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The Blessed Realm	By : susanna Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 1767 -:- 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
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Chapter
Twenty-Four: Survival Skills

Karin
came to visit them just after they had lunch, when Sasuke was lying
on Naruto's bed, reading the Gutsy Ninja, and Naruto was doing
the dishes. Her eyes fell immediately on the small memorial for
Sasuke's family.

“Is
that you when you were little?” she asked. “You haven't
changed at all: Absolutely cute. And your brother's quite cool. I'm
sorry I have never met him when he was still alive. How old is he on
this picture?”

“Twelve
or thirteen”, Sasuke answered.

“He
was very manly for his age. I guess he had a lot of admirers.”

“He
was forced to grow up when they made him join ANBU. I was the younger
son, and thus allowed to remain a child. After the massacre, this
changed.”

“Ah,
no, you're still young and cute.”

Sasuke's
annoyance grew with every single word of Karin.

“It's
so lovely that you've put up this picture, sharing it with all of us.
Now you just have to build a little shrine for it. Have you thought
of it?”

“No”,
he answered hesitatingly. “But I might think of it.”

His
anger had turned into irritation – Karin never failed to do
this to him, and though he was grateful for her suggestion he
remained on the alert, wondering what she might come up with next.

“And
you're reading the Gutsy Ninja! I did not know that you were
interested in love stories.”

Sasuke
turned the book around to read the text on the back cover, to check
whether it mentioned something he might have missed. Or maybe the
love story only began in the second half of the story – right
now he was just in the middle. But nothing indicated at any woman who
might have been of importance to the hero.

“It's
not a love story, is it?” he asked Naruto for confirmation.

“Well,
there's the girl he's met at the beginning of the book. Later she
turns up again after – no, I cannot tell you, I don't want to
take away the suspense. Anyway, at the end he meets her again.”

Karin
had claimed Naruto's only chair for herself, and it seemed as if
Naruto would have to stand, but to Sasuke's amazement, after offering
his guests some tea, he sat down next to him on his bed.

Sasuke
turned the pages until he had found the scene where the girl was
introduced: On the course of some minor mission the hero had taken
part in she had offered him something to drink and tended to his
wounds, which had not been serious anyway. There had been some lines
about her extraordinary beauty and her eyes full of laughter that
should have raised his suspicion, but then she had vanished from the
story.

“I'd
have thought that if you are in love you could not stop thinking
about the person you're in love with”, he said to both his
listeners' surprise. It took Naruto some seconds to come up with an
answer.

“But
he thinks of her. It's only that Jiraiya doesn't write about it. It's
an adventure story after all, not a love story.”

“Just
as I said.” Confident now that he did not have to be
embarrassed of reading it Sasuke returned to the book. It was a weird
lecture anyway, as the Gutsy Ninja's name always reminded him of the
real Naruto who was sitting next to him. He wondered how Naruto had
felt when he had read the story.

He
could not concentrate while Karin and Naruto were talking, discussing
the fact that the Gutsy Ninja was out of print, and also
Naruto's upcoming interview with Jiraiya's prospective biographer. He
put down the book, and was glad when Suigetsu entered with some
important news of his own.

“I
have a contract”, he announced after pouring himself a cup of
tea and settling down on Naruto's table. “Or rather two. The
third band I met – well, they're not bad, but they're not
really my kind of music. It's okay though, two bands will be
difficult enough to handle. Concerts are mostly on Fridays and
Saturdays, and I cannot be at two places at once.”

“You
might create a clone”, Sasuke suggested.

Suigetsu
stared at him.

“Not
here”, he said. “It would look very suspicious. People
here are not used to ninjas.”

Naruto
and Karin were still speechless. They had not known that Suigetsu
played the drums.

“You
are sure that you can keep up with them then?” Karin asked.
“They're a pretty high level here.”

“So
am I. You can already pack your first-aid bag for my first concert
where the young girls will faint one after the other.”

“You
are so bad that people pass out?” Karin asked back.

“They
pass out from excitement over my sheer sexiness when I play the
drums. You should know about this phenomenon: You are the med nin
after all.”

Karin
remained sceptical, and Suigetsu turned to another matter.

“Anyway:
As much as I value your hospitality, Naruto, I have decided that now
that I will earn a lot of money myself I no longer need to burden
you. I have found a place for myself; it's just on the other side of
the street, in the attic as well, so that if you feel lonely and
desire for my company, you will just have to look out of the window
and wave, and then we'll decide whether I visit you or you visit me.”

They
all turned to look for Suigetsu's place.

“When
will you move?” Sasuke asked.

“Today.
If you will help me move. Where's Juugo?”

He
was still with his little friends, so the other three had to carry
Suigetsu's stuff. (Suigetsu himself was still not able to lift
anything.) Neither Naruto nor Sasuke considered themselves weak, but
after climbing several stairs carrying Suigetsu's various drums they
were quite out of breath. When they had put up the equipment,
however, Suigetsu was beaming. Aside from the drums, the room was
still empty and Suigetsu had spread out a blanket on the floor as
some improvised table cloth, and used his cooking gear to prepare tea
for his guests.

They
are finding themselves a new home, Sasuke thought and wondered how he
might ever get them together again when it was time to move on.

“It's
very practical that you are a musician”, Naruto began when they
had all sat down. “It means that you meet one of the most
important requirements for being allowed to stay.”

“Glad
to hear it”, Suigetsu answered. “So which is the other
one`”

“Dancing.
Everybody who comes from a foreign country to stay and live here has
to learn to dance and to play a musical instrument. Though you might
be excused from dancing with your legs.”

“No
problem here”, Suigetsu said. “I'll just invent a dance
that requires wobbly legs. Eh, Karin, what do you say now? I'll
become famous, while you will be told to leave.”

She
remained calm, to the men's surprise. “I have already heard of
that rule. I am still busy figuring out which instrument I want to
learn.”

“The
triangle might be a good choice”, Suigetsu suggested. “You
should be able to master it.”

Sasuke
understood that the suggestion was meant as an insult, but he didn't
have any idea any idea what a triangle was. Karin looked as if she
didn't either. Naruto remained unmoved, as if he understood but
preferred not to intervene. Sasuke wondered whether he was learning
an instrument too.

When
they returned to Naruto's place, Sasuke was asked whether he could
imagine helping out in the restaurant, as two of the members of the
regular staff had called to tell that they were ill. Before Sasuke
had had any time to answer, Naruto interfered, claiming that Sasuke
was completely unfit for the job, as he had never learnt to be
friendly to anyone. Sasuke felt annoyed, confused and hurt by these
accusations, but he was unable to interrupt Naruto. He felt reminded
of their first days in Team Seven when Naruto's jealousy had been so
strong that it had resulted in real hatred.

The
patron's daughter, who was in charge that day, waited until Naruto
had run out of breath, then she told Sasuke that to her he had seemed
friendly enough on Thursday and that he should decide for himself
whether he thought that he was up to the job.

“Sure”,
he replied, ready to show Naruto that he was not inferior to him,
least of all at a trivial job as working as a waiter. He was
determined not even to resort to using his Sharingan.

It
turned out to be much more difficult than he had expected. Being
friendly to the team was no problem, and neither did he have any
difficulties with the regulars who already knew him, greeting him
before he had time to greet them and asking him whether he had
decided to stay and get a proper job, and wishing him luck. Yet
asking strangers what he might do for them was beyond him. It was not
even pride – he did his best to imitate Naruto, he even broke
his resolution and activated his Sharingan, yet while it allowed him
to analyze how Naruto moved and how his chakra worked within him, it
did not help him to figure out how he managed to be friendly to
everyone without being subservient, not to speak of copying his
behaviour.

After
watching him try for an hour the patron's daughter ordered him to
remain at the bar he where had only to deal with the regulars, where
he was told what to do and did not have to ask anyone about their
wishes, and where it was okay to answer to the guests' jokes with
some jokes of his own, though he was not good at that either. (He had
discovered however that a question as “are you sure you need
another drink?” would make people laugh about the drunkard, not
about him.) People would try to confuse him by using nicknames for
the drinks they ordered, by criticizing him on trifles without
meaning it, and by talking in riddles when they explained their
special wishes. They seemed to love making him lose his normal air of
aloofness, and he had trouble getting a grip on himself when people
had managed to fool him again. But he did not mess up, he comforted
himself, neither with the orders nor with the bills.

He
envied Naruto for his apparent ease when he moved among the guests,
always friendly, always knowing when he had to remain formal and when
he could afford to tease the guests or even flirt with them. (The
latter was particularly hurtful for Sasuke to watch.) When he messed
up, he'd apologize in a way that made everyone laugh, yet in a
friendly way, and no one was ever angry at him.

He
was not particularly helpful towards Sasuke either, mocking him
whenever an opportunity offered to him, accompanying any order with a
hurtful remark as “if you know what that is” or “if
you are able to do this.” With him at least Sasuke was able to
maintain his facade, finding answers that silenced him and sometimes
even exposing Naruto to the laughter of the guests.

It
was the key to survival here, he realized, and he resolved to get
better at it: Be more quick-minded to understand when people were
joking (even use his Sharingan though it would take some training to
make it see through people's jokes as well as through their
movements) and answer to them in a way that made his listeners take
his side.

He'd
cope with this place that was so friendly and so hostile at once.
He'd show Naruto that he was quite as capable as him when it came to
surviving in this strange town and deal with its inhabitants, who
were unlike anyone he had ever met.

Well,
that was not quite true. Kakashi had been a bit like this, full of
irony, never stating clearly what he meant. Suigetsu and Karin were a
bit like this too, constantly teasing each other, even though they
were clumsier than people here. Them he had kept in check with his
Sharingan, and by telling them off, yet this was of course not an
option with the guests at the restaurant.

No
wonder the two of them were thriving in this town and behaved as if
they intended to stay. He'd thrive too, he made up his mind. He'd
show them that he was quite as skilled as them when it came to the
skills you needed to survive here. He'd even learn to dance and play
a musical instrument! And when the next male customer remarked that
obviously he had been hired because the restaurant wanted to attract
more female guests, he answered plainly: “oh, and more male
guests. No one can resist me!” Sasuke knew that this was a lame
answer (he'd have to think of a better one that in case he heard this
particular line again, which was not too unlikely), and so he used
his Sharingan to make the man order a drink that was much more
expensive than the beer he had originally intended to drink. (He
should not have done the latter. Naruto was correct: It was not
fair.) He added one of these stupid little umbrellas to the drink,
making it appear even more girlish: “Every man appears like a
weak woman when he's facing me.”

When
the evening was over (long after midnight) the patron's daughter
called him to her office. “You did fine”, she said. “Only
one customer complained that he had to wait for too long, but that's
okay, we know him, he's one of those who just love to complain. And
if someone's drunk, you don't serve him any more alcohol. You'll
learn how to refuse – you'll be great once you gain
confidence.”

Naruto
had followed them into the office.

“You
don't intend giving him the job, do you?” he said.

“I
do.”

Naruto
swallowed, but then he decided to get over his jealousy and show
solidarity to his friend. “Well then – I can tell you
what I earn – don't accept less.”

A/N:

Sneakyfox:
:-)

Morly:
Well, yes, I promised that this would be SasuNaru, so somehow I have
to get them going... Actually it is all set out. (I spent quite some
time at planning.)

Lunacom:
Thanks for your compliments! Usually I update on Sundays.
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