Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

The Long Run	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 1939 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor make profit of it. Kishimoto owns it.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Author's note: Surprisingly writing this chapter went so smoothly, I already got a large part of the next chapter finished as well. Writing a zombie fic clearly fits me better these days. I haven't forgotten about the other updates, don't worry; just wrangling myself into the right headspace for those. In the meantime I do hope you enjoy this particular story, because I personally find myself enjoying this universe a hell of a lot
Warnings: Some zombies dying, nothing new there
I hope you'll like this new chapter!
Chapter 2
The sound of the shower shutting off was his sign. Tilting his head to listen – a habit he'd grown into after being on the road in the beginning and nearly having been taken by surprise by some zombies trapped inside a lonely cottage – he knocked on the door.
"I've brought you some fresh clothes!"
There was a pause. "Yeah, thanks!" Naruto called out.
"I'll be waiting for you in the living room," Sasuke said and walked away before the other man could even think to protest.
Some of the newcomers didn't like having anyone of them visiting them straight away, but there was no helping it. Someone had to give a quick tour and after the shit they'd experienced, they weren't so keen on having new arrivals wandering around on their own. Even if they checked out, it was still better to be safe for a while at least.
"So you my guard now?"
Sasuke turned around, ready to reply, but was momentarily stunned by how nicely Naruto had managed to clean up. Not that he had thought him ugly to begin with, but it was obvious that he'd been cacked in a lot more dirt, zombie gore and blood than he had initially assumed. His hair was the brightest shade of blond Sasuke had ever witnessed on anyone and that included both Deidara and Ino. The shower had given it back its healthy shine; it was still glistening with some remaining waterdrops that had escaped the towel.
His skin was a beautiful light tan; his blue eyes bigger and brighter now that they were no longer smudged with filth. There were some faint straight lines on both his cheeks, but Sasuke couldn't figure out whether those were scars or birthmarks. He was slightly shorter than Sasuke and apparently a lot leaner than Sasuke had thought because the shirt he wore was a size too big and even his jeans hung a bit too low, making Sasuke frown slightly.
"Looks like we'll have to find other clothes for you," he remarked, nodding at the loose apparel. "Some things that'll fit you better."
Naruto looked down; his hands still clenching the ends of the towel around his neck. He shrugged, worrying his lip. "'S fine, I'm not really bothered by it. So you my new guard or what?"
"Far from it," Sasuke snorted, crossing his arms. "I'll be showing you around the place, so that you'll know where to find everything."
"Except for the weapons storage, am I right?" Naruto smirked, cocking his head slightly back. "Don't think I haven't noticed that my bag isn't here yet – nor my dagger or my machete."
"Safety precautions." Sasuke shrugged. "You'll get them back in a couple of days, rest assured."
"And what if I want to leave earlier?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Do you?"
They stood staring at each other for a little while before Naruto heaved a huge sigh and rolled his shoulders, giving his head one last rub down with the towel before slinging the cloth across the back of a chair.
"Not for a while at least, I guess. Couldn't remember the last time I took a damn shower." He winced, wrinkling his nose. "Hell, only now do I realise just how badly I smelled."
"If it's any consolation, you smell a lot better now," Sasuke snorted. "Less death like, more like a human being."
"Arsehole," Naruto said, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice. "All right, you're going to hold my hand and lead me around now?"
"You need someone to hold your hand?"
Naruto spread his arms, smirking again. "Hey, if they're sending a cute guy like you, might as well try to take advantage of it, am I right?"
"You usually quick to hit on guys?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow again.
"Dude, in case you haven't noticed, it's not exactly a free for all out there." Naruto jerked his thumb in the vicinity of the gate. "Once you're knee deep in shit and gore and you see more dead people than alive ones, you start to appreciate beauty a hell of a lot more when you see it. 'S all I'm saying."
"Never thought dead bastards would make someone philosophical," Sasuke remarked.
"Mah, when you're on your own you have a lot of time to think," Naruto retorted lightly. "So guess it's time to show me around. Don't want to waste daylight and all that. Pretty sure you've got other stuff to do than lead the newbie around."
Sasuke placed a hand on his chest. "Are you trying to get rid of me already? And here I thought we were building a connection," he gasped mockingly. "You're wounding me truly."
The blond man snickered; his eyes lightening up just a smidgen. "Can't have all my options shut down already, can I? I need to see what else kind of fish is in the sea here."
"Oh ouch, thinking you can find better than me?" Sasuke smirked, lowering his hand.
"Well, you're definitely winning in the field of cockiness, that's for sure," Naruto snorted.
"It's not cockiness; it's confidence," Sasuke shot back, walking past him to the door. "Come on, I'll show you around."
When he opened the door, however, he almost walked straight into Sakura, who jumped back with a surprised gasp.
"Sorry, I was just about to knock!" she said, reddening slightly. She was carrying her bag with basic medical supplies. "I'm here for the new arrival."
"Right." Sasuke clucked his tongue, exasperated with himself. He hadn't thought to ask whether Naruto needed medical assistance. "Hey, you hurt?"
Naruto stepped outside once Sasuke got out of the way. "Nah, just some bruises and some scratches. None infected, though, and I didn't get bit," he added before smirking at Sasuke. "You're free to check for any bites, though, if you want."
Sasuke snorted, amused in spite of himself when Sakura reddened further.
"You're sure you don't need anything?" she asked, studying him carefully. "Maybe some ointment for the scratches?"
"Nah, keep that stuff for the real cases," Naruto said dismissively. "I'm fine, don't need any help."
She nodded, but instead of turning around to go back to the infirmary, she remained standing there, frowning slightly.
"Something wrong?" Sasuke asked, resting a hand on his hip.
She twitched as if he'd startled her out of her thoughts. "No, erm, just …" Her frown deepened and she leant forwards, closer to Naruto, who took a wary step back. "Have we met before?"
Naruto furrowed his eyebrows; his hand twitching to his side as if to grab a weapon before he remembered he wasn't carrying one. Sasuke checked a sigh; he would need to talk to Sakura later on, remind her that it wasn't a particularly smart idea to get up and close to someone who'd been on the road for god knew how long. Naruto wasn't particularly jumpy, but it was clear he didn't appreciate how she'd stepped closer. Sasuke could understand that. Even before the Rising, he'd never been fond of having people in his personal bubble and the walking dead had only increased his need to be on his own. Father and Itachi were the rare exceptions.
"Nah, can't say we have," Naruto replied after a short terse moment. He smiled faintly. "Think I would have remembered pink hair like yours."
She smiled, fleetingly touching her hair. "Yeah, I guess … Sorry, must have confused you with someone else." She shook her head. "Welcome, you can visit the infirmary if you do change your mind about the ointment."
"Sure," Naruto said, but it was obvious he wouldn't take her up on her offer.
They watched her leave down the stairs. "She your girlfriend?"
The scoff escaped him before he could censor himself. "No, she isn't. Not interested in her," he said curtly.
"Don't think the same can be said for her," Naruto said idly.
"Yeah well, I've made it clear where we stand and it's not in a relationship," Sasuke said and started walking towards the stairs. "Come on, I'll show you around."
"So what, you're the heartbreaker of the town?" Naruto asked; the corners of his mouth twitching.
"Can't be responsible for something I never wanted."
"Oh ouch," Naruto chuckled. "Poor them."
Sasuke merely shrugged. He had never led anyone of them on; if any of the girls here, including Sakura, clung on to their crush, that was on them not him.
Leading Naruto away from the apartment block, he pointed at the first building they came across; it had been a spacious home in the past, including a porch which circled all the way to the back. "Here's the infirmary. Tsunade is our main doctor; Sakura assists her and they're teaching a couple of others the ropes so to speak. You any good with medicine or sewing injuries?"
"Nah, wish I was, but I only know the basics at best," Naruto replied, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I know enough of medicine not to poison myself when I find them, but that's about the extent of my knowledge."
"Noted." They passed a couple of regular homes before they approached their own makeshift supermarket. It was basically a storage where they kept all the vegetables, fruits and canned goods they found on the road.
"You can get food here. It's rationed, of course, because we depend a lot on our own fields and what we can grab on the road, but in some cases you'll be permitted to take more." Next he pointed at the open stable where Kakashi and Kiba were currently slicing a deer apart, removing everything they could use from it. The blood was collected in some buckets around the table and the fur hung up to dry.
"Do you have experience with hunting?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, had to learn the hard way to get good at it. One of the reasons why I'm still alive. Thank fuck my friend taught me how. I'm not an expert or anything like that," he added, bringing up a hand to rub the back of his head. "But I'm good enough not to starve at least."
Sasuke nodded slowly. "We could use your help with tracking and hunting then," he mused aloud. "More hands are always welcome."
"You often go hunting or on supply runs?" Naruto asked curiously when they passed the garage where they kept the few running vehicles they still had left.
Anko was tinkering with a motorcycle, lifting her hand just enough to wave in greeting.
"Hunting at least three times a week, more depending on the season," Sasuke told him. "Supply runs are weekly. We've divided everyone in groups, so the same people aren't always risking their lives."
"Makes sense," Naruto mumbled, looking up at the sky. The rain had shifted from a downpour to a light shower, but the dark clouds weren't entirely gone yet. "Can already tell you it's a waste of time to go up north, though, unless you're planning on travelling for weeks. Fuck all to find there. Everything'd been looted by the time I arrived."
"Yeah, we'll have to adjust our route for this week," Sasuke sighed, making a mental note to talk to Shikamaru and Karin about it. "The fields are at the other end of the compound; we're keeping livestock there as well."
"Man, you all thought about everything here, huh?" Naruto shook his head. "If it weren't for those fuckers stinking up the place right behind the wall, I'd think the apocalypse never happened."
"We make do with what we have," Sasuke said and hesitated slightly before admitting, "And we had more time to prepare than others. Father had an early warning."
Naruto hummed. "You got any leader here?"
Sasuke eyed him shrewdly. "What makes you think we have one leader?"
"Oh please," Naruto snorted derisively, waving his hand around the place. They were close to the gates now; Ino talking to some guys of the next shift. "There's no way in hell I'm going to believe you got this entire place running without any leader in place. Don't care how optimistic you are, there's no way a bunch of random people are just cooperating that smoothly without at least someone running interference."
"Always been that cynical?"
"Being surrounded by fuckers and dead people will do that to you," Naruto smiled sharply.
"We have some kind of Board," Sasuke said after a pause. "They oversee the main decisions that need to be taken here."
No need yet to tell Naruto that father was the de facto leader. He didn't immediately strike Sasuke as a dangerous guy – at least not to their community – but some caution never hurt. Not until he was completely certain that the guy could be trusted.
"For the time being you can help Iruka and the others on the field," Sasuke informed him when they'd made the entire loop around the compound.
The new arrival had piqued people's interest for sure, several of them stopping in their tasks to look at him, but they weren't about to stop their work for idle chitchat. The actual interrogation would probably happen later on tonight during dinner.
"That way you won't get bored," he added when Naruto gazed at him with a quirked eyebrow.
There was that twitching of his mouth again. "You mean, that way I can't possibly plan something to take over this place," he said lightly.
"Unless you're a complete dumbass I think you could plan something whilst working the field," Sasuke snorted, turning left to guide the other man to the fields in question. "But no, everyone's doing their part here. You're not on the roster for runs yet, so this is the next best option."
"I don't think I'm on the roster for guard shifts yet either," Naruto said lightly.
Sasuke threw him a quick glance. "No, you're not. Not until we're certain we can trust you," he stated bluntly.
"Thought that was why I got interrogated?"
"That's a start, doesn't mean we're going to trust you based on one single conversation," Sasuke smiled thinly. Especially because the last time they had done that, they had ended up being invaded.
Instead of being offended or mad, Naruto simply shrugged. "Just as long as you keep in mind that me staying here doesn't mean I trust you all either."
"You'll have to eventually if you plan to stay here," Sasuke said, halting at the fence that separated the fields from the rest of the compound. "Iruka!"
"Yeah well, I can say the same to you," Naruto retorted. He shut up when Iruka marched over to them.
Before the apocalypse he'd been a teacher and while he still taught the kids a couple of hours every week, most of his focus was now on the crops, ensuring that they would always have enough to eat.
"Good afternoon, Sasuke-san," Iruka greeted him; his brown eyes regarding him calmly before they switched over to Naruto, studying him with interest.
"Got someone new to help you out for a bit," Sasuke announced. "Iruka, this is Naruto. Naruto, this is Iruka, he's in charge of the fields here."
"Nice to meet you," Iruka smiled, offering a small bow.
There was an awkward pause before Naruto's brain seemed to reboot itself, reminding him of civil gestures of the past and he offered a quick but stiff bow back. "Yeah, likewise. What do you need me to do?"
Sasuke left them to it, knowing Iruka would take over from here. He was going to need to find Shikamaru and Karin now, seeing as their original plan was now shot to hell.
"We could go south, I suppose," Karin muttered; her eyebrows pinched as she studied the map carefully. "We haven't hit many targets there yet."
"Because most of them are not exactly close by," Shikamaru commented, his hands braced on the desk as he studied the map as well.
"Close by or not, we won't have much choice," Sasuke said and tapped the town closest to their location.
Closest was perhaps an overstatement here; reaching that town would take at least three hours and that was if they could go in a straight line and didn't have to take any detours because of blocked roads or zombie herds.
"We could still check north," Karin suggested tentatively. "I mean, we only got that guy's word for it and it's not like we can exactly trust him already."
"Perhaps not, but Itachi-san does believe he was speaking the truth," Shikamaru said. "And I'm inclined to believe Itachi-san when he says there wouldn't be any point for Naruto-san to come all the way here if he could find supplies up north."
"So we'll go south," Sasuke decided, resting his fingers against his mouth. "We hit the first town, see how much we can scavenge there. We can decide about the other towns once we're there and get a feel of the surroundings."
"What if the town's already been taking over by others?" she asked troubled. "We could be in some deep shit then."
"Then we'll try to find a way around it – or try to find a way inside anyways, depending on how many there are," Sasuke replied. He wasn't one to advocate for the cold blooded murder of random people, but if he had to choose between his people surviving another day or some strangers who might attack them … That choice had become easy.
"We'll have to leave the car at least a mile away from the town just in case," Shikamaru said and they both nodded, because it was what they always did when entering new locations.
Driving a car would always attract attention, be it from zombies or the living and neither one's attention was something they wanted to have. Leaving the car behind was risky on its own of course, because if shit went south it'd take them a bit before they would reach the vehicle, but that was why they would sneak around the place first, try to assess whether there was anyone there and if so which ones were dead and which ones were still alive.
"Once winter hits we'll need the van," Karin remarked after a short bout of silence.
Sasuke glanced at her. "Anything in particular that came up?"
"Mei's pregnant," she admitted; a wry smile tugging at her mouth. "Still in the early stage, but she came up to me yesterday, asking if we had stuff because she'd seen me doing inventory."
"Do we?"
She sighed loudly, straightening out to stretch her back. "Not much," she said begrudgingly, frowning. "To be honest, nothing at all. Maybe a blanket at best. We don't even have any bottles, let alone diapers."
"Well, we'll add that to the list for the coming months then," Sasuke said, pondering over the map. "We'll definitely have to go further south then, maybe hit the west then as well. Pretty sure there are some malls there."
"That's if they haven't been looted already," Shikamaru said, scratching his head.
Sasuke shrugged. Well, that was the risk they always took when they ventured out. Eventually there would come a time when all the places around them would be completely stripped, but that was a worry for later. Now they just had to focus on hitting new targets, getting as many supplies as they could find and head back – preferably in one living piece.
They ended up having to drive for three and a half hours, having needed to make a detour when the bridge they originally had planned to use had been destroyed by a flood in the past.
After hiding the car behind some overgrown bushes, they crept towards the edge of the town, each holding their weapon ready in case they needed to defend themselves.
It was rather chilly today, but no rain fortunately and all Sasuke heard was the chirping of the birds. They crawled through a hole in the fence on the eastern side of the town and remained hidden behind a dumpster for a moment, trying to gauge the situation.
Like every other town they had hit before this one also showed signs of a civilisation long gone. Cars had been left abandoned on the road; one of them had driven straight through a clothing store, debris strewn all around it. The windows were either cracked or completely busted, which made the chances of finding something already somewhat smaller. They couldn't be the first ones to visit this town in search of loot.
The question was: were they the only ones now?
"We'll go left first," Shikamaru whispered; his voice barely carrying over. "Seems we ended up right in the main street."
Sasuke and Karin nodded quietly, because the less words used, the better. Keeping their backs to the wall, they shuffled from behind the corner, carefully looking around. The road was cracked in several places already, weed busting through the gaps. The branches of the trees on each side of the road hung low; ivy already covering several walls from view. In a couple of years this place would probably be completely overrun by nature.
A low groaning noise from the alley next to him alerted him just in time and Sasuke's katana ended up straight into the zombie's head before the dead guy could even reach out his hands to grab at him.
Karin gave him a thumbs up and he nodded in return, signing they should move on.
The first shop they came across was a small grocery store and after killing two more zombies who'd been stuck behind the register, he and the others methodically went through each aisle, inspecting every nook, cranny and shelf for anything that could still be used. Sasuke found some canned beans in the back and he heard Karin shoving some boxes to the side somewhere behind him.
There was a door right next to the shelves he'd been inspecting and he rapped against the doorframe quickly, holding his breath. No moaning or groaning; coast was clear then. He tried the doorknob, breathing out quietly when it easily gave away underneath his grip. He tested the hinges by slowly opening the door, but the door opened rather quietly, revealing a dusty backroom.
Some boxes had been completely trampled over already and a lonely scarf was flung over the dead lamp. He riffled through the remaining boxes, not expecting much when it was clear that others had been here before them.
His fingers touched something smooth and cold. Holding it up in the thin beam of daylight filtering through the smudgy window, he had to smother his laugh when he realised what it was.
A tube of strawberry flavoured lip gloss.
Well, he did have a special request. Smirking, he stuffed the tube in his pocket, checking the other boxes quickly. He could find two more cans of peaches and three with peas, which he dumped in his bag. After thinking a bit, he jumped up and snatched the scarf from the lamp as well. They could use everything nowadays and a scarf would come in handy for one of the younger kids this upcoming winter.
He met the others at the door and from there they quickly checked the other shops, keeping an eye out for both the dead and the living. They only encountered a couple more zombies, one stuck underneath a cabinet which had fallen over – and which Karin quickly killed off by ramming her dagger into the girl's head – and two more trapped inside a car, which they left alone. No need to put themselves into danger when the zombies were trapped anyways.
In the end their haul consisted mostly out of some canned food, the scarf Sasuke had found, and a bunch of clothes Karin had snatched from the clothing store.
"We'll have to hit the other locations if we want to find anything baby related," Karin sighed when they made their way back to the car.
"At least we found something," Shikamaru said, stepping to the side quickly to get rid of a zombie ambling towards them. "Better than nothing."
"We could make that our motto," she smiled darkly.
The look on Ino's face when Sasuke presented her the lip gloss was utterly priceless.
"Well, you did say you'd be happy with a gloss already," he smirked, ducking when she went to smack him.
"You're such a dick!" she groaned, but her eyes were glistening when she accepted the gloss, opening it almost immediately. "Oh god, never thought I'd be so happy to smell some damn gloss."
"It's the little things in life," Sasuke said gravelly.
When he glanced to the right, he saw Naruto walking back from the fields to his apartment. For a couple of seconds their gazes crossed. Then Naruto shrugged, offered a little wave and disappeared behind the corner.
"Hey, if I ask you for some lipstick and mascara next, you think you'll find that too?" Ino asked, dragging his attention back.
"Don't push it," he snorted and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I'm not a miracle worker."
They both ignored the gurgled groaning of some zombies stuck to the pikes on the other side of the wall. Just another day in the compound.
AN2: I'm really having a lot of fun writing this particular universe for some reason; this story might end up having a couple more chapters than initially planned, but we'll see.
You get a sneakpeak of the next chapter!
"Naruto-kun," Itachi spoke, attracting Sasuke's attention at once. "He's fitting in well."
"Already that close with him?" Sasuke snorted at the affectionate suffix.
"Just as close as you are to him, no?"
That made the younger man frown. "What the hell are you on about?"
Itachi smiled faintly, resting a hand on his hip. "Couldn't help but notice that you've been talking a lot to him."
"Not that much," Sasuke instantly denied. "Besides, wasn't aware we couldn't talk to the guy."
"Never said you couldn't," Itachi said calmly. "Just interesting that you're willing to talk to him without it having to be about duties."
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
I hope to see you all back in the next chapter! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
Cuddles
Melissa
- 1
- 2
- 3
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Long Run