Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Opposite Sides of the Tracks	By : kizukatana Category: Naruto AU/AR > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1622 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing and make no money

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
This chapter was actually the first thing that I wrote for this fic, and just had to let the story progress to where I could slot it in. *sweating* So now you can all think I am really strange with this being the seed for the whole fic. If you like it, please comment so I can stop being so nervous. For some reason I was listening to Timbaland's Morning after Dark a lot when I wrote this (I know... it's old, but somehow...).
- xXx -
Sasuke thought back to that last photo of Naruto before he had disappeared from the online site. Something about Naruto's expression both drew him and concerned him. It was dark, and determined. The cuts and bruises on his body, chained up as he was... Sasuke wondered what had happened that day to his friend, before this photo was taken.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
The day of the last photo
Naruto was sparring with one of the more experienced fighters in the gym, oblivious to the three people who were watching him. He had finally gotten used to ring fighting, and allowed himself to focus just on the opponent in front of him. As compared to actual street fighting, where you had to watch your back.
"He's good, but I wouldn't say he's amazing," the largest of the three watchers said. He had reddish brown hair and purple Yakuza tattoos on his face.
"Speak for yourself," said the female of the group, her eyes looking appreciatively at the fluid grace of the blond fighter in front of them. She had blond hair, tied into four ponytails.
"He's holding back," said the third and smallest of the group. He had red hair, green eyes circled with dark eyeliner, and a tattoo on his forehead with the kanji for love.
When the match was over, Naruto and his opponent bowed respectfully to each other, then bumped gloves. The older man was breathing hard and his trainer went over to check him for injuries and ice him down. Naruto just grabbed his small hand towel, wiped his face, and jumped down from the ring. He noticed the strange stillness in the gym, and the trio that was standing near the ring watching him, but pretended to be oblivious. If there was one thing he'd learned, it was that people let their guard down around idiots.
"Are you Menma?" a soft but rough voice came from behind him. Naruto turned, pretending to notice them for the first time. Though the speaker was the smallest of the three, Naruto instantly marked him as the most dangerous in the room.
"Yeah, that's me." Naruto gave a friendly smile. "Can I help you with something?"
The man looked a little surprised with the friendly greeting. It was clearly not what he was used to. "I'm Gaara. I run one of the underground fighting syndicates in Tokyo. I heard you had some interesting skills."
Naruto hesitated. Underground mixed martial arts fights had no regulatory body monitoring them. The fights were more brutal and much more dangerous. But he knew for a fact that Orochimaru and Danzo were huge fans of those fights. He wasn't as sure about Nagato, but several of the man's lieutenants were known to go. It was violent, un-regulated, and rife with gambling, which made it the perfect 'past time' for them. This would be the best chance Naruto would ever have of being able to meet senior members of the Yakuza groups he was targeting without actually having to join one. It was what he had been waiting for the past 9 months. However, it came with significant risks.
Mentally, Naruto took a deep breath. You're not going to get any further into this by playing it safe, dumb-ass. Don't blow this. Outwardly, he just shrugged.
"I'm interested. What do I need to do?"
"Come with us to my gym, and let's go a few rounds together so I can see what I'm working with," the smaller man said.
"Sure, I'll give it a shot," Naruto wasn't arrogant about his fighting. He knew he was good, but he also knew there was always someone better. He wouldn't get another chance like this, though, so there was no point in worrying about it.
"Um, Menma? Can I talk to you for a minute?" One of the guys he had been talking to earlier was pulling frantically at his sleeve. Gaara simply looked at the man, who took two steps back.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at his friend who was backed almost to the wall now. "Why the freak-out?"
Gaara smirked slightly. "He probably wants to warn you that I am banned from fighting in matches in Japan, due to the unfortunate fact that too many of my opponents didn't live through them. But you're taller and stronger than I am, so it shouldn't worry you, right?"
Naruto didn't take the obvious bait. Instead, he replied, "When I was younger, lots of people thought they could beat the crap out of me because I was smaller than them. Turns out most of them were wrong. Size and strength don't matter if you don't know what to do with them in a real fight," Naruto grinned then. "Of course, some of them did know how to fight, and they kicked the crap out of me. I think you and I are probably similar in some ways. There are people who learn to fight as a sport, and there are people who fight to survive. I think... you and I both learned the same way."
Gaara stared at Naruto for a minute, then a ghost of a smile flashed across his lips. "You are smarter then you appear, aren't you? This is my sister, Temari, and my brother, Kankuro. Grab your gear, and let's go."
Naruto picked up his pack and headed out, ignoring the murmurs that erupted behind him as they walked out the door. He tried to quell the feeling of nerves in his stomach. He knew that the training he had had before this were child's play compared to what he was getting into now.
. . . . . . .
That evening, he walked into the house, and Jasmine gasped. "Oh my god! Are you ok?" She turned and shouted towards the kitchen. "Hinata! Menma's hurt, we need to take him to the hosp-"
"I'm fine, Jasmine. It's just some bruises," Naruto smiled, but winced a bit when the cut on his lip split open again. He knew he looked like hell. But it was worth it. Gaara was an absolutely amazing fighter. But they had both come out with damage, and mutual respect. It wasn't quite an even match. Gaara had definitely won. But not by that much. Naruto had never really gone all-out in a ring match before. And it had been... exhilarating. He didn't have to worry about overwhelming his opponent when it was Gaara. And if this is what it would feel like to fight on the circuit, maybe it wouldn't be too terrifying after all. And best of all, Gaara had said he would train him, starting tomorrow. Tonight would be his last night at this house. Gaara had rolled his eyes, when he had asked where Naruto was staying, and had just told Naruto he could quit his night job and move his soft-porn ass over to the gym. The money he'd make on fights would be way more than he was making now. And this path would give him direct access to the people he was trying to get.
Hinata walked into the room and froze, taking in Naruto's battered face and the bruise along his collar bone. She walked up to him and unzipped his hoodie the rest of the way, pulling it off, followed by his tank top. His ribs were already mottled with bruises.
"You're sure you don't want us to take you to a hospital?"
"No, I'm fine. Actually... it was sort of an audition. Tonight will be my last night here. Sorry..." He wasn't really sure how Hinata would feel about it, but he knew it would not be totally unexpected. He didn't offer more of an explanation, not wanting to involve anyone and also not wanting to be found by anyone coming here to look for him after he was gone. She looked at him, and he could see the worry flash across her silver eyes.
"You are always welcome to come back, if this doesn't work out," she said softly.
"Thanks. You really helped me, and I won't forget it," he gave her a soft hug. She pulled away after a minute, looking at him consideringly.
"Well, if you're sure you are ok, then how about one last photo shoot? In my room, this time."
In the nine months that Naruto had been at the 'House of Porn', he had never seen Hinata's room. But given that leather was her favorite fabric, it didn't surprise him to see a full on dominatrix's lair. She brought her lighting and camera equipment in, and began setting up next to something that to Naruto looked like a medieval torture device.
"Come sit here, and let me hook you up," Hinata said matter-of-factly. Naruto shrugged and let himself be shackled into the device.
"We are going to do another one of those imagery sessions. Do you remember the first one?"
Only every time I take a fucking shower.
Naruto shrugged again, feeling pretty stiff and sore and not sure he was up for one of her erotic fantasy sessions. But it was his last night here, so he'd play it how she wanted. God knew he owed her at least that much. But it turned out this session wasn't remotely like the first one.
"I want you to think of the absolute worst moment you have ever had in your life. The worst feeling you had." Naruto closed his eyes. That was easy. It was when he had first seen the headlines that Sasuke's family was dead, and he didn't know if Sasuke was dead, too. And then at the funeral, seeing Sasuke so shut down, and knowing he had been helpless to protect the one person that had ever helped him.
"Open your eyes." Click, click.
"Now, I want you to close your eyes and think about the person who caused that moment. Think about what you would do if they were the ones in this room before you now, shackled, and you were standing here, alone with them." Naruto thought about what he would like to do to the person who blew up his friend's family. "No one will know what you do. There is no one around to see."
Naruto opened his eyes and looked directly at Hinata. Despite herself, she felt her throat tighten and she stepped back, almost forgetting to take the pictures. When the shoot was done, she released him and told him to go wash up and she'd send someone in with some ibuprofen and ice packs to keep the swelling down. When he walked out of the room, she chaffed her arms where the hairs were still standing on end. Naruto had always struck her as somehow innocent, despite everything she had guessed about his past. But there was one thing that Hinata was absolutely sure of after tonight. Naruto was in the process of hunting someone down. She realized that she didn't really know this person at all.
-xXx-
Two years later
Naruto sat on his bed in his room above Gaara's gym, looking at the pile of sketches and notes he had compiled over the past two years. It was almost time. He had to find a way to talk to Sasuke without being detected. He didn't have to worry anymore about Child Services finding out where 'Naruto' was... he would be 20 in less than two months. But he had kept the name Menma and stayed off the radar because he had been unbelievably successful at learning what he needed to know with that identity: a runaway nobody with no connections. If he were seen with Sasuke now, or their past connection became known, it would all come unraveled. Sasuke was a very high profile public figure. His unbelievable good looks would have been sufficient to keep him in the press, but his almost diabolical business skills had blown everyone away. On top of the tabloid and general press scrutiny, he was still surrounded by a tight security team that liaised with the police given his family history. All his phone lines were monitored, there were security cameras in his home and office, and he was followed by a security detail basically everywhere he went.
But Naruto had gone as far as he could go alone at this point. He now was pretty sure he knew exactly who had done it, and why. And he knew enough details about the people and operations that someone skilled with strategies could either figure out how to take them down, or what still needed to be done. He ran his fingers through his blond hair in frustration. This type of thing was not his strength. He had good people skills, good instincts, and was good at remembering faces and places. But complicated strategies...
He sat up. It had been a really long time, but there was one person who he knew would be able to help him, and who also had access to Sasuke.
Shikamaru heard his cell phone buzz. He looked at the clock and saw it was 10pm. He sighed, not recognizing the number, and wondering if he should bother answering. But the buzzing was annoying, so he picked up.
"This is Shikamaru."
"Hey. You'll never guess who this is."
An hour later, Shikamaru was sitting with Naruto in a hotel room in Konoha, looking through the sketches of various Yakuza members and their bases, with notes on who they were and the role they played in the organization. Naruto sat silently, waiting for the man to finish.
Shikamaru looked up. "How did you get all this?"
"Well, when I had to get the hell out of Konoha, back in middle school, I went to Tokyo," Shikamaru nodded. He had found out the story from Sasuke. "When I landed there, I made up a new name, found a regular job and worked and went back to school for a while, until..." Naruto looked down. "As soon as I heard, I came back and found Sasuke. We didn't have much time to talk, but it was clear he was not going to just let the police handle this. We both knew that they'd never actually be able to take someone like that down, even if they were smart enough to find out who. But he was being watched by everyone, so it was going to be really hard for him to do anything about it. I went back to Tokyo and figured I'd just shift tactics a bit and spend more time where I could pick up things on what had happened. Just sort of... blend in, I guess. It took a few years, but I know who was behind it. The only thing I still haven't figured out for sure is what happened to Itachi. But... I'm pretty sure he his still alive."
Shikamaru's head snapped up at the last statement. "Why?"
"I heard someone talking about the Uchiha Massacre," Shikamaru flinched at the term, and Naruto sympathized but kept going. "He was the little brother of someone pretty high up in Nagato's crew. And he said, 'They better hope neither of the brothers find out who did it.' Brothers. Plural. And something about the way he said it... I think... he knows something about Itachi. I don't think Itachi has been hiding quietly on the sidelines somewhere. I think he has been going after whoever did this on his own."
"That's not in your notes here."
"No. If someone found my notebook and read it, I'd be dead but no one else. If I put anything about Itachi being alive, and the wrong person read it..."
Shikamaru's hooded eyes reflected understanding. If Itachi were really alive, and the wrong people found out...
"Also," Naruto continued. "I didn't want to show it to Sasuke until I was sure, or at least had a little more to go on. He... really loves his brother. And it would fuck him up if he thought Itachi were alive, then it turned out not to be true."
Shikamaru nodded, then sat and thought for a bit. "You didn't really answer my question on how you know all this. But I am guessing it is because you want me to honestly tell Sasuke that I can't contact you in case he gets impatient. I'll need time to think through all this. What's your timing on trying to track down Itachi?"
"I've been invited to a party at Nagato's compound by a couple of lieutenants at the end of next week. That is going to be my best shot. If I can't find out anything more concrete by then, we'll just have to push ahead with what we have. There is a lot more talk now about Sasuke going on in my circles, and that's not a good sign. Something is feeding it. I don't think we have a lot of time."
"When do you want me to tell Sasuke about the rest of this?"
"As soon as you can. I just didn't know a way to go directly to him without drawing a bull's eye around us."
Shikamaru flipped open his cell phone. "It's tiresome, but let me see if I can get him."
Naruto put a hand over Shikamaru's cell, preventing the man from dialing. "Look, Shikamaru. I know I came at you out of the blue with this. You don't have to get involved. If you can just help me figure out a safe way to contact him, I can do this with him on my own. Even if I try to keep you on the periphery of this shit... there are pretty big sharks in these waters right now. Sasuke's already a target, so I have no choice to bring him in, but you are safe if you stay out of it."
"Yeah, I figured all that out basically as soon as you told me who you were on the phone..."
Naruto looked at Shikamaru, not doubting his words, but wanting to be sure the man really understood...
"And I came anyway. You don't need to draw me a picture. I was in Konoha the day they blew Sasuke's house," Shikamaru's voice was almost bored. He flicked Naruto's hand off and continued dialing.
Naruto grinned. He suddenly wished he had gotten to know Shikamaru better when they were younger.
It was 4am when Sasuke got back to his bed. He had been at one of Suigetsu's parties again. He flipped open his phone and saw that he had a message from Shikamaru, which was unusual. He pushed play. Sasuke. Call me when you get this. Don't worry about the time. An old friend stopped by to see me, and wanted to say hello.
Sasuke thought about calling him back, but it was 4am, and he was still a little drunk. He took a shower and washed the smell of the nameless man off himself. He could barely tolerate it when he was drunk, but he knew he would be totally revolted by it when he was fully sober. He'd call Shikamaru back in the morning.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Naruto was here?" Sasuke felt a little sick, sitting in Shikamaru's apartment late the next morning. He couldn't believe he had missed seeing Naruto - the one person he actually wanted to see - while he was out at some party trying to just make himself forget things for a while. "When did he leave?"
"He had to be back in Tokyo today, so he took the first train this morning." Shikamaru took in his friend's expression, but didn't comment. He had a pretty good idea what Sasuke had been doing when he had tried to call him. He knew that Sasuke had started to go off the rails a bit over the past couple of years, but you'd never know it by how he seemed to hold it together to the public eye.
"Did he leave a number? Do you know where he is staying?" He heard the edge of desperation in his voice, but couldn't control it.
"No, we can't contact him. But he said he would call me one week from today, and I have until then to figure out a way for the three of us to meet there without being seen. Sasuke... Naruto is in crazy deep. He wouldn't tell me exactly what he is doing, but he is in with all three of the Yakuza factions and is on literally a first-name basis with most of their top guys and their crews. It's a little insane. What he gave us here, if anyone sees this, will get him killed. They will know it is him. No one else has knowledge of all three of these groups at this level. So I need you to focus. Are you too hung over to do this right now?"
Sasuke felt his stomach clench in real fear for his friend, but he covered it with a glare at his friend. "I've done billion dollar mergers still drunk. I can handle this."
"Whatever. Like that's something to be proud of," he handed his friend the pack of sketches that Naruto had given him and replayed what Naruto had told him about things starting to heat back up. "You need to memorize these faces. Your place has too many people looking over it, so I'm keeping this all at mine. I need time to study it anyway. There are a few faces you already know, but there are some that you don't and you need look out for them." He pulled two sketches out.
"These are two assassins," Shikamaru handed them to Sasuke. The first looked to be a dark-haired young man, wearing a shirt that was cut off revealing his stomach. He had the creepiest smile that Sasuke had ever seen. "This is Danzo's top assassin. Naruto said that if you or your security team ever see his face, you are to run like hell. If he shows up on any video feed for your office or home, go into a safe house until they catch him. Danzo brings him in for all his important assassinations. This is possible the only picture in existence of this guy. Show it only to Kakashi, let him memorize it, but don't let him give it to the police or you will be killed just for having it, whether or not you are currently a target."
Sasuke closed his eyes briefly. What the hell had Naruto been doing that he was close enough to guys like this to fucking sketch them?
He looked at the next sketch. It was of another young man with white hair and glasses. "This guy's name is Kabuto. He is Orochimaru's right-hand man, and also an assassin. He specializes in poison. You have to worry about him, but for a different reason."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow in question. "Look, I told you that Naruto said he knows Danzo ordered the hit. But that doesn't mean you are safe from the others. According to Naruto, Orochimaru was completely obsessed with Itachi. Even though the guy is in his fifties, he had some creepy idea of 'getting together' with Itachi and basically merging the Uchiha empire with his. Evidently he totally lost it when he heard Itachi had been killed, but then someone showed him a photo of you, and... Naruto said the guy has pictures of you up on the wall of his bedroom. Like he's some 14-year-old girl and you are a teen idol."
A wave of nausea washed over him, and he wondered if maybe he really was too hung over to do this. And what the hell did Naruto have to do to find out what that guy had in his bedroom anyway?
"So basically, Naruto is warning me not to eat anything that this Kabuto guy gives me, since his boss is a perv trying to get in my pants?"
"Pretty much," Shikamaru shrugged.
"Fantastic," Sasuke grumbled. He had just been invited to go to an underground fight with Orochimaru in a couple of days, which evidently was a big deal for the Yakuza boss, since he took those fights very seriously. He only invited his closest business partners to go with him. Now Sasuke was going to be sure he packed the butterfly knife that TenTen had given him for his 20th birthday, in case he had to fillet the bastard in the car.
"So where does Nagato come in? Why was he on Naruto's original list, and now he's not?"
"Nagato is an interesting guy. He has a very diverse set of very dangerous lieutenants, each with their own areas of specialization. And it turns out that this one," he handed Sasuke a sketch of a young man wearing a black cloak with long blond hair covering one eye. "... specializes in explosives. The way that the house was detonated and completely destroyed required a high degree of professional skill. There aren't many who could have done it, but this one could."
Suddenly Sasuke wished he wasn't sober at all. He hated thinking about that day. He shoved the tidal wave of emotion viciously back down. "So why is Nagato off the list, then?" His voice was flat.
"Because his people were surprised when it happened. Naruto was there shortly after, and said the streets were buzzing with speculation on who and why. This was not the case with Danzo's group. Or Orochimaru's. So Naruto knew it was one of those two, but with Itachi missing, he was leaning towards Danzo. He says he has proof he'll tell us about next week. He didn't want to risk it this time since he wasn't sure we'd connect."
Sasuke processed what Shikamaru was telling him. Rather than forgetting about him, evidently Naruto had spent the last four years of his life going after his enemy. And now, he had proof. Sasuke's hands almost shook with the need to wrap around this Danzo's throat. And Naruto was going to bring the proof to him, not the police. That meant that either Naruto knew that Sasuke would want to handle this personally, or that the proof would not likely hold up in court. Probably both.
Sasuke grabbed the stack of sketches and notes. He was good at remembering faces and facts about people, since it was considered a core business skill. He felt a dark strength flow into his mind as he committed it all to memory. Finally, he was going to be able to take action. His financial empire, combined with the new alliances he had formed with some of the Yakuza, would make him almost untouchable even if he did get caught. Everything was coming into place.
-xXx-
Three days later, Sasuke greeted Orochimaru and got into the man's limo. He thought back to Naruto's warning and surpressed a shiver of revulsion at the snake-like man's gaze, which always lingered uncomfortably on his body. But Sasuke knew that being invited to join Orochimaru at one of the underground fights was a sign of trust from the man, and Sasuke planned to take full advantage of that. They arrived at the building where the matches were held, and the driver opened the door for them. All business talk had been completed in the car. Sasuke had been advised that under no circumstances was he to talk to Orochimaru during the match, as he took them quite seriously. And he had also been careful to say that he had friends picking him up after, so Orochimaru wouldn't have the chance to try anything that would cause Sasuke to eviscerate him on the way home.
Sasuke took his seat next to Orochimaru in the front row of the arena. He noticed that the arena was caged. He looked disinterestedly at the two combatants in the ring.
And froze. His gaze was riveted on the golden-skinned blond with a tribal tattoo on his stomach and piercing blue eyes.
Naruto.
Sasuke was glad he would not be expected to converse during the match. It was all he could do to keep his jaw closed and breathe. The match started quickly, and Sasuke had to fight to keep from digging his fingers into the armrests of his chair. The pace and skill of Naruto's opponent were incredible. But as Sasuke kept watching, he slowly relaxed. As good as that guy was, Naruto was better. He seemed almost to be toying with him. Both had bodies sinewd with taut muscles already sheened with sweat. But Naruto had a lethal, fluid grace and an instinctive ability to see what was coming next that only came from years of fighting with varied opponents. The other fighter managed to land a few blows that looked pretty brutal to Naruto's chest and stomach, but Naruto barely flinched before countering. The match didn't even last the full duration, and the other man went down.
. . . . . . . . . .
Sasuke thanked Orochimaru, and pretended to call to a 'friend' that he was supposed to meet. As soon as Orochimaru and his men had left the building, Sasuke turned and went down the darkened corridor beneath the arena. He didn't have to search much before finding the room that Naruto was in. He heard his friend's voice echo down the all through the closed door.
"Damn it, you drunken old bag! I told you I didn't want that crap put in me, I don't need –"
"You are a valuable fighter. Gaara needs you fit for the next match, so that means you need anti-inflammatories and pain killers at least for the next 24-hours. This is not your decision. Temari said –"
"That crazy bitch just wants me drugged up so she can get in my pants. Now put that needle away and get the hell – Ouch! God dammit, Tsunade!"
"For someone who can take as many punches as you and not go down, you are such a baby when it comes to needles."
"Get out! All of you idiots get out and let me rest!" At Naruto's annoyed roar, Sasuke almost laughed. He waited as several people filed out, one a woman who was dressed as a doctor but had the most improbably large breasts and blond ponytails. No one else appeared to be carrying medical equipment, so Sasuke was left to wonder if she really was the doctor, or just a porn star that Naruto hired to make the medicine easier to take. He wouldn't have put it past him.
Once they had passed, Sasuke emerged from the shadows and listened at the door. There didn't seem to be any more voices coming from inside, so presumable that meant that Naruto was alone. Slowly, Sasuke pushed open the door.
Naruto was laying on a medical examination table with his eyes closed, listening to music. It sounded like Shinedown. His hair looked wet from a shower, and he had a towel wrapped around his waist, and a bag of ice on his left shoulder. Sasuke had thought he had been completely silent, but something must have given away a presence in the room.
"Temari, I swear to God! This is like, what, the fourth time now? How many times do I have to tell you that I am not going to fuck you, no matter how much painkiller you tell that drug-dealer of a doctor to pump into me. You're like a goddam sister to me. It's gross," Naruto sounded pissed, though his words were slightly slurred. He hadn't opened his eyes yet.
"Wow – and you used to tell me I needed to be gentler when turning down girls in school. I don't think even I was that harsh."
Naruto sat up quickly, the bag of ice falling on the floor, and hissed at the pain in his ribs.
"Holy hell… Sa… Sasuke!" Naruto's eyes were slightly glazed, but the locked onto the dark haired man and didn't waver. "Damn, you look amazing. Look at you! That suit is hot. You look… really hot. And expensive! Shit, it's good to see you!"
"You look like hell. Nice fight, though," Sasuke said, watching as Naruto swayed unsteadily on the medical table. It bothered him more than he cared to admit to see his friend covered in bruises again.
"Wow, room's totally spinning. Damn Tsunade. She gave me enough pain killers to down a horse."
Sasuke quickly grabbed Naruto's arm and helped him lay back down. "You are really banged up. What, you liked getting your ass kicked so much as a kid you decided to make a career out of it?"
"Mah… not a career. Means to an end. Underground fights always draw Yakuza. They love getting to watch guys beat the hell out of each other and not have to worry about getting arrested for enjoying it. And they also recruit from the fighters."
"What... to see who looks best with their shirt off?"
"Pfffftt. Good one. Orochimaru probably does. That guy's a serious perve. Ugh," he put his hands to his ribs and stomach. "Shit, don't make me laugh. I'm totally dying here."
Sasuke had been trying hard to focus mainly on Naruto's face, but at the man's words he looked down to his chest and taught abs where the tattoo was fully visible. Naruto's skin was slick from some kind of massage oil. The room smelled of sandalwood from it. The tattoo glistened. It extended around Naruto's belly button, and swirled down to where the almost invisibly thin line of fine blond hair began that led to where the small towel was draped over his hips.
"Um…" Sasuke tried to focus on something other than Naruto's abs and fucking hot tattoo. "Are you ok? Do you want me to go get that porn star doctor of yours?"
"Ha! Ugh… Stop being funny! No, I'm ok. I just need to sleep. Most of this will be gone by morning. You remember how it was when we were kids."
"Yeah. I remember how it was for you. I always took at least a week more for the bruises to fade."
"That's because you've got that fine, pale-ass skin. Shows every mark. Just like a woman. Heh," Naruto grinned.
"You trying to pick another fight just after getting your ass kicked? I guess you really haven't changed."
"What do you mean? I won that fight out there tonight," Naruto looked at Sasuke, still not able to fully process that he was actually here. "What about you? God, it's been like… almost four years since I saw you. Did you get my post cards?"
"Yeah," Sasuk said gruffly. "They sucked."
"Heh. Seems like the pain meds are kicking in. I can laugh now without dying. In fact… I can't really feel anything anymore. Weird. Anyway, I had no idea how to get in touch with you, or if you were even getting them. I figured your secretary or whatever would probably just throw them out, since I could only send them to your office. Thank god Shikamaru was able at least to get you the information. We need to -"
Sasuke had been standing with his back facing the door to the room. Before he could answer, he felt rather than heard the door behind him open silently.
"God dammit Temari!"
Sasuke turned around at Naruto's roar, to see a pretty and well-built blond enter the room. She was wearing a tight black dress, and – Sasuke supposed – seemed to have the figure to pull it off.
She smirked at Naruto's verbal assault, clearly unphased. Sasuke's estimation of her went up a notch, despite the dress.
"All the other girls have had a chance. I just figured I should too, since my brother owns you and all."
"Owns him?" Sasuke asked quietly. Temari faced him squarely. Wary, but clearly not intimidated. Sasuke's estimation of her rose a bit more, but was tempered by his annoyance at what she had said.
"My brother, Gaara. He owns the gym where he trains, and is his manager for all his fights."
"If Gaara heard you saying shit like 'he owns me', he'd kick your ass, girl or not."
Sasuke liked this Gaara already.
"Who is this guy, Menma?"
"THIS guy… this guy is Sasuke," Naruto declared, as if that name should be incredibly meaningful to her. She looked at Naruto and frowned. Something definitely seemed off about the way his words were slurring. She knew Naruto didn't drink after a fight. In fact, she had never seen him drunk at all. "And since he was here first, you are out of luck. I am totally fucking him tonight instead of you."
Sasuke's face went completely blank, and Temari burst out laughing. "Of all the ridiculous… Menma, you are absolutely the straightest guy I know, so I am not falling for that one. You must be out of your mind on those pain killers. And what would what's-her-name say about all this. Isn't your latest 'girlfriend' coming to pick you up tonight?"
"Nah – she gets queasy looking at me after a fight, which is why she's never really going to be my girlfriend, and she already knows that. It was over yesterday," Naruto said blithely. "Besides, Sasuke's way hotter than what's-her-name. I'd totally rather fuck him."
"It's true," Temari said, both of them looking at Sasuke's carefully expressionless face. "He might actually be the best-looking person I have ever seen. But he doesn't look completely tame. Maybe I should get Gaara."
"Don't get Gaara… I'm not interested in a threesome. Just Sasuke. And you're right, he is totally dangerous. You should see the size of this guy's sword," Naruto grinned hazily, clearly trying to tease an answering smile from Sasuke and shock Temari at the same time. "Did you know I was his first kiss?" Naruto broke into an off-tune rendition of 'I kissed a boy and I liked it.'
"The size of his… seriously… how high are you? I can't even tell if you are serious anymore," Temari was still outwardly smiling, but she was starting to get seriously worried.
"Are you kidding? I'm high as a fucking kite. I can't even feel my legs. Tsunde is trying to fucking OD me. But I'm totally serious about Sasuke. Now, get the hell out and let me have my way with my schoolboy fantasy. No fan girls allowed. Oi, Sasuke! Get over here and drop your pants. I'm going to give you the blow job of your life, then have my way with you in the hot tub. Assuming my ribs hold together enough to let me bang the shit out of –"
"Naruto, stop! Oh, my god! Just… stop!" Temari could hardly breathe, shocked laughter choking out. "I think you are totally freaking your friend out." She turned to Sasuke, his face still completely impassive. She tried to read his expression, and failed. "I am so sorry, Sasuke. I swear I have never seen him like this. I'm going to go get Tsunade and make sure she wasn't drunk on the job again and accidentally overdosing her patients."
"Does that happen a lot?" Sasuke asked, with no inflection at all in his voice.
"It's happened," Temari headed for the door.
"Don't you dare bring that woman back here. Get Shizune if you have to get someone. Now just give us some privacy, for fuck's sake. I haven't seen this guy in like four years. We have some serious catching up to do." Naruto's words were becoming so slurred it was hard to catch them all, and Temari shot a concerned glance first at him, then at Sasuke.
"Look, I know it is probably really uncomfortable for you, but could you just stay with him until I get back? Really, he is not usually like this. I think Tsunde might really have over-dosed him. Just don't let him go to sleep."
"I don't mind," Sasuke said, looking at Naruto who was starting to close his eyes.
Temari opened the door and he could hear her footsteps running down the corridor.
"Oi, Naruto. You can't fall asleep. You might not wake back up."
"Then come here and keep me awake," Sasuke came and sat on the edge of the table. Naruto looked at him for a moment, then slowly levered himself up and grabbed Sasuke by the back of the head and pulled him down into a bruising kiss, fisting his hand into the black hair. This kiss bore absolutely no resemblance to the one they had shared on the school rooftop when they were younger. Naruto thrust his tongue into Sasuke's mouth and seemed to be trying to swallow him whole. Sasuke had to summon every ounce of his willpower not to respond to the kiss and drill his friend into the medical table. Stupid fuck, your best friend is OD'ing and out of his mind and this is what you are seriously considering? His sheer disgust with himself snapped him out of it, and he pushed hard on Naruto's chest, and the blond fell back with a groan.
The song had changed. "Stay and Drown" seeped out of the stereo, eerily reflecting the mood.
"Shit, I feel sick. I can hardly keep my eyes open. Am I seriously OD'ing?"
"Yeah. I think so," Sasuke tried to keep his voice calm. "Do you know what she gave you? If you do, I can take you to the nearest hospital and they can fix it. If not, it's probably better to wait here until they get back with that drunk-ass doctor and search through her bag. Will save time if we know what we're dealing with."
"No idea. Hey, Sasuke."
"Hn."
"Don't leave, kay?"
"I won't. But if you die on me right now, I am going to be seriously pissed."
"S'ok. Dying is ok if s'with your best friend," Naruto's head was lolling to the side, his breathing shallow.
"Fuck this," Sasuke picked flipped open his phone and called 911.
When they got to the hospital, Sasuke told them he was Naruto's brother. The nurse looked from the dark haired, black eyed, pale man, then at the tan blond, blue-eyed patient currently ODing. Sasuke just raised one eyebrow, daring her to refute his claim. She sighed and let him come into the ER with him. They had been there about 30 minutes when a red-haired, green-eyed man with a tattoo on his forehead flung open the door and stalked in. The nurse accompanying him simply looked at the three wildly disparate-looking figures in the room and just rolled her eyes. "His other 'brother' just got here as well."
Sasuke and Gaara eyed each other cautiously. Gaara was the first to speak. "How is Naruto?"
Sasuke jerked a bit at the man's use of Naruto's real name, then remembered that the blonde woman - Temari? - had also let the name slip just before she ran out to get help. If Naruto had trusted them with his real name, they must mean something to him.
"You must be Gaara. He's stable. But that washed-up doctor of yours almost killed him. Why the hell do you have someone like her treating him?"
Gaara looked extremely pissed. "When she's sober, she's the best doctor in Japan. But I am absolutely going to kill her for this."
Sasuke looked appreciatively at the young man who positively radiated intent to kill and dismember with his glare. He could definitely appreciate a good death glare.
"You need to get out of here, Uchiha Sasuke. What name did you give when you signed Naruto in to the hospital?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow that the man knew who he was, but answered the question. "Ichiraku Menma. I signed as his brother, Miso." Gaara's lips twitched.
Just then Temari walked in. "Let me guess... you're Naruto's sister now?"
She ignored Sasuke, and turned to Gaara. "How is he?"
"He'll be fine. He's just sleeping it off now. He'll be out of here by tomorrow. But we have a more important issue right now. It's only a matter of time before one of the nurses recognizes Sasuke. He needs to get out of here and not be seen. The hospital records are fine, he didn't give his name, but you need to erase all the video feeds that show Sasuke in the hospital. And it needs to be done in the next 10 minutes."
Temari just smirked and left the room, clearly confident that this would not be an issue.
"She was checking on him after the fight when she went to his room, wasn't she?" Sasuke asked.
A smile ghosted across Gaara's face. "Yeah. She likes to yank Naruto's chain making him think she's after him, but she loves him like a brother. She knows Naruto is the most loyal friend I have ever had, and he would never touch her." Gaara's smile faded, and he now turned his death glare on Sasuke. "I don't know what your relationship with Naruto is, but he would crawl through a field of broken glass for you. If you fuck him over in any way, I will personally disembowl you. Slowly."
Sasuke looked at the smaller man. He believed him.
"You need to be out of here before the press comes," Gaara said flatly. Sasuke didn't want to leave until Naruto had woken up, but the doctor had assured him that he would be fine. And Gaara was right. It would ruin everything if they were seen together at this point. They were so close to ending this, he couldn't blow it now.
. . . . . . . . . .
Sasuke got back to his apartment. His head was swimming with the events of the evening. He remembered what Temari had said "Naruto, you are the straightest guy I know..."
Sasuke looked at the clock. It was just past 2am. Plenty of time. He changed he clothes and headed out to Suigetsu's house, where he knew the party would still be going. He decided was going to take the first blond idiot who hit on him and screw him into the floor for about twelve hours. Then hopefully when he saw Naruto later that week, he would be able to control himself enough to not throw the blond on the floor and jump him.
-xXx-
to be continued...
A/N - Please comment and let me know what you think! It encourages me to keep posting, rather than just writing for myself and keeping it on my judgment-free laptop
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