Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Stranger than the Wild	By : kiddattwell Category: Naruto > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 30155 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and I don't make any money off of it.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Chapter 12

----Sakura

Sakura woke with her feet tangled in sheets and her head half off the side of the bed. She was assuming that she had been trying to escape Naruto’s cuddling at some point in the night while she was asleep. She had failed.

His head rested on top of hers. She could feel his breath against her scalp and hear his sleepy wheezing. His arms were wrapped around her shoulders in what she could only describe as a loving headlock and one of his legs was thrown over her ribs. There wasn’t an inch of space between them.

She remembered him being a violent sleeper during missions, but she never realized that perhaps he was just looking for something to cuddle into submission.

As sweet as that was, she was damn uncomfortable and now that she was awake, she could bear it no longer. She slipped out from under him without a word, moving as slowly and carefully as she could, but when she looked down at him, she saw blue eyes, open and blinking up at her. A smile that was pure joy spread across his face and she found herself returning it.

“Good morning, Sakura-chan.”

“Good morning, Naruto.”

He ambled out of bed quickly, standing before her only seconds later and leaning in to kiss her. Only she blocked his mouth with her hand.

“Morning breath,” she said apologetically, “I’d hate to taint your romantic image of me so soon.”

“I’ve smelled your morning breath for years. I don’t care,” he said, but then retreated a few steps, “Although I don’t know how you feel about mine.”

“I don’t care either,” she said, leaning on to his chest and pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. When they parted, she rested her head against his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her. She heard him take a long breath as she sighed. It was so relaxing just to be in his arms. She turned her head into his neck and pressed a kiss behind his ear. He laughed a little and struggled.

“That tickles!” he exclaimed, flinching away from her back toward the bed.

“Really? Are you sure it’s not sexy? You seemed to think it was yesterday,” she teased as she locked her arms around him and pushed them both on to the mattress.

The night before, he had taken the trouble to give her his shirt and to slip on his boxers - it went against ninja survival instincts to sleep completely nude - but the tee was sliding up as she wrestled to keep him still and a certain part of his anatomy was making itself heard, or rather felt, despite Naruto’s protests of being ticklish. He suddenly stopped struggling when her thigh brushed against him.

She looked down and back up, smiling deviously at him. “See?” she said smugly.

He wrapped his legs around her and rolled her underneath him. He looked down and met her smug expression with one of his own. “See what? What is it you want me to look at? Something down here…?” He asked, feigning innocence as he let his hands travel up her thighs until he reached her bare buttocks.

“I think you mentioned something being sexy...” he drawled, pulling her hips snugly to him, temporarily breaking the farce as he gasped when she arched against him.

“Right. You’re just too damn sexy,” he said, pulling his tee-shirt off of her even as her hands reached for his shorts.

—

It was a long time before Sakura got up again and this time, it was only because of a firm knock on the front door.

The two shared a groggy, confused look. It occurred to Sakura that she had just been loudly making love to her boyfriend in a house that wasn’t hers. And though she had no qualms about it when it was actually happening, she felt a bit awkward as she trotted over to her bureau and threw on some clean clothes, hoping to God it wasn’t Ino’s neighbors coming to complain.

But when Sakura opened the door to the bright sun light, it was just a genin waiting to put a pamphlet in her hand before running off to catch up with her teammates.

As she closed the door, Naruto peeked around the corner at her, his shoulders still bare.

“Town news,” Sakura said, waving the pamphlet at him. He relaxed into a grin.

“I blew off the academy this morning,” he admitted, “And the morning before that. I thought someone had hunted me down.”

Sakura crossed the room to him, her eyes locked with his, the pamphlet forgotten on the couch.

“Hey...” she said, grabbing his hand from around the corner, “Let’s live together.”

“Hawhat?” Naruto garbled.

“You know. Like we planned! Well, sorta like we planned. We were talking across from each other, but let’s really find a place together! That’ll get us out of Ino and Iruka-sensei’s hair at least!”

They both knew the single detail she wasn’t mentioning. His name was still unspoken, but in the air. Sakura knew that Naruto was thinking about him, and she wondered if he was thinking the same thing that she was— wondering how long they were going to go on pretending he didn’t exist.

Finally, Naruto said, “Are you sure you’d wanna live with me? You always seemed to think I was loud...”

“I’m loud.”

“And hyper.”

“I’m hyper.”

“And messy.”

“I can fix that,” she said, a slight menace to her voice.

He smiled, “I don’t want to push you too fast...”

“I’m the one pushing!” She said huffily, taking his arm and rounding the corner. Little did she know he had yet to put on any clothes.

“Are we really having this conversation while you’re naked?” she yelled before laughing.

“You’re the one who threw my clothes to all corners of the room,” he whined. But as Sakura looked down, she could see that one part of him didn’t seem to mind being seen.

“Don’t look, perv!” He said, retreating into the bedroom. But Sakura was already on his heels, determined to take a look at what he was suddenly so keen to hide.

----Naruto

Naruto walked into town at a brisk pace, waving to all who hailed him with a huge grin on his face. He realized that maybe he should have looked sheepish; missing two (and a half!) days of work. And who knew if that jounin had kept his mouth shut about him and Sakura in the woods. But there was no suppressing his true feelings and the joy bubbling up from his gut, coloring his face and infecting his step.

At the academy, he peeked into Iruka’a classroom and waved, first at his sensei, then at the students who squealed in joy at his arrival.

“Students who can’t control themselves will be kept inside studying instead of going to Naruto-sensei‘ s practical class at the training grounds,” Iruka-sensei said relatively quietly, but the classroom fell silent in an instant.

Naruto couldn’t help but grin again as the silent mass of children stared up at him with glittery eyed intensity, “Eh heh...”

“I need to speak with Naruto-sensei in the hall. Not a word,” Iruka said to them as he stepped into the hall with Naruto and shut the door.

“Sorry I’m late, sensei,” Naruto began, but Iruka cut him off.

“Do you think I care at a time like this? What happened?” he whispered.

Naruto explained that he and Sakura had worked it out, leaving out the more graphic details. But his giddiness was still at a ten when he reached the end of his tale.

“And she asked me if I want to move in with her!” he finished, a full grin on his face.

“Already? That’s fast!” Iruka said, but quickly added, “But I suppose you two have known each other long enough. Sakura-chan is mature enough to know her own mind. And I know you’re all in.”

“Of course! We were living together for a few day’s at Sasuke’s but… Eh heh… Sasuke was so moody that it wasn’t very fun,” Naruto said, trying to cover up his slip. He had avoided thinking about Sasuke for around four or five days, which he knew had to be some kind of personal record. But as much as he had been avoiding it, thoughts of the guy had been running in the background, waiting to come to the forefront.

Before he’d made up with Sakura, it had hurt too much to think about him, or worse, them, as a couple. But now that Sakura had made her feelings completely clear… he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about how things had turned out.

Iruka-sensei didn’t look like he had been fooled for a second and was definitely about to bring it up, but there was a shout from the class room and they looked in the window to find two students locked in a silent wrestling match, toppling over desks as the other students were whispering reprimands and shooting worried looks at them through the window.

Even as Iruka doled out punishments and Naruto tried to gather his wits before having to tame wild academy students, he couldn’t stop thinking about Sasuke. The seal on his thoughts had been broken, he realized with a sigh. Even though he was happy that the situation with Sakura was settled and he no longer had to fear losing them both, there was still guilt.

Had Sasuke been serious in trying to pursue Sakura? Had Naruto manipulated them by walking out that night, giving them both the impression that he wouldn’t have been their friend if they had decided to be together?

The small trickle of fear about Sakura’s decision, that Sakura was so good at making him forget when she was around, settled in his soul, along with a new dash of worry- Sasuke had been in such bad shape after they’d argued... how was he holding up through all of this? Naruto and Sakura had both been careful to avoid any mentions of their team-mate, leading him to believe that Sakura hadn’t been to see him either. He felt another cold chill join the first when he thought about what Sasuke might have been going through, locked up in his house, alone. Was he having the same feelings that Naruto had had while he was at Iruka’s?

He looked over his shoulder at Tohru, Sasuke’s one-time favorite student. He had light brown hair and his eyes were green, not black, but seeing his closed off expression and the way he walked a little farther back from the other kids him sent a strong wave of nostalgia and pity straight to his heart. He needed to see Sasuke. He didn’t know what he was going to say, but… Tohru glanced up at him; he seemed so small and fragile, but he was staring up at Naruto with a cool, inquisitive look that was so familiar, Naruto winced. He slowed his walk until he was side by side with the boy.

“Say, Tohru-kun, what are you having for dinner?” Naruto asked.

“My mom makes dinner from the assigned rations, so whatever we have,” Tohru said evenly.

“Your mom, huh? That’s good,” Naruto said, ruffling his hair, and relaxing just a little bit. Tohru wasn’t alone and Sasuke wasn’t either. He would see Sasuke tonight and set everything right. Or at least try to… or stay until Sasuke just got tired of his squawking at him and tried to fight him or kick him out of the house… Naruto smiled at the thought.

----Sakura

The hospital was lively when Sakura arrived; sick villagers filled the offices on the first floor while the in-care patients seemed restless when she popped her head into their rooms or waved at them as she passed by. With a lack of surgeries and real emergencies, Sakura bustled through her regular schedule, taking care of all the busy work she hadn’t been able to concentrate on for the last few days.

She was on her way to sort a few of her patient files when a familiar brush of white hair peeked over the other bodies in the corridor.

“Kakashi-sensei!” Sakura shouted and waved– purely an automatic reaction. Several nurses looked up and Sakura found herself lowering her hand and smiling sheepishly, “What are you doing here?” she asked as he meandered closer, lowering his book.

“Visiting Gai,” he said, staring past her with a tired expression coming over his face. But when he met her eyes again, he was smiling under his mask, “You look like you have a lot of energy.”

Gai-sensei’s day-to-day injuries had been more frequent since his big recovery after the war. He must have been admitted while I was slacking off with my own drama, she thought, making a note to go visit him before she left for the day. Still, it wasn’t hard to smile at Kakashi-sensei when she answered, “Yeah! Things are going smoothly at the hospital again, so I’m happy.”

“Are you taking your lunch break soon? We should eat together,” Kakashi said, holding up a large bento wrapped in a green handkerchief with leaf designs on it, “When Gai isn’t in physical therapy, he’s cooking. He made me take this box of ‘super foods’.”

“Yeah! That would be great!” Sakura chirped, even as she pushed back a frown of confusion. Kakashi-sensei rarely ate with anyone when a mission didn’t require it. And even though visiting Gai seemed like something he would do, Sakura had the feeling that he had been angling to run into her.

“That so?” Kakashi replied, scratching the back of his head idly, looking mildly surprised at her enthusiasm, “It’s been awhile since you willingly spent any time with your old sensei.”

“Mou, that’s not my fault. I always wanted to hang out with Kaka-sensei,” Sakura said, pouting lightly before she remembered that she was a grown woman. She twisted her protruded lower lip into a rueful smile.

Kakashi seemed to smile behind his mask, “So I’ll meet up with you on the roof after you’re through here…” he said, and continued walking down the hall.

“I just gotta drop these off in my office, you know,” Sakura called, “And the stairs that go up to the roof are back that way.”

“See you in a bit,” Kakashi said, waving at her without turning around.

***** ***** ***** *****

Sakura clicked her foot impatiently on the concrete as she gazed out at the new buildings of Konoha. There had been a few young medics enjoying their lunch, but Sakura’s pacing and hectic mood had scared them back inside.

“I’m hungry, damn it,” Sakura griped to the empty air, but just as she was about to head back inside to peruse the cafeteria, the stairwell door opened and Kakashi came sauntering out, reading his book.

“Where have you been?” Sakura complained, “I thought you left the hospital completely!”

“There were a lot of sick ninja around who seemed to need my assistance, so I got held up,” Kakashi said, tucking his book away and shrugging.

“Yeah right,” Sakura sulked, then clocked his empty hands, “Where’s the food?”

“Oh, Gai’s? I gave it to a lonely looking beggar woman that I met in the waiting room.”

“What the hell?!” Sakura shouted, only for Kakashi to reach behind his back and reveal the bento from some hidden location.

“I’m disappointed, Sakura-chan. You didn’t think I was as bad as all that, did you?” he asked, his voice coy.

“Hmph! Well just come and sit already. I don’t have unlimited time to eat, you know.”

Sakura chose a bench where they could look out over the city. The new water tower had gone up and if you squinted, you could see workers beginning to resurrect the Hokage monument on the new, farther away cliff face. After opening up the bento (which looked delicious), she sighed and gave Kakashi what she thought was a stern gaze.

“So what are you really here to talk to me about, sensei?”

“I don’t need a reason to have lunch with one of my cute students,” he said, but Sakura just eyed him as she took her first bite while he made no move to eat.

He added, “Although I would be lying if I said I wasn’t in an advice giving mood as of late.”

“Oh really?” Sakura said archly, “Maybe that comes with the position of Hokage?”

“Don’t remind me,” Kakashi said and it was his turn to sigh, “I don’t know what I did to end up in this position… a candidate for Hokage…” He turned and fixed Sakura with a steady stare, “I’ve failed a lot.”

“What?” Sakura asked, unnerved by his serious tone, “Of course you haven’t. I mean, maybe every now and then, but compared to other ninja, you’re a genius.”

Kakashi smiled at that, “Whatever my aptitude might have been, I’ve honestly been failing my whole life. I wasn’t a very good student. I couldn’t relate to other kids even when I was one. Because of that, I struggled a lot as a teacher. Over time, I realized that you and Naruto would never listen to the advice of someone like me, so I thought I would just give you time and watch over you until you grew up a little more. Sasuke... didn’t give me time that time... and you see how I screwed that up. So I’ve always felt guilt over what happened. I failed him and that hurt you and Naruto.”

Sakura listened, truly shocked at what she was hearing, “Sensei... no... You shouldn’t think like that at all. Me and Naruto and Sasuke, we… I mean, we’re fine now. And it took all of us to get here, including you.”

He shook his head and smiled under his mask, “No. It’s ok. Knowing that you all have come this far on your own is actually a relief. It lightens my guilt a bit… I was happy when I heard about you and Naruto yesterday.”

If anything, Sakura’s jaw dropped a little farther, “You heard? Yesterday? It just happened yesterday. How could you have already heard about it?!”

“I heard,” he emphasized, his eye crinkled.

Sakura wanted to bury her head in embarrassment. If Kakashi knew... who else knew? She mentally made a list of most embarrassing people who could find out that you had made out (or maybe people had heard that she had done more than THAT even) with your teammate. Staring with her shishou, her mind suddenly stopped on the very name she had been refusing to think about all day.

Kakashi seemed to sense her mood change. Or maybe he was just super sensitive to all thought transmissions about Sasuke. But his face didn’t look any less cheerful, “I’m glad that you chose Naruto, Sakura-chan. Sasuke isn’t ready. And he may never be ready,” he said quietly.

For some reason, that comment irked her. Sasuke had been vastly improved recently. The time they spent on the long mission to the Sand and even the short period of time that she and Naruto had shared his house had been fine. More than fine.

Trying to hide the irritation in her voice, she said, “I think you’re underestimating him. Maybe you just haven’t spent time with him lately but… you should see him now.”

“I think you’re the one who underestimates him, Sakura-chan. That’s why you almost died by his hand. More than once.”

She couldn’t argue with that logically, but… he had changed. He wasn’t that tortured, angry person anymore. He had changed. He was actually trying. This was right on the tip of her tongue when Kakashi said, “But we don’t need to talk about that. I’m just happy for you.” he said, slipping back to a smile, “But I do have a request that might be a bit...well…” he hesitated.

“Hm? A request? What is it, sensei?”

Sakura almost missed the small sigh that escaped him before he began, “Sasuke is still in a place where he needs the companionship of a friend. I would ask that you don’t bar Naruto from their friendship because of anything that might have happened between the two of you... I’m only bringing it up because I think you’re the only person who could keep them apart, to be honest.”

“I... I—” The wind was picking up, carrying voices from the people on the ground. Sakura didn’t know what to say. She was too busy running his words through her head. She wouldn’t have ever dreamed of cutting Naruto off from Sasuke. She hadn’t even planned on cutting him off herself, even though it had been one of Ino’s suggestions. For Kakashi to say that... implying she somehow didn’t care about him now that she had Naruto... And again, after everything, to be told to stay out of the way... she felt herself shaking.

“Hm? What’s wrong?” Kakashi asked, leaning toward her slightly.

She shook her head, trying to clear it and find the right words, “This whole situation was caused by me. Sasuke opened up to me. Kissed me.”

Not that that was a fact she was proud of, but still, for Kakashi to push her aside after all the time she spent loving and crying over and laughing with her teammates... like her bond with them didn’t matter...

After an awkward pause, Kakashi seemed like he was about to say something, but Sakura spoke first, “Sasuke needs Naruto... But did you ever stop to think that maybe he needs me too?” She asked, wiping away the tears accumulating in her eyes and trying to control the sudden rise in her voice, “Naruto and Sasuke push each other in ways that I can’t, and that’s fine. But I contribute something too. Maybe nothing that you think is important, or maybe it’s hard to... to see, but...”

“—Sakura, Sakura. Of course what you’ve done for them is important. I know it is. You knew the exact moment Sasuke reached his breaking point, even when you were still genin. And there’s no one Naruto loves more than you. I don’t think either of them would be ok if not for you, Sakura-chan. I just didn’t think... I’m sorry. Please don’t cry,” he said, his voice turning soft and low.

Even hearing it come from his mouth, she wasn’t sure she believed it. Or if he believed it. Naruto was hers. Sasuke had wanted her and at least for a moment, they had had a real, mutual connection. So why did it still hurt so much to hear that she was unessential? The tears refused to stop falling down her face, even though she wiped them away roughly.

Kakashi clasped her shoulder. Part of her wanted to slap his hand away, but another part, the part that might forever be eleven years old, wanted him to say more soothing things, to assure her again that he hadn’t meant it.

She could feel the heat from his body as he scooted closer, pushing the bento out of the way. Sakura turned away from him, afraid that the close proximity to his large, comforting frame would make her cry even more. His voice was soft and close to her ear when he said, “Aside from my face, I think my curse is to never ever get this right. I’m sorry. For everything.”

Then he was gone. Sakura sat on the roof for a while after that, trying to pull herself together, but all of the emotions of the last few days seemed to pour out of her as the last of the warm autumn sun beat down on her shoulders.

After about ten minutes, the door opened to reveal some chatty patients, clearly happy to be taking their lunch on the roof. Sakura quickly turned to the skyline and wiped her tears away for the last time, slapping her cheeks and taking a deep, soothing breath. Her nose was still stuffed up and she was sure she looked like hell, but she wouldn’t cry anymore.

When she marched past the patients, she shot them with a smile that they returned. She continued to smile at the people she passed until she found the nearest restroom and splashed her face with cold water. After she did so, she turned to meet her own steady gaze in the mirror.

If Kakashi had actually made an effort to come speak to her, it meant Sasuke must have been suffering a lot right now. The thought made her heart clench with guilt and sadness. The last thing she wanted was to be a source of pain for him after everything he had been through. And right when he was beginning to rely on her and Naruto again too…

This was always the problem, she thought ruefully. Her loyalty, her feelings… they were always stretched between loyalty to Sasuke, Naruto or the team. She couldn’t have it all. There was always a choice and it seemed like she was the only one who ever had to make it. She had chosen Naruto over Sasuke and over the eternal stalemate that was Team 7, so now her job was to stand back and let Naruto and Sasuke be friends without getting in the way too much. Never mind how unfair it was, or how badly it hurt.

She clenched her fist on the counter top. No. It was ok if Kakashi-sensei didn’t understand her feelings for her team mates. It was even ok if Ino didn’t really understand. The only two people that mattered were Naruto and Sasuke. She had finally reached a boiling point the day before, laying how she felt for Naruto directly on the line. With Sasuke, things were a bit trickier, but he deserved to know how much he meant to her as well, no matter how he took it. And more importantly, she wanted them both to know that she intended to be part of the team. Their team. She was not going to meekly fade out of the picture just because she had a man.

“Right,” Sakura said to herself in the mirror. When she got home, she would discuss it with Naruto, then the next day, she would find Sasuke and let him know, in no uncertain terms that, despite being with Naruto, he would always be one of the most important people in the world to her and she still wanted to be a team.

“No retreat,” she said, “I can do this. We can navigate this hurdle. This is nothing compared to all the other stuff. It’s basically academy level bullshi-“

She cut off her pep talk and pretended to wash her hands as two nurses stepped into the room. And from the looks on their faces, they obviously caught the tail end of her speech.

I really hope this people overhearing me thing doesn’t keep happening, Sakura thought as she dutifully nodded at her coworkers before fleeing to her office.

----Sasuke

The ruins of the old Uchiha compound were completely destroyed. He couldn’t find a single significant marker, a scrap of cloth, anything that gave a sign of what used to stand on the now empty expanse of land.

Except the flowers. Blubs that came back year after year, even when he was a child living alone. They had been planted by a kind old grandma, a woman whose name he couldn’t remember, but who he saw vividly in his mind, watering flowers in the morning and pruning delicate, blossom covered trees.

Sometime after he had seen Naruto and Sakura’s clash in the sunset, well after dark, he had walked to the spot where the tree used to stand and the flowers still grew and sat down. Bugs crawled across his legs, crickets chirped, and slowly, the moon crossed the sky and the sun rose again. But he hadn’t moved.

Why did I come back? Why am I here in this village? What purpose do I serve now?

But all he could come up with was, I came home because I didn’t want to be alone anymore.

He could admit that to himself. His last real fight with Naruto had made that much clear to him. His life, he thought, could easily be broken down into formative moments. Admiration, jealousy, triumph, despair – they were all emotions that he could trace back to these points on the timeline of his existence. Each conflict, win or lose, left a permanent mark on his soul.

But in-between, what had there been? It was almost like that time was gone; the incubation of his rage had wiped out everything but the most lasting memories. There were a few things… when he closed his eyes and focused, he saw Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura. But he mostly remembered pushing them away. He didn’t want another brother or a father or a family. And honestly, the idea still didn’t appeal to him.

So what did that leave him? And why did everything still hurt?

When the sun started glaring into his eyes over the horizon, he laid back, resting his head between the long stems of the flowers, and covering his eyes with his hands.

Sometimes, he wondered what would happen if he just did everything everyone told him to do. Hang out with friends. Speak carelessly. Act normal. Could he really be like everybody else? Or was he too screwed up and no matter what he did, he would never untangle the snare in his soul.

The wind picked up, filling his ears with the sound of rustling grass. He felt himself sinking…

“Hey, teme.”

“Dobe.”

“It’s cold out here, ya know?”

“So?”

“So, how come there are flowers blooming? It’s not spring, right?”

“Not all flowers bloom in the spring, baka. Some flowers like the cold.”

“Heh, is that supposed to be a metaphor for your soul or something? Who knew you were so sensitive?”

“Don’t make me hit you.”

“You guys fighting again? Wha- Sasuke-kun? Why’re you on the ground? Naruto!”

“It wasn’t me! He was like this when I found him.”

“You’ve made good friends,” Sasuke’s mother said, her voice soft. He sat up and opened his eyes. Naruto and Sakura were nowhere in sight. The old compound was back to its former glory, the orange, nearly red blossoms of the pomegranate tree ripe overhead. I’m dreaming, he thought, then forgot it a moment later.

Sasuke stared at his mother, taking in everything he could. She was young, he realized, so much younger than she seemed in his memories. But then again, she had only been a few years older than he was now, before…

“I’m sorry I’ve left you alone for so long, Sasuke-kun. There’s been so much going on and I didn’t think you had the time…”

He found himself flustered, looking for something to say, “Are you ok? I… What’s it like?”

“To be dead?” she clarified, but not unkindly, “It’s fine. Really nice, actually.”

“Better than being alive?” Sasuke asked, studying his mother’s face for any signs of deception.

“Just as good, if not better,” she said, before scaling back her smile a bit, “That’s not to say you should be in any rush. Sasuke…” His mother reached for his face, but drew back at the last moment, “I just wanted to remind you… do you remember what you told Naruto-kun? That you would try harder with your feelings?”

“Mom…”

“I don’t think he’s ever broken a promise to you in all these years. He’s a good boy. So I want you to try, ok? Just try,” she repeated.

“It’s hard…” Sasuke felt his face fill with tension, holding back tears, “It’s really hard, mom.”

“I know, but there’s nothing to be afraid of. Nothing at all. Don’t let fear keep you from your friends and a good life. Now, you need to head home. It’s getting dark.”

“You all act like laying on the ground is going to kill me,” Sasuke said, but watched with trepidation as his mother stood up, “Wait. Don’t go.”

“I’m sorry, but there’s someone waiting. Here. I’ll help you up,” his mother said, holding her hand out to him. Sasuke reached for it.

He woke up with a start, his hand tense at his side.

The sky had grown dark again.

Sasuke wiped his eyes. He sat up. Then he screamed at the top of his lungs.

His voice echoed through the empty field. He screamed until his chest ached for air. Then he shakily got to his feet and began walking toward the road.

But he knew what he wanted. And what he had to do.

He had to apologize to them both. Again. And maybe even… tell them how he felt.

Weak! Corny! Pathetic! His mind was very much in protest of this idea. But weirdly enough, his internal diatribe didn’t bother him. He felt raw, and oddly new in his own skin. And even though there was pain, there seemed to be very little room for any consideration of his ego.

He was almost home when he paused. In the dark, sitting on the ground beside his front door, was Naruto.

“Yo, teme… hey, are you alright?” Naruto asked, scrambling to his feet as he approached.

“Just dirty,” Sasuke said and Naruto looked him up and down, apparently not taking him at his word. Even though Sasuke just had the urge to apologize to the guy only moments ago, he hadn’t actually been ready to see him. But with the pissed off voice in his mind so beaten down, he found himself able to shrug and say, “Want to come in?”

He could see Naruto trying to hide his surprise before he answered, “Sure.”

Sasuke made no pretense as he led him into the living room and sat down directly in the center of the empty floor. If he was going to do this, he might as well do it right. Say everything. Go all the way.

Naruto stood awkwardly before him, shifting in place, “Um, you want me to get you some tea or something? If you still have that ramen, I can-“

“No. Just sit down.”

Naruto eyed him warily before sitting in front of him, kneeling in the same formal posture as Sasuke.

Sasuke quietly took a deep breath, then spoke, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know about you and Sakura when I… came on to her.”

Naruto leaned forward, nodding emphatically, “I know you didn’t. Sakura hadn’t wanted to make it official yet, so it wasn’t your fault at all.”

“That’s not all. About our fight before…” Sasuke paused, trying to find the right words to explain. He thought he had all of his emotions pinned down and defined, but sitting across from Naruto with his eyes wide, drinking in every word he was saying like it was gospel… All of his careful realizations seemed to disappear when he looked at him like that.

“I’m going through a lot,” Sasuke finally managed, “I… can’t always control my thoughts and a lot of the times, I’m just questioning why the hell I’m even still alive. There’s all these things I can’t do anything about, things going on in my head... And sometimes… it hurts and I can’t think straight. But despite everything… you’ve only ever helped me. And so I’m sorry I am the way I am... And I want you in my life, whatever that life is going to be.”

“Sasuke…” Naruto’s blue eyes were shining. He scrunched them quickly and shook his head, “I… I want to help you and I don’t know how. And it makes me mad,” Naruto said emphatically, “I wish I wasn’t so stupid about this stuff. But I’m here. Always have been. Always will be. Whether you want to fight or train or go on a mission or… or take a walk or somethin’… I’ll do whatever you want. But, uh… at the same time, I’ll try to not smother you, you know? I’m gonna really try hard. Can I apologize about something too?” Naruto asked, his eyes suddenly fixed on the floor.

Sasuke nodded, willing back his own emotions as he listened.

“When you came back to Konoha with us, or, well... I guess I should say when you didn’t leave immediately after getting patched up and then said you’d stay- I was so happy, but I was also really really scared.” Naruto eased off of his knees and sprawled his legs in front of him, trying to get more comfortable.

“I didn’t want you to go again, and I thought that maybe me or my friendship or... whatever, wasn’t enough to keep you here. And so, I think I might have tried to force it too hard, trying to make you fit into the Team 7 mold I wanted you in. I didn’t even try to think about what you might have been going through. So… maybe this is kind of my fault, too.”

“That’s not true. Naruto… you’ve given me a lot.” Sasuke said, unable to find the right words anymore. He was so tired all of the sudden. Even though he was sitting in front of Naruto talking about his most private feelings, he felt more relaxed than he had in weeks. Months. Maybe years.

Naruto noticed his drooping eyelids and gave him another once over, “You alright? You’re all… sway-y.”

“Yeah. Just… haven’t had regular sleep in a while.”

Naruto scooted closer to him, staring uneasily at his face, “You’re so damn white, it’s hard to tell anything, but… let me heat up the bath and get you something to eat. Then I’ll stay here until you fall asleep, ok?”

“Am I a child?” Sasuke asked half-heartedly, but Naruto hadn’t really waited for his consent. He was out the back door and in the kitchen all at once. Sasuke thought he might have really been losing it, but then he realized that Naruto had just put kage no bushin to practical use.

Sasuke felt nothing but tired as Naruto mothered him into the bath, except to protest that he could wash his own hair, which he did as Naruto hovered concernedly by the barrel, helping him out when he was finished, commenting, “This thing is a death trap if you’re too weak to climb out…”

“If I’m ever that weak, just kill me,” Sasuke said, but tiredly braced himself on Naruto’s arm as he found his footing.

He unwillingly got some noodles shoved down his gullet and then he was escorted to his bedroom where, after removing his jacket, Naruto jumped onto the empty side of the mattress, his arms folded under his head.

“You don’t have to sit in here with me. I’ll sleep fine.”

“Maybe I’m tired too. I had a long night myself, ya know. And day… I’ll just take a little nap before I head out.”

Why was your night long? Sasuke thought, but he was already drifting to sleep.

“Sasuke,” Naruto said, stirring him half awake, “I’m sorry about Sakura. I didn’t know how you felt. I was… afraid to know. I’m sorry.”

“S’fine…” Sasuke said, or at least he thought he said it. He already felt like he was asleep. You deserve to be happy. Being with you two is the only thing that makes life worth anything right now. I can be happy as long as we’re all still a team…

He thought he heard something. A sigh, or a sniffle, but the world was already going dark.
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Stranger than the Wild