The Canalized River | By : susanna Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 944 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. |
A/N:
answers to reviews at the end
of the chapter
Chapter
Twenty-Nine: Being Lucky
Actually
Naruto did not think at all about Sasuke's sexual orientation. He was
far too busy admiring and envying him: For the way he acted as his
team's captain, caring for everything and everyone, for the way his
team accepted him as their captain, even for the relaxed way in which
he answered to Suigetsu's jokes. Sasuke had left him behind again.
Most
of all he envied him for his team itself, caring for each other and
making each other's well-being their first priority, but also ready
to include others, namely him, into the circle of their concern.
That
was what Kakashi had taught them after all, but that was not what
they really did – well, Kakashi might, but Yamato did not, with
him it would depend on a person's usefulness whether he would protect
them or not. The mission came first.
“You
can't sleep, can you?”, Sasuke said. “I can't either.”
“I
still have to understand what happened”, Naruto answered.
“What's
there to understand, moron? We picked you up, and now you are with
us.”
There
were a lot of things Naruto did not understand, for example what had
been the matter with that business of watching over him, or why they
had suddenly picked him up, or why Sasuke no longer rejected him, or
of course why in the past Sasuke had acted as he had, attempting to
kill him repeatedly. But he was annoyed with Sasuke's attitude, so he
settled for the question that would make him most angry.
“First
of all, I cannot understand that you should really be these people's
captain.”
“Why
not?”
“First,
they don't seem very respectful.”
“They're
loyal, that's enough.”
“They
picked me up against your explicit orders.”
It
was a guess, not more, from what he had gathered from one or two of
Suigetsu's sentences.
“They
did not! And besides, they did what was best for the team. They
always do.”
“You
only wanted them to watch over me”, Naruto said, even if he was
not completely sure about it.
“Not
today! Today we wanted to meet you and fight for you!”
Naruto
was not sure whether this was true, but he could not disprove it.
“Second,
they always think of sex, even when they are not actually doing it.”
“So
what? They are not a team of first-year-genins I have to look after.
They are grown up and free to spend their nights as they want.”
“I
would not have thought that you would put up with this. You used to
be all indignant and blush whenever anyone mentioned the subject.”
“I
am not twelve any more, if you haven't noticed.”
“Even
when you were twelve you acted as if you had been nine. Pushing away
all the girls: You could have been the first of us to have a
girl-friend, you just would have had to choose one of them.
“I
think I said it already: I have never been interested in women, nor
will I ever be.”
Naruto
was not sure whether the implication that Sasuke was interested in
men was correct. He did not dare to think so. His image of Sasuke,
strong, cool, dark and brooding, did not go together with
homosexuality. It did not go together with heterosexuality either.
Coming to think of it, however, Sasuke's behaviour towards his
teammates did not go together with Naruto's image of Sasuke at all.
“Still
you should be stricter”, he said. “I mean, it's annoying,
it's distracting, and it's turning a completely normal situation as
looking after my wounds into an act of potential molestation.”
“With
Karin one has to be careful”, Sasuke said. “Though it's
got better lately.”
“With
Sakura, something like this would never have happened. She kept her
distance when she was treating my wounds.”
“Oh
did she? Bad luck for you then. Though I am glad to hear that at last
she's given up trying to be a ninja and found a job that's better
suited to her.”
“You
could be a bit nicer. She always cared for you.”
“How
can one say that one cares for another person and not give a cent for
their needs, their wishes or their feelings? I prefer Karin, with her
at least it was clear that she only wanted sex, so I didn't have to
be careful not to hurt her feelings, as she does not have any. We
must be grateful that Suigetsu is now taking care of her needs.”
No
sound could be heard from the lovers – either they were indeed
very silent, or they had fallen asleep. Sasuke seemed lost in his own
thoughts.
“Third”,
Naruto continued his list of reasons why he could not believe that
Suigetsu and Karin – he still had to get to know the forth
teammate – would be part of Sasuke's team.
“Third,
they are funny and warm-hearted. Quite the opposite of you.”
“I
did not choose them for character but for their skills.”
“Ah,
a wise decision if you want to form a team that works together.”
“It's
possible to work together if you are not friends – Karin is a
competent med nin with an extraordinary talent for sensing chakra,
Juugo can communicate with birds and Suigetsu was the best opponent
that could be found against Kisame. Just the talents I needed when I
still wanted to fight Itachi.”
“When you still
wanted to fight Itachi? I mean, what were you doing today?”
“You
were running straight into him. I had to intervene.”
“You
did not have to protect me – I can well look after myself.”
“Don't
be ridiculous. You'd get lost in Itachi's genjutsu in the fraction of
a second. You'd not even notice that you were losing.”
“You
really think that you Sharingan users are a special kind of people
who cannot be defeated by anyone who is not family.”
“Actually
– yes. Stop being a fool. We barely got away when we were
fighting together.”
“And
you thought that you were good enough to fight Itachi on your own...”
“I
could have done it! It's more difficult when I have to protect you!”
“You
did not have to protect me! I had to get you out of Itachi's
genjutsu.”
Still
the same, Naruto thought. Never able to admit that he might need me,
and that I might be better.
“And
what was that business about watching over me?”
“You
were in the wilderness on your own, and all the members of Akatsuki
who are still alive were closing in on you. Do you really think that
you would have got away?”
“I
am not a helpless kid that has to be protected! I am a worthy fighter
in my own right! It's not only me who says this, but Suigetsu also
said that you should have picked me up much earlier.”
“Yeah,
I know”, Sasuke said, suddenly not any more in defensive mode.
“He told me more than once.”
“He
told you? But you are his captain, aren't you?”
“I
am”, Sasuke said in a quiet, thoughtful tone, ignoring the
provocation. “I told you: They are not very respectful, but
they are loyal. They will tell me when they think that I make a
mistake.”
“And
take action.”
“In
most cases: Yes. And in most cases they are right. - I am sorry,
Naruto. We should have not evaded you but met and welcomed you much
earlier.”
“Yeah,
it's okay”, Naruto answered.
“And
I am sorry – for everything else.”
“It's
okay”, Naruto repeated. “It's over now. I am still alive,
aren't I.”
Sasuke's
apologies gave him some satisfaction, but they were not what he
really longed for. What he really longed for was to be best friends
with Sasuke again.
Still
he could not help but notice that he had hurt Sasuke by reminding him
that he had attempted to kill him.
“It's
over now”; he said, pulling Sasuke to his side – and
Sasuke accepted it, he even leaned against him. Naruto would never
have expected this.
“My team kept telling me that I
should meet you. They were right of course, and I caused a lot of
damage by not following their advice. - I told you that I have not
chosen them for character, but I have been really lucky with them, as
I have been lucky with you.”
Finally
Sasuke put his arm around Naruto's shoulder, and with his other hand
he took Naruto's free hand. The unexpected gesture, the even more
unexpected tenderness of Sasuke's touch made Naruto tremble, warmth
spread through his body, he was enchanted, paralyzed with happiness,
unable to think.
Juugo
stirred in his sleep.
Spoon:
Great to see you around again! :-) Indeed, Sasuke giving out hugs –
I mean, he has to start somewhere, doesn't he? ;-)
dkf:
Dumping them or killing them when he no longer needs them... I think
it is worst with these Akatsuki members as Deidara or Hidan and
Kakuzu. They just exist to be killed. It is a bit better with the
rookies who have get some last chapters of fame and then disappear
from the story. I hope that Hebi will at least get some chapters of
fame – I don't ask for more, as they are no main characters.
LadyRonin:
Thanks again! About Sasuke being able to communicate with the ladies:
well, the situation between him and Karin has been improving steadily
since the beginning of the story. Him giving her compliments for her
beauty is of course another matter; he could not have done that
before. It is possible because he does not have to fear that she will
interpret it as encouragement, mostly because she is now together
with Suigetsu, but also because Sasuke has now told her that he is
not interested in women.
Lexjamandme:
Great to see that you are still around! I do hope that SuigetsuxKarin
will become canon. I mean, they are so funny... For the rest –
if you knew my real age you would understand why I cannot avoid
seeing the boys as kids. I hope I don't come over as looking down on
them – I really like them, and I think that both are rather
mature for their age.
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