded’ by Jiraiya outside a club that did not look too reputable. I had to remind myself that this man was a member of the yakuza and an ex-boss at that, so it wasn’t exactly strange to see him still dabbling in such behavior despite his age and supposed ‘resignation’. Guess some old habits die hard.

What did have me baffled and incredibly frustrated (angry) was Naruto’s decision to suddenly leave me for some random woman.

That sounds a little wrong when read, but you have to understand my reason for feeling that way. I had invited him to join me at a stall that sold weird-looking figurines. It had caught my attention on our way to the club, and I thought it would be a nice way to kick off the night considering it really was my first time going to a festival of this kind. You must remember that I tended to avoid most of the festivities that took place in Byaku-Shinkyou while growing up, hence the last real fun festival I attended was as a child with my brother or mother in tow.

Hence assuming Naruto had followed me, imagine my disappointment and confusion when I turned around to ask him about something and he wasn’t even there! To my chagrin – after much cursing and searching – I finally found him with that girl. Really? He abandons and ignores me just to chase another skirt? Some mousy-looking thing that looked so frail, touching her was likely to have her snap in two like a twig? Were Naruto’s tastes in girls really this bad or was he so determined to prove his manhood by choosing women that did not suit him? It really was arcane.

Left to me, I would have rather not had to tail him all night, but I was worried he’d slip up and do something stupid like reveal who he really was, or worse, decide to take her to a motel (or that club) for a ‘good time’. If that was to happen, goodness knows I would have stepped in to stop things before they got out of hand. Fortunately, the outing seemed innocent enough, and the girl didn’t force herself on him neither did he seem to talk much, which was also a good thing. His Korean was still shaky at best, despite the mini-lessons held during the days we worked on the blueprints. Unfortunately, this ‘date’ was beginning to tire me out, and I was about ready to interrupt especially with the sickening farewell scene. Just what the hell was she whispering to him about?

(goawaygoawaygoawaygoaway)

Even more annoying was the fact that he finally acknowledged I existed when we almost bumped into each other. I contemplated insulting him for being so obtuse, but decided it wasn’t worth it and suggested we return home instead. His flippant refusal was really enough to set off the ticking time bomb inside of me, but the sudden explosion of the fireworks effectively diffused the situation.

(breathtaking)

When was the last time I saw fireworks this close and so magnificent? Ages it seems. Why I decided to open my mouth to tell Naruto about something like that, I had no idea. The anger and resentment that had been building while watching him with the girl now seemed petty and trivial. I knew I had already shared some of childhood memories with him, but perhaps it was because of his story today or just the atmosphere in general, I realized I wanted to tell him so much more about myself. Though he would probably not care or show much interest, it was still good to know that you could talk to someone who just might understand a little bit about an internal pain that might never be healed.

I would later try to blame it on so many different things like say being on the bridge and the couples that were squeezed all around us. ‘It’ being my daring – yet incredibly stupid - decision to kiss him. It was an anomaly in itself and something the ‘old’ me would have balked at immediately. However, this ‘new’ me had relished the challenge with a fervor that was almost frightening.

I had always thought the Koreans were even more polite than the Japanese when it came to public displays of affection, so I assumed we were surrounded by foreigners since some had no qualms whatsoever in sharing intimate declarations of their feelings with embraces and kisses that had me squirming with discomfort. Naruto was still busy telling me about the girl he met; a topic that was slowly boring me to death. Just as long as he hadn’t revealed anything about himself, I was fine, and yet...

(so damn annoying)

...the more he talked about her, the more this tightening sensation in my chest that made it slightly difficult to breathe, this pounding in my head, this sudden 20/20 vision that seemed to dissolve everything around us besides him. I studied his animated features beneath the intermittent sparkles of the fireworks. I wanted him to shut the hell up about this girl. I wanted him to focus only on me and nothing else but me. It was a turbulent swirl within – this jealous dark mass that reared its ugly head just waiting to be unleashed. It was an unreasonable side that still clung on to the notion that he had found me attractive first, so any other damn woman (or man) would and should pale in comparison.

Ah, how the great priests would cringe and cover their heads with ashes at my wayward thinking. Yet, it was safe to say that I just didn’t give a damn what they or the Great Book thought about me. And as he dared me with that blasted question of whether going out with her would bother me –

(yes it would you bastard)

...I did something I would later tell myself was only done out of impulse – nothing more than a damn compulsion.

(to test myself)

It wasn’t the best kiss in the world; neither was it long enough to compare it to the only other series of kisses I had experienced with Ino. Would kissing a male be any different? Would his lips taste and feel revolting? Would I feel like scrubbing my lips clean and brushing my teeth until they bled? Would I want to regurgitate every thing I had eaten today?

No...it was absolutely none of the above and yet so much more.

It was the briefest of kisses and yet the most powerful in my life yet. It wasn’t so much that he did anything special, since he wasn’t expecting it, and I hadn’t exactly given him much time to respond to it either. So why had it been that potent?

(soft yet firm, slightly salty yet oddly sweet)

It was enough to have my stomach and heart going through a severe case of butterfly-induced flutters, and it was all I could do not to reveal just how much my actions had affected me. I just couldn’t look at him any longer. How could I explain myself? What excuse could I possibly give for what I had just done? Mentally I braced myself for his wrath, for some kind of pain inflicted in the form of a blow, a slap or being kicked into the river. My so-called ‘experiment’ was about to backfire on me in the worst way and then –

“You call that a kiss, Uchiha Sasuke?”

What?!

(oh fuck wha...what is he doing...is he kissing my ear? Biting it? Please...please...stop...not out here...)

I fought back a groan and lowered my lashes in helpless desire; shuddering as that all too familiar surge of electricity had me gripping the wooden railings for dear life. However, they flew open just as quickly at the husky timbre of his next words.

“When we get back home tonight, I plan on showing you how it’s really done.”

What in the -?!

Is he actually suggesting what I think he’s suggesting?! That he was going to...to...to...

The look of mischief on his features, the dark inscrutable look in his eyes (that sent my heart thumping even faster and harder) as well as his soft laughter as he spun on his heels and began to lead the way was enough to leave me in a confused mess. I literally couldn’t move as the most decadent and sinful of images filled my vivid imagination. It was all well and good to fantasize to them in my solitude, but to think that tonight...that Naruto could actually finally let go of his inhibitions, doubts and fears to join me in a moment of intimacy we had both once considered repulsive – it was just too damn impossible to comprehend.

(please forgive me Oh Great One. Your humble son is about to be led astray)

With an effort, I finally forced myself to begin walking again, but even at that, my steps were slow and measured as the damn thoughts kept butting into my mind. Between the haunting echoes of the ‘old’ me wailing that this was all nothing more than the darkest of sins and that my tainted soul was bound for a place even worse than the pits of Hell, the ‘new’ me was already in thinking far ahead into the possible events of tonight, which was embarrassing in itself.

How would we even do it? I mean...whatever it was he was planning to do to me that is. Where would we do it? The only logical location would be his apartment, which would mean having to come up with some suitable excuse to Haku so he wouldn’t worry about me. The roof wasn’t too conducive. It might be early spring, but the idea of sitting (lying?) outside in the cold while trying to get intimate was not too appealing. So yes, I’m thinking he’d want to do it in his apartment, but then the question was...how the hell was he planning to start things off? From what he said, he made it seem like it was only going to be a much longer version of what had happened on the bridge. However, didn’t most kisses tend to go on to something more than that? Was I really ready to have him go beyond and below my neck? To explore my flesh as Ino had done (or even Haku for that matter)? Could I really tolerate Naruto seeing me in such a vulnerable state? Or would I be plagued with Orochimaru’s sadistic thrill at just how far I have sunk on the totem pole of his obscene teachings?

Biting my lower lip in worry, I looked up to study Naruto’s back – since he was walking slightly ahead of me with hands in his pockets and what looked like a light bounce in his steps. What was he thinking about? Was he already planning ahead? Was he just as nervous and concerned as I was? Or wait...what if it was all a joke to him? What if he had only said that to see my reaction and really had no plans to follow through? What if I dared to go to his apartment and he’d do nothing more than laugh at my face and say just how ‘weird’ I really was thanks to being around ‘Snake Dude’ for so damn long. Could I really deal with the humiliation? Of course I’d probably kill him first, but for now, I really did have to stop thinking too ahead of myself.

Slapping myself mentally, I tried to focus on my surroundings, wondering why in the world it was taking us this long to get back to the club.

What the hell?

I stopped and looked around in confusion. This area looked very unfamiliar. We were on a sidewalk...still close to the river at least, but there were too many trees surrounding us, there were no stalls in the vicinity, and our only neighbors were a few homeless people sleeping beneath hedges and on the river bank. If I strained my ears hard enough, I could hear the sounds from the festival behind us, which could only mean -

“Oy...Naruto,” I called out with a headache beginning to form somewhere between my eyes and forehead. When he didn’t stop, I all but snapped out his name. “NARUTO, you idiot! Stop! Where the hell are we?!”

“Huh?” He finally halted and spun around with a raised brow of bemusement. Frustrated beyond belief at his cluelessness, I waved my hand around me.

“Does any of this look familiar to you?” I asked impatiently. “You led us the wrong way. You probably went the opposite side of the bridge, you dolt!”

“Why are you snapping at me?” came the defensive reply, though he was doing a good job trying to hide his panic as he gazed around him quickly. “It’s not as if I know the place too well. You could have stopped me earlier. Why weren’t you paying attention either?”

I tried to give a coherent reply, but knew it was partly my fault for not being too observant. I had been so lost in my stupid thoughts, we were probably now at the other end of town. Good grief. I have to do every damn thing around here–

“Where are you going?” he asked. I could hear him jogging to catch up to me.

“Where do you think?” I hissed back. “I’m going back the way we came. I swear you really are hopeless without my guidance.” This part was muttered beneath my breath. I couldn’t believe how absent-minded I had been, and as I made a turn to what I assumed was the way back to the park, I was bewildered to find that the sounds of the festivities seemed even further away. Fuck! Was it just the wind playing tricks on me?

Okay...steady now, Sasuke. Calm down and think. Think. Think. Think!

I closed my eyes and lifted my head to the heavens; trying to gauge the wind’s direction as best I could. I could feel it whistling past me from the right side, and yet the sounds were coming from my left. A tricky illusion for those not able to –

“Urgh!”

My lashes flew open; my body promptly going into defensive mode on autopilot. One minute I was standing, the next I was almost head first into the hedge of bushes beside the sidewalk. The pain from the bump or whatever it was that had hit me soon settled in on my right shoulder, and it took me a second later to see the cause and reason for it.

Shit. Just what I didn’t need.

“Aaaa?” came the low drawl that was followed my sniggers from the others behind him. There were five of them in all amidst the sickening stench of alcohol and cigarette smoke. They were relatively average-sized men wearing outfits that could only signify they were part of some gang. Sleeveless tees, jeans that hung too low on their hips, interesting tattoos, silver/metal chains, piercings and God knows what else they’ve got sticking out of their flesh, as well as hair in arrays of colors and styles ranging from Mohawks to tattooed bald scalps. The leader – the one who had bumped into me – was the most colorful of them all. His Mohawk was a rather eye-catching kaleidoscope of neon reds, blue, greens and yellows, just about every orifice on his face was pierced and even when he stuck out his tongue, there was a silver ball bearing wedged in it. A cigarette dangled from the corner of his thick lips, which curved upward as he openly leered at me. I didn’t have to ‘see’ to know that he was one of those bastards that I had seen one too many times during my beat as a captain. How many of his kind had I sentenced to some form of labor back then?

Disgusting.

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a pretty one,” he finally drawled in his native tongue as he took a step closer to me...or would have if Naruto didn’t suddenly appear from nowhere to block his path. Unbeknownst to him, I did have weapons on me (and no it wasn’t my crutch), but two of Haku’s smaller throwing knives hidden in the pockets of my jeans. Though I had no problem taking out one or two of these guys as a warning, I still knew it wasn’t conducive to get into a fight as Itachi and Shisui’s warning to stay out of trouble began to ring like hell in my mind. However, I definitely wasn’t prepared to have Naruto stepping in to defend me. Or at least it looked that way.

“Sorry,” he began in broken Korean with a sheepish smile on his visage and bow of his head like a suppliant nerd. “Uum...we go now. We no bother you...ah...um -”

I tugged on his arm and began to drag him away before he said something stupid in the language. The guys had been staring at him as if he was from another planet, and the longer we stuck around to chit chat, the more aggravated and eager for a fight they’d become.

“Let’s go,” I hissed beneath my breath. “Remember what Itachi said. No getting into trouble.”

“I was just apologizing to them,” he hissed back although he came along willingly enough. “Though it doesn’t like it’s helping much.”

“What do you mean by -?”

“Weeeeoooooo!!” came the sudden cry as – and I swear I’m not making this up – one of them literally flung like a monkey from one of the tree branches to drop before us with a loud thump. Those boots he was wearing must have weighed a ton or close to it for they were that loud on the pavement. He remained on his haunches and leered up at us, before pulling out a switch blade and licking it slowly.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he crooned in Korean. I could feel the others crowding around us, now taunting and teasing us with crude comments that I was almost glad Naruto couldn’t understand. Although from the darkening expression on his visage, you didn’t need a translator to tell you that there were obviously being assholes. The monkey began to slash the air before me with the knife, moving closer and closer until I was sure he would take off a slice of my chest. Somebody else shoved Naruto roughly away from me, and I only had enough time to throw him a quick glance as if to beg him to bear with whatever these bastards planned to do until they got tired and left us alone.

“What do you want?” I asked as politely as I could. “We don’t have much money on us.”

They cackled in response just as another reached out to confiscate my crutch. To my growing fury, he began to wave it over his head like a talisman of some sort; chanting something that escaped me but obviously hilarious to his buddies. As if that wasn’t bad enough, with a loud cry, the son-of-a-bitch threw it right into the river! I didn’t know how deep it was, but with the loud splash, I knew I was never going to see or use it again.

(deep breaths deep breaths deep breaths)

“What the hell did you do that for, you fucking pieces of shit?!” Naruto exploded in Japanese...which was a big mistake. The change in their expressions was more than enough to tell me that these guys were not exactly fond of their neighbors across the ocean, and it was none more obvious when the leader stepped up to deliver a jaw jarring blow to Naruto’s torso which took the wind out of his sails. He would have crumpled to the ground, but two of the men held him up for their boss to take out his frustrations on him.

The thudding in my head began to throb harder and faster as I watched him fit a pair of jagged-edged brass knuckles onto his right hand. If that thing went into Naruto, they were going to strip him right down to the bone. I knew I would have to move fast. I still had the monkey swinging his knife before me, and though I was without crutches and my leg was still aching from all the walk so far today -

“Hold him steady!” the leader commanded and raised his fist.

...I lashed out with my left leg to send the fool with the switch blade flying into the hedges, while withdrawing one of the throwing knives and aiming right for the leader’s wrist. I wasn’t as accurate as Haku, but if the howl of pain from the guy was any indication, I had done some kind of damage. I would only have enough time to watch him fall to his knees and clutch his bleeding hand to his chest, where I could see my knife sticking out from it, when another commotion had me looking up quickly. Naruto had finally gotten a second wind. He seemed to duck and yet heave himself up at the same time; using his head to butt it hard into one of the guy’s torsos. The move was so unexpected, both men released him at the same time, but Naruto wasn’t satisfied. He drove a fist into the other guy’s face and would have gone for him again, when a familiar and chill-inducing sound had us all freezing at once.

Police sirens.

Shit! Shit! Shit! Not good at all!

“Naruto!” I cried out as I waved for him to follow me quickly. The gang members must have had their run-ins with the law as well because they too were scrambling up and away, but not before spitting and cursing us for not being the best victims they could possibly have.

Better luck next time, shitheads. You picked the wrong couple tonight.

“You okay?” Naruto panted as he reached out to assist me. Damn it! Never wished I’d want to use that stupid crutch more than ever right now.

“I’ll live,” I replied though I was inspecting him as well to see if he was hurt anywhere else; not that I could see much with the dark shadows around us. “I lost Haku’s knife though. He’s not going to be very happy when he finds out.”

We looked at each other for a second before bursting into helpless giggles at how ridiculous it all seemed. We had almost gotten ourselves killed tonight, and we were only concerned about how Haku would feel about his –

“Hold it right there!” came the sudden loud command behind us.

Like deer caught in headlights, and we probably were with all the sudden glare of flashlights trained on both of us, Naruto and I turned and squinted with muttered curses as we barely made out our new and very unwelcome visitors.  

“Ah hell,” Naruto muttered beside me with a sigh of resignation. “Deja freakin’ vu all over again.”

“I’ll talk to them,” I said with a firm nod. We had done nothing wrong...technically. We were the ones accosted by those bastards. All I had to do was make them see that we were the innocent victims and we’d be allowed to go free with nothing more than a warning.

What could be so difficult in that?

__

“FUCK!”

“Your first time in a jail then?”

“Shut up, Naruto,” I growled and slammed a fist against the cold steel bars in barely controlled fury. The officer on duty – he looked like he as in his late thirties - lifted his head from the girly magazine he was reading, snapped his chewing gum loudly and smirked in derision.

“Keep making noise, you idiot,” he drawled lazily. “I’ll take you down to the basement soon enough.”

“I demand to speak to your supervising officer,” I stated icily.

“Give it up, Sasuke,” Naruto sighed behind me. I couldn’t believe he was taking this all in stride. This was humiliating! “You’re no longer in Japan, remember? None of these fuckers give a damn who you are, and besides, even if you did tell them, they might rat you out.”

“It still doesn’t make it right!” I snarled. “Even after I told them everything, they still hurled us off!” My wrists were still smarting from the tight handcuffs clamped on them earlier.

“They needed scapegoats, and we were available.” He shrugged; hands beneath his head on a probably rat-infested thin mattress in a cell that was barely big enough for one person let alone the two of us. It stank of stale beer and urine, and considering there was a little puddle next to a tiny washbasin in the corner, how was I to know it wasn’t actually urine I could be stepping in? The walls were the color of slate on which former prisoners had been so kind enough to redecorate with some colorful language. I had visited a few prisons on the ‘outside’ while an officer, but I couldn’t remember any of them looking this terrible.

This was beneath me.

And yet Naruto was right. In this small police station in the middle of a city where no-one knew who we were and we weren’t even allowed to make a phone call, I was a complete and utter nobody. They did not care about my former status or my ancestral lineage. To them I was nothing more than a foreign troublemaker. I would have to spend the night in this hellhole or pray for a miracle of some sort to occur to get us out of here.

I peered through the bars again to examine the station. It really was small, with an entrance which led to a cramped lobby that could only hold about five chairs, to the ‘front desk’ where the officer on duty was currently working hard at reading his stupid magazine. Our cell was directly across him, and I counted only four more cells – with one of them occupied by a man sound asleep. A large notice board was crammed with posts and notices about wanted criminals, curfews, information, warnings and other police-speak I was all too familiar with. The mon of their force was not that much different from ours, but it was still jarring to the senses not to see the familiar Uchiha fan on the walls or on his uniform. Photographs of prominent members of the force lined the gray walls; none of them really recognizable. This only brought me back to my humiliating experience of being handcuffed and shoved into their filthy police vehicle, despite my pleas for them to understand we weren’t at fault.

I guess we didn’t help our cause after they patted us down and noticed we were armed. When Naruto’s handgun had been removed, that seemed to seal the deal for them. We were definitely going to be spending the night here come hell or high water.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

“Can I at least make a phone call?” I asked for the one millionth time.

The officer only pretended to yawn and flipped to the next page causing my fingers to tighten around the steel bars. I wanted to choke the life out of him. Where the hell were the other officers? I could have sworn there were at least four more during our arrest. Guess they were back out patrolling.

I remained stubbornly at the bars for at least another half hour until my leg simply couldn’t take it anymore. I had put it through enough for one day, but I didn’t want to give the idiotic officer the pleasure of knowing he had ‘won’ our little battle. With a final sullen glare in his direction, I limped back to the bed – there was no other place to sit – and nudged Naruto’s feet to get him to make some room for me.

“Don’t even say anything,” I cut in before he could open his mouth to make some snide comment about getting a taste of my own medicine. He dutifully kept shut, but I could still see the smile he was trying to control.

Impossible to believe that a couple of hours earlier, I had been fantasizing about something that seemed so damn inconsequential now. I was in absolutely no fucking mood to even contemplate touching another human being except to inflict some serious pain. At least I could take pleasure in knowing that gang leader would be needing some stitches on his hand (let’s see him wear another brass knuckle again), and the other was probably going to be nursing a serious bruise or a few broken ribs from my kick. I would be a liar if I didn’t admit that a part of me actually relished the fight. It had been so long since I had been in any kind of combat, I was afraid I was losing my touch. I was glad to see my reflexes were still intact. I just had to work on being even faster than ever before.

“Hey...Sasuke?”

“What?” I grumbled. I had closed my eyes; my head leaning against the wall as I tried to keep awake. It really has been a long day all things considered.

“I’ve been thinking -”

“Shocking concept for you, I’m sure.”

“Shut the fuck up and listen. You did a really dickish move earlier in the evening, you know that?”

I lifted my lashes to give him a side glance in confusion. “What dickish move? What does that even mean?”

“Just after Jiraiya left us, you just went off on your own without telling me anything. Would it have killed you to tell me you wanted to go do some stuff on your own?” He was still lying as if bored with the world, but the look in his eyes told me that it really had bothered him. But then again –

“I did tell you where I was going,” I replied with a shake of my head. “You were either not paying attention or didn’t hear me.”

“No you didn’t -”

“I specifically asked “Can we go see that stall over there? I noticed some strange figurines.” It’s not my fault that you’re deaf.”

There was a brief silence before he returned with a mumbled. “Shoulda waited for me anyway. You don’t just go walking and assuming I’ll follow.”

“We’re supposed to stick together, remember?” I shrugged. “What does it matter anyway? You had fun with your date for the evening, so that’s that.” I closed my eyes again and intended the drop the subject. We both knew damn well what had happened after that, and suddenly being in this cramped space was too stifling. I wondered if I could request to be put into another cell.

“...if Jiraiya will finally figure we’ve not returned,” Naruto was muttering.

“We should be so lucky,” I mumbled back. I was sure that man was too lost in his throes of passion with his whores; we’d be stuck here all night anyway.

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” came the sudden sound of disgruntlement that was followed by the aggravating sound of a wakizashi being struck against the bars. “Stop hatching some plot, you stupid Japanese! You think you can come here and take over our city too? We’ll stop you and your evil plans! You’ll see!”

“What the fuck’s he so mad about?” Naruto asked with a raised brow.

“He’s crazy,” I replied with a shrug. “He thinks we’re hatching some evil plot to take over his country.” I eyed the officer. He was still loitering outside the cell; having decided his magazine was no longer of interest. I squinted a little to see his aura and wasn’t all that disappointed. It was a murky hue; a sign that he was clearly not too happy in his position, but had to do this to make himself look good for his bosses. I cannot begin to tell you how many such men I’ve come across over the years. It really was pitiful.

Naruto smirked and suddenly sat up; a mischievous glint in his eye. “Hey...wanna make him even more pissed off?”

“Naruto,” I began quietly but firmly. “As fun as this is for you, I really have no intention of being sent to some basement or dealing with his psychotic thinking just so you can have your kicks.”

He grinned and moved closer still to begin whispering in my ear. I did my best to listen, but at the same time, it was hard to concentrate much considering just hours earlier, his lips had done something else that was still sending tiny shivers of delight down my spine. I bit my lower lip and forced myself to pay attention, and when he was done, he sat back with satisfaction and that same shit-eating grin on his face.

This guy was –

“Well?” he asked. “Might as well kill time.”

“...this could backfire on us...” I was trying to make him see reason, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I did want to go along with this harebrained idea of his. I wanted to get back at the smug officer anyway possible and this was a nice way to fuck with his mind.

“They think we’re crazy, right?” Naruto was saying as he rose to his feet and began to pace the cell. “Let’s show them how crazy we really are then.”

The officer, who had turned his back to head to his desk, spun around with a raised brow as he noticed Naruto’s antics. He frowned and moved closer to the cell.

“Hey! You! Stop walking about like that!” He pounded the bars with his wakizashi again. At the loud sound, Naruto suddenly spun around with a snarl and just about flung himself at the bars like a rabid dog. I really wanted to burst into laughter, just as the officer gave a frightened squeak and dropped his sword, but I remembered I had a role to play in all this. Naruto was beginning to shake the cell bars, still snarling and foaming a little at the mouth. You’d really believe he had lost his mind.

I rose to my feet and said something in gibberish to Naruto. It was a sort of command thing, but Naruto ‘understood’ and stepped away from the bars...but just far enough. He was now crouched like a beast waiting to explode, and with a dramatic sigh, I wagged a finger at him and told him to behave himself. That the nice officer was trying to help us and we couldn’t have him getting all upset. Naruto pretended to look contrite and batted his lashes at me. I pet his head gently and to my chagrin (and inner delight I had to admit), he went as far as licking the back of my hand gently.

(dear God in heaven)

“What...what’s wrong with him?” the officer asked shakily as he bent to pick his sword. “What is he?”

I sighed again and turned to the man with a raised brow; speaking to him as if speaking to an imbecile. “He’s my pet. He gets like this whenever he’s locked up in a cage.”

“But he wasn’t like that earlier.”

“That’s because it’s been a while since he’s been in such a place. When you started hitting the cell with your sword, you triggered some bad memories.” I pretended to be scowl at the inconsiderate man, while ‘my pet’ crouched beside me and tried to snarl and look contrite at the same time. I allowed him to hold onto my hand, which he would kiss tenderly every now and then.

(concentrate Sasuke concentrate concentrate)

“...oh...really?” came the wary question. The officer peered at Naruto as if never seeing him before. “You know...I’ve actually heard of people like this.”

Huh? What the hell is he going on about now?

He dared to purse his lips in thought as if trying to recall something. “Ah yes, I remember now. Those children that are born in the wild and then brought to civilization. He’s something like that, right? He’s one of those wild creatures, right?”

He pointed at Naruto with the sword and on cue; Naruto leaped up and tried to pry the weapon out of the officer’s hand. Again, I scolded Naruto for his behavior while literally having to bite my inner cheek at how terrified the older man looked now.

“There, there now,” I said softly as I ran my fingers through the spiky blond tresses and tipped his chin to stare into blue-green eyes (he was wearing his contacts), that looked sufficiently worshipful. I could very well tell him to roll over right now and he’d happily do it if he wanted to keep up this charade. “It’s going to be all right,” I continued in that same quiet tone as I dared to caress his lips with a finger. “The big bad man won’t be bothering us any more, okay?”

He nodded and sucked on my finger gently; a motion I had definitely not expected and which elicited an uncharacteristic gasp of pleasure from my lips.

“Did he bite you?!” came the panicked query from the man I had almost forgot existed.

I struggled to find the right words; finding myself still mesmerized by Naruto’s darkened expression. Act or not, he knew exactly what he was doing to me. I tightened my grip on his hair in retaliation; relishing in the soft hiss of pain he gave as I finally forced myself to look at the officer again.

“I’m okay, but...please don’t make that annoying sound again. If he decides to bite you, I can’t stop him.”

Not looking too convinced, he stepped away with a slow nod of understanding; though I had the feeling he was going to be making some phone calls and demanding we be moved to the basement or put in cells with electric bars to shock Naruto should he try growling again. They simply couldn’t have wild Japanese beasts roaming around their city.

However, as luck would have it, we needn’t have bothered carrying on with our charade anymore. In less than half-an-hour, the police station was suddenly a beehive of activity as Jiraiya arrived with two other officers in tow. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that he was fluent in the language, because he all but went into a torrent of demands to the flustered officer (who now looked smaller and more insecure than ever) in the older man’s presence. Naruto had returned to normal and was all but kissing the ground in relief at the sight of his new guardian. However, in the midst of all the organized chaos, it was the silent black-haired man, dressed in a clean-cut black suit – that caught my attention. It wasn’t so much his paleness as it was the fact that he looked like a mix of Chinese and Japanese and even Korean. He could have easily blended into any setting without drawing attention to himself. However, there was something familiar about him that was like a nagging jab at the back of my mind. I felt I ought to know who he was, but I just couldn’t place a finger on it.

“You boys will be the death of me. It’s a good thing Buk-gu is such a small city compared to Seoul,” Jiraiya grumbled as we were shepherded into a waiting taxi, while the police officers bowed and asked for our continuous forgiveness. Jiraiya definitely laid it on them... or paid them off; not that the latter would have surprised me. It was the yakuza mentality after all.

Meanwhile the pale, dark-haired man (he couldn’t be any older than Naruto and I) had positioned himself in the front seat as if he belonged there.

“If it wasn’t for Sai, I would never have known what happened,” Jiraiya was saying.

“Sai?” Naruto asked with a raised brow. “Who’s that?” He was clutching his weapons (as well as my knife) like long lost children. The officers had been ‘nice’ enough to return those to us as well.

Jiraiya cuffed Naruto gently and pointed to the man who gave us a small smile via the rear-view mirror. “That is Sai. He works at the club and was on his way back from an errand when he noticed you both being arrested. He recognized you two as my companions and let me know quickly, so you should both be thanking him for his swift thinking. How could you allow yourself to get caught up in something like that?”

Both of us speaking at the same time, we tried to explain to Jiraiya exactly what had happened. It was a miracle he was able to understand what we were saying, but at least he got the gist of it.

“Bottom line,” he said as the taxi pulled up to our building. “You both had a night you’ll never forget, eh?”

I felt my cheeks burn at the different connotations his question conjured up, but didn’t stick around to give him an answer choosing instead of thank him again for his benevolence in purchasing a new set of crutches for me. I knew he wanted to say something more to Naruto, so I excused myself to head into the building. However, before I even got past the gates, I felt the hair at the back of my neck prickle with awareness. Something or someone was watching me, and turning around quickly, I caught the pair of dark eyes trained squarely on me and making no attempt to look away either.

Sai, huh?

He gave a little wave and a light bow of his head which I reciprocated albeit warily. There was something about that guy –

“What a night! What a night! What a night!” Naruto was singing off key as the taxi finally drove off. I was worried he’d get the neighbors awake with how loud he was, but I guess I shouldn’t have worried. The place was dead to the world except for a dog in his kennel, who only cracked open an eye to peer at the noisy duo before going back to sleep.

“Whaaat a niiight! Have fun, Sasuke?”

“Yes...my pet.”

I smirked as he burst into loud laughter. Smiling softly as he went on to recount the incidents at the station with some added dramatic effects.

“I can’t wait to tell Shika and the others,” he began as he punched in the number to our floor. The elevator doors shut us in, and though I’d like to tell you it was an intimate setting; the stench was not exactly the kind to get one in that sort of mood. I couldn’t wait to escape.

“Why do we have to tell them?” I asked.

“Because it’s funny, and they’ll want to know what the hell we did all day anyway.”

“It’s almost one in the morning,” I replied with a raised brow. “Who has the time to listen to your story? Besides...you can’t tell anyone about...you know...”

“What? That you kissed me?” he blurted out so unexpectedly my initial reaction was to slap my hand over his mouth while my features burned with embarrassment.

“That and the whole pet thing!” I hissed. His eyes lit up with mischief and at the sensation of his tongue gently licking my palm, I withdrew quickly and tried to smack him, but he ducked and tugged me out of the elevator just as it finally came to a stop on our floor.

“Naruto,” I began with a low growl. “I swear if you tell...ouch...what are you...mmmpfff!”

(oh God yes)

The hallway was blissfully empty. The only sounds coming from the cooling systems and the faint laughter from the television in Karin’s room, but all that paled in comparison - simply melted to nothingness - as the pain from suddenly being pushed hard against a wall to my lips being seized, claimed and controlled by this...this...beast - promptly ceased all rational thought processes.

I didn’t bother questioning or arguing the wisdom of what we were doing but chose to give in without much of a fight. If anyone was to walk out right now, we would have no suitable excuse to conjure up, not that I gave a shit if that happened anyway. I had craved this for so long and finally I was experiencing something I had only thought would be nothing more than a frustrated fantasy for the rest of my life.

He was not gentle, and I didn’t want him to be that way either. Being gentle was something to be reserved for those of the opposite sex. I wanted to devour his passion; this fevered intensity that burned right through me and left me breathless and needing more. His tongue found its way into my mouth; hard, fast and rough against mine as our bodies writhed against each other’s with a pleasure that deepened by the second. He had my hands clasped tightly and pinned against the wall at either side of my head, though he soon released one only to cup my neck and jaw as if hoping to hold me steady. I guess that was a good idea for my knees were barely holding me up, and though the throbbing in my leg was now a ghost of itself, another stronger and much more pleasurable ache was building between them. One that I was ashamed to admit I’d probably have to finish off myself if he only planned to kiss me.

(more...want so much more)

“Fuck...Sas...Sasuke...” came the winded gasp as we finally broke apart for air, though we barely pulled apart. We breathed into each other, our gazes feverish and heated as we struggled to make sense of just what was happening between us. I licked my lips slowly, feeling my already thudding heart skip a beat as he followed the movement with a hunger that turned me on even more. The expression on his face told me everything. He was just as eager as I was; to explore...to see how far we could take this...to see if we could push the envelope just a step further and satisfy our curiosity once and for all. There would be no promises of everlasting love; that much was a given. This was nothing more than pure physical attraction; an attraction that had to be sated tonight.

“May....maybe I shou...should let you go,” he stuttered weakly. He gave me a shy smile while his fingers continued to wreck havoc on my senses as they kept on caressing my neck and jaw tenderly. “It’s been a long day...your leg...”

“I want to come to your apartment.”

It was an order with no room for him to back away. Seeing his eyes widen at my bold declaration would have had me blushing at my daring if it wasn’t for the distraction of his hips pressing against mine and the undeniable friction we were creating with the restrictive cloth between us.

“What about...Haku?” he asked warily, and as if to emphasize the point, he glanced toward my apartment. I placed a hand beneath his chin to force his attention back to me.

“Make it fast then,” I invited firmly; knowing exactly what he meant. If Haku woke up in the middle of the night to find me ‘missing,’ he was likely to go banging on all the doors to find his dear master. Whatever we planned to do, it had to be as discreet and as quickly as possible.

With a nod and another kiss that all but left me short of breath, he staggered away from me and fumbled with his keys...dropped them with a loud clatter -

“Shssh! You’ll wake up everyone!” I whispered harshly as he apologized and tried to control his trembling. Luckily, the other doors still remained closed and when he finally got his open, I all but pushed him inside and kicked it shut behind us.

“Sasuke...wait...mmmm...”

I couldn’t. I didn’t want to. It was dark in here except for the thin thread of light from a street lamp peeking through the blinds, but it was more than enough for me as it was my turn to take him by surprise. I trapped him against the door and allowed myself to taste him for as long and as deep as I wanted. He moaned into my mouth, shuddering as I began to trail my hands down his chest. However, at his barely concealed wince, I was sharply reminded of just what had taken place earlier.

Damn. In my haste to consume him, I forgot he had been dealing with the after effects of that gang leader’s blow all this time.

“Hold on,” I muttered as I searched for the switch and flipped it on. We both blinked quickly to get adjusted to the light, before I lifted his shirt to see the damage. Good God. Sure enough, there was a light purple and red bruise forming just below his right breast, and if it wasn’t taken care of soon, it could become ugly.

“Do you have a first aid kit in here?” I asked; fighting down the adrenaline rush of lust to focus on much needed treatment.

“I don’t know,” he replied. He looked flushed, dishelved and a little out-of-sorts. He licked his swollen lips to croak out the rest of his reply. “You can check the restroom if you want.”

“Take off your shirt and wait for me,” I commanded while taking off my shoes and outer shirt. I soon realized how my order had sounded when I was in the restroom. I really should learn how to phrase things better especially in such ...heavy situations.

I couldn’t really find any first aid kit, so settled for filled a small bowl with warm water, a wash cloth and an ointment for sores. They would have to do for now. In the morning, Karin could treat him properly.

“No first aid kit,” I began as I stepped back into the room, where he had not only taken off his jacket and shirt, but was also now barefoot and setting up his futon. Oh dear.

“Figured,” he replied with a sheepish smile. “What do you have there then?”

“Uh...” I shook my head and forced myself to focus. “Just water and this ointment. I’ll...just...wipe you down and that’s all I can do until Karin takes a look at it.”

“Okay...so...eh...how do we do this?”

The washcloth I was holding dropped into the bowl from fingers that trembled, and it was only when he explained himself (as in position I wanted to be in so I would be most comfortable) did I finally let out a small breath of relief. Good grief! Why was I suddenly this tense? Less than ten minutes ago, I was ready to pounce on him, and now...perhaps beneath the lights and with more time to process my overzealous libido...I realized I wasn’t really as brave as I thought I was. It was one thing having a woman offer herself to you willing. However, I had to remind myself that Naruto was not Ino and would never be Ino. I had to stop comparing him to her while we were together. I had to get into the mindset of this being another male...someone like me. This would mean treating him as I would like to be treated when it came to the concept of pleasuring oneself.

We are but fallen creatures, and our spiritual life on earth is warfare. Sin is our enemy. We must shun all desires of the flesh.

“Ouch...”

“Sorry,” I whispered and patted the wound as gently as I could. We were sitting on the futon and facing each other, though his legs were crossed and mine were outstretched. Except for the sound of me squeezing out the washcloth every now and then, and his soft winces of pain, only our breathing seemed to interfere with the silence. I stubbornly kept my eyes on his bruise, willing that incessant voice within me to slither away. The ‘old’ me had seen enough of my wanton behavior tonight and was now forcing its will upon me; reminding me of doctrines and teachings I had once kept close to my heart. I wasn’t supposed to be here with this...

(sinner)

...this man. I wasn’t supposed to want to kiss away the bruise, to savor it and perhaps heal it with my lips and tongue. I wasn’t supposed to want to taste those lips again; to feel them crushed hard against mine, to revel in the sensation of his tongue plunging yet teasing mine, to capture his lower lip between my teeth gently and to suck on them until he begged for mercy. I wasn’t supposed to feel this steady rush of heat, or to shiver as I watched (as if from miles away) as his hand slowly reached up to clasp my trembling one.

“Sasuke?” he asked in a voice that said so much in that one call of my name. He wanted me to look at him, but I couldn’t any longer. My gaze was still fixed somewhere along his jaw line even when he interlocked our fingers and the washcloth fell to the futon between us. Even as he moved in closer to rest his heated forehead upon my shoulder as if afraid to show his face to me as well. Even as he whispered my name again and I felt his lips on the area where I had been bumped (which actually still stung a little), I remained immobile...simply frozen.

I wanted to flee, and yet I wanted to stay with him...like this...for as long as I could.

“Just say it, Sasuke,” he whispered. “And...and I’ll let you go. I’m just as nervous you know,” he confessed against the soft cloth of my shirt. “I haven’t exactly allowed any guy to...you know...”

“Do you want me to go?” I asked through lips that felt heavy. My heart was beating a wild staccato in my chest; threatening to burst right through at any second. “What...what do you want me to do, Naruto?”

“Stay.”

It was only one word; barely audible in the tension-filled silence but still enough to have me closing my eyes and finally stilling the countless doubts within me. He was just as vulnerable as I was, and yet he wasn’t going to show me the door.

(thank you)

I forced his head up with a gentle nudge and made myself look into his eyes- eyes no longer hidden behind the layer of fake green lenses. And like that day, on that cold bitter day in a courtyard at Byaku-Shinkyou when I had seen what was truly within this man’s heart, I allowed myself the pleasure of seeing him all over again. No longer weighed down by Orochimaru’s presence, my overwhelming devotion to duty and rules, and the need to be perfect, I looked into Uzumaki Naruto and immediately felt an inexplicable sensation in my chest.  It felt crushing and intense, so much so I literally had to suck in a deep breath to control the sudden wave of vertigo that washed over me. I clutched his upper arms tightly; barely hearing his tentative call of my name as I blindly sought and found what I was looking for. I swallowed my name in our kiss; consumed it and made it mine with a groan that seemed wretched from my depths.

I cannot remember how my shirt was removed, but I do remember feeling incredibly embarrassed when I was slowly pushed back onto the futon and Naruto was half-lying upon me. I wanted to tell him to stop looking at me with that strange expression on his visage, but his next softly-spoken words were enough to make me want to clobber and yet hug him tightly.

“I knew having a crush on you was no mistake after all. You really still are the prettiest non-chick I’ve ever met.”

(damn right I am)

He was surprisingly gentle – or dare I say careful – with me. I was tempted to tell him I wouldn’t break as he planted shy kisses on my collarbone and shoulders where he paid particular attention to the faint bruise that had formed from the hard bump. I shivered at the way he licked at it, gasping in barely complete sentences that I was planning to return the favor, to which he chuckled in response. He pinched my already hardened nipples none too gently, promptly sending sharp pangs of gratification down my spine to my toes that curled into the futon in delighted response. I didn’t want to cry out as he began to suck on them, though I could tell he was simply gauging my responses to see if he was even doing the right thing or not. I tried to encourage him whenever he’d stop and ask if I was okay.

“I won’t break,” I finally panted irritably. “In case you haven’t noticed yet, I’m not a girl.”

“Oh really?” he smirked and (fuck!) squeezed the bulge between my legs in a move that completely threw me off guard. The gall of that - !

(felt so damn good!)

“I wouldn’t have known with this thing poking me all night,” he teased.

“It was not...I was not...po...” I couldn’t finish because he had squeezed me again as well as captured my already sensitive nipple between his teeth at the same time. I clutched the roots of his hair and bit back a cry, wishing he’d stop as his strokes began to get harder, bolder, rougher...stronger.

(ohshitohshitohshitohshititscomingitscomingitscoming)

“Nar...Naruto...” I gasped and bucked my hips upward to meet his crude attack on my sensitive nether region. The familiar surge of heat that always came when I was close to an orgasm was fast approaching. I tried to think of other things to prevent it from coming so soon, but Naruto knew just what to do to send me off the edge. For a guy who had never done this before, he was being merciless with his control of me.

Stop...please...I can’t...

Was that me? Was that really my voice? Was I the one who sounded close to sobbing as I felt my now rigid penis and balls threatening to rip right through the cloth? Was I the one who –

(oh no!)

“Wha...what...why did you stop?” I gasped helplessly as he raised himself up a little to unzip his pants.

“Together,” was all he managed to say for he himself wasn’t doing too well in the control department I could see. He was trembling as bad as I was. Our ragged and shallow breathing was oddly synchronized as he positioned himself again and gently guided my hand to a part of him that I never thought – in my wildest dreams – that I’d ever get to touch. Not just him...any other man for that matter.

It felt so warm...huge...alive in my grip. For a panic-filled second, I had absolutely no clue what to do with the throbbing mass of hard flesh, which was already slick with the creamy drops of his pre-cum. Forcing myself to squash down the prissy side of me that was slightly disgusted at the sensation, all thoughts of uncertainty were crushed as he reciprocated the gesture by wrapping his warm fingers around my penis before whispering shakily into my ear.

“Do whatever you want, Sasuke.”

It was the best and worst suggestion he could possibly make. With no hindrance between us now, we were free to bring each other to completion the best way we knew how. We had surely masturbated in our private moments many times in the past, and it was more than obvious in how Naruto seemed to know exactly which places to touch and stroke to drive me to the brink of madness. I did my best to keep up, showing him that I too knew how good it felt to bring yourself to the peak of that ‘summit’, and I wanted nothing more than to see his expression when he finally let go. I forced myself to control my groans of pleasure and concentrated on listening to him instead. I was not sure if this was ever going to happen between us again, and I wanted to memorize every single second; to burn every sound and motion this man made into my memory banks so I would never forget.

He had called me pretty, but I couldn’t say the same for him on any other occasion. Naruto was not ugly either, and I have mentioned how his smile seemed to make him light up from within. He was not pretty. He was not ugly, but as I lifted my lashes to look at him now...

(Naruto...you really are...)

...never had anyone looked more beautiful to me. It was almost terrifying to feel this way for another man, but he was conjuring up emotions within me that I had never felt before. He was flushed with his desire, his warm breath bathing my skin as he whispered my name like a mantra with his eyes squeezed shut. I could feel him swell in my hand and I knew he was oh-so-very close to his breaking point. Smiling, I hooked my good leg around his to make us switch positions, only to swallow his gasp of surprise in a torrid kiss that was intensified as I stroked him harder still. He squirmed beneath me and almost gave up the attempt to make me come. I was the one in charge now, and I was the one responsible for this helpless creature who was completely at my mercy.

I, shamelessly, relished this feeling of power.

He begged me to ease up on him with a choked cry; a couple of tears breaking through his shut lids which I lapped up thirstily. I traced my tongue down his sweat-flushed face, down to the hollow of his neck where I proceeded to return the favor he had given me weeks ago. I was going to give him the mother of all hickeys – a mark to show any future girl that happened to catch his attention that he was and had already been taken. He thrashed beneath me and bucked his hips; slamming them hard into mine and causing our erections to collide in the most toe-curling way ever.

“You son-of-a-bitch,” he panted with a pitiful whine that made me grin against his reddened flesh. I knew he was about to explode, but I was preventing him from doing so by squeezing the base of his penis and torturing him even further. It was a trick I used whenever I wanted to prolong my orgasm. “Sasuke...please...”

“Please what?” I asked huskily as I slowly licked the bruise I had created. It was a nice hickey all things considered.

“...co...come...”

“Can’t hear you.”

“Ihateyou,” he growled and in retaliation squeezed my cock as well. I bit back a moan and lifted my head to look at him.

“What was that again?” I asked with a smirk and pinched his left nipple hard enough to elicit another soft cry from him. “Say it, Naruto.”

“I want...I want to come,” he begged. “Please...” His hooded lashes barely revealed the darkened blue eyes that shimmered with tears of desperation. I was getting a sick thrill from watching him this way, and would have loved to continue this foreplay, but even I was barely hanging on at this point.

“Together,” I finally croaked against his bruise – this time the one from the gang leader’s punch. I licked the skin I had washed earlier and placed a tender kiss on it. His violent shiver and small choked sob was enough to finally send me over the edge.

I buried my cry of completion against his shoulder at first, and just as I finally released his penis to give it one last stroke, I captured Naruto’s satiated howl within my mouth in another kiss which had my already molten stomach quaking with sweet satisfaction.

(dear God ...what have we done?)

With our combined musk saturating the air, we finally broke apart and sagged against each other in complete and utter weariness; sticky, sweaty and with no energy to even lift a finger to clean up the mess we had created. I was more than content to remain in this position until morning, but reality (oh how annoying that could be) crept in with the knowledge that Haku would probably come looking for me soon. I wasn’t sure I was ready to explain just why Naruto and I were half-naked and covered with semen.

“We should take a bath,” I mumbled against his chest, when we were finally able to breathe normally again. My heart was still racing, but at least his felt sturdier and more in control. I could listen to this all night long to be honest.

“Mmmhmm...” came the low reply. It sounded like he was already half-asleep.

“We’re sticky, Naruto,” I argued wearily.

“I don’t care.”

“It’s...” Icky. Disgusting. Unhygienic.

“It’s what?” he drawled, forcing me to lift my head to look at him. His gaze was hooded and there was a lazy smirk of satisfaction on his features. I just wasn’t prepared to have him lift a cum-coated finger to his lips to lick it off in a motion that had me stirring again.

Damn him.

“I like it,” he said with a light shrug and twisted his body to force me off him. We were now lying side-by-side and though he was still lying on his back, I watched him carefully with the big question hanging over my head.

What now?

“...did you really like it?” I asked quietly, and I wasn’t talking about him licking off a part of me I had always considered personal. No one else had tasted and appreciated it in that way before, and I wasn’t sure if he would even want to –

“Did you?” he asked while giving me a side-long glance. In his eyes I could see the doubt and yet hope that I would give him the answer he wanted to hear.

“I don’t know,” I admitted truthfully. “I mean...it was...unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.”

He chuckled. “Ditto.”

“...not even with Ino...it was different -”

“It’s always different with a girl. I mean...we’ve got...they’re different,” he finished weakly, but I understood what he meant. We might have done something tonight, but it seemed like we could have done so much more to make it more...complete. With Ino, it had been the act of actual intercourse- of penetrating into the secret warmth between her legs and becoming one with her. With someone like Naruto, it would mean...

I bit my lower lip and tried to control the sudden thudding of my heart again. If there was a next time, would either of us be willing to give up ourselves that much? I knew I wasn’t going to be able to do it, and I doubted Naruto would allow me to go that far, so this would have to be enough. I could live with this.

Couldn’t I?

“Are you going to tell Haku?” came the low question that jarred me from my thoughts.

“What?”

“Haku.” He glanced at me again. “You know he’s going to probably suspect something and you might be tempted to tell him about this...us.”

“It’s none of his business what I choose to do in my private time,” I replied with a light shrug. “Besides...we don’t have to broadcast this to anyone. Like Itachi and Shisui, we just have to keep it quiet.”

“Huh?”

“Huh what?”

“What do you mean by “like Itachi and Shisui”?”

He was looking at me with widened eyes, and I remembered that, technically, I was the only one who knew my brother was in a relationship with the other man. “What do you think I mean?” I asked with a small smile.

“No...fucking way...those two?”

I snickered and moved closer to his warmth, not ashamed to admit that there was something rather comforting about spooning up to another human body after such an intimate act. It was something I had cherished with Ino until she ruined it with that song.

“Yes, those two,” I agreed.

“Wow...never would have guessed.”

“They hide it pretty well.”

He fell silent for a heartbeat of a second before asking quietly...almost shyly. “So this is our secret too, right?”

“Right,” I agreed as my lashes grew heavier. I wanted to be clean, but I was so very tired. We had had a very, very, very long day. There was another lengthy pause in which I assumed Naruto had dozed off again, and I too was probably off to dreamland when his voice broke through the cobwebs of sleep.

“Sasuke?”

“Hmm?”

“What would you do if I told you that...?” He hesitated and then stopped altogether. “Nevermind.”

“What is it?” I prodded though my mind was already in shut down.

“It’s nothing. Let’s just get some sleep okay?” came the soft words that seemed to be whispered into my hair. I felt his arms around me, or maybe it was the futon’s blanket. Whatever it was, I welcomed, for it made me feel safe, secure...wanted.

These were the feelings I had not experienced since the death of my childhood; feelings I now longed to latch onto and protect for the rest of my life.

Chapter 28

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