Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Torrid	By : KageKitsuneXXX Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 4665 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
A/N: People have been asking how long this story is going to be; getting bored already? *pouts*
The truth is, I have no idea. ALL my stories are one-shots until I start typing and realize it's not going to fit, lol. My stories play like old movies in my head- whenever a scene fades to black, that's where the written chapter ends (corny and strange, but true). Don't worry though, I haven't the intention (or energy) to make this story a sentence longer than it has to be. I'm surprised it's already eight chapters in. If I had to guess, maybe 'Torrid' is at the halfway point or a little past halfway; but like I said I'm absolutely terrible at gauging chapter numbers and length. All I can do is promise to try and make it interesting to the very end, so stick with it! Again, thanks for the lovely responses! Keep doing it for it keeps me inspired!
One day, hopefully in the not too distant future, people would be able to will their phones to not ring when they were trying to sleep. Naruto groaned as he buried his head under the pillow, trying to ignore the shrill sound of his cell phone going off. It refused to stop and finally he was forced to answer, wishing that the appropriate scientists would get off their asses and get to work.
"What?!" Naruto was usually a morning person. In fact, he was usually an all-day sort of person; but when you are required to make do on a couple hours of fitful sleep as Naruto had been lately, even the best people tended towards being cranky.
"What are you wearing?"
You had to be kidding him. "My Sailor Moon costume, what's it to you? It is too damned early for an obscene phone call, Neji."
"Granted, but then, when is it an appropriate time for an obscene phone call?"
Naruto yawned and checked his alarm clock. It was almost nine o'clock, he hadn't realised it was so late. He rubbed his face tiredly as he struggled to sit up. Maybe he needed to ask Tsunade about some sort of sleeping herbs, because his insomnia was getting pretty bad. 'What you need is a clean conscience- then you'd sleep.' Needing a distraction from the needling voice, Naruto turned his attention back to the matter at hand.
"How'd you get my number? I don't remember giving it to you." Another disruption to his morning reared its head as Naruto heard knocking at his door. He kept talking to Neji as he tried to find his way out of his bedroom.
"It's not a hard thing to get someone's personal information, Naruto. In fact, it's absolutely disgraceful how easy it is to violate someone's privacy."
Naruto hung up on Neji unceremoniously without an ounce of remorse, seeing as the man in question was standing at his apartment door.
"This is stalking. I'm sure this is stalking. I passed that compulsory civics course in college, and I know this is stalking. At the very least, this is sexual harassment."
Neji appeared to think about that for a moment. "While I admit that it might be stalking, I think it's only sexual harassment if the aggressor is unattractive."
"I could have you arrested…"
"In this village? You'd have a better chance of being elected Pope."
Naruto rolled his eyes and stepped away from the door, allowing Neji into his apartment. The latter quickly stepped in and started looking about. It was surprisingly neat, for some reason Neji had expected chaos to be the most notable thing in Naruto's home. It was mostly as Neji had imagined it however- lots of space and colour. The plants were another surprise; they were many and placed at strategic points all over the apartment, adding colour and fragrance. Naruto's space was all life and energy, and Neji had to admit, it suited the blond perfectly.
"You have a green thumb. I never would have guessed."
"So you don't know all there is to know about everyone and everything. Imagine that…"
Neji couldn't help but be amused by Naruto's churlish tone. "You're still angry at me about what I said on the ship the other night. Perhaps I should have found a more diplomatic way of saying what I thought, although I meant everything I said. I'm painfully blunt; but I thought you would appreciate that quality."
"I am not mad, and I usually do appreciate it, but you don't know Sasuke, you don't know our relationship and you don't have all the information."
"Enlighten me then."
Naruto decided it wasn't worth the fight, unsure if he'd have anything that would debunk Neji's opinions anyway. Besides, he was at a disadvantage. He had just gotten up and was still a little hung over from the need for sleep. One needed all his mental faculties to be sharp if one was going to defend Sasuke on any level. Naruto simply shook his head and started going about his morning ritual.
"So what are we doing today?"
Naruto yawned as he shuffled about his kitchen, preparing his ramen and toast. "We aren't doing anything. I have errands to run. You can go take a flying leap."
Neji sat at the counter, not the least bit discouraged by the dry response. "I can do errands. I'm great at errands."
How to solve a problem like Neji? Naruto had to admit that he respected the near-maddening self-assurance. "You're unused to not getting your way, aren't you?"
"On the contrary, I'm very accustomed to not getting what I want. I'm relentless in my physical training and studies, but in other areas I don't try very hard. When it comes to relationships, I usually don't try at all. I don't know why I'm behaving like this. The person I turn into when I'm around you is both embarrassing and appalling; but he's willing to try and try hard. I thought that was another quality you'd appreciate as well."
Naruto stared at Neji as he bit into his toast. He was convinced that the Nejis and Sasukes of the world were going to be the death of him. He checked his clock and realized three things: he was going to be late if he didn't hurry, there was no getting rid of Neji and, thirdly, he didn't want to be late or to be rid of Neji. Naruto sighed loudly and shrugged, making it clear that he was acting under duress. Honestly, the absolute death of him.
"So how good are you at farming?"
Honestly, the Uzumaki boy was going to be the death of her. First he brings the Uchiha prince to do her yard work, now he takes the Hyuuga prodigy. What would her neighbours think of her putting Konoha royalty to work on her small farm? Next, he'd be bringing the Queen of England to clean her bathroom.
"And don't be afraid to put Neji to work," the audacious brat was saying. "He might not look it, but he's not afraid to break a sweat, are you Neji?"
Neji blinked and nodded his assurance. He had thought Naruto had been joking to scare him off for the day; instead, he was standing in a tiny kitchen under the fretful inspection of "Yuina baa-chan", realizing that he might just have to touch a cow today.
"Well there are the usual things to do Naruto, bet perhaps Hyuuga-sama could help me with some floral arrangements and-"
The diminutive old woman trailed off as Naruto crossed his arms and glowered down at her from his impressive height. "Hey, hey, so why does "Hyuuga-sama" get to sit in the cool house arranging flowers while "Naruto" goes outside and does all the hard work? You don't think Neji is better than me do you?"
"Of course not! I-"
"You don't think he's some kind of wimp do you?"
"I would never say that about-"
"Well it's all fine then!" Naruto grinned widely and waved as he yanked Neji outside with him. "Make sure you have lemonade for us, baa-chan!"
Yuina sighed as she watched a helpless Neji being carted off. There really was no winning against that boy. This had been exactly what happened when he'd brought Sasuke with him. At least she had gotten used to the Uchiha prince, now it looked like she would have to get accustomed to the Hyuuga boy too. She peeked through her back window and laughed as she watched a stunned Neji being introduced to her prize cow. The Hyuuga and the Uchiha Clans always stood untouchable in Konoha, despite their benevolence and community spirit. She didn't think times had that changed much in that respect, but now there was Naruto, and he had the amazing power of bringing people together, even the untouchables among them. Yuina shook her head as she went off to make lunch. She wasn't going to take the chance getting scolded again.
Neji's eye twitched as he stared at the mountain of logs before him. Why people were still splitting logs in this day and age was a mystery to him. He had a sneaking suspicion that they only did it because it seemed like such a traditional, farm-like thing to do. He looked at Naruto suspiciously as the man handed him an axe.
"And you do this every time you come here?"
"Yep."
"What does she do with all this wood?"
"Beats me. I suspect she's in the underground paper-making trade. I always think I chop enough to last her awhile, but when I come back, it's all gone."
Neji contemplated the log mountain once more and turned back to Naruto. "Why are you doing all this? Penance or something?"
"Heh, no. She and her husband have always been good to me. When he died, she didn't want to lose the farm so she decided to do everything herself. She's pretty amazing. I just help out when I can."
Neji snorted softly as he gave another look to the massive pile of wood. "This is all very sweet and noble of you, but don't think for a second I don't know what you're doing. You're trying to suck all the sexy out of our date." Neji quieted as Naruto began peeling off his shirt. "Then again, I may have spoken too soon."
"You have a tendency of doing that, and this is not a date. I'm running an errand, and you're helping me."
Neji sat on a stump, watching the muscles of Naruto's body flex and relax. "I find myself developing a new appreciation for the art of wood-chopping."
Naruto grinned and continued with his job. "If you think this is hot, wait until you help me spread manure."
"Hmm, wait…what?"
Naruto only smiled more. They both worked for a while longer in silence, until Neji spoke again.
"So you're really not going to tell me?"
"About what?"
"You and Sasuke…you're not going to tell me the story?"
"There's nothing to talk about."
Neji paused then, and retook his seat on the stump. "I'm going to spread manure; that isn't worth a story?"
"No one asked you to come, you know."
Naruto kept working as Neji sat staring at me him, waiting with the Zen patience. Naruto tried to ignore the probing look for a while, before capitulating gracelessly. He could never hold out for long when Sasuke stared at him like that either.
"I used to be a ghost, okay?"
Of all the openings Neji had imagined, he wasn't expecting that. He tilted his head, staring curiously. Naruto sighed, finally stopping to turn and finish his explanation.
"I used to be a ghost; that's the only way I could describe it. When I was a little kid, it's like I never existed. I mean I could see people, touch them, but it's like I wasn't there. I don't know what I did, or why it was like that, but the people here treated me like I didn't exist, like I didn't matter. Even if I acted out, it didn't make a difference, so I figured I must have been some kind of ghost. I was six; it made the most sense to me."
Naruto shrugged inelegantly, trying to keep the dark feelings from that time at bay. "I remember Sasuke then too, I used to watch him all the time. All the little girls would hang around him, bothering him all day, trying to get him to eat the lunches their moms made. The teachers and mothers would fuss over him too, wanting him to become friends with their kids. It used to piss him off so bad, and it used to piss me off to watch him. I mean, how could you not want all that attention? I hated him with everything in my gut. He was seven and he was such an asshole."
Naruto laughed at the memory. They were always intense, even as little kids. "Every once in awhile though, I'd pass him down by the lake, he'd just be sitting there by himself staring out at the water. He'd have this look on his face- and I knew the look because I saw it every time I passed a mirror- like maybe he was a ghost too. But that didn't make sense, because he was Sasuke, and he's the Uchiha prince.
Then that day came. It was after one of the academy's functions and I was sitting on the swing watching all the parents leave with their kids. Sasuke's hadn't shown up, I guess they forgot or something, but he was still waiting. That's what you do when you're a ghost, you just wait. He sat on the swing next to mine for awhile, not saying anything. Then, he did the stupidest thing. The bastard yanked my hair; and I know we were just kids, but seriously, how juvenile can you get? The bastard yanked my hair." Naruto repeated softly, completely transported back to that time.
"And that was all it took. That one idiotic thing, and suddenly I wasn't a ghost anymore. Granted, I spent the first few minutes of my new found awareness trying to kick his ass; but the point is, I was alive and Sasuke was the first person to make me feel that way. We've never really been apart since then, not for long anyway, or not because we wanted to."
Naruto looked at Neji intently, as if trying to will the understanding into him.
"He always saw me, even when no one else did. He acknowledged my existence, and I don't expect you to understand what a huge thing that is, but it is huge…it's everything. I'm not saying that he was all there was to saving me, because I grew up with a lot of pain and a lot of rage; and if the right people hadn't stepped in at the right time, who knows what I'd be. But Sasuke brought me to life; and for the longest time, he was the only thing that kept me that way. How do I walk away from that? How do I deny the person that let me know I really existed?"
Neji sat in silence, trying to form an answer. He had guessed the ties that bound Naruto and Sasuke together would be strong; but he hadn't been expecting the depth of the bond. But still…
"You don't need him to validate your existence anymore, Naruto."
"I know that. That isn't the point."
"I'm not sure you do know that. You say I don't know Sasuke, and maybe I don't. I can, however, tell you what I think. I think Sasuke's still that seven year old kid pulling your hair on the playground, and you've moved beyond that a long time ago."
Naruto could only smile wryly at the comment. "You just haven't met him yet…"
"Who, Sasuke?"
Naruto shook his head slowly. "No, that important person- the one who'll become the other part of your soul... When you meet him, you'll understand that you don't get to choose; not always. You don't get to choose the way they are, if they're a bastard or not; if they're good or evil. You don't even get to choose if it's okay for him to not love you back. You only know you need him like you need air in your lungs, and that you'll do anything, give up anything, bleed yourself dry if you had to, to keep him with you."
Neji was beginning to realize just what an uphill battle it was going to be to get through to Naruto. It was incredible how a person who seems so rational about everything else could be so hopelessly irrational when it came to love. Neji closed his eyes, trying to arrange his thoughts carefully. Finally, he opened them again.
"Tsunade-hime thinks you're going to change the world one day. She honestly believes it. By the end of the partnership discussions, she had most of us believing it too. She told us that even though you had just about the worst start a child could have, you survived and came out the better for it. She told us how you inspire people to change their lives and be better people, the same way you inspired her. I just can't reconcile that person she told me about, with the man who has convinced himself that what Sasuke is giving him is adequate. It's not enough, Naruto."
Naruto sighed tiredly, not wanting to argue the point anymore. "Yeah? What else is there?"
Neji wasn't sure, and hadn't thought there was anything else beyond that to which he was already accustomed. But standing there, looking at Naruto, feeling the way he felt, Neji was as sure about this as he had been about anything in his life.
"There is more, Naruto and you deserve better."
Naruto snorted as he picked up the axe and resumed chopping logs. "Who knows…maybe. Just imagine what the world was like if everyone got exactly what they deserved."
Sakura refilled the dropper and watched for awhile as the small mouse drank thirstily. She had nicknamed him Napoleon since he had been the smallest of his litter, but still managed to bully everyone about before he was isolated. She checked Napoleon's clipboard, satisfied that all his tests for the day had been completed. She was distracted from her rodent friend by the sound of tapping on her lab window. Ino lifted the small basket containing their lunches and impatiently pointed to her watch. Her friend got cranky when she was hungry or made to wait. Soon, they were seated on one of the benches on the manicured grounds of Haruno Pharmaceuticals, now a subsidiary of Uchiha Corps.
"So how's life in the wonderful world of make believe?"
Sakura ignored the barbed question as she accepted her bento box.
"I have a plan."
"Oh?"
"I got distracted by the honeymoon. I thought that since it was so great, it would automatically continue after we came back and that I wouldn't have to do anything. I realize now that that isn't the case. Sasuke needs to be guided into accepting me and our marriage and I haven't been doing that. "
Ino chewed thoughtfully, wondering just how deluded one person could be. "And you have a plan?"
"Yes."
"Which is?"
"Naruto."
Now that came straight out of left field. Ino raised an eyebrow, curious to see just where her friend was going with this. "Go on…"
"I realized it the night of the cancer benefit. The only person who Sasuke really connects with on any level is Naruto, right? He lets his guard down around him, he confides in him, listens to him, all the big relationship stuff. Now, I figure all I have to do is just work out how Naruto gets him to do all that and then...do it."
Ino choked on a piece of sushi. ""All you have to do?" How exactly do you plan on figuring all that out?"
"I'll watch them, obviously. I'll call Naruto over sometimes, see how they relate and how Naruto behaves towards him. I'll put it all together with my prior knowledge and understanding of them and crack the code. I've always been watching them Ino, but I never really made an attempt to understand just how they work."
Ino now faced an interesting dilemma. How do you tell a person she's going off the deep end?
"So let me get this straight. You want to put Naruto and Sasuke in a controlled environment like a couple of your lab mice, watch them interact and make a series of observations that should lead you to make informed deductions, after which you'll be able to make a fitting conclusion, thus salvaging some semblance of a marriage?"
"I'm a disciple of the scientific method, okay? It's what I know. Don't knock it until you've tried it."
Ino put down her chopsticks and clasped her hands. Sakura needed some sort of intervention, and obviously it was up to her to do it.
"Permit me, if you will, to point out a few things. Firstly, you want Sasuke's best friend, his very male, masculine best friend by the way, to teach you how to be his wife. I'm just going to end that point right there, because it's just that good. Secondly, you want to 'crack the code' of Sasuke and Naruto's relationship? Why? That is their relationship Sakura, it's unique to them and works the way it does because of the way they are. You want to be his wife, not his buddy. For gods' sakes, up until their senior year of the academy, they'd get into fist fights with each other every other week. I'm fairly certain you don't want to relate to Sasuke physically the same way Naruto does. And my final point? It's Naruto. You either love him or you hate him, and he makes hating him is painful and physically exhausting. The fact that Sasuke loves him simply means he's human like us and not fond of pain or physical exhaustion."
"You're being ridiculous."
"I am not! Have you met Naruto? He's like this hyperactive, blond ball of charisma that goes around sucking people in. Obviously Sasuke, for all his specialness, is not immune. No one has been able to resist for long. I'm sure that in about twenty years or so, the entire world will be one nation united under Naruto. Ramen will be declared a perfect food, ne'er-do-wells will be converted from their dark paths with a passionate speech… Although he'll probably want us to all wear orange jumpsuits, but I'm sure we can talk him out of it. I'd like to think that Naruto will be a benevolent dictator who'll-"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"
Ino blinked and coughed. "Sorry, when you talk to plants all day, you kind of develop a stream of consciousness thing and it's hard to stop yourself. My point is, it's not feasible to fashion a blueprint for your relationship off the one Sasuke and Naruto have together. It's doomed to fail."
Sakura knew it wasn't the perfect plan, but right now it was all she had.
"Unless you have a better idea, Ino, Naruto might just be my only hope."
Naruto had been standing outside their door for the past five minutes. He didn't want to be here and he prayed earnestly that Sakura wasn't going to make it a habit of inviting him over. He felt his stomach twist into knots as he tapped lightly at the door, perfectly willing to turn and head straight home if it didn't open within twenty seconds.
Sakura opened the door in ten. She quickly tugged him inside. "There you are. It you took long enough to get here. You can help me finish dinner, and get Sasuke to help too."
"Look Sakura-chan, you don't have to ask me over all the time. I know you're worried about me feeling left out and whatever, but I fine, really."
Sakura gave a brittle smile and shook her head. "I want you here. It's not just for you, it's for me too. I miss being team seven sometimes and… having you around makes me feel better. So don't feel guilty about coming over, okay?"
"Yeah… okay."
It was a double-edged sword for the both of them, as they stood there smiling at each other as guilt cut through them. They were finally distracted from the awkward moment by Sasuke exiting his study, muttering angrily.
"What are you so ticked off about?" Naruto quirked an eyebrow as Sasuke brushed past him and headed into the kitchen.
"Stupid thing keeps crashing in the middle of downloads…"
"Sasuke, you live in the technological capital of the world. Stop freaking out about the stupid laptop and dump the piece of junk."
Sasuke glowered at Naruto and only muttered about all his files and settings being exactly the way he wanted them to be. Naruto was unmoved.
"Back up all your files, and duplicate your precious settings on a new system. Do you have to make a federal case out of everything?"
Sakura could only giggle at the sulky look Sasuke sent his friend. "I've been trying to tell him to get a new one; but I think Sasuke's sentimental over it."
Sasuke reddened immediately, which meant Sakura had hit the nail on the head.
"I am not sentimental! It's just a hassle transferring all the data and getting used to a new system. I would have tossed it a long time ago if it wasn't for that."
Naruto squinted and scratched the back of his head as Sasuke tried unsuccessfully to defend himself against his wife's slanderous accusation.
"Wait… is that the same laptop I bought you from my royalty cheque?"
It had been Naruto's royalties from ghost-writing for Jiraiya. At sixteen, it was the most money Naruto had ever seen, let alone had, in his life; and the job had been entirely accidental. All Naruto had wanted at the time was the old pervert to teach him taijutsu, but the man had been more interested in 'researching' for his next novel. Acting on his initiative, Naruto had completed the a few chapters when the old man had passed out and emailed them to Jiraiya's editor. Jiraiya hadn't known what horrified him more, the fact that Naruto had done such a thing, or that the editor was completely fooled into thinking it was the real deal. But it had been the beginning a lucrative arrangement, since a few months later, Jiraiya officially had Naruto penned into his contract. The only thing which had horrified Naruto was that he obviously had all the talent of a perverted fifty year old. The first thing he had done with the money was to buy his closest friends gifts. Sakura's designer boots had cost almost as much as the laptop and Kiba's newest kennel combined, go figure.
"Sasuke, that laptop is over eight years old, and it wasn't the best there was either. Dump it already."
Sasuke only pouted more, obviously not pleased with Naruto's willingness to toss the piece of hardware aside.
"I told you Naruto, he's sentimental."
Before Sasuke could take Sakura's head off, Naruto intervened with a compromise. "I'll buy you a new one then, how about that? We'll back up your files, copy your settings and you won't suffer from high blood pressure anymore. Fine?"
"Fine, whatever, it's your money." Sasuke muttered huffily; giving in to Naruto's suggestion just like Sakura imagined he would.
It was easier than they could have anticipated- slipping back into their old Team 7 routine. It not only made Sakura's plan flow much more smoothly, but for the first time in weeks, Sasuke was actually relating to her the way he used to. For a little while, Sakura forgot she was desperately trying to make her marriage work, Naruto wasn't a dirty mistress and Sasuke wasn't trapped in the middle trying to keep it all together.
Sakura offered Sasuke some daigaku imo she had made; momentarily forgetting how much Sasuke hated sweet things. He had politely refused the candied sweet potatoes until Naruto picked one up and abruptly shoved it into his mouth. Sasuke's face darkened comically at the overwhelming sweetness of the food.
"Eat it and don't be rude. Sakura-chan worked hard on those. I don't know how a person can hate sweets anyway. I'm pretty sure that's what is responsible for all of your personality problems."
Sakura hid her amusement as Sasuke shot Naruto a dirty look, but finished swallowing the treat. She couldn't imagine the day when she'd be able to do a thing as forward as that, but then, it was all about baby steps. The moment was interrupted by the sound of Sakura's cell phone ringing.
"Haruno-sensei! You have to come to the lab!"
"Damn it Karin, what now?"
"Test subject #26 is tachycardic and showing signs of distress. Numbers 17 and 31 also seem to be having reactions to the latest dosage of the antibiotics."
Subject #26 was Napoleon, who appeared to be having an adverse reaction to the experimental antibiotics her labs were to develop. She quickly reeled off some instructions to Karin and assured her she was one her way. Hopefully, she'd be able to come back before Naruto left.
"How long does she expect me to wait? Just what is going on with Sakura-chan anyway?" Naruto flopped down on the coach in the living room, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he waited obediently for Sakura's return.
"Who knows? Maybe she needs a buffer sometimes. I don't pretend to understand women."
Sasuke watched Naruto as the he settled into the couch, still running his hands tiredly over his face. He knew Naruto hadn't been sleeping well. He kept watching his friend keenly as Naruto sighed.
"What's the matter with you?"
"I'm blocked."
"Hn, you need more fibre in your diet."
Naruto removed his hands from his face slowly and looked incredulously at the very serious Sasuke next to him. "What?"
"I'm serious. You have a crappy diet and it's catching up on you. Adequate fibre definitely works. I haven't been constipated since before we were seniors in the academy… then again, maybe fibre had nothing to do with it; maybe I just have you to thank for that."
Naruto's left eye had been twitching during Sasuke's spiel. "I meant writer's block, you gross bastard! Oh my god, you can be so disgusting sometimes, ugh!"
"Oh, sorry," Sasuke smirked at Naruto's convulsions. "I didn't know the dirty novel industry was so stressful."
"It's not the so-called dirty bits that are giving the problems, it's the story. The kinky stuff is just the icing on the cake, people buy Icha-Icha for the love story, the heroics and the drama, and I'm just not feeling any of it. My deadline's coming up and our editor's going to murder me if I'm not on time. Too bad he's able to figure out now who's who by the writing now, or I'd ask ero-sennin to cover for me."
At the mention of Naruto's editor, Sasuke snorted his disdain. "I don't know how or why you put up with that guy. He's irritable, unreasonable and you can probably find better elsewhere."
Naruto reached up to gently stroke Sasuke's cheek with the back of his hand. "Because despite all of that, he brings out the best in me. I can't imagine being with anyone else."
Sasuke didn't say anything, finding himself trapped in Naruto's soft expression, and the gentle brush of the hand along his face. He caught Naruto's thumb between his teeth. He sucked lightly for awhile, watching the blue eyes darken in that way they always did. At length, Naruto pulled away; not wanting the moment to turn into a passion-pit situation that Sakura might walk in on.
"Well then, what you need is a muse. It's the fibre of creativity. Since you're in a bind, pun intended, I guess I'll have to volunteer."
"Excuse me?"
"I said I'll be your muse." Sasuke sat up straight, crossed his arms and nodded sagely. "Look upon me and be inspired."
Naruto rolled his eyes and snorted rudely. "You're such an idiot. I'll have you know that there's more to being a muse than sitting on your ass looking pretty. If you want the job, you've got to do the work. You want to be my muse, do something amusing. 'Amusing' get it? See what I did there?"
Now it was Sasuke's turn to roll his eyes. "So quickly you move to reclaim your idiot title. But fine, come on."
Naruto followed Sasuke into his study and sat down unto the black, leather couch. He watched curiously as Sasuke opened the closet and hauled a large, bulky case out. He eyes immediately lit up with recognition.
"Betsy!"
"It's a world-class cello. Please stop calling it Betsy!" Actually it was Betsy, the second, Sasuke having outgrown 'Betsy, the first' years ago.
"I haven't heard you play in months now." Naruto sat up eagerly as Sasuke took his place on a chair before him and put the cello in position.
"That's because you don't come around anymore unless someone forces you," Sasuke mumbled, barely audible. "And I'm not dragging her up to your apartment."
When Naruto had discovered Sasuke's cello lessons soon after they became friends, and had teased him mercilessly about it. Teased him mercilessly, that is, until he heard him play. It was one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard and of course, Sasuke was a natural at it, even though it embarrassed him. Sasuke was good at everything. From the first note Sasuke played, Naruto had been captivated by it, falling in love with the unlikely genre of classical music and the cello. It seemed to be just one more way Sasuke managed to find to help suppress that caged beast Naruto always felt was trapped within him; and he would convince Sasuke to play for him every chance he got.
"What are you going to play, Bach?"
"No, I learnt a new song for y-" Sasuke caught himself. "I learnt a new song. One of those classical crossover pieces. It's called 'Explosive'."
Sasuke tried to settle, feeling the familiar shyness which always accompanied playing for Naruto. Sometimes he felt more exposed playing the cello, than he did lying naked underneath him. He inhaled and then swept the bow across the strings in his opening salvo.
Naruto watched and listened, mesmerized as the music took off soaring around the room. Sasuke seemed to blend seamlessly with the cello, his speed and precision almost inhuman. The music did justice to its name, wild and tempestuous; it rose and crashed around him as Sasuke seemed to pour his soul into it. Just as the song reached its crescendo, it fell away suddenly, gentling to a sweet lull before it was abruptly taking off again, mirroring its start. When Sasuke finished with a flourish, Naruto cheered and applauded.
"You liked?"
"Liked? I loved! That was amazing."
Sasuke smiled then, wide and genuine- a smile that was reserved only for a very particular blond audience. "Really? I thought maybe I was a bit off near the middle…"
He was blatantly fishing for compliments and Naruto didn't mind giving them. "I don't know about that. I do know that I had to restrain myself from throwing my underwear at you."
Sasuke grinned wider, trying to hide his obvious pleasure by scratching his nose with the bow still in his hand. The little kid inside him, who was starved for approval, gorged himself on Naruto's sunny smile and appreciative words.
"That's our song."
Sasuke stared in confusion. "Huh?"
"'Explosive', right? That's us…it definitely sounds like us. That's our song."
Sasuke looked at Naruto for awhile, wondering what the best course of action was to a statement like that. Finally, he smiled again, nodding slowly.
"Yeah, it's definitely us. I guess it is our song. You want me to play it again?" He could kick himself for how shy and timid he sounded; but in those moments, he couldn't help himself.
"I don't know… that was quite the physical effort. You sure you're up to it again?"
Sasuke sniffed haughtily, adequately challenged and stirred into action. "Hn, watch me."
Naruto sat back, sighing as Sasuke transformed in a virtuoso again. He wished he was able to translate these moments into words, because then it would be easier to explain why he loved Sasuke the way he did, and why he couldn't bear to leave. But in the end, it didn't matter if he could explain it adequately or not, because he knew what he felt. Besides, he couldn't worry about people not understanding them now; he was being inspired and Sasuke was playing their song.
Napoleon and his ilk had managed to detain Sakura for hours. She was surprised to see Naruto's car still in the parking lot when she got home. She remembered she had ordered him to stay and felt badly that her first observation attempt hadn't panned out and she had only managed to keep Naruto hostage in her home. She opened the door expecting to hear the two men playing video games, or chatting, but only heard the soft strains of classical music emanating from her husband's study.
She tip-toed to the door which stood ajar, and peeked in. Naruto was fast asleep on the coach, sleeping so deeply, he barely seemed to be breathing. Sasuke's back was to her, and luckily he hadn't noticed her coming in. She stared in surprise as Sasuke sat playing Brahms' Lullaby, the soft music filling the room. She hadn't known that Sasuke was still playing. She found out about it when they were children through Naruto's teasing, but she had never heard him play; and thought he had abandoned it years ago.
She watched for a while longer, until an odd feeling that she was intruding came over her. She quietly backed away and headed to her room. It had been a long day, but she found herself with a fledging new resolve. Her husband played the cello; and maybe, one day, he'd play it for her.
TBC
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A/N: This is a huge chapter, almost double or even triple my usual length. I thought about splitting it, but there was no way I would have been satisfied with the chapter unless all these scenes were included. Soooo, since I did double duty, I can get next week off right? Right? *runs away*

I hope you enjoyed!
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