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"Possibilities" (Present - 10000hit on Sacrifices)	By : Tsukineko9 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1612 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-"Possibilities" (Present - 10000hit on Sacrifices)
- 1
Title: Possibilities

Author: Cecilia Tsukineko and Kirei Kitsue

Genre and Pairing: yaoi, NaruSasuNaru

Rating: NC-17

Summary: Naruto has no luck with the ladies whatsoever and when he gets shot down he usually runs to Sasuke. As the Hokage-in-training he's got a lot of stress and the Anbu Captain is a good drinking buddy now that the stick (AKA - Itachi) isn't up his ass any more. But when Naruto finds Sasuke having lunch with the very girl that shot him down so brutally that very morning... A few truths come to light.

DISCLAIMER: We don't gain anything but amusement from these writings, so please give credit to Kishimoto Masashi-sama for the characters and all things canon!

----------Late Morning----------
::Okay... you can do this... C'mon, Naruto!:: the twenty-one-year-old blond thought to himself, raising a fist to knock on the door of one of his co-workers� home. Taking a deep, calming breath he let his knuckles rap against the wood. As the door opened he grinned his best wonderful-to-see-you grin and chirped, "Hey Arisa! Can I talk to you for a sec?"
Arisa, a rather pretty, fine-boned young lady who worked part time at the Hokage Tower running errands opened the door to her one-room apartment slowly and slipped outside. Her stomach fluttered nervously. ::Why is he here of all people,:: she kept asking herself and only partially shut the door behind her, enough to let him know that there was no way she was letting him into her home and at the same time giving herself a quick escape should things turn... sour, whatever was going on... She said nothing, not sure what to do and waited for him to speak. ::This had better be something important.::
"Ano sa. Ano sa... I was wondering... ano..." Naruto took a deep breath to quell his nervousness and asked, smiling brightly, "Can I buy you lunch?"
Her big brown eyes got larger with surprise, but it only lasted for several seconds before a look of absolute disbelief settled over her petite features. "What in the world... makes you think that I'd want to date you?" she asked her tone slowly going from disbelieving to insulted. "Do you have any idea what dating you would do to my life?! I'd instantly become a social outcast! My parents would disown me! Naruto, you may be recognized as a ninja, but the whole world knows you aren't human enough to marry! Forget it! And don't come here again, ok?" She was already slipping back into her apartment having shut the door almost completely by the time she got to the end of her tirade. It clicked shut right in his face, Naruto never getting the time to say even a word.
Naruto stared at her door for a moment before shoving his hands in his pockets and slouching. "A simple 'no thanks' would have done... damn woman... dunno what I saw in her anyway..." he grumbled as he shuffled away, kicking at any rocks in his path. "I was nice about it too... and I am human, god dammit."
It had never been easy for Naruto, being the holder of Kyuubi... even though the whole village (mostly) now recognized him to be a powerful ninja. He was a Jounin now, and in training to be the next Hokage. That had brought problems of its own, but those had been thoroughly mauled to death when Tsunade had made it very clear that she wouldn't stand for anyone but Naruto to succeed her. Most people had resigned themselves to the idea that Naruto was going to be their next leader.
Muttering curses and kicking at anything in his way, Naruto slowly walked towards Sasuke's apartment. His former teammate was the captain of the Anbu now, but they were still good friends/rivals... though with Itachi dead and Orochimaru taken care of, there wasn't really anything to be rivals about any more. Not that Naruto minded. He very much liked having Sasuke as a friend, and he always went to him after being dumped - and Naruto was always dumped - to complain until he felt better. He knew Sasuke never completely listened to his rants, but he didn't try to push him onto anyone else either and that was appreciated.
Sasuke wasn't in his apartment. Grumbling even more Naruto searched the village, finally spotting him a couple hours later leaning against a wall next to the door of a small caf�. Naruto headed for him but stopped dead in his tracks when she showed up.
"Sasuke-kun!" Arisa greeted the raven-haired bishounen cheerfully. Finally! A date with Sasuke! Every girl's dream! "I didn't keep you waiting too long did I?" She pouted, an expression that made her look incredibly feminine - far more than she ever usually did - and took his arm as he straightened from the wall.
Actually, Sasuke had been standing there for quite some time. Arisa - who had made the plans in the first place - had been over an hour late. Without changing expressions Sasuke simply said, "I've waited longer." Ignoring the leech now attached to his arm he lifted the drape-sign in front of the open cafe and ushered her politely through the door before following her. It wasn't as though he really had a choice in the matter considering she was latched onto his arm like a burr.
They were seated almost instantly and given menus and drinks. Sasuke picked up his menu and glanced through it briefly making his meal decision quickly while Arisa glanced at the salad section on the back of the menu. Refraining politely from rolling his eyes, Sasuke ordered once she'd told him what she wanted and then turned to business. "I need to know, so stop stalling. I don't have time to waste like this..."
Growling Naruto turned on his heel and stalked away. He didn't like what he'd heard from Sasuke. After being friends with him for years he had learned to interpret both Sasuke�s expressions and his speech, and he wasn't liking the possible translations he was coming up with for those words, one of them being, 'I need to know if you'll accept my offer or not. I have a fan club to pick from so I'm not going to spend too much time waiting on you.' Angry that Arisa had stolen his best friend right when he needed him Naruto kicked a large rock, not caring what direction it went, and heard a yelp.
"Hey, watch where you're kicking stuff!" Kiba yelled at him, kneeling down to check his dog's leg - his large dog's leg. "You hit Akamaru!"
"Sorry," Naruto grumbled, not stopping at all to check himself that Akamaru was alright.
Seeing that Akamaru hadn't been hurt at all Kiba fell into step next to Naruto, his wolf-sized dog at his heel. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," Naruto ground out.
"Uh huh," Kiba muttered in disbelief. "This wouldn't have anything to do with you getting rejected again this morning, would it?" He rolled his eyes when Naruto glared at him. "Ino lives right across the street from whoever you tried to ask out. Look, why don't you save yourself the trouble and stop going to them? Let them come to you for a change." Naruto just ignored him and he sighed. "Fine, don't listen to me. I'll see you later, Naruto." Shaking his head he walked away.
"Yeah, bye," Naruto muttered, kicking at another rock as heading for the training grounds.
Arisa took another deep breath as she explained in far more detail than Sasuke needed to know all about the emotional state of her own sister, one of Sasuke's less than entirely dependable subordinates. It wasn't that Keine wasn't capable of remaining an Anbu - and a good one at that - it was just that the younger - in fact the youngest - Anbu had a hard time listening to Sasuke's orders and briefings, often missed most of what Sasuke was saying while staring blankly right at him. Unable to get more than a few words out of Keine, Sasuke had looked elsewhere for help and regretted his choice almost instantly.
He was just about to tell her to get to the point when she finally did.
"She likes you... She�s not like other girls though -..."
About to inquire as to what exactly she meant Sasuke opened his mouth only to stop for the same reason Arisa had looking up as Kiba and his oversized lapdog entered the cafe.
"Hey Sasuke," Kiba said simply, ignoring the girl simply because he was there to talk to Sasuke, not to her. "Naruto's in a bit of a mood 'cause he got rejected by some catty whore this morning again. And he was really nice about it too, at least according to Ino. I tried talking to him but he won't listen to me. Go pull him out of his funk again? You're the only one who can cheer him up when he's like this."
Sasuke didn't even hesitate. "I understand," he said simply and stood. "I have to leave," he said simply to Arisa and flopped enough money on the table to cover the whole luncheon. He didn't even wait to listen to her protests of "But Sasuke -..." and "Hey wait!" Without a word he was walking fast out of the cafe with Kiba right beside him. Anything to get away from that insane woman's babble. He had all the information he needed anyway. Besides, Naruto was his friend, something he wasn't so afraid to admit any more, even if it was hard to see that fact. "Where was he headed?" he asked as he and Kiba stepped outside.
"Training grounds, I think. That's the direction he was going in, anyway. No guarantee that he actually went there."
"I know. Thank you."
It was all he said as he leaped backwards and landed on the roof of the cafe in a controlled crouch before darting off in the direction of the training grounds, first over the roof and then through the trees. He dropped to the ground moments later and straightened as he caught sight of Naruto, beating the lifelessness out of one of the three posts there making it explode into a shower of wood chips he was hitting it so hard with his shins and fists. Walking slowly - it wouldn't be wise to startle the blond in his mood - Sasuke approached. "Oi... Usurakontachi... you look like you need a drink..."
"Thought you were busy," Naruto grumbled, not pausing in his killing of the post. He didn't pay any attention to the multitude of splinters in his skin. "Don't you have a date or something?"
"Date? Tch." Sasuke scoffed as he moved over to lean against the post next to the one Naruto was currently battling with his arms folded over his chest. "The leech wouldn't give me the information I needed unless it was over lunch... Call that a date if you want."
Naruto paused in the middle of a kick and looked at him. "Information you needed?" ::You mean it wasn't a date?:: He was still annoyed that she'd managed to steal his friend just as he was looking for him, but... if it had been a business meeting then it wasn't such a big deal.
"Yes." Sasuke straightened from the post and dropped his left arm to his side while he laid his right hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Drinks?" Years ago this would have been awkward, unheard of, strange, and completely unlike him, but he bore Orochimaru's mark no longer and his vengeance had been fulfilled. His struggles had taught him a lot, but one of the most important lessons he'd learned had been the value of friendship.
"Sure, why not. As long as you're buying," Naruto said with a lopsided grin. He felt a little better now that Sasuke had come to find him instead of the usual Naruto searching for Sasuke. That meant Sasuke actually considered him a friend and Naruto could use all the friends he could get. His grin growing he took off at a run back for the center of the village and their favorite drinking booth. "Race you! And no super-speed!"
Sasuke shook his head. Naruto wasn't hard to cheer up most of the time. Today was no different. Sighing he let his feet carry him quickly to the drinking booth beating Naruto there without "super-speed" as the childish Jounin had put it a grand total of twenty-one and a half steps before Naruto. He took his seat with a smug smirk and waited for Naruto to join him before ordering from the waitress. She flirted for a moment but took herself off to fill their orders before she got annoying.
"So what happened?" he asked Naruto as soon as the waitress was gone.
Hitting the back of Sasuke's head lightly for beating him, Naruto sat down on the stool next to him. "The usual. I asked her if she wanted me to buy her lunch and she shot me down." Making a face he folded his arms on the counter and rested his chin on them. "And of course she just had to say that I'm 'not human enough to marry'," he said in a false, bitter falsetto. "I am human, dammit," he growled.
"If you weren't human, I'd have been ordered to kill you by now..." Sasuke murmured and tipped the sake jar pouring a little of the liquid into the small flat cup. The bottle's bottom hit the table with a soft clank and Sasuke lifted the small circular disk filled with liquid to his lips, sipping. Sasuke recognized the fact, a long time ago, that if Naruto were to ever become a threat to the village, Sasuke would be the one they called on to kill him. Sasuke was his trusted friend and the ultimate betrayal might someday have been the saving grace of the village. Sasuke didn't believe he would ever need to but he'd been aware of the possibility.
"Hmph. You can try, shrimp," Naruto taunted, smirking as he reminded Sasuke that the raven-haired young man was the shorter of the two of them by half a head. And that Naruto was more heavily built. While Sasuke had simply grown up, Naruto had grown up and out. While Sasuke had stayed lean, Naruto had become a small tank, all thick muscle. He wasn't overly large... just thick, and taller that Sasuke.
Naruto knew that if he ever became a threat to the village Sasuke would have to kill him, but he wasn't worried about it. He had learned and learned well from Jiraiya how to control the demon within him and Naruto wasn't planning on giving an inch to the monster.
"Tch... I'm not impressed. You're still the dobe I knew back at the academy. You just hide your true colors better... Usurakontachi." A partial truth. Naruto had gotten better at hiding his true and deepest emotions, and he had also matured a bit and certainly improved in skill. He wouldn't have been learning under Tsunade and Jiraiya together if that hadn't been the case. But he was still the same inside, beneath the thicker masks and shielding. Some day Sasuke would call him Lord... and he wondered what that would do to their friendship as he took another sip of his sake.
Naruto just razzed him and poured himself a cup of sake, sitting up so he could drink it. It burned a bit on the way down but he didn't mind, used to the sensation after going out to drink with Sasuke or his mentors plenty of times. "So what information did you need from that bitch?" he asked curiously, taking another sip of his rice wine.
"One of my subordinates' performance has been less than satisfactory. She wouldn't answer my questions and Arisa could..." Sasuke shrugged and poured another cup of sake offering more to Naruto. The atmosphere around them was pretty quiet. No matter how loud the place had been before they had entered, when Naruto and Sasuke entered it the atmosphere turned respectful at the very least.
"Mm," Naruto hummed in thanks, holding out his cup for Sasuke to fill it. "Lemme guess, Keine? I swear that kid spends more time looking at your ass than paying attention to what she's being told. Even when it's Tsunade-obaa-chan briefing you guys." He took a long sip of his sake. It would take a long time before the alcohol had any effect on him because of his incredibly high metabolism.
Shrugging one shoulder Sasuke poured Naruto's cup and then sipped up his cup again before pouring himself more. He, too, had a high tolerance for alcohol, though unlike Naruto he suffered the aftermath and not quietly either. "She'll be demoted until she can control her hormones. It's that simple. Tsunade and I have to discuss it. Soon."
"She's pretty much free tonight," Naruto offered, nodding his thanks to the waitress as she put a small plate of daikkon in front of him. Jiraiya had gotten him hooked on the stuff, though ramen was still his favorite food by far.
Naruto greatly enjoyed these times when he and Sasuke just sat and talked together. It made him feel accepted and wanted... and it reassured him that he had a friend.
"Let me know when you're training is over and I'll go talk to her." But that was all Sasuke got to say. Naruto's head jerked up and he looked directly at the clock hanging high on the wall behind the bar. "Late again?" He managed to get in before Naruto started to explode into his more energetic self.
"Oh SHIT!! Ja, Sasuke!! Thanks for the drink!!" Naruto downed what was left in his cup and took off for the Tower as fast as his feet could carry him, leaving a trail of dust behind him. Tsunade was going to kill him!!
Sasuke looked at the daikkon left on the plate after Naruto's departure and picked up a pair of chopsticks breaking them evenly. It wasn't uncommon for Naruto to be late to his training lessons, but today... he was extremely late. Still there was no sense in letting good radish go to waste. Pouring himself more sake he put a piece of daikkon in his mouth and chased it down with the sake.
--------------------Tsunade's Office--------------------
The woman by the window wrung her hands together tightly behind her back. She would not lose her temper... she would NOT. No matter how much Naruto pissed her off, she would NOT scream. And she would not... yell. Granted she was wasting good drinking hours to teach him everything he needed to know about being the next Hokage... even to the point of putting up with Jiraiya regularly. And, yes, he was late sixty percent of the time... But that was no reason to lose her temper or - The door swung open and she spun on her high heel.
"KONO GAKI!!!!" she growled and stormed over to him hitting him hard on the head. After much yelling and screaming and whimpering and apologizing on Naruto's part they got the lesson underway. Of course it ran over, but that was merely punishment.
--------------------Hours Later--------------------
Without bothering to knock Naruto just walked into Sasuke's apartment through his bedroom balcony window. "Oi, Sasuke!" he called, searching for his friend.
Appearing in the doorway of the bedroom Sasuke leaned against the frame wearing only a pair of dark charcoal gray sweatpants and a black T-shirt. He said nothing but his appearance was his greeting.
"The old hag's ready to see you now. Better head over before Jiraiya kidnaps her."
"Ha~..." is Sasuke's only response before he heads over to the dresser against the wall and pulls off his shirt. Twin scars, moderately slender for their cause and jagged, race down the lines of his shoulderblades but he seemed not to even think about them any more. It was as though he put that horrible time behind him for good and was now focused entirely on his future. Saying nothing he pulled on his Anbu uniform quickly and then turned looking directly at Naruto.
Naruto nodded and pushed off the wall he'd been leaning on. "You go on ahead without me. I've had enough of her today." He rubbed the back of his head and made a face to prove his point. It was a very good thing he healed quickly, otherwise he wouldn't be able to survive the daily abuse from the woman with Herculean strength. "I'm gonna head home. I'll see you tomorrow, ne?"
There was the faintest of nods from Sasuke as he turned and walked out onto the balcony and vanished into the night like a shadow under the moon�s rays as the clouds in the starless night sky parted briefly. He trusted Naruto not to take anything that didn�t belong to him, so leaving before the blond wasn�t even the slightest of concerns in his mind. Things with Tsunade held his thoughts in a tight grip and the hope that it couldn�t take too long. The evidence had presented itself before the case ever really had after all.
Naruto watched him as he bounded away, waiting until he couldn't see Sasuke any more before heading to his own apartment and bed. ::Well, shower first, then bed,:: he decided as he walked in and began to pull his clothes off, wrinkling his nose at the thick smell of dried sweat. He still had the same apartment he'd had as a kid, refusing Tsunade's offer for a bigger one with the argument that he didn't need more space. All he needed was a place to sleep and eat and relax, and this little place suited those conditions perfectly.
He sighed as warm water washed away the sweat and grime from his morning workout, the daily training session with Jiraiya, taking out his frustrations in the training field... Oh yeah, his frustrations. ::Stupid woman,:: he thought and made a face. First she had to turn him down in the rudest way possible, and then she'd gone and stolen his best friend when he needed him. Growling quietly Naruto began scrubbing at his hair. ::Stupid. Stupid. Stupid...:: He'd been angry when he saw Sasuke with her.
...Not just angry... but... jealous? Looking back on it, Naruto realized that his anger had stemmed from intense jealousy. His hands stilled as he examined the emotion. He had been jealous... but not of Sasuke! He'd been jealous of Arisa for being with his friend! Sasuke was always there when Naruto needed him, and to not have him immediately available for once...
Confused Naruto just stood there, almost forgetting that he was in the shower. Until the warm water ran out and turned icy cold. Yelping he shut the water off and got out of the shower. ::Why was I so jealous though?:: he thought absently as he dried himself. Not quite sure how to interpret what he'd felt, he did what he always did when he was confused about something. He went to Iruka. ...After getting dressed.
Iruka looked up for the papers he was grading when he heard the tap of feet on his balcony. "Naruto! How are you? What are you going here? Is everything ok?" It was always wonderful to see one of his students, especially Naruto who was one of his favorites.
"Hey, Iruka-sensei," Naruto greeted with a lopsided smile. Iruka never failed to cheer him up. "Do you have a minute?"
"Sure, Naruto," Iruka said instantly and shuffled the papers into two neat piles. He placed a paperweight - in the form of shuriken - on each pile and then got up and motioned Naruto deeper into his apartment so they could sit down.
Naruto dropped onto his usual spot on Iruka's couch and asked, his tone mischievous, "You asked Kakashi-sensei out yet?"
"No, Naruto! And it's none of your business!" Iruka exclaimed his facing burning and the brightest along the scar across his nose. He settled in his usual spot on the couch and leaned back. "You didn't come here just to ask me that! What's your reason?"
Chuckling at how easy it was to make his former teacher blush, Naruto leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. Quickly becoming serious he explained what had happened that day to Iruka. "And... I dunno... I'm just really confused about why I felt like that when I saw them. I mean, it would have been normal to be jealous of Sasuke 'cause he was with the girl that had just turned me down, but... Jealous of her for being with him...?" he trailed off, staring at nothing as he tried to figure it out.
Iruka was quiet for a little while before he folded his arms across his chest and asked softly, "What are your thoughts first... and then I'll tell you what I think..." It never did well to try and help someone if they weren't willing to try and help themselves. Iruka was of the mind to let the person try to answer their own questions before Iruka tried to help them find those answers.
"I was angry because I wanted be with Sasuke and she'd gotten to him first..." Naruto said slowly, his brow furrowed as he sifted through everything. "And I guess I was jealous 'cause I felt like he was giving his time to someone else... when I felt he should have been spending it with me, especially in that situation..." He looked at Iruka. "But that's just part of being best friends, isn't it?"
"Well, yes, that's part of being best friends... but how upset were you?" Iruka said patiently. He wasn't drawing any conclusions, just guiding Naruto along the path to finding his own.
"Enough that I went to the training grounds and beat the crap out of one of the posts. Sasuke came to find me after a bit, and when he told he it hadn't been a date just a business meeting, I was..." Naruto turned away again, staring at the floor between his feet and thinking hard. "I was relieved..."
"How relieved were you then?" Iruka was studying Naruto intently now, still trying to remain objective while things were coming to light slowly in his own mind. On some level he'd always noticed the difference, but he'd also been incredibly wrong about how he'd felt about Kakashi at first and hadn't wanted to jump to any conclusions, so he'd tucked any and all observations about this situation into the back of his mind until he had enough time or a reason to pull it out and go over it all more thoroughly. It seemed that now was that time.
Naruto chewed on his lip as he thought. "I didn't feel angry at all anymore... like everything was okay again. I was still a little miffed but that didn't matter 'cause he'd come looking for me... and normally it's me looking for him. It was that that made me feel better, really... 'cause it meant he cares."
"So you know that he cares... so now how do you feel about him specifically?" This was the hard question to ask. He knew from experience that coming to terms with one's emotions in some cases just wasn't easy. He, himself, had just come to terms recently with his own feelings towards a certain silver-haired Jounin, but Iruka highly doubted he'd be acting on those thoughts any time soon. He still needed time to sort himself out. Naruto was in a very similar situation and the results in said situation varied hugely. But for Naruto, things would be even harder because he just didn't know anything about relationships beyond camaraderie and friendship. He'd never had the opportunity to learn much about anything beyond platonic. Iruka hoped fiercely for his sake that everything worked out.
That took Naruto a long time of careful thought before he answered. "I care about him a lot. He's my first and best friend. Without him my life would be just... dull. My day is never good until I've seen him at least once or I know I'm gonna see him later." Eyes determined and firm he looked up at Iruka. "I would lay down my life for him and risk everything if it meant I could save him from something, even from himself. I dunno how many times I've done just that... but I've never regretted it."
"And if you had to live without him? If he died tomorrow on a mission..."
Naruto felt a very cold shiver race down his spine at those words, the image they conjured up - Sasuke bloody and lifeless somewhere in the woods - making him almost nauseous. He didn't want to think about how he'd feel if Sasuke died, but he knew it was a very real possibility. Sasuke was captain of the Anbu, after all, and that was one of the most dangerous jobs in the village. "I... I'd..." he stammered, unsure of how to answer that.
He'd gotten Naruto seriously thinking. That had been his main objective. Silently he reached out and rested a gentle hand on Naruto's shoulderblade. The he spoke softly, saying, "Do you want to know what I think, Naruto?"
The young man nodded wordlessly.
"I think that you are never happier than when you are with him. And I think that you would almost not be yourself entirely, if he weren't around to integrate his life into yours. He's never friendlier than when he is associating with you... and you are his only real friend." Unbeknownst to Iruka, those words were incredibly true. Sasuke had had the chance to take True Power. It had lain at his feet unable to defend itself... unconscious while Sasuke still stood drenched in the tears of the 'End of Everything', and he'd said his final goodbyes and walked away to seek power somehow else.
Naruto just looked at him, the wheels in his head visibly turning, before jumping to his feet and exclaiming, "I am an idiot!!" He dashed for the window he'd come into the apartment through, stopped, then turned around and ran back to hug Iruka tightly. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei!" And he dashed out again, leaving this time.
Iruka chuckled. He wondered for a moment what exactly Naruto had concluded, but decided it wasn't any of his business. Standing he eyed the phone and then very cautiously picked it up dialing a number that ... he'd never dialed before but knew by heart.
--------------------
Naruto headed straight for Sasuke's apartment, hoping that his meeting with Tsunade was over so that he could talk to him. ::I really am a dobe...:: he thought as he jumped from roof to roof. ::I love him! And I didn't even realize until now!!::
He landed on Sasuke's balcony and knocked on the sliding glass door before walking in. "Hey Sasuke."
Sasuke laid the scroll he�d been reading aside surprised to see Naruto so late in the evening. "Hey," he said simply and continued to lean back against the headboard of the bed with an unreadable yet not stand-offish expression and one leg laid straight out before him while the other knee was drawn up comfortably. He wore loose black sweat pants and simple deep black-blue t-shirt. He was a little curious about Naruto's unusual visit but held his peace figuring if it was anything important Naruto wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut long enough to make it a challenge to scrape information from him.
"How'd the meeting go?" Naruto asked as he sat next to him on the bed, crossing his legs. His sandals he'd left on the porch. Deep blue eyes roamed casually over black eyes and pale face. Naruto was surprised at just how well he knew that face, now that he was actually paying attention to the finer details. How long had he been looking at Sasuke like this and not even realized it?
"Keine will be demoted privately and re-evaluated at a later date for a higher level of maturity," Sasuke answered immediately his calm black eyes holding Naruto's deep blue gaze easily and readily. Those serene, obsidian pools had - at one point long ago - been chaotic and fierce. Now they still held that ferocity, but they lacked much of the pain, all of the confusion and most of the explosive emotion he'd begun life with.
"Good." Nodding in satisfaction Naruto leaned back against the headboard, keeping his eyes on Sasuke's. "Hey Sasuke, what would you do if I died in a mission tomorrow?" he asked, wondering if Sasuke felt the same depth of emotion that Naruto had for him.
'Don't be an idiot, Naruto. You don't go on missions any more.' That's what he had almost said, but something about Naruto's eyes forced him to stop and think about those words. The scene in his mind was entirely too vivid of himself coming upon Naruto's lifeless body in the hospital morgue, the normally vivacious soul gone leaving the handsome, perfected shell behind. His tanned skin was paled in death and there were plainly visible stains of bloody rivulets etched from the corners of his mouth and large bloody patches around vaguely placed gaping wounds all over the nude-to-the-waist body that had been cleaned as best as anyone could.
Sasuke felt his eyes narrow as the thought stimulated the burning sensation of the Sharingan behind his eyes. Restraining the manifestation of it, Sasuke examined carefully all aspects of the situation that Naruto had lead him to create in his mind. His emotions were roiling just beneath the surface of his thoughts directly behind that morbid, semi-daydream, churning like a maelstrom. Anger was the first discernable emotion to surface. A rage like that which he had felt most of his young life while he strove to reach the Power to hunt down his murderous brother with. Only this rage was directed at the vague notion of "enemy" that had been the cause of horrible sight before his mind's eye. And then that all too familiar lust for revenge dulled by the falsehood of the situation, but there strongly nonetheless. Those two emotions were easy to pick out, but the next ones were a little more difficult. An acute sense of loss, exactly like he'd felt upon finding his parents murdered by his brother. And then a sharp, painful sense of utter loneliness.
His eyes refocused slowly, the burning behind his vision passing as he let the image slip from his mind. Finding himself staring blankly at the coverlet between his drawn up foot and his thigh Sasuke straightened and looked at Naruto as though he had not just spent the last many-minutes contemplating the effects of his friend's possible death.
"What would I do if you died tomorrow?" Sasuke repeated and smirked slightly, that overconfident, smug smirk he usually gave when he was most sure of whatever he was saying or doing. "I'd hunt down the bastards that did it and make them pay... painfully."
Naruto smirked back, incredibly happy with that answer, and leaned over to hug Sasuke's shoulders in a crushing grip. "Thank you, Sasuke," he said sincerely. That answer coupled with that smirk meant Sasuke cared deeply for him. There was still the possibility he didn't love Naruto in the way Naruto now realized he wanted him to, but a lifetime of fighting for everything he wanted and learning to take what he could get made Naruto determined to find out. If all Sasuke felt for him was friendship, it wouldn't be the end of the world... he'd just be very, very disappointed and probably go whine to Iruka.
Sasuke lifted one hand up to cup Naruto's arm grabbing his elbow where it curled around in front of his throat and asked, "Why does it matter?" That had been a completely out of the blue question and not one Naruto had ever asked before. He had never asked anything even similar to it before.
"I was just curious is all. Don't worry about it," Naruto said as he gave Sasuke a squeeze before letting go, leaving a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. Grinning happily he said, "Thank you for being my friend, Sasuke. My best friend." He got up and was about to leave by way of the balcony when he thought of something and turned around. "You free tomorrow?"
"Being a friend isn't something you thank someone for, dobe..." Sasuke stated but nodded. "Ha~..." He was free tomorrow. With the Keine thing being dealt with by the Godaime Hokage he had a little time to himself while a replacement for her was found.
Naruto razzed him for being called a dobe and asked, "You wanna go to the hot springs or something tomorrow afternoon?"
"Sure."
"Cool. I'll come find you after I'm done with Tsunade-obaa-chan. Night, Sasuke." Flashing him a bright grin Naruto left for his own apartment. It was time to plan.
Sasuke stared at the open balcony doors before getting up to close them. That was the oddest conversation Naruto had presented him with yet. Shaking his head he returned to the scroll he'd been reading, but his mind was too restless now to really focus on what he was reading. Getting up he headed to the shower.
The jet of warm needle-spray hitting his smooth, flawless shoulders felt nice on the tense muscles there. Naruto's words "What if I died tomorrow?" kept going round and round in his mind. Well, what if Kakashi died tomorrow... or Sakura? He would certainly be just as upset, but for some reason the thought of losing them, putting them on that morgue table in his head instead of Naruto, didn't even bring a tingle out of the Sharingan. He'd obtained the Mangenkyou Sharingan in a most unprecedented way: defending Naruto from Itachi in the final show down with his brother. It seemed the highly advanced Sharingan really only responded greatly where Naruto was involved. His precious person? Or his most precious person? Realizing he'd gone through the motions of bathing on autopilot Sasuke climbed out of the shower and toweled off. Returning to bed he climbed under the covers and rolled onto his side. Staring blankly at the wall he let his mind wander over that scene in his head again.
For even that moment the burning of the Sharingan started and he rubbed his eyes with one hand. This was going to take some thinking over. He knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight, and so settled comfortably for some in depth meditation.
--------------------The Next Day--------------------
"Hey," Naruto muttered absently in greeting as he wandered into Tsunade's office, late again for his lessons, with his head bowed in deep thought. He'd barely slept the night before, trying to decide whether he should just tell Sasuke right out that he loved him and see what happened or come on to him subtly and see if Sasuke picked up on the hints. ::Hmmmmmm...::
"Gaki..." Tsunade growled not rising from her desk. "You're late... AGAIN!"
"Mm." Still not looking at her, Naruto dropped into the chair in front of her desk. ::If I tell him, then I'll find out pretty much immediately how he feels about me, but that's not as much fun... If I come onto him I could get some really good teasing in, but then I have to wait longer to find out how he feels... Mou!::
Tsunade raised one delicate, pale brow and studied Naruto's face intently. He was up to something and the slit-eyed fox-grin his face suddenly turned into wasn�t helping discount that idea.. Standing she reached across the desk leaning on one palm on the top of it and flicked him on the forehead knocking the blond's hitai-ate up into his hair in the process. "Oi, gaki..." she growled. "I'm talking to you."
Naruto simply reached up automatically and put his hitai-ate back where it belonged, still lost in thought.
Pissed now at being ignored Tsunade walked around the desk and punched him without further ado sending him to the floor a good two feet from the chair he had been sitting in as she yelled, "Damn BRAT! I'm TALKING to you!"
"ITAI!! What the hell was that for?!?!" Naruto yelled back, clutching his abused face as he glared at her. He'd almost decided too! Now his train of thought was gone!
"What the hell is more interesting than learning to ne the next Hokage!? Isn't that what you've always claimed to be your dream!? Pay ATTENTION!" Tsunade huffed her ample chest rising and falling heavily as she balled one fist and put it to her hip her other arm limp at her side. Then she glared at him with narrowed eyes. He was taller than her now but still so much more inexperienced and certainly no match for her in a real battle. "What were you thinking about that gave you that prankster's grin, gaki?"
Naruto scowled at her and stood up, poking his tender nose gently to make sure it wasn't broken. "None of your damn business, old woman." Calmly he walked around her and righted the chair before sitting on it. He might have been considering asking her for ideas, but now he wasn't going to talk to her about anything other than his lesson.
Tsunade returned to her desk and settled in the seat. "If you're late one more time, Naruto... I'm going to have to punish you somehow. What's been detaining you?" she said with a serious sigh as she leaned back in her seat. "The village doesn't know just how often you're late but they do know that you are late sometimes and the lords are starting to get anxious. You're putting me in a bad position, brat. The lords are starting to doubt my choice in successor."
"Usually I just loose track of time," Naruto said with a sheepish shrug, feeling a little guilty now of the trouble he was causing her. He knew how much trouble she'd had to go through to get him approved as her successor. "I'll try to be on time more often."
"I'm old... not stupid. What else is it?"
"Nothing... I just loose track of time." It was the truth too. Whenever Naruto hung out with Sasuke he always forgot what time it was and usually forgot about the meetings he was supposed to be in.
She didn't look at all convinced but let it go for the time being. Turning them to the lesson at hand with a small sigh Tsunade stole another four hours from Naruto's day.
As soon as they were done Naruto jumped up from his seat and was about to dash out the door when he decided maybe it wouldn't hurt to get her advice. "Hey, if you had... feelings for someone and didn't know exactly how they feel back, would you tell them flat out how you feel or drop hints and hope they pick up on them?"
Tsunade looked up from the report scroll she'd just opened and blinked at him. ::So, it did have something to do with a relationship...:: Tsunade thought a moment and then flashed him her typical smiling grin. "It's better to test the waters before simply jumping in... don't you think?"
"Yeah, I guess... Thanks, Tsunade-obaa-chan." Looking thoughtful again, Naruto walked out. ::Guess I'll make moves first... I hope he feels the same way!::
Shaking her head a little Tsunade turned back to her paperwork. Naruto had the worst luck with women... It was pathetic, but at the same time not his fault. Shrugging it off since her prot�g�s love life was none of her business, she focused on the report scroll in her hands.
--------------------Sasuke's Apartment--------------------
Sasuke moved silently about his kitchen making drinks to store in the fridge. Tea, fruit juices from concentrate, it always lasted longer and he had to make less trips to the store thus virtually always having something available. As it was he was stirring concentrate orange juice while drinking the same type of apple juice from a glass. He heard Naruto step through his balcony and into his room, but remained where he was. The previous night had ended inconclusively, Sasuke having gotten no nearer to a direct conclusion of his emotions specifically. The trip to the hot springs was looking even more promising after a night spent tossing and turning restlessly.
"Hey Sasuke. You ready to go?" Naruto asked as he walked into the kitchen and leaned against the door frame, a small wooden tub full of bathing supplies under his arm. As usual his eyes wandered over Sasuke's t-shirt and sweatpants-clad frame, but this time he actually paid attention to what he was looking at. Ivory pale skin that never darkened, no matter how much time Sasuke spent in the sun. Long, graceful limbs that were covered in lean muscle. Midnight black hair... And eyes so dark Naruto could have fallen into them and he knew there would be no hope of escape. Naruto was beginning to feel a little nervous about this outing. ::Maybe I should have waited until I was sure about what to do...::
"Almost. Grab a glass..." he offered and gestured to the apple juice pitcher on the kitchen table with the glass in his left hand. His right hand never paused in stirring the orange juice concentrate. He still had to change into decent clothes and gather his bathing supplies. He'd actually anticipated Naruto being a lot longer than he'd been.
"Thanks." Naruto set his tub on the table and poured himself a glass of apple juice. He hopped up onto the counter and drank as he watched Sasuke stir. Sasuke raised his own glass and Naruto's eyes immediately flew to Sasuke's lips, watching as he took a sip. The memory of their accidental kiss back in the academy came right to the forefront of Naruto's mind and he just managed to keep from blushing. That memory had played itself over and over last night as he thought about what to do, now that he could put a name on the feelings he had for his best friend. Right now he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to kiss him... really kiss him...
The wooden spoon Sasuke was stirring the orange juice with slowed gradually and Sasuke tipped his head back downing the remaining half a glass without several large gulps. Setting the now emptied glass aside on the dark gray counter top he turned and carried the pitcher of orange juice to the fridge putting it on the middle shelf after putting the pouring lid on it. Then he turned to the table reached out and grabbed the already capped pitcher of apple juice and put it away as well. Once the fridge was shut he turned and met Naruto's eyes. "I'll get ready. Make yourself at home." And then he headed out of the kitchen and into the bedroom to change and gather his bathing supplies.
Nodding Naruto just watched Sasuke leave the room and continued to drink his juice. He saw no reason to get off the counter. When Sasuke walked back in he hopped down and put his glass in the sink. "Ready?"
Sasuke nodded and turned heading for the front door. After pulling on boxers, his usual khaki shorts and a blue T-shirt without the collar - it was far too hot for that � he shut and locked the balcony doors and closed the blinds. The last thing he wanted to come home to was some crazed, hormonal girl in his bed naked and offering herself to him again. Letting them out the front door Sasuke shut it and locked his apartment up before turning and heading down the stairs until they were in the street heading towards the hot springs. He was silent, which wasn't much of a surprise considering he rarely ever spoke much unless he was spoken to or had to.
They were lucky enough that there were plenty of empty springs when they got there. Naruto insisted on paying and chose one of the smallest springs, a little pool just big enough for ten people. They were less likely to be disturbed that way, and both young men knew that if any of Sasuke's fan club found out where he was there was going to be a sudden influx of young women into the springs, hoping for a glimpse of him. Never mind that Konoha didn't have co-ed springs. A smaller spring meant less chance of a girl sending in a guy friend to "get information".
Once they were in the dressing room, Naruto stripped quickly and left to get into the water before he could give in to the temptation to watch Sasuke strip. Naruto took off the towel around his waist just before slipping into the hot water and relaxed with a sigh. He loved the hot springs.
Stripping down Sasuke wrapped a towel around his waist and followed Naruto out into the steamy onsen. Settling in the water Sasuke hooked his arms on the ledge of the pool and slumped letting the heat and the lap of the warm liquid lull away the tension he felt vibrating in his body. He pushed all thoughts out of his mind save that he was relaxed and in good company and closed his eyes letting his head tip back.
Naruto couldn't help it. He stared openly at the beautiful curve of Sasuke's neck, trailing his eyes down the pale column to well-muscled shoulders and defined collarbones. Sasuke was too far sunk into the water and the steam too thick for Naruto to make out the details of his chest so Naruto let his gaze move back up to the pale neck. His hands twitched with the want to reach out and run over that pale flesh, memorizing every plane and contour. He tried to keep his mind on coming up with ways to drop little hints about his affections, but it kept tripping over the image of kissing that graceful column. And it certainly didn't help that he was used to being blunt, not subtle.
Feeling eyes on him Sasuke lifted his head slowly and looked at Naruto his expression lazy. "What?" he asked softly as he let his arms fall from the ledge of the pool and sunk them in the water. Naruto had some odd, tight expression on his face, not something that Sasuke was used to seeing. Naruto looked... at a loss.
"Nothing..." Naruto muttered, tearing his eyes away and sliding deeper into the water. He forced himself to close his eyes and think about how to be subtle... and failing horribly. He wanted to just tell Sasuke flat out how he felt... wanted to know if Sasuke had any feelings for him... Impatience won in the end and Naruto looked down, watching his fingers make tiny swirls in the hot water. "Ne, Sasuke, we're friends, right?"
Sasuke studied him for a moment. "Haven't we already been over that?" he asked in return, his voice even. "Last night..."
"We'll always be friends, right?" Naruto asked, not looking at him. Nervousness and apprehension were building up in him and he was beginning to get fidgety.
"We've made it this far..." What was he getting at? Sasuke tilted his head a little studying Naruto intently with those deep black eyes.
"No matter what happens... we'll always be friends, right? Even if... some things change, right?"
"We've been through the worst changes possible and we're still friends, Naruto," Sasuke answered.
::Not like this we haven't...:: Naruto thought, squirming a little bit. "What if... feelings change? What then...?"
Sasuke paused. Naruto couldn't read minds, so he couldn't possibly know what Sasuke had been contemplating last night. Sasuke himself hadn't gotten everything sorted out yet himself let alone enough for someone else to make any sense of it. "What... do you mean?" he asked feeling a little wary.
Naruto stopped squirming and took a deep breath, preparing himself to say it. There was no turning back now... for better or for worse, he was going to tell him. Better to get it over with and know than wonder and worry. "...I love you..." Naruto whispered, turning his face away a bit as his cheeks burned. There. He'd said it.
What? Sasuke felt every inch of his body freeze as though he'd been placed in some muscle binding Jutsu. Naruto had just... confessed. He stood slowly and said something, Sasuke thought it was, "I need to be alone," but then it might have been, "I have to go." He wasn't sure, but he knew that Naruto's head came around quickly to look at him again as he climbed out of the spring and headed for the changing room. He was dressed and gone, back at his apartment in almost no time where he sat at the kitchen table and stared vacantly into space as he sorted out the last of his confusion from the previous night.
The words "I need to be alone" in Sasuke�s quiet voice echoed in Naruto's head as he watched him leave. Naruto felt his heart drop into his feet and he hunched forward, putting his face in his hands. ::Shit... good job, smartass. You just completely alienated your best friend... He's never gonna wanna talk to me again...:: Sighing deeply he proceeded to bathe himself in forlorn silence, wondering how in hell he was going to fix this. ::What was I thinking?! He's probably coming up with ways to avoid me forever... that's what always happens when I express interest in someone... Where did I get the bright idea that there might be hope with him just because we are - were - friends?! I am such an idiot...::
He didn't leave the onsen until he was thoroughly a human prune, but he just continued his mental self-debasing mental tirade all the way home and for the next few hours as he lay on his bed, face buried in his pillow.
It wasn't until about midnight that he decided he'd at least try and make things better with Sasuke. If Sasuke told him to stay away after tonight, he would without complaint. It was only what he deserved for hoping for something that he could never have. Silently he landed on Sasuke's porch and let himself in after a quiet knock on the glass. "Forgive my intrusion," he said softly, something that wasn't normal for him.
It'd been hours, and Sasuke had moved from the kitchen to the bedroom stripping to his boxers and stretching out in his bed. He lay there on his back for a few more hours with one arm behind his head and the other strewn carelessly across his stomach staring at the ceiling and running over everything in his mind again and again, making sure he'd missed nothing, covered everything and still got the same conclusion. It was that simple, but the more complex side of his being was impossible to explain so he simply felt it and examined it that way. It was the first time in his life that he'd ever stopped and re-evaluated something other than his own strength compared to that of another person's. This time he was comparing himself to his old self and to what he might become in the future depending on what route he might have available to take now. And always the soundest answer was the same.
Silently Naruto padded over in his bare feet and lightly sat down on the edge of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees with his back to Sasuke. "M'sorry... if I offended you or weirded you out or something..." he whispered after a long moment of just sitting there, staring at the floor between his feet. "If you want we can just forget it happened and stay friends... or I'll leave you alone... whatever you want..."
"Naruto..." Sasuke murmured so softly that it was barely audible. He didn't move at all and murmured something more but it really was inaudible that time.
"What?" Naruto asked quietly, turning his head just enough that he could look at Sasuke out of the corner of his eye, hoping he wouldn't see rejection on his former teammate's face. All he'd heard was his name.
Again the mumbling was too low for Naruto to hear him and Sasuke still wasn't moving or even looking at Naruto.
Brow furrowed in confusion Naruto straightened and turned at the waist to look at him. "What?" he asked again, nervous about the answer. ::Why won't he look at me...?::
Darkness had always been Sasuke's friend, it hid so many things like tears when a broken little boy cried after losing everything dear to him, as well as quick movements like the motion of Sasuke's arm darting out to fist in the front of Naruto's T-shirt crumpling the fabric as he bunched it in his fingers. A solid jerk brought Naruto onto the bed and almost onto Sasuke except that the dark-haired young man held Naruto above him instead. Sasuke's other arm remained behind his head but his eyes now looked directly into Naruto's wide blue gaze. "I said, it's fine. You were honest... and maybe brought out a little honesty in me," he repeated and let his arm slowly lower the body it supported closer until their breaths mingled and the tips of their noses just brushed.
Naruto felt his breath hitch at just how close they were and at the look of affection in Sasuke's beautifully dark eyes. His heart pounding in his ears he decided to take this chance and leaned forward even farther, pressing his lips to Sasuke's in a soft, tentative, brief kiss. Even though the light contact only lasted a moment it still sent a shiver through Naruto and he felt an intense want for more of that feeling.
As Naruto retreated a little Sasuke let his tongue caress his own bottom lip still feeling the faint press of Naruto's mouth there. Surprised at the warmth that spread so quickly through him Sasuke let his eyelids droop a little mostly hiding his gaze as he weighed the opportunities in his mind. Only a moment passed before he lifted his head pressing their mouths together again gently taking Naruto's in a kiss that was something more than a soft peck. Trusting that Naruto could support his own weight Sasuke gradually began to release Naruto's shirt front.
Sighing with the relief that he hadn't been pushed away almost left him dizzy, Naruto pressed his lips more firmly against Sasuke's. Parting his lips a bit he let the tip of his tongue dart out to trace the cleft of Sasuke's lips, breathing a moan at his taste. Steel and vanilla with just a hint of cinnamon, and still exactly the same as it had been nine years ago. His hands found purchase in the pillow on either side of Sasuke's head, supporting his weight as he hovered over his best friend.
He still tasted like ramen. It was the first thing that Sasuke noticed, but it was immediately followed by a wash of sensations. Warmth began to build within him and enjoying that heat Sasuke released Naruto's shirt and let his hand slide down until he could slip it under Naruto's shirt fingers grazing a muscled, sealed stomach before sliding around to Naruto's back and up to his shoulderblade, forcing the blond's shirt up. Sasuke's head came back down onto the pillow as he pulled his other arm free and rested that palm flat on Naruto's exposed chest directly over his heart.
Naruto squirmed a bit as Sasuke's hands slid over his torso and he laughed softly. "That tickles," he murmured against Sasuke's lips. Shifting he brought his legs up onto the bed so that he wasn't all twisted and maneuvered until he was on his hands and knees over Sasuke, leaning down to kiss him again after allowing his shirt to pulled off and tossed away. The sensation of those soft lips against his own was wonderful and made his mind spin. A warm, tanned hand cupped the base of Sasuke's jaw as Naruto lapped at his mouth in request for entry. He wanted a better taste than what he'd been getting.
He waited silently as Naruto fidgeted and rid himself of his T-shirt and then Sasuke's lips finally parted at Naruto's request and let the blond's tongue dip into his mouth. Sasuke's own tongue brushed against the invader, slick muscle caressing slick muscle gently. Not intimidated in the least over having Naruto on all fours above him, Sasuke let both hands settle on either side on the back of Naruto's ribs. Taunt muscle quivered lightly as he let his hands wander over Naruto's back until they settled at last cradling Naruto's waist and lower back. That warmth inside of him was getting hotter and spreading further over his body making the room seem a little steamy.
Moaning quietly as Sasuke's rich taste flooded his mouth, Naruto lowered himself slowly until he was lying on top of the other young man, giving Sasuke plenty of time to push him away if this was too much too fast. He thoroughly mapped the inside of Sasuke's mouth, memorizing every detail with loving care. Deep in his core it felt as if a fire had been lit, and it was quickly setting the rest of him ablaze, causing his kiss to become hungrier and deeper. Groaning deep in his chest he tangled his fingers in raven silk, holding Sasuke's head still as he plundered his mouth. Naruto's mind was quickly spiraling into warm oblivion and he did nothing to stop it, more than willing to give in to his desires.
The heat consuming Sasuke rose into his cheeks giving him a pretty, pink flush, though the blush of arousal went completely unnoticed by the two of them. Naruto's hands restraining the movement of his head sent a jolt of heat right through him and his heart rate skipped and picked up accelerating his breathing. This was almost like the electricity of a good sparring match, but there were no bruises to ruin the thrill.
The weight of Naruto's hot body pressing him into the mattress made his very center turn to liquid that pulsed and singed like ice low in his belly. Sasuke shivered, his hands tightening about Naruto's waist as his fingertips dug into the muscle of Naruto's lower back indenting the flesh and leaving little half-moon shaped nail marks in his skin as his hands flexed like a kneading cat. He ran out of air far faster than he had expected and broke the kiss with a gasp throwing his head back and exposing that pale, slender column of throat again.
Naruto felt his heart stop before starting again at a much faster pace as he gazed at Sasuke, gasping himself after their kiss. Sasuke looked so... edible, lying there with his cheeks pink and his neck bared. Feeling very hungry suddenly Naruto leaned down and nuzzled at Sasuke's ear. "You're so beautiful..." he breathed into the pale shell. Hot, moist lips trailed down the graceful neck to Sasuke's shoulder, sucking gently at the soft skin.
The fire inside him was licking at his skin now, but the place it was most intense was right between his legs. Trying to relieve some of the pressure in his pants Naruto wriggled, rubbing against Sasuke's hips through the covers. He gasped as the movement sent lightning through him and he nibbled at the base of Sasuke's neck, his hands tilting Sasuke's head to the side to give his mouth more room to play.
"I'm not a woman, Naruto," Sasuke managed to say around his hitching breath. Beautiful? Tch! But Naruto's mouth on his neck was enough of a distraction that the Uchiha didn't continue to argue. In fact when Naruto's hips rubbed against his own Sasuke forgot all that had just been said completely anyway as the liquid fire in his lower abdomen rushed lower still hardening his length and making him squirm a little himself. Sasuke's own restlessness rubbed their bodies together more and it dragged a ragged groan from the back of Sasuke throat.
"Could have fooled me," Naruto teased around a moan, biting down a little harder on the base of Sasuke's neck. He lifted himself from Sasuke's body - without taking his mouth away from the pale skin - just long enough to pull the sheets between them out of the way. Kicking them to the end of the bed Naruto lay down on top of him again, gasping and starting a bit at the feel of their bare, heated torsos pressed against each other. All that skin contact added more fuel to the fire in his groin and he squirmed, rubbing their hips together forcefully. Warm hands slid down from raven hair to Sasuke's side, caressing his ribcage as Naruto devoured his neck.
"Usurakontachi," Sasuke snapped but it ended with a moan completely ruining the insult as Naruto settled on him bare chest to bare chest. Clad in only his loose silk boxers now that the sheets were kicked to the end of the bed, Sasuke held the advantage for one thing. Friction. He'd brought himself over the edge countless times before, being a healthy young man with no other desired means of release until now, and his body knew exactly what it wanted as he lifted his hips, rolling them into Naruto's in mockery of a more profound motion.
Moaning Naruto trailed his lips back up to Sasuke's mouth for a deep, searing kiss. His hands circled Sasuke's waist and held him still as Naruto ground his hips down into Sasuke's, growling low in his chest as the pressure and friction drove him further into madness. His arousal begged to be free of the confines of his jeans, and he wriggled side to side with each down-grind. Not able to keep anything in one place for very long Naruto ran one hand up Sasuke's torso to his chest and, when Sasuke gasped into the kiss, began teasing a nipple into hardness by rolling it between thumb and forefinger.
The gasp became a breathy moan as Naruto's fingers pebbled Sasuke's nipple, making him arch up into the grinding body above. His hands - seemingly of their own accord - slid up from Naruto's waist pressing into Naruto's lower back and when Naruto's back hallowed as he ground down into Sasuke's body, Sasuke slipped his hands down the back of Naruto's pants catching flexing muscle in each hand to pull him down harder, fingers flexing with every thrust.
Gasping breathlessly at the feel of Sasuke's hands on his rear Naruto broke the kiss and panted heavily, his lips hovering just millimeters above Sasuke's and swollen slightly from their kisses. This... everything... was quickly spiraling out of control and if they didn't stop now they very well could end up doing something they would regret later. Well, Naruto wouldn't regret it. His whole body was thrumming with passion and love and desire, but he didn't want to force Sasuke into anything. "Sasuke...?" he breathed questioningly, a million questions in that one word.
The idiot had pulled away right when things had started to get good. Leaning up just a little bit Sasuke nibbled Naruto's bottom lip and squeezed Naruto's rear encouraging him to continue even as he made the questioning sound, "Hm?" With hooded lids he watched Naruto's blue eyes never ceasing to tease Naruto's lower lip. It felt like that liquid fire had infused his entire circulatory system heating his blood starting from his throbbing arousal and fanning outward with his pulse.
"Are you sure...?" Naruto breathed around a groan, pressing Sasuke's hips deep into the mattress with his own in response to the hands on his rear. The raging fire was consuming his whole body and it was taking a lot of effort to stay coherent even for that short moment.
"I'm laying here aren't I?" Sasuke growled. "Quit being an idiot, dobe." Sasuke's lips kissed the words against Naruto's mouth as his hands slipped from Naruto's pants grabbing Naruto's hips and rolling them by sheer force so that Naruto was beneath him. Smirking Sasuke's hands flew through opening Naruto's jeans as if he were forming seals and then he tugged them down a little. Kissing at Naruto's stomach he let his hands slid across Naruto's newly exposed hipbones towards his back until they slipped into the back of Naruto's pants again. He lifted Naruto's hips and slid his hands downward forcing the jeans off of Naruto's body and running his nails down the back of Naruto's legs in the process, taking Naruto's boxers with his pants.
Naruto moaned loud and long as he arched up into Sasuke's mouth, shuddering as those lips against his stomach made lightning dance over every inch of skin. The nails on his legs made him tremble and gasp. Never in his life had he felt such strong and intense pleasurable sensation. And never had he had such a hot, throbbing, and needy arousal. He felt like he was going to burst right then. "Sasuke..." he groaned, fingers twisting around midnight locks and tugging. He wanted another kiss.
Sasuke managed to get Naruto's pants off and tossed them somewhere before giving in to the tugs on his hair and crawled up Naruto's body to kiss him his mouth fierce and hungry, demanding entrance.
Growling deep in his chest Naruto grabbed Sasuke's waist and rolled them over so that he was back on top, returning the kiss with equal ferocity and passion. His fingers caught on the fabric of Sasuke's boxers and pulled hard, ripping the garment off of the other man and throwing away the scraps... except for one large piece of silky cloth. Determined to pull Sasuke into the mindlessness with him, he wrapped the cloth tightly around Sasuke's erection and began to pump quickly. His other hand found its way back into Sasuke's hair and held him in the hungry kiss.
Pleasure exploded in his mind as Naruto wrapped the remains of his boxers around his aching length, the black silk gliding smoothly over hypersensitive skin. Pinned into the fierce kiss Sasuke moaned and arched up into the pumping hand. "Not too fast," he panted against Naruto's mouth. "Mm-Not yet�" he whispered and tried to catch at Naruto's wrists. He didn't want to cum yet. He wasn't ready. He wanted this to last longer. This was the first time he had felt a loving hand, the warm embrace of another soul that truly cared for him... in too many years.
So Naruto slowed down the pace and loosened his hand to the point where the silk barely whispered against Sasuke's aching flesh. "This better?" he purred teasingly against Sasuke's mouth, nibbling at his bottom lip.
The teasing wasn't going to bring him off but it felt just as good. Exactly what he had wanted. "Yes," he hissed savagely and let his hands lace in the hair at the back of Naruto's head pulling him into the same near-brutal kiss again.
Shuddering as he groaned Naruto tossed the fabric aside and ground his hips into Sasuke's, drowning in pleasure as the intense friction of arousal against arousal stoked the fire inside him and made it so hot he thought he would literally burst into flames. His now free hand caught on Sasuke's thigh, tugging on it until Sasuke looped the leg around his waist.
The Uchiha complied readily, hooking his leg around Naruto's waist using it as leverage to grind back against Naruto's body. His body was thrumming with pleasure as he broke the kiss to moan loudly tilting his head back in mindless bliss, panting heavily and groaning. "Naruto..." he panted. He hadn't ever felt this strongly, this much, this wonderful. He could feel all of barriers eroding as though they were being devoured by acid.
Not able to resist an opportunity like that Naruto dove for Sasuke's neck, biting and sucking at the feverish pulse throbbing under ivory skin. "Sasuke..." he breathed lovingly, soothing a bite mark with wide swipes of his tongue. He ground their hips together more forcefully, seeking to bring them to completion simultaneously, his breathing heavy as he was overloaded with sensation and coherency completely left him.
He could feel an intense tightening that started in his sacs and coiled ever tighter in his lower abdomen. Sasuke was going insane, the desire to fall over that edge coming on him suddenly and violently. So he ground back with equal fervor his nails raking down Naruto's back as he strained up into Naruto's body. Sasuke's voice never ceased to speak his pleasure panting, moaning, and making small sounds like, "Hnh, Naruto..."
Naruto coaxed Sasuke's other leg to wrap around his waist, bringing them even closer together and grinding with even more force... to the point where they could have probably lit a fire from the friction. It certainly felt that way, at least. A hot tongue lapped up the sweat on Sasuke's neck, trailing up to his ear where strong teeth nibbled on the lobe. "I love you, Sasuke," Naruto breathed, gliding his hands up Sasuke's body to his nipples, teasing them with the pads of his thumbs. Wanting to see the expressions on Sasuke's face he lifted his head from teasing a pale ear and gazed down at his best friend with red, vulpine eyes... Red from the soul-deep passion and lust and love he was feeling for the man beneath him... and from the demon fox probably having just as much fun as they were.
Sasuke's eyes opened slightly, his gaze drawn by Naruto's words as much as by the blond pulling back enough to see him. Sasuke's eyes opened wider as he met not brilliant blue but fiery red. Kyuubi... Kyuubi was displaying itself so boldly, but there was no change in Naruto's tender touches and loving mouth. Naruto was wholly himself but Kyuubi was 'watching'. His body tensed suddenly and he arched into Naruto's body clinging to him tightly as everything exploded into intense pleasure. He wasn't sure if he'd just reached his limit or if the knowledge of Kyuubi practically participating in their lovemaking had sent him over the edge, but he did know that he had never felt anything like that moment where his body seized and released his essence between their still grinding bodies.
Groaning loudly as Sasuke's deafening scream of pleasure sang in his ears, Naruto watched in amazement as Sasuke's face contorted in ecstasy. His groan turned into a reciprocal roar of accomplishment, pulled over the edge by that beautiful sight. With one last hard grind he shot his hot seed against their bellies and chests, his cum mixing with Sasuke's. Euphoria flooding his veins Naruto let his head fall onto the pillow beside Sasuke's, his body limp from spent pleasure and his chest heaving as he tried to restore the flow of oxygen to his brain. Slowly his hooded eyes faded back to blue, blissful peace mixing in with the euphoria. Weakly he fumbled for one of Sasuke's hands and laced their fingers together, never having felt more wonderful.
Laying there with Naruto on top of him, with Naruto's face in the pillow beside his head and their fingers laced together Naruto's hand in Sasuke's on the other side of Sasuke�s head, the Anbu captain had never felt more... complete. His legs tightened a little around Naruto's waist and he turned his nose into Naruto's neck right below the blond's ear and he stayed like that as his breath slowly returned to normal. He'd ask Naruto about Kyuubi in a little bit. Right now he felt that they both needed to get their proverbial feet back under them.
Naruto lazily nuzzled at Sasuke's temple, purring quietly in contentment once his breath was regular enough for him to do so. "I love you, Sasuke," he murmured again, not caring that Sasuke had yet to say those words back to him because all that mattered to him at the moment was the immense peace that completely enveloped him and that Sasuke knew how he felt about him. Never in his entire life had he felt so... happy didn't even begin to describe how he felt.
Sasuke returned the nuzzle gently and squeezed Naruto's hand a little tighter, his legs falling to the mattress once more. He felt the same for Naruto... but it had been so long since he'd said those words to anyone. Could he do it now? Would it be alright to say something he'd only ever said to people who were destined to die? It took a moment's contemplation and Sasuke decided he wasn't ready to risk those words aloud yet, but he could express them silently and he did by lifting his chin and parting his lips a little as his other hand pressed the back of Naruto's head so that their mouths met in a strong kiss. His world had been shaken far more than he had expected. He'd thought Naruto would come to apologize, but he hadn't imagined it would be like this.
The fox-holder eagerly kissed him back, returning it with quiet passion. Naruto recognized what Sasuke was trying to tell him and felt his heart lift even more. He could wait until Sasuke was ready to say those words back to him. He would wait years if he had to, because he already knew the love was there and he understood why Sasuke wasn't ready to say it yet. Satisfied but far from sated he broke the kiss when they needed to breathe again and trailed his warm lips to the base of Sasuke's jaw, teasing the soft skin there with his teeth. He was ready for another round if Sasuke was.
Sasuke shoved him off easily enough, mostly because it wasn't expected. Naruto beat him easily when it came to brute strength these days. Sasuke was off the bed - he still always won in speed - before Naruto could grab him and was walking towards his bathroom. Without looking over his shoulder, his firmly muscled backside swaying with masculine temptation, he said, "You're a mess, dobe..." and disappeared into the bathroom.
"As if you're any cleaner, jackass," Naruto taunted back cheerfully, bounding up behind Sasuke and wrapping his arms around pale shoulders to pull Sasuke's back against his torso. "There, now you're messier than me," he said with a grin, resting his chin on Sasuke's shoulder. Naruto was already half-hard again - mostly thanks to the sight of Sasuke's tight rear swaying as he walked - and he rocked lightly against said rear.
Casting Naruto a glance out of the corner of his eye by tilting his head Sasuke continued to ready the shower. The hard length lightly rubbing against the cleft of his rump made him shiver slightly and he stuck his hand under the spray to test the water's temperature. Finding it to be perfect Sasuke stepped out of Naruto's embrace and into the water. "Get in here and clean up after yourself, Usurakontachi."
Not needing a second invitation Naruto hopped in with him.
--------------------A Couple Hours Later--------------------
Humming happily with a huge smile on his face, Naruto picked up his clothes and began pulling them on, getting ready to head home. He may have been clean now, but he'd gotten messier before he'd gotten clean thanks to a very good blowjob from Sasuke. Pleasure sang in his veins as he straightened out his shirt so that he could put it on.
Sasuke emerged from the kitchen a towel draped over his shoulders wearing only a new pair of boxers (blue silk this time) and stopped a glass of wine in each hand. "Where are you going?" he asked his face emotionless as it always was. Only his eyes betrayed him. He was a little worried, though that wasn't registered by his brain. It skipped thought and went straight into obsidian.
"Home. ...Unless you want me to stay?" Naruto asked hopefully, pausing in the pulling on of his shirt. He didn't want to go home, but he knew it was rude to just assume that Sasuke would want him to stay, even after what they'd just done.
"Usurakontachi..." Sasuke mumbled and walked over to Naruto offering him the glass in his left hand.
"How many times do I have to tell you I am not a moron," Naruto shot back with a lopsided smirk, reacting to the insult simply because it was expected. Letting his shirt drop back down to the floor he took the offered glass and sipped at the white wine, his eyebrows lifting in appreciation at the vintage. "Good stuff."
"Clan stuff," Sasuke said smugly and headed over to the bed settling the pillows against the headboard before climbing up onto the mattress and leaning back against them. He sipped at his wine and glances at Naruto. It couldn't be said that the look was either impatient or expectant but it certainly got Sasuke's point across without any problem.
Snorting in amusement Naruto sat next to him, easily able to read Sasuke's look after knowing him for nine years. Leaning back against the headboard he brought one leg up towards his body and rested his elbow on his knee, the wine glass cradled in his hand. He sipped at the wine slowly, taking the time to enjoy it.
It was a wonderful quiet moment. Not something either of them often got, let alone shared. Sasuke sank back into the huge, fluffy pillows and let his hand fall limply by his thigh between them while the other focused mainly on occasionally bringing his glass to his lips as he stared blankly into space in the general vicinity of the blinds.
Naruto reached out with his free hand and gently laced their fingers together, resting their hands on the sheets. He'd always craved human contact after being deprived of it for most of his life and now that Sasuke was clearly very accepting of his touch he was going to take advantage of that as much as he could. "Whatcha thinking?" he asked quietly after taking a sip of his wine.
Sasuke looked between them at their joined hands, Naruto's large and browned lightly by the sun, his own pale no matter the amount of sunlight he took in and more slender, and smirked faintly. Then he lifted his eyes to Naruto and the smirk left as quickly as it had come leaving his face its usual calm. "About you... About this," he answered and lifted their hands up to eye level before he let them fall back to the mattress gently.
"Mm." Smiling Naruto gazed into his glass, not really focused on the liquid inside but rather on the warm presence next to him. His fingers tightened in Sasuke's and he stroked the back of Sasuke's hand lightly with his thumb.
The tightening was returned instantly and then Sasuke took his final sip of wine before setting the glass to the side on his nightstand. Seeing Naruto was almost finished with his glass Sasuke waited for him to take the last few sips and then took the glass putting it next to his own. Without muttering a single word he scooted down and settled his pillow lower before he reached down to the foot of the bed and pulled the covers up again. The whole while his one hand remained laced in Naruto's.
Not sure whether to stay or go Naruto just continued to sit there, stroking Sasuke's hand and gazing at him.
When he was satisfied he looked at their joined hands and then up to Naruto. "If you plan on staying I suggest you do whatever you have to do before you go to sleep," he said simply his voice even.
"You mean... I can stay?" Naruto asked with child-like hopefulness. Never in his life had he slept in the same bed as someone and here Sasuke was offering him that chance.
"No, Naruto. I'm going to kick you out after everything that's just happened.... dobe. Get ready for bed," Sasuke made the 'Naruto's being stupid again' face and released Naruto's hand preparing to lie down.
And here Naruto thought it wasn't possible for him to be any happier. Used to Sasuke's sarcasm and able to see right through it he bounded off the bed, headed for the bathroom. Five minutes later he emerged in just his boxers and crawled under the covers. He snuggled right up to Sasuke, holding him close and tucking the dark head under his chin. "Night, jackass," he murmured cheerfully.
"Tch," was his only answer as Sasuke shifted a little getting more comfortable in an unfamiliar situation. He tossed one arm over Naruto's stomach and sleeping at an angle to Naruto with his head under Naruto's chin the whole night.
--------------------The Following "Morning"--------------------
If not for the drawn blinds, the light of early afternoon would have poured into the bedroom of Uchiha Sasuke. The whole apartment was quiet, peaceful, and serene. Nothing moved. Not until the two boys who had been slumbering peacefully began to stir. Their waking started with a shifting on the part of the dark haired Anbu Captain, and although he settled again shortly after he began to move, the sleep was ruined.
Shaken from his peaceful sleep by Sasuke's movement Naruto yawned hugely and hugged the other young man closer. He was more than ready to just lay there for a couple more hours. Slowly his eyes fluttered open, not focused on anything since all of his attention was on the warm body in his arms. But then his eyes fell onto the alarm clock on Sasuke's nightstand and focused on the time...
...And then there was an explosion of sheets as Naruto jumped out of bed and dashed about, pulling his clothes on. "SHIT, I'M LATE AGAIN!!!! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!!!!" After pulling his shirt on he leaned over the bed and gave Sasuke a quick, hungry kiss. "Bye Sasuke see you later love you!" he exclaimed before flying out the window for the Tower. ::She's gonna kill me!!!::
Sasuke lay there on his back his lips still throbbing with the intensity of Naruto's hurried and hungry kiss, staring at the ceiling. "What the hell did I get myself into?" he muttered aloud before straightening himself out on his bed and burrowing under the sheets and into the pillows and mattress in the warm spot left by Naruto. He'd worry about it later.
--------------------Tsunade's Office--------------------
Tsunade hummed softly to herself as she sorted through some of the report scrolls on her desk. Today was going to be a wonderful day indeed she thought maliciously and stretched her arms high above her head as she waited. She didn't have to wait much longer, though she had been waiting for the last two hours.
Naruto burst into her office and ran up to her desk. "I'm sorry I just woke up I know that's no excuse just please don't kill me I like my life honest I'm sorry I'll never do it again I promise!!!" he babbled, out of breath from his all-out run.
"Sit down," she said having turned her attention back to the scrolls on her desk. That, she knew, would scare the pants off of him. She knew he would automatically think her way too calm and the fact that she looked so intently at the scrolls on her desk that - unbeknownst to him - meant so very little to the current situation.
He did so and continued to spout apologies, just waiting for her to punch him and send him into the floor like always.
Rolling her eyes she said, "The sooner you shut up, the sooner we can get started."
Naruto stopped babbling and cringed, waiting for the punch. When none came he cracked an eye open and looked warily at her. ::What is she doing?! Waiting for me to lower my guard or something?!::
"Alright... Now that I have your attention... Let's begin, ne?" she smiled at him, that cheery big sister smile and lifted one of the report scrolls. "It was reported to you that there was suspicious activity on the northern boarder of Konoha... tell me the possible countries that could pose a threat -..."
"Wait, you're... not gonna yell at me?" Naruto asked warily, interrupting her. It was very unlike Tsunade to not chew him out for being late. And he'd been really late this time.
"No. Do you want me to yell at you?" she answered stopping mid-sentence.
"...Did ero-sennin drug you or something last night?"
Stress-pock. "No," she growled trying to control her temper. "The lesson's started, kono gaki..."
Naruto made a face at being called a brat - ::I'm twenty-one, dammit. I'm not a kid anymore.:: - but let it slide... for now. Throughout the whole lesson he kept his senses on alert, waiting for Tsunade to do something as punishment for his tardiness.
When she'd finished with him she tucked all of her lesson-giving things away and nodded. "You can go."
Feeling confused as hell Naruto didn't get up, staring at her. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"
Tsunade actually chuckled a little then. "Look... to clear it up for your poor, underused brain... When you were later than forty-five minutes I sent Kakashi out to find you. You're the successor so we had to make sure you were safe and... sound asleep. With the person you had questioned me about the other day I'm assuming. Am I right, that the person you were unsure of was Sasuke?"
Naruto blinked almost audibly and blushed brightly. Well, he'd gotten the explanation he wanted. Deciding not to answer Tsunade he got up and left very quickly. ...Sasuke was waiting for him to come back anyway.
She just chuckled and turned her attention back to the Real Hokage's work absently wondering when Jiraiya might show up to rescue her from the evil paperwork.
--------------------
Silent as a shadow Naruto slipped back into Sasuke's apartment after getting something to eat at the Ichiraku. He wasn't really surprised to find the other young man deep asleep again. Smirking in amusement he stripped down to his boxers and climbed back into the bed, spooning up against Sasuke's back comfortably.
He'd been mostly awake since Naruto had started to pull his clothes off roused from sleep by the whisper of cloth on skin. He'd almost gotten drastic and thrown a kunai in Naruto's direction before he identified the person and decided he was safe enough to snuggle back into Naruto's body as he was wrapped in muscled arms, heat and muscle tucked against his back. Silence still reigned in the room and Sasuke did nothing to break it almost completely drifting back into sleep.
Naruto sighed quietly in deep contentment and nuzzled at the back of Sasuke's neck, tightening his embrace. "Sasuke..." he breathed lovingly, more than ready to fall into a light doze now that he was with his best friend... no, his lover again.
Sasuke's hand tightened a little where he'd cupped his fingers around Naruto's elbow and murred softly in his sleep. The world seemed distant and the possibility of death seemed a lot farther away at the moment and that made everything even better. Naruto was there behind him and safe. He was there, in Naruto's arms, safe and sound. It was perfect... or as close as Sasuke could ever hope to get.
Smiling against Sasuke's neck, Naruto fell into a light sleep. Life was wonderful at that moment and he couldn't think of anything better than just being with Sasuke... For him, right now life was perfect, and he was looking forward to the multitude of perfect moments he just knew would come... later... when he woke up...
~~Owari~~
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"Possibilities" (Present - 10000hit on Sacrifices)