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Plato of Your Kind	By : Ljiljana Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1232 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: NARUTO does not belong to me; I make no money writing this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
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Part Six

The Delirium of the Brave

(Plato of Your Kind)

Getting out of the shower, towel in hand, Naruto caught his reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall. He frowned. It looked weird. Even though it had been almost an entire week since he had let Konohamaru dye his hair in the luxurious marble bathroom of upper floors of ‘Fireland’, he couldn’t get used to it. It wasn’t that it looked bad, exactly - the color wasn’t too dark, some shade of chocolate brown that almost had a red tint… But it was weird to look in the mirror and not see his bright hair.

He could already see the roots when he looked carefully, though. That little sign, not visible without careful inspection, reassured him a little, reassured him a little.

Naruto scowled one last time at the mirror, like he did every morning after his hair would dry from the shower, and left the spotless white bathroom. It was private, connected to his room, so he didn’t bother to do anything but bring his towel along to finish drying off. The room was warm, but the weak winter sun made the bland, colorless furniture look gloomy. Naruto put on the clothes he’d previously prepared, with his back to the small wall mirror over the toiletry table.

He checked the cell phone Kakashi had left for him. The battery was practically full and there were no new messages, nor any missed calls. He put it into his pocket. It was very light, a far cry from the comfortable weight of the gun he had been forced to stop wearing a couple days before.

The Sabaku Farm was almost exactly the same as he remembered it from when he was a kid. Almost, but not quite. There had been a beautiful rose garden in front the house back then. In its place now was a patch of nothing and even though it could have been because it was almost winter, Naruto suspected it looked just the same in summer. There was an unkempt feeling to the property. Parts of the fences were broken. There were potholes in the lane that lead to the house. Trees Naruto had loved to climb when his parents could bring him along were chopped down, without even a stump left to mark where they used to be.

Since their parents were killed, Gaara, Kankuro and Temari just didn’t seem to care about the Farm enough to maintain the beauty that once characterized the grounds.. But the house itself and the training grounds were impeccably kept. There was no lack of money flowing in, after all.

The biggest difference was that Naruto was now allowed access to all those places he had needed to sneak into before. The grounds were huge. The property was known as the Sabaku Farm because once upon a time that was what it was, but for a long time already a few apple trees were the only remnants of the crops and produce. In fact, there were entire areas of land where all vegetation had been purposely destroyed so no one would have to bother maintaining it. Even in the stables, you could only find a couple of horses, despite the fact that Temari loved riding.

There was a knock on the door. Naruto glanced at the clock on the wall. Gaara was, like always, right on time. It was exactly ten to nine in the morning, even though the light was so dim and gray it felt as if the day had only just dawned.

“Morning,” he called, opening the door. Gaara nodded in response. It was becoming a ritual, really. Gaara always headed to his room later than anyone, but he would be in the dining room every morning at nine exactly no matter what. In the last week, he had taken to knocking at Naruto’s door on his way so they would walk there together. Seeing how Sasuke was always back in his own room - or any other place where Naruto wasn’t, obviously avoiding him - Gaara’s weird friendliness was welcome. Even if his face remained as expressionless as always.

Usually, they were silent if Naruto wasn’t in the mood to chat aimlessly. He was therefore surprised when Gaara spoke just as they reached the staircase, “I’ve wondered if I could ask you for a favor.”

“Sure,” Naruto answered instantly and then wished he was alone so he could bang his head against a wall. He needed to build a brick wall between his brain and his tongue, to stop the words from sliding down as soon as they were formed. What if Gaara needed help with some horrible, obscure thing? What if he wanted him to fight?

“Last night, one of our referees got hurt. I will go after breakfast to find someone to replace him, but we need someone to stand in.”

Naruto thought about it before answering this time. He had gone to see the fights several times since they’d come to stay on the Farm. They were… both the most thrilling and most disgusting things he had ever seen in his life, and so far he had only seen ranking matches.

“Well…. What exactly would I have to do?”

“Interfere only if someone is about to die. Or if you see any weapons,” Gaara explained. “It’s quite rare for anyone to try either one, but we need someone to keep an eye out.”

Because, obviously, he and Kankuro were keeping an eye on the betting pool and were thus too busy to be referees. Temari wasn’t fond of it, so she stayed away, mostly dealing with the legal processes and the Farm’s financial books.

“But you have all those other fighters, couldn’t they stop the fight?”

“Only one person is allowed into the ring, close enough to see everything. It has to be someone I trust who won’t be slacking off or getting carried away in the heat of the fight.”

Naruto sighed. He was officially trapped. He wasn’t too sure if Gaara had done it on purpose or not, because it was really hard to say, but it wasn’t important in the end. If it was a matter of safety and Gaara could only trust Naruto with it…

“Fine, I’ll do it. I owe you much more than that, anyway.”

“You don’t owe us anything.”

They had been over this before. The Sabaku Farm was under the jurisdiction of a town nearby. Authorities were bribed into pretending they had no idea what happened on the Farm and they had very few ties with Naruto’s city and the new, crazy Mayor. They were not actively in any danger. Those inside with them wouldn’t tell anybody because no-one wanted the city’s police force on the Farm. The Sabaku family could easily afford to provide a few guests with clothes and food.

After those horrible couple of days he’d spent trying to keep Sasuke alive, Naruto couldn’t help but feel very grateful. Temari and Kankuro didn’t question it, but it was Gaara who took the call Kakashi had transferred to Naruto when the connection was made. He was the one who had said yes without hesitation, after confirming that he knew that Naruto was in trouble.

“Well, either way,” he allowed, despite wanting to protest and express his gratitude again. They were just about to make the turn to the dining room; the heavy aroma of French toast was already affecting his salivary glands. “I’ll do it.”

Gaara nodded again and let him though the white double door first. Naruto grinned and took him on it.

Sasuke, of course, wasn’t there. He was never where everyone else was - not for a meal, not for a conversation and certainly not to help Naruto’s strained nerves. Ever since they had arrived, Naruto had to go and seek him out if he ever wanted to talk to Sasuke. It wasn’t a huge ordeal, because Sasuke was in his room most of the time, but it was annoying. If he would just come out occasionally, they wouldn’t have to spend five minutes in the room alone together when Naruto went to check on him. Sasuke was mostly quiet on those occasions and Naruto would steadily get more and more annoyed with his unsuccessful efforts to get anything out of him, both avoiding looking at the other.

Once he was done, Naruto fixed a sandwich and stood up from the table.

“He’s out.”

Startled, Naruto stopped. Temari didn’t bother to look up from the pile of paper she was going though. “What?”

“Your friend, I saw him when he went out for a walk,” she frowned. “I think he went out for a walk, he didn’t actually bother saying anything. What else would he be doing?”

“Right,” Naruto said. “Do you know which direction he was headed?”

“Stables,” Temari answered through a mighty yawn and sipped her coffee. Her hair was messy, falling wildly out of the loose tails she’d made on both sides. It was almost the exact shade as Naruto’s was before Konohamaru ruined him with dye.

Naruto wrapped the sandwich and two extra napkins and headed out, wondering idly from whom Temari had gotten her hair when her mother was a redhead, like Gaara and her father a brunet, like Kankuro.

He glanced back at the house. It was huge and gray from the stone it was built from, shaped more like an eastern royal palace than anything else Naruto had ever seen. There was a wide terrace over the entrance, uncovered and resting on plain pillars. Naruto remembered having breakfast there once with his parents when he was about eight years old. His father had been sneaking strawberries behind his mother’s back, because she had wanted him to wash his hands first. Naruto had thrown most of them at a scowling Gaara with a disturbingly ugly teddy bear clutched in his hands. It was the best memory of the Sabaku Farm Naruto had.

It was almost a half mile walk before Naruto reached the stables. By then, small drops of rain had begun to fall more heavily. Even in such a gloomy atmosphere, it was beautiful out here. The building itself, all red brick, was so old and so lovely anyone would mistake it for a house.

Naruto entered it hastily though the front door, to escape the wind that was picking up. He shook his head, in a futile attempt to get the rain out of his hair. It was oddly quiet inside, and the smell was not nearly as unpleasant as Naruto remembered it to be.

Sasuke was standing at the other entrance, the wide one used for horses. The sliding door was half way open, leading from the electrically lit interior into gray curtain of rain outside. Sasuke, leaning against the door frame with one shoulder, didn't turn. Maybe he hadn’t even heard Naruto walk in.

Naruto wondered if he could give the completely drenched and soggy sandwich to the horses. Without anyone around to ask, he didn't want to risk it so he put it back in his pocket and crossed the hallway.

He leaned on the other side of the door frame. The view was nice; a small wood of evergreen trees lay slightly to the left. They also looked diminished, like the rest of the world did in the winter, but not as naked and dead as the apple trees around the main house.

“I heard from Itachi.”

Naruto smiled, because Sasuke sounded relieved. “That's great. What did he say?”

“Sorry.”

“Er, what?”

“He said he was sorry for putting me in danger.”

“He should be.”

Sasuke glanced sideways at him. Naruto could feel his eyes. “He's my only family, Naruto.”

“So? Aren't you his only family as well?”

Sasuke turned back to look outside. After a moment, he spoke, “I don't want to talk about that.”

“It's an improvement either way,” Naruto pointed out. “I didn’t have to threaten or plead with you for words today.”

“I was worried.”

Naruto hummed and left it at that. He knew, of course, that it couldn't be easy. He had been calling Jiraiya twice a day ever since Kakashi had given him a phone he could use. Itachi was in a completely different kind of danger and they only had Kakashi's word on his status. Naruto thought about Itachi talking with forced patience into his cell to who was supposed to be a woman with a wrong number and offered, honestly, “I'm glad he's okay.”

And he got a smile in response. Maybe someone else in his place, someone who had never been in a position to watch for endless hours as Sasuke went though his everyday motions, wouldn't know to appreciate it, even if they knew how rare it was. But Naruto had been in that position and knew the true value of such an honest, open smile, so he grinned back.

“So you're not working for us any longer.”

Well, there went that happy feeling.

Sasuke had yet to take that smile off his face, so Naruto narrowed his eyes, “I'm not?”

They were facing each other by that point, still leaned against their respective sides of the door frame. Sasuke's hands were behind his back, deliberate protection from ice-cold iron for the skin hidden only by a semi-thick sweater. Safety of his brother did wonders for him; it drained all the tension, brightened his features and yeah, put that wonderful smile on his face.

Aware of it but unable to help himself, Naruto licked his lips.

“You're not. The job was never meant to be as challenging as it turned out to be, anyway.”

“But, they're still looking for you,” Naruto insisted. He didn't want to be discharged; he didn't want to trust someone else with Sasuke's safety. He didn't want to be pushed away. “You're still in danger. Not at the moment, obviously and Kakashi assured me that he would be starting up the plan – whatever that plan is – soon, but...”

“Either way, it’s not your job to keep me safe any longer,” Sasuke repeated, grimacing slightly as if the words tasted bad. Naruto told himself that it was because he hated needing protection and not that he hated having Naruto do it. It still hurt.

“Right,” he said, looking anywhere but at Sasuke. It wasn't right at all, so he changed the subject, “Gaara asked me to stand in for the referee tonight.”

“For what?”

Oh, yeah, Sasuke had stayed in his room all week. Naruto had gone to see a couple of fights, more from the lack of anything else to do than because he was particularly interested, but Sasuke had refused to come along when he was invited.

“You know, the ultimate fighting tournaments? Weren't you listening when I asked you if you wanted to come?”

“I thought the farm workers had a fight. There's a tournament?”

“It's part of the training for actual tournaments, so they’re basically fighting among themselves. How did you ever get the idea that there were farmers in this place? It's deader than a wasteland. Cactus wouldn’t grow if you watered it twice a day.”

Sasuke lifted a shoulder in a small shrug, “There could have been some crops or cattle somewhere. I didn't bother asking what they grow, but assumed you called it a farm for a reason.”

“It used to be a farm a long time ago. Now the only things they're growing are the fighters. There's a lot of prize money involved, and betting pools are huge even when it's just an inside match.”

“And Gaara asked you to be a referee.”

“For a night, yeah.”

“Is it illegal?” Sasuke questioned, though he looked more surprised than upset with the prospect.

Naruto snorted a laugh, “Asks the guy who killed a cop, according to the authorities.”

Sasuke just continued looking at him.

“Just like every other place I’ve taken you to, it's partially illegal at best. But it's not stepping on any human rights or stuff like that, because everyone is there of his own free will.” That wasn't completely true and Naruto was aware that his voice turned a little bitter. Sasuke noticed it as well. He raised his eyebrow, so Naruto explained, “That's what they tell me. Fighters do sign contracts of their own free will and that is the part of it that is actually legal – unlike some of what happens during the tournaments. But no one cares that some of those people are forced to do this or die from hunger. No one wants to hire unstable war veterans, ex-convicts with a desire to stay clean or people discharged from mental institutions.”

“You hate it.”

“Of course I hate it. That's why I didn't want to come at first.” Sasuke nodded, frowning at something in the distance that Naruto couldn't see though the fog. “On the other hand the Shelter is completely illegal, but...”

“But you don't care, because it helps people. Even people who didn't deserve it.”

“You give help to those who need it, not to those who deserve it.”

Sasuke fell silent. He wasn't back to his old tense self, but there was not a trace of that smile left on his face and he had his arms wrapped around him in that unconsciously self-protecting manner. Of course, maybe Naruto just imagined the smile in the first place. And maybe Sasuke was protecting himself from the icy draft Naruto was semi-successfully ignoring so far, not something more menacing.

Once he thought about it, he was suddenly cold, like the feeling had switched on in his brain. Wind was tugging at his hair and clothes, and nipping at the little of his skin that was exposed. Naruto removed himself from the direct exposure to the wind and went to stand on Sasuke’s other side, where it wasn't nearly as drafty.

“I guess,” Sasuke spoke after a while, turning his head just enough to show that he was aware that Naruto moved. “That at least explains why you were claiming to be so bad at the job when it's fairly obvious that isn't true.”

He looked over his shoulder expectantly. Naruto had no idea what he was talking about, but he did notice that he had moved a little bit too close.

“Naruto?”

“I’ve no idea what are you talking about.”

“Maybe body guarding involves protecting people, but you need more than that. You need to fix the problem. I’m safe, mostly thanks to you, and you don’t work for me any longer, but you won’t feel happy about the job you did unless Itachi joins the Tibetan monks so his enemies won’t ever,” Sasuke twisted his mouth as he finished, “pick on me again.”

Naruto thought about it. “Well, no, not really. I mean, you wouldn’t get to see him at all if he moved to Tibet, right?

“So not even ‘safely ever after’ is good enough for you. It has to be ‘happily ever after’.”

“No, ‘safely ever after’ is usually fine with me.” Naruto quirked a grin he hoped didn’t look as sad as it felt. “I guess you’re an exception, then.”

It didn’t matter in the end. Naruto spent so much time thinking that he just wasn’t good enough for the job. His reflexes were excellent; he had picked up martial arts from the very best and suppressed them all, using a gun was like second nature to him now and his aim was flawless. He had his not so good points – code work, long term planning, electronics… But they weren’t exactly bad and you never worked a job alone.

Jiraiya had told him once that he was over-thinking things and that it wasn’t doing him any favors because he was just dulling the natural instincts he had been born with. He made mistakes because he was trying to think instead of act, when he was clearly not made for it. But it was so hard to rely on people with shady motivation.

Which meant that Sasuke was right. He’d be much better suited for a job that he had no doubts would result in making things better permanently.

Maybe he should be a cop. He could find ways to help Iruka and the Shelter that way as well as have the legal right to deal with people who hurt others.

“Naruto?”

“Hmm? Oh, I don't know. I used to love it; I used to always demand that my parents tell me every last detail when they'd come home in the evenings. And it's fun sometimes. Protecting Konohamaru was fun – and you...”

Sasuke turned to face him. His arms unwrapped as soon as he stepped out of the wind, closer. “Don't tell me you thought that was fun.”

“No,” Naruto decided, remembering Sasuke's apartment, his hands and his mouth. “No, it was amazing. I wish...”

His wish came true before he voiced it, because Sasuke kissed him. He didn't lean in, he pressed his entire body against Naruto, insistently pushing until Naruto's back was against the hard, cold surface. Responding to it was so natural that Naruto opened up to it instantly despite his surprise and wonder. It was just as amazing as he remembered, or maybe better because Sasuke knew exactly who he was kissing now. He fit perfectly into Naruto’s arms as they wrapped around him, so he closed his eyes and relaxed, melting into the wonderful warmth and Sasuke's familiar scent.

When the kiss ended, Naruto tilted his head up so Sasuke could do whatever it was that he intended when he mapped the line down his neck. There was just a suggestion of teeth against the sensitive skin before Sasuke murmured, letting out a cloud of hot air, “Let's go back.”

Naruto wasn't ready yet to move, but he nodded his acceptance anyway and then stalled by sneaking his hands downward to pull Sasuke even closer. They were both dressed in thick winter clothes, but it still felt wonderful.

He didn't let Sasuke automatically take control of the next kiss and with both of them urging responses from the other vigorously, they soon had to break apart to get some air.

It took them several long minutes, but they finally separated to head back toward the main house.

.

Temari met them in the hall.

“You have visitors,” she told Sasuke. There went Naruto’s plan to drag him up to his room and in the shower.

“Itachi? But…”

“Finally!” Naruto interrupted, because for a moment there, Sasuke looked like he was about to bolt. Maybe later, he could find out why. “I have some questions for him!”

He started walking toward the room Temari had come from, but Sasuke caught the hem of his sleeve, “You’re not working for him any longer.”

Naruto nodded, “Yeah, and he’d paid upfront. Isn’t that awesome?”

“What are you planning to ask him?”

“Oh, you know,” Naruto answered, yanking his hand free. “First I’ll tell him that he is the world’s greatest asshole and stuff like that.”

Temari disappeared, but he kept walking toward the door she’d been at. His drenched shoes squeaked with every step and made him feel like he was about to sink though the floor.

Sasuke protested, “He was trying to take care of me.”

Naruto ignored him, “Then I’ll ask him if he knows about Karin and the others and if he doesn’t use any of those creepy smiles, I’ll tell him that I’m really sorry I almost got you killed.”

Behind him, Sasuke stopped and grabbed him again. This time his fingers dug into Naruto’s forearm. “Naruto.”

“Hmm?”

“Let me go see him alone.”

“What? Why?”

“You can talk to him later. I just… I haven’t seen him in a really long time.”

“Ah.” Sasuke didn’t want him to ruin the reunion. It kind of hurt, but it wasn’t like he didn’t understand. There was a lot he wanted to tell Itachi but maybe it wasn’t the right moment. “Well.”

“I need to talk to him,” Sasuke insisted, looking over Naruto’s shoulder at the door. He probably meant alone, and yeah, that made a lot of sense.

“Okay, I’ll just – I’ll go back to my room then. I have to change these anyway – they’re all clammy.”

“Thank you,” Sasuke smiled, and Naruto saw the difference between Sasuke’s honest and nice.

He had already agreed. Sasuke’s reasons had been sound. But it was so obvious it would blind Naruto if he kept looking at Sasuke’s face, so he looked away and turned to leave.

Sasuke was lying.

“You’re welcome,” he gritted out over his shoulder. “That was a rather decent attempt at being nice, after all. You totally deserve to get me out of your way for it.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.”

Naruto stopped on the first of many steps upward. “Then what are you doing?”

Sasuke offered no answer, so Naruto continued climbing step after step without looking back.

Back in his room, he started pulling off the wet clothes from the moment he walked through the door. They were sodden and disgusting. He needed to get to the shower as soon as possible. A soggy sandwich was still in his pocket. Naruto threw it into the trashcan next to the toilet seat.

He had been hoping he wouldn’t have to take this shower alone. The odds had seemed great.

For the last week, it had been so hard to think of other things. He kept telling himself that he had messed up and had no right to push Sasuke to spend time with him. But he missed it, he missed not being alone, he missed the way Sasuke fought with him and sometimes cooperated, the way he smelled.

Too upset to do anything about it, Naruto ignored the erection that reacted to the memories and the warmth of the water. He finished washing as quickly as possible and decided that the best way to waste time would be to watch some television.

He woke up in the middle of a long, loud thunderclap. For a moment, he was sure that that was what had woken him but then the knocking started again.

“Come in!” Naruto shouted. His voice was cracking. What time was it? How long had he been asleep?

He had been watching a reality show about fishermen in some northern sea, stretched across the bottom of the bed. He had nodded off just like that, without covering himself or shifting so his feet wouldn’t hang over the edge.

The door opened. Naruto sat up on the bed, rubbing his eyes. It must have been because of the rain, but despite the good night’s sleep and the long nap, he still wanted to lie back down and continue where he’d left off.

Sasuke stepped inside, bare feet quiet on the thick carpet, and closed the door behind him without a word.

“So,” Naruto croaked out. He had to clear his throat before continuing, “How did it go?”

Sasuke walked over until he was standing next to him. He looked down at Naruto and offered his hand.

Not too sure what was up, Naruto blinked some more sleep out of his eyes. “Sasuke? What…?”

“It went just fine. Better than fine. I can’t remember the last time I felt this good.” Sasuke turned his hand a little, as if trying to capture Naruto’s attention with the gesture. “Stand up.”

“Why?” Naruto asked suspiciously, but he took the offered hand and used it to help himself off the bed. “What’s wrong with you?”

The question was poorly worded, he realized as soon as he was standing face to face with Sasuke. Something was definitely up with him, but it wasn’t necessarily wrong. He had a weird expression on his face, a blend of smugness and satisfaction.

“I told you. Everything is just fine.” Naruto stumbled a bit in surprise when Sasuke tugged him forward. His mind, awakened by Sasuke’s closeness and fresh smell of his shampoo, caught up finally. His breath hitched at the realization. He lifted his free hand to rest it on Sasuke’s shoulder, to keep him close.

Sasuke’s free hand went right for his hair, fingers pulling painfully until Naruto turned his head just so to accept the kiss. The impatient force of it felt more like their first time back at Sasuke’s apartment than kissing in stables. Naruto shivered as he felt a small bite at the side of his lip, from the sensation and from the memory.

The next small bite missed his lips completely, and the one after was so close to his ear Naruto could feel Sasuke’s breath over it. He groaned when he finally felt teeth on his earlobe but it only lasted a short moment.

Sasuke pushed him backward. It wasn’t very forceful, but Nartuo hit the edge of the bed and almost fell. His body was quick, quicker than his mind. He grabbed a hold of Sasuke, who followed him when he stumbled backwards, tripped him swiftly and landed on top of him in the middle of the bed.

Sasuke groaned, “I remember that. I will learn how to do that.”

Naruto snorted his superiority into Sasuke’s collarbone, amazed with how well they fit together. Hands traced his back as he tasted the pale skin of Sasuke’s neck, harsh and determinedly going all the way up – too far up. Sasuke wrapped his fingers in his hair and used that hold, just like in the stables before, to position Naruto for a kiss to his liking. Naruto let him take what he wanted, he responded to every pull and every demand easily.

His hands started wandering after a few minutes, wanting more than just kissing – no matter how incredible it was. He snuck his hands under Sasuke’s shirt – and found the bandage there.

Naruto broke the kiss and pushed himself off, “Fuck. Sorry, I’m – I completely forgot about it.”

Sasuke groaned in what sounded like annoyance. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“It’s practically healed. I’m fine.” In a suggestive and immodest manner, Sasuke arched his hips up, and pressed himself so Naruto would feel every inch of his erect cock against his hipbone. Naruto was stuck between the need to moan and the urge to press Sasuke back into the bed, at a safe distance. “I’m better than fine.”

“Yeah, but…”

“How about,” Sasuke murmured, this time raising his head for a short kiss, “for a change,” Naruto let his head fall back, expecting teeth. There was only the unbelievable softness of Sasuke’s lips, trailing light kisses down his neck, and hot air as he finished the sentence, “You let me take care of you for a change?”

“What?” Naruto asked, landing on his back as Sasuke pushed him.

“I’m hurt, and you are in desperate need to stop using that pea-sized brain of yours for a bit,” Sasuke clarified. “Trust me to do right by both of us.”

“You mean, to bottom. I don’t know if I can do that.”

“If you are about to tell me you think it’s girly, then you should rethink sleeping with a man.”

Naruto, who had been quite enjoying the hands and lips on his chest, moving suggestively southward, opened his eyes, “That’s not what I…”

Sasuke pressed a finger to his lips to shut him up so harshly it hurt against his teeth, and scratched Naruto’s left nipple with the thumb of the other hand. “I know,” he said with a smirk that looked so soft it felt like a smile. “You just can’t fathom the fact that you don’t have to be on top of everything all the time.”

“That’s not it, either. I changed my mind. I can bottom. I can.”

Sasuke urged him to take his shirt off. When Naruto’s chest was bare, he took off his own as well. His hands returned to Naruto’s bare skin, pale and soft. “You can do anything, it seems – except listen.”

“It’s hard to listen when I’m about to have sex.”

“This is not about sex.”

Naruto laughed breathlessly. Sasuke said that like he meant it – but he had said it while unbuttoning Naruto’s pants. It was hard to take him seriously.

“What is it about?”

“It’s about you having serious trust issues.” Naruto jerked his hips up when Sasuke’s hands slipped off his crotch, but it was nothing to do with that. He looked up to see Sasuke watching him. “I could go on about how upset you still are about your parents choosing the job over you and how your irresponsible godfather didn’t help at all – but instead, I’ll just ask you something.”

“You’re making me – less hard,” Naruto complained, with no idea at all what the hell Sasuke was on about. Sasuke still waited, expression unchanged, so he added, “Fine, ask me. What?”

“Trust me.”

Naruto frowned, uncertain what exactly Sasuke wanted of him, “But – I don’t know. It’s my body, how will you know…?”

“I said ‘trust me’ not ‘play dead’. Trust me to do what’s best for both of us. Trust me to listen when you tell me something doesn’t feel good.”

“Oh,” Naruto said. It still sounded slightly off, like Sasuke was asking too much. So maybe he did have trust issues.

And maybe he wanted Sasuke’s hands back on him more than he needed to put his own hands on Sasuke.

“Alright.”

As a long awaited award, Sasuke pulled Naruto’s pants – and his boxers, in one go - off his hips.

____________________________________________________________________

Sasuke was still sleeping when Naruto had to go.

He was warm and comfortable in the medium sized bed in his room, still dumfounded by the fact that Sasuke was his to touch whenever he felt like it – and he felt like it a lot. There was something simply amazing with how he could press his palms lower on Sasuke’s fair skin, wake him and urge him to turn on his back, and not only get away with it, but be welcomed.

The thought had just started twisting into a great idea when the phone rang. Naruto jumped to pick it up before it woke Sasuke. He might have came close waking him up himself when he had snatched his arm from under Sasuke’s head, but luckily he hadn’t. Sasuke only shifted and continued sleeping.

Naruto answered the phone, talking quietly. From the other side, Temari reminded him of his promise to Gaara. She also laughed at him - between innuendoes that were a sure sign that the entire house knew Sasuke was with him - for whispering, so Naruto hung up on her in order to get ready.

There weren’t a lot of people around the decent sized amphitheater, maybe sixty in total. Among them, the fighters were already stretching or taking their shirts off when Naruto walked in. Kankuro waved him over to the central part of the audience, where he was sitting.

“Take this and keep it close,” he said, giving Naruto a cell phone. “If I call and you feel it vibrating, stop the fight immediately.”

“Why?”

“Because,” Kankuro patiently explained, the jerk, and smiled toothily when Naruto gritted his teeth. “Try not to put yourself between the fight and the cameras, some important people are watching these live and don’t want to wait to check stuff from another angle. Are you following?”

“Yeah, sure. I’m supposed to jump when you say so and stay out of the way of your – whatever they are, clients?”

“Exactly. Now go start this and make sure no one gets killed.”

There was a much smaller need to keep people from killing each other than Naruto had been lead to believe. Most of them seemed fairly level headed, here for the money, not blood. It was the people on the other side of the fence who were hot headed and insatiable, yelling obscure encouragements. Naruto developed a headache early on – watching ultimate fighting was much more fun when you either just watching or – probably – when you participated yourself. The lights were too bright, often blinding him for seconds at a time. He hadn’t expected to have fun doing this, but it never occurred to him that the greatest bother would be the atmosphere.

The evening was about halfway though. The fighters had gotten each other in a lock that Naruto couldn’t see a way out from. They were about the same size and same skill level, and they seemed to know each other’s style very well. Someone was going to have to be hurt badly or outsmarted before the fight was over.

Naruto leaned back on the barred entry to the arena, the only part of the fence that wasn’t made of ten-foot-high chicken wire. A medic team was just on the other side, alert and under the command of a bored looking guy with glasses. Naruto decided to shift to the left – the camera behind him be dammed - so they could have a better view.

Before he could do more than detach himself from the harsh metal bars, a hand took a hold of his shirt and pulled him back. Even though he was pretty certain it was Sasuke, Naruto glanced back quickly to make sure and smiled. He got no smile in return; Sasuke was watching the fight over his shoulder. Naruto couldn’t keep his happiness off his face as he turned to the two people who were desperately struggling out of the uncomfortable lock.

Sasuke moved his hand and pressed close. His body provided a curious heat between the cold bars and Naruto tried to press back into him. It wasn’t working, the metal remained solid. It was better than nothing.

“Naruto,” Sasuke called after several seconds. He turned his head, so the rest came though the bars into his ear. “I have to go.”

Naruto frowned. Sasuke didn’t strike him as someone who couldn’t take the sight of a fight. “Back to the house?”

He felt a hand on his hip, pressing as if to keep him grounded, “Back to the city – no, don’t turn around, that doesn’t look good.”

The fight was firing up, Sasuke was right about that. The slightly shorter guy who had been on his back but not giving in for the majority of the match had finally managed to find an angle to deliver some harsh kicks to his opponent’s stomach.

Naruto knew he had to keep watching, he had promised he would, but he grabbed Sasuke’s hand to keep it in place, over his hip. “With your brother? Is this his idea? You can’t go back there yet, Kakashi…”

“…Will explain everything, he’s waiting for you back at the house,” Sasuke interrupted. “The idea was mine, and Itachi didn’t like it any more than you will.”

“Great, then – you can’t go.”

Sasuke snorted next to his ear, as if Naruto had cracked a joke. He wiggled his hand out of Naruto’s somehow, even though Naruto had been holding tightly enough to leave bruises. “I’ll see you soon, it’ll be fine. Just remember that it was my idea, alright?”

The warmth between the bars disappeared. Torn, Naruto turned to look in the direction Sasuke had gone, but he caught the sight of the medic guy with glasses standing up, face tense. There was little choice left but to turn his attention back to the arena.

Even though the smaller guy was now dealing hits repeatedly and mercilessly, he wasn’t breaking any rules. There was no sign that the other guy would give in any time soon, he determinedly refused to make a sound or show how much pain was he in.

That reminded Naruto forcefully about what exactly was waiting for Sasuke back in the city and made the decision for him. He stopped the fight, ignoring the savage protests and the phone in his pocket that started vibrating almost instantly. The fighters looked confused and angry, but Naruto had no time for explanations. My newfound lover is on his way back to the city didn’t sound like something they would take to kindly, anyway.

Naruto yanked the gate open and collided with a pissed off Kankuro.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“I have to go,” Naruto told him, looking for a way around him. “You take over.”

“That’s not what I do…”

“I don’t give a shit, just get out of my…”

“Naruto…”

The next words came out as nothing more than a startled yelp. Naruto didn’t waste much energy; he did a simple arm lock to throw Kankuro off balance and pulled him off the narrow path. It was only fitting to deal with an obstacle in a physical manner in the battle arena, after all.

It was dark, all the illumination was focused on the inside of the building. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. Naruto had no idea which way he had gone; two of four gates of the Sabaku farms were about equally distanced.

He took a chance, ran to the one on his right first. There was nothing there, so he ran back and to the other gate. The lane on both sides was empty and darkened there as well. He had missed his chance, Sasuke was gone.

Holding onto the last bit of hope, Naruto hurried toward the main house. Breathless, panting and angry to the point of snapping, he faced Kakashi who walked out the open double doors of the dining room.

“It was his idea,” Kakashi instantly distanced himself.

“What, exactly, was his idea?” Naruto demanded.

“It’s a good plan, too,” Kakashi said thoughtfully, ignoring Naruto’s question like he was talking to someone else. “I think it will work. You said you wanted to participate, right?”

Perplexed, Naruto frowned, “The plan? To take down the Mayor? What does Sasuke has to do with it?”

“I told you, he thought of it. Itachi called me this afternoon to tell me, on Sasuke’s request.” Kakashi walked past Naruto, in that nonchalant, uncaring way he had. “Are you coming?”

“Back to the city? Yeah, but… Why couldn’t he wait? We could have traveled back together.”

Naruto followed Kakashi out. There was nothing that he’d left in the room upstairs that was his, but it was still hard to resist the urge to go and see it once again.

“My guess is, he didn’t want you to try and talk him out of it,” Kakashi said, closing the door behind him. “You did a great job of keeping him safe, there is practically no one else the Mayor was after left alive, aside from Sasuke and Itachi. They both owe you a lot.”

“It was a job.”

Kakashi snorted and headed down the lane toward the main gate, “Yeah, so I heard, just a job.”

If Naruto was the type to blush, he would have at Kakashi’s tone. As it was, he only scowled, “Whatever. I don’t want Sasuke to put himself in any danger. Please tell me that plan doesn’t involve something dangerous? It’s bad enough he’s headed back to the city right now.”

Kakashi’s steps were ominously loud when he failed to answer right away. Naruto held his breath and had to fight to keep up.

“Sorry, kid, I can’t tell you that,” Kakashi finally said. “But I’ll tell you everything else you want to know in the car, so we won’t waste time. Hurry.”

Knowing Kakashi, he wouldn’t take kindly to insisting and demanding. Crushing the urge to resort to it, Naruto followed him down the dark lane that led off the property of the Sabaku family. He’d have to call back and say sorry and thank you, but that would have to wait.

He had to make sure Sasuke didn’t get himself into too much trouble with whatever crazy idea he had thought of first.
- 6
- 7
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Plato of Your Kind