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The Blessed Realm	By : susanna Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 1746 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Naruto, his friends and the world he lives in don't belong to me but to Masashi Kishimoto. I write this story only for my pleasure and I don't make any money with it.

Chapter List
- 18
- 19
- 20
Chapter
Sixteen: Cute Avenger

In
the next shop, after finding the men's department, Naruto immediately
told the shop assistant that they would not need any help. The
assistant, a woman again, kept watching them from her place behind
the counter where she was busy cleaning and fixing glasses. Naruto
wondered what she thought of the two of them, him trying out all
kinds of frames on Sasuke, Sasuke pretending to be a shop window
dummy, motionless letting Naruto choose frames, put them on his nose,
decide whether they were okay. Let her think what she would, Naruto
thought, and not be bothered by her suspicious looks at the heaps of
frames on the table they had claimed for themselves: A large one for
those that clearly did not suit Sasuke, and a small one with those
Naruto thought acceptable. He was getting picky, and rejected frames
he would have considered fine in the first store. He was looking for
the perfect frame – the one that would make Sasuke look like
himself.

“Can
I take these back to where they belong?” the shop assistant
asked, pointing at the heap of frames Naruto had already discarded.

“No,
better leave them where they are”, Naruto answered. “I
need to know which ones we've already tried.”

The
woman raised her eyebrows, but she did not object, probably because
there weren't any other customers around. She did not return to her
place behind the counter, however, but began to arrange the frames in
one of the other racks, every now and then casting a look at the boys
and making Naruto nervous.

“Are
you sure that black is the best colour?” she asked, coming over
again. “Maybe you would like to try something else?”

She
passed a blue frame to Naruto. Sasuke shook his head, barely
noticable, and Naruto decided to ignore it, though he, too, was
doubtful. Indeed, the frame the shop assistant had given to him was
definitely not the one he was looking for, but on the other hand,
blue did not seem that bad, so that he was ready to try the next one
the assistant gave him, and this time – Sasuke saw Naruto's
eyes widen, a happy smile formed on his lips, and he beamed as he
turned to the shop assistant to thank her. She smiled too, satisfied
with herself.

“They
are perfect”, Naruto said. “Sasuke, you wanna have a look
into the mirror? You really look cute.”

Sasuke
was not sure whether he appreciated this compliment. Mostly he was
glad that Naruto had come to a decision, so that their quest was over
and they could return home. Reluctantly he peeked into the mirror:
Naruto was correct, he was – yes, cute was the correct word. It
was a confusing sight, and he was not sure whether he liked it. It
was definitely not how he saw himself, or how he wanted to look like
when he would be fighting that Danzou. He looked as he had looked
when he was little, before Itachi had murdered the clan, when he had
still been weak and naive, unaware that Itachi was not the caring
brother he pretended to be, unaware of his murderous plans.

A
few months ago he would have hated himself for looking cute and
innocent like this, as he had hated and despised the little child who
had been too small and weak to protect his family against Itachi, and
too stupid to understand that Itachi could not be trusted. Now,
however, understanding that Itachi had been no more than a child,
manipulated and abused himself, he had also learnt not to despise the
little boy who had loved and trusted his older brother and aspired to
resemble him – instead he mourned him: He might have remained
cute and innocent for longer, loving his family and being loved by
them, without any knowledge of danger, or evil, or any other worries
than his perpetual inferiority to Itachi, or his father's neglect of
him. It had not been fate, or his brothe's craziness, that had turned
him into a lonely avenger, it had been a matter of politics and
fights for power in Konoha. If those in power had not hated his clan,
he might have been as all the other children of the Leaf, cute and
innocent and happy, giving his best to become a respected shinobi of
the Leaf, a member of the military police.

He
might be cute again, as he had been at the age of seven, the mirror
told him, but he was not yet sure whether he wanted this. He had been
an avenger for too long. He felt a tear in his eyes – he took
off the empty frame to wipe it off.

Naruto,
who was watching him, reached out to him and drew him into a light
embrace. “There's need to cry: You are very cute. All the girls
will come running after you. Just wait!”

It
was not the consolation Sasuke was looking for, but he did not feel
like explaining the true reason for his tears to Naruto. “You
fight them off for me, will you?” he answered and gently
dissolved the embrace.

Slowly
he realized what had happened: They had finally found a frame Naruto
was happy with, and one that he himself, as he reluctantly had to
admit (though only to himself), could actually live with. He got up.

“So
it's decided?” the shop assistant asked. “You don't want
to try any others?”

Sasuke
shook he head. He was tired and exhausted.

“No, thanks,
they're perfect”, Naruto said.

“Then
I need your prescription now, so that we can fit the glasses. You can
pick them up in a few days.”

She
looked at Naruto, but it was Sasuke who handed her the prescription.
He took charge again, answering the assistant's questions about
having non-reflecting glasses, or some special kind of glass that
would turn into sunglasses as the light outside got brighter. He
behaved completely rational now, he did not even forgot to ask for
the price. He cringed visibly when he heard the answer.

“Do
you have to ask your parents? We'll reserve them for you until
tomorrow, so that they can give their permission.”

“No,
it's okay”, he answered. “I can pay.”

He
would have to check his bank account, he realized. His reserves were
shrinking rapidly in this town. First, however, there was something
else to decide...

When
they returned to Naruto's place, Karin and Suigetsu were waiting for
them. Juugo, however, was missing.

“I
kept my promise”, Naruto told Karin. “He didn't chicken
out, and we found glasses that make him look even prettier than he is
now. You'll love them – they are absolutely wonderful.”

Karin
took off her own glasses and smiled at Sasuke with her most seductive
smile. He took a step backwards.

Suigetsu
was not up to date – it turned out that Karin had not told him
of their visit to the ophthalmologist. She did so now.

“So
where are they now? Why are you not wearing them?”

Karin
explained that it would take some time to cut the glasses. “Now
tell, Naruto, how do they look like?” she asked.

“Rather
small and round and a brilliant blue. He'll look adorable.”

“Sounds
cute”, Karin said, smiling again her seductive smile.

“Sounds
really stupid”, Suigetsu said. “It will be a refreshing
sight, however, to see you lose your coolness and immaculate beauty
and become a mere mortal.”

“Don't
be too sure”, Naruto warned him. “Wait until the girls
line up to catch a glance of him.”

“Hopefully
not”, Suigetsu replied. “Karin alone is trouble enough.”

For
once, Sasuke agreed to him. He felt increasingly irritated and
annoyed: If not even his team could take him seriously when he was
wearing glasses, who would? How would that Danzou triumph over him,
seeing that his eyes had begun to fail him even before he had started
his revenge?

“Where's
Juugo?” he asked, getting a grip on himself.

“Playing
with some other children. He seems to enjoy it.”

Some
other children – had it gone that far already?

“We'll
have to wait. There is a decision we have to come to. I'll tell you
when he has arrived – I don't want to explain everything
twice.”

Naruto
saw the questioning looks in Sasuke's teammates' faces, but they
remained silent – Sasuke was still their captain. He felt
excluded – whatever it was that had to be decided, it would be
a decision between Sasuke and his team.

They
had now spread all over his room: Suigetsu had cleared the one chair
Naruto owned of the clothes that had been lying on it, so that he
could sit there, Karin was sitting on the floor, Sasuke –
again! - on his bed. He found a place for himself on the table, and
from there he spotted a light wheelchair in a corner.

“Is
that for you?” he asked Suigetsu. “Did they give it to
you at the hospital?”

“They
insisted on lending it to me. They could not stop wondering about my
legs, and they made me walk around in the hospital garden, to see how
far I could walk. It was the same as ever: After some hundred metres
I had to sit down to take a break, and so they decided to give me a
wheelchair. It's very light, and I can fold it together and carry it
with me, and if I get tired, I can sit in it and move on wheels until
my arms get tired and I have to walk again. Very practical.”

“Very
unpractical”, Sasuke replied. “As soon as we are back in
the wilderness, where there aren't any streets, it will be completely
useless.”

“But
this won't be too soon, will it? At least we'll have to wait until
you get your glasses.”

Sasuke
was silenced. The atmosphere was tense now, with Sasuke being angry
at his teammates making fun of him and nervous because of what he was
going to ask of them, so that he was irritable and snapped at them
more often than usual, while Karin and Suigetsu (and Naruto too) were
burning with curiosity.

“How
did you get here if you can walk only for some hundred meteres?”
Naruto asked to ease the tension.

“Juugo
and myself took turns carrying him”, Sasuke answered in
Suigetsu's stead. “We don't need to carry a wheelchair too.”

So
much for getting rid of the tension, Naruto thought. He wondered
again about Juugo's powers, but this had an end when the superpower
kid himself finally arrived.

“The
other children are having dinner with their families”, he
explained. “We'll meet again in about one hour.”

Sasuke
swallowed. “So I guess that we have to be grateful that you can
spare us one hour of your precious time.”

Juugo
looked offended. “We'll leave tomorrow, won't we? Why can't I
play today?”

Sasuke's
tone got milder. He had not intended to hurt Juugo. “It's okay.
You will even be able to play a bit longer: We will stay for a few
days more.” He paused, and Naruto knew that telling what he had
to tell was painful and humiliating to him. “Karin insisted
that I get my eyes checked. The doctor diagnosed me with myopia and
gave me a prescription for glasses. It will take some time until I
can pick them up.”

“Really?”
Juugo asked back. “I often saw your eyes bleeding, and you
covered them with your hands as if they were hurting. Is it really
only that you need glasses?”

“The
doctor said so.”

“But
that's good news, isn't it?”

Naruto's
heart warmed to the superpower kid, who seemed to genuinely care for
Sasuke, contrary to the two grown-ups who could not let pass any
opportunity to make fun of him. Also, he rejoiced: It was real,
Sasuke was going to stay at least until he could pick up his glasses.

Sasuke
too was busy pondering Juugo's words. Somehow, he had a point: Being
short-sighted was certainly to be preferred to turning blind, and
needing glasses was better than having to transplant Itachi's eyes.
He just hoped that the doctor's diagnosis was correct.

“There
is another matter we have to decide on”, he continued. “The
doctor explained me about contacts.”

He
had to explain them to Juugo and Suigetsu too, with some help from
Karin, who had been better at grasping the medical details. “It
will take some more time to get them fitted, and to get used to them.
We will have to decide whether we are going to postpone our departure
and our search for the Blessed Realm until I got them.”

“Are
you sure you want them?” Karin asked. “Something in your
eye! Remember how you passed out when the doctor's hands only
approached your eyes!”

Sasuke
would have preferred her to keep this incident secret from Juugo and
Suigetsu.

“I
have survived worse manipulations of my body at Orochimaru's lair”,
he replied. “I will be able to deal with these contacts. The
question is whether we are going to wait for them.”

He
looked at this teammates, not at Naruto, who, as he had expected, was
excluded from this decision.

“I
am against it”, Suigetsu answered. “It will be fun to see
you with glasses. I haven't had much fun lately, so I am not going to
miss it.”

“I
am against it too”, Karin joined him. “Naruto said that
he found glasses that make you look even prettier than you are
without glasses. I want to see you at your most beautiful.”

Sasuke
had gone pale, barely able to hide his anger and his disappointment.
Naruto was angry too: Sasuke was a captain who cared for his team,
wasn't he, rather too generous than too strict, allowing them to
search for that place that did not exist. Why could they not grant
him this wish that was much more rational, considering that Sasuke
was indeed a warrior and had to be able to fight without worrying
about his glasses getting broken or falling down. At least they could
pursue their ridiculous quest without him, and allow him to remain at
his, Naruto's place, until they had found healing and were ready to
pick him up again.

Juugo
was next to speak: “I am for staying. It won't matter if it
takes some more days before we set out again to find that Blessed
Realm. We have been searching for it for several weeks now, after
all. And Sasuke really wants these contacts.”

Naruto
was relieved – there was a chance now that they were going to
stay. Sasuke was partially relieved too.

“So
it's two against two”, he said. “And my vote counts more,
as I am your captain. We will stay.”

“I
don't think so”, Suigetsu replied. “Your vote doesn't
count at all, because it's all about your vanity. Be glad that we are
ready to wait until you get your glasses.”

But
they wanted to see them with glasses, didn't they? Naruto thought.
And Suigetsu wanted to try that wheelchair. It dawned on him that
they were not in a hurry to leave – they just had fun torturing
Sasuke.

“Naruto
may decide”, Karin suggested. “It's his place –
certainly he longs to have it for himself again.”

There
were some seconds of silence before Suigetsu joined her: “Eh,
Naruto, what's your opinion? You want to see him with glasses too,
don't you?”

They
all looked at him, waiting for his answer, only Sasuke, after a
short, imploring glance at him, had lowered his eyes. Naruto felt his
pain, his tension and humiliation, but – suddenly he could
empathize very well with Suigetsu – he dragged out this moment
and waited some time before he announced his decision: “Feel
welcome to stay! I will gladly accommodate you as my guests for as
long as you want.”

A/N:

Sneakyfox:
Thanks again for your review! Well, yes, Naruto finds him pretty
(just as in that chapter in the Sai-and-Sasuke arc where he says that
Sasuke looks much better than Sai), and Sasuke likes it... (The story
is listed as Naruto/Sasuke, so I have to do something
about it, I think.)

msusumaki:
Yes, choosing glasses can be horrible, and if then there is a person
who gives horrible advice and somehow has an image of you that has
nothing to do with the image you have of yourself (and then, no taste
at all) it is even more horrible.

Morlana:
I know these frameless glasses, but I did not include them into the
choice as I remember that they are quite expensive, even more if you
consider that you get less for your money than if you buy
glasses with frames. There are indeed some that are barely visible,
but most of the time they aren't – the glasses reflect, and
more importantly, the refract the light – it is a common error
to think that it is only the frame that changes a face; it is also
(even more) the fact that the eyes appear smaller or bigger than they
are. (Yes, I can understand Sasuke very well...) They were told about
contacts at the end of chapter fourteen, by the way.
kinai26:
Thanks for your comment! I got it only yesterday when I had already prepared the file for releasing it, so I can just say thank you now!
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The Blessed Realm