Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Stranger than the Wild	By : kiddattwell Category: Naruto > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 30155 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and I don't make any money off of it.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Chapter 7

Sasuke

Sasuke heard the ruckus before he got to the door.

"What?! Did you and Ino get in a fight or something?" Naruto exclaimed, his form slightly bent toward Sakura, who was standing in the door way.

Sakura's answer was only slightly softer, "No... Not exactly, but stupid Ino-pig moved out while I was gone! Someone else, some kid chuunin, was living there at the apartment and then I had to track her down and find out where she went!”

Sasuke chose to that moment to interrupt, "Invite her in already," he chided, “Unless you like having the whole neighborhood listen in on your business.”

Naruto backed out of the way and Sakura came inside, flushed and still dirty from their trip.

“Why are you in your underwear?” she asked Naruto as they tramped to the empty kitchen. Sasuke took his ramen off of the counter and began to eat again. Sakura looked at him like she might be waiting for him to give the ok to start talking, but he wasn't sure about what he was supposed to say. Go ahead, maybe? But Naruto saved him.

"Tell us what happened," he said, hopping on to the counter.

"Well, like I said, someone else was living at the apartment when I got back, so I went to Chouji and Shikamaru's place to try to track her down, but they had moved too. Then I checked where her old house used to be, you know, attached to the flower shop? And there she was, along with those other two as well! I guess they all had some serious bonding moments while I was gone and decided to move in together! They just asked Yamato-sensei to rebuild it a few days ago."

"But what about your stuff?" Naruto asked.

"I didn't have much aside from some new books Tsunade-sama gave me, but Ino said she dropped them in my locker at the hospital."

"Well, it's kinda out of nowhere, but at least they're all getting along,” Naruto said.

"I know... I kind of just wished she would have waited. And..." Sakura glanced to the side, tilting her head.

"And what?" Sasuke asked.

"Nothing, really... Just some stuff someone told me. It's not related. But anyway," she pressed on, "Now I have to house hunt too!"

"Sweet! We can find apartments right next door so we can be neighbors!" Naruto said, pushing himself up off the counter with his arms and kicking his legs.

Sakura smiled, then bit her lip, looking up at Sasuke from under her eyelashes. Sasuke suppressed a sigh; it was the same look she wore when she was trailing after him all those years ago. At least this time she wanted something he could actually give her.

"You can stay here until you find somewhere," he said.

Sakura took a breath of relief, "Thanks, Sasuke-kun. I think my parents are thinking about staying in the country permanently now that they've retired, so they’re not really an option for me anymore."

Sasuke shrugged. He didn't mind and he had actually forgotten that she had somewhere else to go.

"Yeah, Sakura! You can even use the bath first! You'll get a kick out of this; just wait til you see it."

Sasuke let them go, unsure what to make of this unexpected situation. When they left for their mission, he wrestled with the idea that he might have liked Sakura. As a friend. Which was weird, but ultimately a good thing, he decided. She was now a fairly powerful ally and her personality wasn't the same as it was when he left all those years ago. She was calmer now, although still a little emotionally volatile. But probably no worse than any female, and as far as that went, she was the only girl he could think of that he could tolerate being stuck with.

Then they made it to Suna. On their first night there, they were invited to a small, informal dinner with the Kazekage and his family. Naruto, who was way too excited to see the red-haired sand-brat, had jumped into the seat on Gaara's right. Then the puppet-master called Kankuro offered Sakura the seat on Gaara's left, which she accepted, then plopped down beside her without hesitation.

That irked him.

Sasuke sat down beside Naruto and Gaara's sister sat at the opposite head of the table. It wasn’t that he particularly wanted to sit beside Sakura, but he had a hard time figuring out why he was annoyed.

Because it was a room full of strangers, for one, his mind finally supplied. Strange to him, at least. Naruto and Sakura were both acting pretty familiar with their hosts. Kankuro's chair was very close to Sakura's and Naruto was practically sitting on Gaara's lap. But the way she was smiling at Kankuro... She rarely smiled at anyone like that outside of Team 7.

Aside from answering a few direct questions, Sasuke stayed silent for the rest of the night. It was the second time that something to do with Sakura had made him uncomfortable. And he didn't like uncomfortable. Naruto wasn't helping things, either; being overly friendly to the Kazekage and generally making a fool of himself until Sasuke could barely stand to watch him anymore. But he couldn't get mad in a room of foreign delegates, so he stewed until he and Naruto were led to the bedroom they'd be sharing and were left alone.

The room was luxurious, he could say that much for Suna. The beds were huge and covered in plush pillows. Layers of sheer, golden drapes hanging from the posts of the beds would allow for a little privacy between them while they were there, even though they were sharing a room. There were thick carpets, couches and shelves full of books and baubles. It was obvious that their hosts wanted them to think well of them.

We’re probably only sharing a room because they want Naruto to babysit me, he thought irritably.

"Do you think it's safe to have Sakura's room so far away from ours?" Sasuke asked, kicking off his sandals as Naruto disrobed in his usual, hit by a tornado way.

"Neeh? Why wouldn't it be?"

"Gaara's brother seemed really interested in her."

"Yeeheehee, Sakura-chan would be overjoyed if she heard that,” Naruto chuckled gleefully.

"Sakura likes that guy?"

"No, it's what you just said. You sounded pretty possessive, Sasuke-kun," Naruto drawled, feigning a Sakura type lilt in his voice, "You wouldn't happen to be jealous, would you?"

"Dead-last."

"Hmmm... I don't know..." Naruto teased.

"Go to sleep so I can have a moment’s peace already. You've been chattering nonstop since we got here."

"Geh heh heh, ok Sasuke-kuuun," Naruto said as he hopped into his bed, not bothering to close the drapes. Sasuke turned off the light and fell into his own bed, sinking into the deep pile of fluff and silk. Chilly air floated through two open windows and he took deep gulps of it as he tried to relax enough to sleep.

I’m not jealous, he thought, staring up at the dark ceiling. You have to have strong feelings to be jealous.

And Naruto had annoyed him just as much, slobbering on Sabaku no Gaara like he was his long-lost brother.

And he definitely wasn't jealous over Naruto.

The weeks passed without incident after that. The Kazekage and his family were busy, after all. Naruto spent his days much like he did in Konoha; being congratulated and grinning stupidly at high ranking officials and civilians alike. Sakura spent all but her meals in the hospital or the library where she sorted through old medical scrolls and trained other ninja . Sasuke followed Sakura into the archives a few times, but he mostly stuck with Naruto, listening to politicians yammer on about things like prospective trade arrangements, deciding who was fair and who he needed to have words with Naruto about before they went to bed.

Then, that last night happened... If Sakura or Naruto had bothered to ask him afterwards, he would have joined in on their vow to never drink again.

It was the temptation of some liquid quieting his mind for a while that led him to his first few glasses. And quiet it got.

Somehow, that made things worse.

When his mind was quiet, he noticed the incredible bond Naruto and Sakura had. It was something that he was partially responsible for, since his departure had only united them even closer together. He felt the same way that he felt when he was a child: on the outside. Before, being outside seemed important. It was part of his training and his purpose. His darkness separated and elevated him to a different level than the others.

But through his drunken perception, he saw that the outside was not the place to be. The only people he wanted in his life were Sakura and Naruto and there were no two people more inside of society than them.

So he drank more, thinking that maybe he could reach a higher level of drunkenness that would let him feel relaxed and happy, the way other people seemed to be when they were drunk. Some parts of his memory were fuzzy, but he couldn't forget what was surely the worst part of that night.

Naruto had left him propped against a wall in the breezeway at the Kazekage’s house while he was in the bathroom. He wasn't walking too well and Naruto was hardly better, but Naruto was less drunk, so he was in charge.

Naruto came out and turned the light off, leaving them in open air moonlight. It felt like the floor was sliding around under him, but the cold air cleared his mind a little.

"Ready to get up?" Naruto asked and grabbed his arms, not waiting for a reply.

"Did you wash your hands?" Sasuke asked, but Naruto didn't seem to hear him. He was on his feet, but his legs weren't doing anything but propping him up.

"You've been a tense bastard this trip, you know that?" Naruto said, "I'm glad you got to loosen up around Gaara finally."

"I'd hate for your boyfriend to have a bad impression..."

"What was that?" Naruto chuckled.

"I'd hate for your BOYFRIEND, Gaara, to have a BAD impression of me."

"Stop shouting, teme! You've sure gotten weird since you came back. First Sakura, now me... Plus all that business with Sai before. What's going on with you?"

"I don't have anything anymore. The village will be fine thanks to you. Tell me what I should do now? What do I have besides you and-"

"What? What are you murmuring about?"

Sasuke heard him sigh. He didn't seem to understand anything he was saying. There was nothing new there, but the one time he wanted to talk, the least Naruto could do was hear him.

In slow motion, Sasuke felt himself swing his arm. He was shocked when his punch actually connected. He didn't see Naruto fall away from him as he lost his balance and fell into the wall. He heard Naruto’s body smack against the floor.

He didn't remember anything after that.

The next day, even with his terrible hangover pains, he managed to be grateful that Naruto hadn't heard what he said. Too bad HE couldn't forget his own words.

Now both of his teammates were in his house, under his roof. Naruto had come back from showing Sakura the bath and sauntered into the kitchen, smiling and still in his underwear. It looked like he left his dirty laundry to be mixed in with Sakura's.

"She's hosing off, then she's gonna use my water," Naruto said, "That was nice of you to let her stay here. I thought I was going to have to beat you into submission before that offer came out of you."

"Tsk. As long as you two aren't too noisy, I don't care."

"What's it going to be like, sleeping under the same roof as Sakura-chan...?" Naruto sighed happily as he walked to the kitchen cupboard to peruse his small, recently acquired ramen collection for a second helping of dinner. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"What are you talking about? You just spent a week in a tent with her.”

Naruto peeked around the cabinet door to give him a wry smile, "You just don't understand," he said.

Good, Sasuke thought, At least there’s that.

“Speaking of…” Naruto said with a false sounding casualty that Sasuke could see through from a mile away, “Why did you ask… earlier, right before Sakura-chan came in… Why did you ask that?”

I don’t know, “I thought she was acting strange and I was worried how it might effect the team.”

Naruto took a deep breath and sighed deeply, leaning into the counter. He really needed to learn not to wear his heart on his sleeve, Sasuke thought.

“That’s all, teme? Jeeze. I thought something real happened. Unless… did something happen between just the two of you? While we were camping or-“

“No. I just thought she seemed different,” he lied.

“You’re the different one,” Naruto said, cheerful once more, heating more water for another cup of ramen.

God, I hope not.

**** **** **** ****

After baths and dinner, they all spread out on the floor wearing the last of Sasuke’s clean clothes and started to scribe a shopping list for the next day. Supplies of everything from groceries to clothes were still limited, but Sakura still dutifully took pen to paper, writing down their wants and needs: Clothes, towels, sandals, metal polish, polishing cloths, weighted steel shuriken (1 dozen), pillows, blankets, mattresses, furniture in general, soap, shampoo, conditioner, leave-in conditioner, lotion, estimate for bathtub installation, groceries…

Sasuke thought they might as well have been writing down their hopes and dreams. They were just as likely to find them out shopping as they were the contents of her list. Also, stopping by the realtor for Naruto and Sakura somehow got left off, but Sasuke didn’t think it was necessary to correct that error yet.

What they ended up bringing home the next day was a few bags of loosely fitting black clothes, bar soap, and a lot of instant noodles. There had been a brief hopeful moment when Naruto saw a plain cut, but very yellow jacket at the store, but in the end, he let Sasuke and Sakura talk him out of buying it on the grounds that yellow was not quite orange.

The day wasn’t exactly wasted, but it wasn’t really productive either, aside from possibly getting a real bathtub installed soon and a mattress delivered in the next few days.

They were heading home, their arms full of bags and their eyes squinted against the late afternoon sun, when Sakura pulled them to a halt.

“Guys, look,” she said, pointing to a tiny square sign on the other side of the street.

“Neh? A fabric store?” Naruto sighed.

“We should go in. None of our clothes have our family insignia on it,” she said.

“Oh yeah. It has been weird not seeing the fan on Sasuke’s back.”

Sakura agreed, “And we all have a few things that fit now. It wouldn’t hurt to see what they have… although I don’t actually know what we’d need to make them.”

“Mine was just a patch. An old lady used to make them for me, at the old fabric store,” Sasuke supplied.

“Oh, that’s easier than I thought. My mom hand stitched them, back in the day,” Sakura said.

“My mom did that too,” Sasuke replied, immediately causing a hollow feeling to spread in his chest.

Why did I say that? he thought, wiping away the cold sweat that had appeared on the back of his neck.

“Oh,” Sakura said. She glanced at Naruto and then back at him, then recovered her normal expression, “Well, I guess we can ask if they make custom patches there.”

**** **** **** ****

When they got home, they piled their bags high on the kitchen counter.

“I’m starving,” Naruto complained, “Why is shopping so tiring?”

“I’ll go get our packs,” Sakura said, opening the back door to bring inside their freshly aired out sleeping bags and luggage.

“But at least now I have my own clothes,” Naruto said, organizing the ramen in a personal system that only he could understand before Sasuke stacked them away into the cupboard.

“I liked you cosplaying Sasuke’s genin look,” Sakura said, plopping three sleeping bags on the living room floor.

“Oh, then do you like this?” Naruto’s face fell into an irritable expression, letting the high black collar cover his cheek partially before he slowly turned to look at her.

“Usuratonkachi,” he said, making his voice as low as he could.

Sakura squealed, clapping her hands and then laughingly exclaimed, “You’re pretty good at that!”

Naruto broke into a grin, then recovered his scowl.

“Sakura,” he said, capturing Sasuke’s cadence fairly well and she clapped again.

“Baka,” Sasuke said.

Naruto turned to him and mugged, “Baka,” and then added, for good measure, “Dobe.”

Sasuke shoved him while the two of them laughed.

Dinner passed quickly again and Sasuke avoided looking at the others too much. The easy way he had mentioned his mother earlier scared him. He felt lighter… somehow, but also empty.

That part of my life is done. No reason to think about it anymore.

Despite dedicating most of his life to avenging his parents, he had actually managed to not think about them very often. If things started bubbling up… he wasn’t sure what he would do about it. He wondered how something could feel good and bad at the same time.

Just forget. Forget. Forget.

**** **** **** ****

That night, Naruto and Sakura laid their sleeping bags out in the living room again as he retired to his bedroom. He heard them laughing and talking quietly as he laid on the floor and he felt his mind slip away into quiet for the first time since that afternoon. He fell asleep before he realized it.

He woke in a pitch-black room, barely able to make out the wooden beams on his ceiling, not quite sure if he was still dreaming. There was a slight creak from beyond his bedroom, the sound of a door sliding against its frame… and sliding closed. He knew it was probably Naruto going to the bathroom or Sakura getting water, actions that had woken him many times while they were camping last week, but he had lived alone for too long to hear someone creeping in his house and not investigate.

Adrenaline filled his veins as he silently slipped into the hall, peeking around the corner into the living room where Naruto was sprawled half out of his sleeping bag, his leg stretched horizontally from his body.

Sakura’s sleeping bag was mushed into an empty ball beside him. After a stealthy circuit around the house, he saw the backdoor had been unlocked…

Why was Sakura out at this time of night?

Sasuke left the wheezing Naruto behind and slipped outside into the darkness. The back gate was open as well and gave him some indication of where she may have gone. The night was loud with bugs and frogs, creatures that had returned after the city was destroyed. Every step where long grass brushed his shins had once been someone’s home or street. As he stalked through the uninhabited fields behind his house, he avoided little bits of debris; planks of wood, nails, roof tiles.

He saw her from a few yards away. She had walked far away from the ambient light of Konoha’s streets and stood staring up at a moonless sky. Dressed in his black clothes, she was a ghostly figure of long white limbs floating in darkness. Her pale hair was stuck together in places from sleep and fell a little past her shoulders, just above where the Uchiha symbol would rest.

He felt his heart pounding unreasonably hard. Sakura. Bearing the Uchiha symbol…

Stupid, he thought, she doesn’t deserve the privilege or the burden.

“Is that you, Sasuke-kun?” she asked. She was so still, he thought he might have imagined it. “Did I wake you?”

“I felt someone moving around the house,” he said.

“Sorry,” she said, “I just wanted to get out for a while.”

She swung her arms a little and Sasuke sighed, letting out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. He hadn’t thought about it when he was pursuing her, but it suddenly occurred to him that maybe this wasn’t normal Sakura behavior, walking around at night and posing in fields like some sort of specter. That maybe something was wrong.

“Is… Are you alright?” he asked.

“Oh yeah. We didn’t do much today, so I’m just not tired yet,” she turned toward him, “It’s so quiet inside the house. Konoha isn’t noisy anymore... sometimes it freaks me out.”

He thought he heard her sigh as she began to walk towards him, the swish of grass under her feet, her face growing a little clearer with each step.

“It’s dark,” Sakura gasped, more to herself than anything else as she staggered over some unseen obstacle.

“There’s no moon,” he reminded her.

“Yeah. I’m kind of glad though. I don’t really see the moon the same way since the last battle.”

Sasuke nodded. They were face to face for a moment before he turned to walk with her back towards the house.

“It’s crazy when I stop and think about it. About you and Naruto fighting… and how powerful you both are… the most powerful ever.”

“I’m not sure about ever,” Sasuke said.

“Are you kidding me?” Sakura said with hushed irritation, “Name one person, living or dead, who’s stronger than you and Naruto now.”

Sasuke smiled despite himself. It was easier to talk like this, when faces were dimmed and there was nothing to see on the horizon. It felt like being in a different world.

“My brother was a prodigy. There had never been anyone as talented as he was. And when Kakashi was young, he was called a once in a generation ninja. Now we’re more powerful than both of them, but there’s probably already some genin who will surpass us all one day. Every generation grows stronger than the last.”

Sasuke paused. He didn’t know he felt that way, but after finding the words, he realized that those were his honest thoughts.

“From now on, our job will be even harder,” he continued, “Not only do we have to give the next generation our strength, but we have to convince them not to make our mistakes. We have to protect their souls.”

“That’s scary to think about… trying to mold kids stronger than the two of you…” then Sakura laughed, “It makes me feel more sympathy for Kakashi-sensei.”

“I’ve thought about that too. I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to him alone since everything ended.”

“Maybe before your next mission? If you can track him down… After tomorrow, I start back at the hospital and I’m sure you and Naruto are going to be busy…”

“We should train tomorrow,” Sasuke said absently, “I don’t want you getting weak again. Since you spend all your time at the hospital, I might have to take your training into my own hands to keep you on your toes.”

“That’s not funny, you know.” They had reached the back gate, still left open. Sakura was frowning, “That’s the second time you’ve made that joke and I’m starting to think you mean it. Let me remind you who won in our last sparring session.”

“Your last victory against me, dobe.”

“Dobe?!” she cried.

“Shhh!” he hushed her

She grabbed his arm playfully and he pulled away, dashing alongside the fence before leaping over it and then on to the roof. Sakura was right behind him, so he stopped suddenly, causing her to bump into his back as she tried to land.

“Ah!”

“Careful,” he chided, grabbing on to her arm before she could spill backwards over the edge. She pulled away to find steadier footing and toss her hair.

“Hmph! You be careful, teme. If you start treating me like Naruto, I might have to start beating up on you like he does.”

Sasuke shook his head and found himself waving her over to him. Suspicious, she edged toward him and, in the dark, found herself walking directly into his finger, poking her forehead with no small amount of force.

“Hey!” she complained.

He hadn’t been thinking, using that old trick. He felt strange and sad as she backed away, rubbing her forehead. Why was he doing this? Bringing up these old memories? It was like he couldn’t help himself…

Sakura was mumbling, half to him, half to herself, “Messing with my forehead now, huh…? I know it’s a big enough target, but still, that doesn’t mean you should poke it... I think you scratched me… Wait until I get my hands on you in the daylight... I’m gonna tell Kakashi-sensei you guys are bullying me…”

“Here,” Sasuke said, grabbing her hand and dragging it away from her forehead. He pressed his thumb to the affected spot, “You’re ok.”

She stopped muttering. He could feel how warm she was, despite the cool air. The night was like a blanket against the outside world and the sting of his memories didn’t feel as terrible when she stood so close, distracting him. He still didn’t know what he was doing. If he let something happen with Sakura, was that moving backwards or forwards?

He let his thumb fall from her forehead to run between her wide eyes, down the slope of her nose.

Sasuke didn’t have to say anything. He didn’t think he would. Sakura was standing there, quiet, staring into his eyes as though entranced. His thumb traced the crease of her lips. It would be so easy for him to take her. Maybe then he’d figure out what he was supposed to be doing. It could the beginning of some peace…

He touched his lips to hers. He didn’t feel anything. Sakura was utterly still. Was this what it was supposed to feel like? It was like there was an invisible wall between them and he had no idea how to penetrate it and get to the feeling that was drawing him to her in the first place. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight to his chest. That felt better, closing the distance a little. He kissed her harder. She gasped, opening her mouth slightly beneath him. For a second, her tongue touched his lip.

Just like that, the energy changed. He pressed the tip of his tongue to hers. She gasped again and he took advantage, kissing her with his whole mouth. He felt something new. It was just their faces, their lips, their bodies pressing together, but it felt… good. Her hands found the sides of his neck, her nails lightly scratching his skin. He felt the sensation might kill him. Even as he thought, What is this? he knew he didn’t want it to stop.

His hands roamed her back. He had to- needed to- get closer. He pulled her hips to align with his and their legs tangled together, until she was straddling his thigh. Sakura’s back was arched, pushing herself against him completely and he held her to his chest and leaned over her, pressing closer and harder.

Sakura made a little sound and brushed her leg against his thigh, hooking it around his waist when she suddenly stiffened. The last thing he felt was gooseflesh rise on her arms as she leapt away from him, almost losing her footing on the edge of the roof when she landed.

“Sasuke-kun…” she gasped.

He strode over to her and she put her hands straight out against his chest, keeping him at arm’s length. He wrapped his hands around her wrists.

“I know you know how I feel about you,” she said quickly, “But I can’t. Naruto… It’s… I can’t do that to Naruto. He loves me and I love him.”

Sasuke could barely concentrate. His senses were on fire; the sound of crickets, the warmth of her, her hands against his chest all clouded his mind, not leaving room for much else. Beyond that, there was a feeling totally new building up inside of him, one he’d heard of often, but never felt himself. His hands dropped to his sides and he repeated her words over and over in his head until they took some meaning.

“You’re… together? With Naruto?”

“Not yet. I’m still… God… The explanations don’t matter. I just can’t betray him like that,” she said. Even in the dark, he could see her lips were deep red from their kiss.

He took a step forward against the press of her hands. She couldn’t back up anymore without falling off of the roof. “If you’re not with him, how is it betrayal?”

“Because he loves me and I love him. And I… I’ve already decided.”

His confusion was starting to drain his other feelings. Thinking was getting easier, but an unwelcome cold sensation was beginning to spread through him.

“Then why aren’t you together?” he pressed.

“I’m just…” Sakura looked almost frightened. Sasuke thought she might run away and he felt like he would be within his rights to chase her if she did, but then something changed. She suddenly had a strange look on her face.

She stared into his eyes, her own glittering and angry, “You already know why. Why are you trying to make me say it? …Again,” she added darkly.

“No, I don’t,” he could not have been more sure that he had no idea what she was talking about.

“Sasuke…” she said, and for a moment, her voice was so deep and angry she sounded a bit like Naruto in the middle of a fight, “You…!”

One moment she was holding him back, the next she had tightened her hands on the lapels of his shirt and he was flying face first toward the other side of the roof. He flipped and landed quickly. She was yelling at him.

“Why do you think you can do whatever you want?! I’ve changed, ok?! I have!”

She jumped to the ground where she left his line of sight. He waited to hear the sound of a door slamming or more shouting to erupt from inside, but she disappeared as silently as appeared when he first saw her in the field.

Sasuke sat and pressed his face against his knees until there were stars behind his eyes. His hands trembled as he gripped his shoulders. What the hell was this? How could he live without a future and without a past?

Words that he hadn’t said in a decade flowed to his lips like no time had passed at all.

“Mom,” he whispered, “What should I do, mom? Mom…?”
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Stranger than the Wild