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The Perfect Day	By : Cepheus Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1065 -:- 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-The Perfect Day
- 1
The perfect day

Cepheus: cryptic piece.
Each part is labelled with a musical term. Explanation of such at the end of
the chapter.

For the SuiNaru contest
held by Crimson2006

��

Rating: T

Summary: (SuiNaru) What
was left for Naruto as he broke his own dream, taking Sasuke back? A new
direction, perhaps.

Warnings: SPOILERS FOR LATEST CHAPTERS. AT because some things do
not follow canon. Male x male pairing, a bit of confusing rhetoric, and
similar. Any problem, you can click back and forget about this.

Disclaimer: meaning
not claim. Why is it here? To state I don�t own Naruto. I wouldn�t be writing
here otherwise.

�Talking�
�Thinking�

��

THE PERFECT DAY

Adagio � flowing

It was as
if there had never been a start, or an end, always circling from one to another
without clear distinction �a dream that ended and continued on, as clear as
crystal water.
Everything
had tuned into focus after the words had left his mouth, as if watching himself
from afar, lost in Sakura�s tear�filled eyes as she begged him to go, and take
Sasuke back.
And save
him.
Holding
her hands into his (because no matter his
own insecurity, he had to stay strong for her, because that was what he was), he had comforted her with
a smile, and words he had to believe himself.
�I will take him back Sakura�chan� that�s a
promise�.
From then
on, knowing he would never go back to his word, he fought on. It was his nindo
(no matter how much he was laughed at,
for his foolishness� it amused them so much).
And when
the first time he failed, he didn�t let go. His promise was still standing,
still strong, and Sakura had seen it, accepting his apologize and promising him
the same thing.
They
would be together when the time would come, and they would do it together. Keep
a promise of friendship that had taken over their entire world.
And three
years passed by.
Returning
to his hometown, he was still as eager, still as determined (maybe because he feared that if he changed,
he would see things as they were, and would be forced to back away),
stronger and older. He was still Naruto, and that was enough.
In all the
time he had spent training, he had known that someone needed him. That was his
strength, the strength he used to back up his words, the strength he kept
inside him when no one else believed in him �when his friends secretly shook
their heads, muttering of his stupidity.
When he
had no one to believe in him, he would believe in himself.
His dream
had taken roots from there, created by small, almost invisible fragments of his
imagination, a way to shield him away, clear, so clear in his mind.
That dream
would always be there, Naruto could easily access to it, day and night, from
when his conscious emerged from the black abyss of sleep to the moment he
returned in his bed at night, and even then, it would be his last thought.
Obsession
of sorts, it had turned out to be his sole solace, until it was so clear, so
perfect, that Naruto had started believing it would be the truth. How it was
meant to be, mulling over each detail, carving it out, as if that would make it
come true.
Twisting
every aspect to his desire, until there was nothing else but it.
There was
no childish egocentrism in his dream, because to wander too far from the truth
would have uncovered the lies, and Naruto�s mind evaded the thought, squirming
away from any possibility� no images of himself as the super�hero, because even
in his dreams, bitter realism ruined his ego, twisting it down until he was
scared and embarrassed of the obviously fake moments.
Things
that could not be true. And so they were not.
And still,
the dream was perfect, in its own way.
A
glorious day.
The sun was shining in a cloud�less sky, the
blue so deep it hurt; birds were chirping around him, as he slowly made his way
to Konoha. There were scars on his skin, but he could barely feel pain from
them, a smile on his lips, one warmer than any other he had managed before.
At his side, the cause of his sudden
happiness, was walking his long lost friend, the person that he had finally
convinced to come back home.
Sasuke was smirking, not maliciously, but
simply cockily, muttering something under his breath about Naruto�s
thick�headedness, apparently pissed off but clearly amused by his friend�s
acting.
�Usuratonkachi��
Everything was perfect. Everything was
right.
They were finally going back to Konoha�
together.
And Konoha appeared in front of their eyes,
and Naruto slowed down his pace, feeling the silent aura surround them both as
the villagers appeared around them, ninja and peasants, everyone staring at
them, pointing in shock at the sight of their loved Uchiha coming back.
Naruto could easily hear their comments,
too, how the demon they hated had managed to bring the Uchiha to Konoha again.
Everyone too shocked by his act to question
his loyalty.
Naruto, the demon, the one they despised�
had been the one to take back their precious Uchiha. And that could mean he
wasn�t as bad as they thought�
Naruto was smiling again, feeling inside
himself that this would be the first step of the village�s acceptation of him.
He could not be the demon, since he had been the one to take the heir of the
Sharingan back home�
And then he turned to the left, and there
was Sakura running towards him, smiling and hugging him tightly and then
punching him in the head, because she had been afraid this time, once again�
and then she turned to Sasuke and smiled at him too, reserving a similar punch
for the Uchiha�s head� because Naruto loved Sakura as a sister now, and she
loved Sasuke as a friend� and now�
Now they could finally be the perfect
friends.
That was
the most Naruto could think, the moment when everything would turn to a happy
ending, as the dream vanished, leaving him warm inside �for he never ventured
any further than that, because (he was
afraid to think any more, afraid of a reality check to ruin his dream) it
didn�t matter.
It felt
like he was living solely for that single moment, waiting to get Sasuke back,
allowed to dream because that sole dream belonged to him, he had every right to
hold that future. Moulding it to his desires.
A silent
wait when his entire conscious would deny anything but hope, denying the doubts
and the dark, lingering thoughts that assaulted him at night. Thoughts that he
forced away, ignoring them. He couldn�t doubt.
It won�t be that easy, you know.
�Shut up�
he whispered, his own voice almost surreal in the darkness.
A village can�t change like that�
He knew
it was true, but this was his only way to cope. Taking back Sasuke, that was
his goal. Just that.
What if he hates you for taking him back,
then?
�But I
can�t hesitate� Naruto muttered, facing the empty ceiling of his room, eyes
glazed over. �What is left for me if I let go of him?�

Canon � vertigo

Blue eyes
watched transfixed as Kakashi got kicked in his stomach by the Akatsuki member,
the one that had looked almost harmless just minutes before.
It had
been happening in a blur, when a moment before Naruto had been ramming his
Rasengan down into the masked man�s back, having successfully tricked him with
a Kage Bunshin, and the next moment the guy had laughed, and Naruto had fallen through him, down to the ground, the
Bunshin disappearing with a loud pop.
And then,
the masked Akatsuki had moved, still acting childishly, dropping down on
Naruto�s head �making it slump deeper in the soil� and had scratched the back
of his head, laughing like an idiot as he made no move to evade any of the
Konoha�nin�s attacks.
Kiba had
been the first to move, running at top�s speed towards the Akatsuki member with
Akamaru stomping on the ground at his side, trying to punch the laughing man
right on the face, but orange�mask simply side�stepped, slipping a bit, before
standing up straight to evade Sakura�s punch.
Kakashi
had pulled his hitai�ate up, his Sharingan active to see exactly who, or what,
this man was (an Akatsuki, no matter how strange he could act, was still a
threat), but not even his Doujutsu could see anything wrong with him�
It wasn�t
a Genjutsu, nor a Bunshin. The man was absolutely there. And yet�
Hinata
was standing a bit back, her Byakugan activated as well, but something strange
was blocking her sight too, making her unable to distinguish the chakra
patterns in the Akatsuki member�s body. It didn�t feel like anything she had
ever seen before.
Kiba
attacked once more from behind, growling in anger and disappointment, but the
masked shinobi simply laughed out, jumping upwards and evading the incoming
punch, using Akamaru�s head as support to swirl away from the two.
Naruto
stopped for a split second, shocked over that guy who flawlessly evaded all
their attacks. He appeared a fool who just had luck, but� Naruto could feel it.
There was something wrong with that
person �something dangerous. His guts
never failed him.
And then,
the mask turned his way. Eyes were looking at him, Naruto could feel it with
the same intensity he felt the adrenaline pumping into his body. Those eyes
were looking at him. Naruto tensed up, preparing to attack again�
�I
wonder, why are you still here?�
The words
were spoken right next to him, whispered in his ear, but he had no recollection
of seeing the man move at all; a merely blink of an eye, and he had
disappeared, and now that voice �a voice both ridiculously mocking and dark was
speaking to him.
The world
moved slower, so much slower, and Naruto blinked again, the man�s hand on his
shoulder used as support, just like before with Akamaru, as the Akatsuki
stumbled around, evading the physical attacks of his comrades with apparent
clumsiness.
Naruto
could feel the bare touch of the man�s cloak against the naked skin of his hand
as the masked Akatsuki twirled around him, managing to look awkward, stumbling,
evading Kakashi�s Chidori whilst still holding Naruto�s shoulder, but Naruto
knew better.
The man
had power beyond recognition, far more than the two he met when coming to the
rescue of Shikamaru and his team.
Fear
griped in his guts, but he had no time to act upon it, because once more, the
man whispered at him.
�Your
friend, is it? The young, foolish Uchiha� he�s getting what he asked for and
you�re here, held up in a pointless battle against me� he laughed, low, dry
chuckle that sent shivers down Naruto�s back. �Believe me, I am not an opponent
for you, when you could just get what you want� and save your Uchiha�.
Had he
been moving Naruto would have frozen but as it was, it was simply his blood
that stopped flowing, the masked man�s words burning inside his brain as he
tried to understand.
He didn�t
see the man evade others punches like he was playing against babies, and he
didn�t see the combined attack of Team Ten, Shino joining in the battle as well
as Kakashi�s dogs, he only saw one gloved hand lift up in the air, pointing
South.
�Why
aren�t you going, then?�
Naruto
knew that had he been without mask, he would have seen his opponent smile
gleefully.
There was
actually no time to think (was the
Akatsuki guy even saying the truth, and if he was, why?) but Naruto felt
his own body move �if against his will, he didn�t know. But he was moving.
Far from
the fight (a pointless, useless fight of
babies against a grown adult), and he ran, lost to the voices of his
teammates.
�Naruto!�

Capriccio � flooding

Suigetsu
smirked as he countered Kisame�s slash with his own sword (he had yet to use it in a real fight so technically it was still
Zabuza�s, but still), swinging it through the air to par a blow coming from
the right side.

The
Akatsuki was good, he mused, his smirk widening at the speed the older man used
whilst moving his Samehada, swaying it around with polished ease and attacking
him; Suigetsu could see the same excitement in the eyes of his opponent, a twin
smirk on the shark man�s face.
�But so am I� he thought, as the
sword slashed through his body, resulting it to smash in thousand water
particles that flew everywhere, before his body recomposed itself, as if
nothing had happened.
Kisame
let out a quiet chuckle, amused. �As reckless as I remember, Suigetsu� he said,
his eyes never leaving his opponent�s figure. �You did train, after all� and am
I mistaken if I say your sword once belonged to Zabuza?�
Suigetsu
laughed out aloud as he jumped high, attacking with the same practiced ease by
slashing down with his sword, expecting Kisame to block �which was what
happened.
�Hai,
Kisame�sempai� how considerate of you to remember your fallen comrade� he said,
pressing down with his sword before rolling in the air, thrown away from the
sudden strength the other swordsman used on him.
Kisame let
out a laughter. �Impudent brat� he growled out, his smirk widening. �I will
teach you to respect your elders!�
Swiftly,
Kisame�s hands moved into a series of seals, clapping them together, a surge of
chakra coiling inside his throat �Suiton
�Bakushouha!�
Kisame�s
throat constricted and he doubled down, spitting a stream of water on the
ground; Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo stared at the massive amount of water that
gathered together, forming a tidal wave in front of them, on top of which
Kisame stood.
The wave
thundered over them and fell, the ground trembling at the sheer strength of the
water, submerging everything in a hundred meters radius; Juugo swiftly moved
away, whilst Karin cursed loudly and followed him before the water collided
with them.
Suigetsu
jumped up, part of his body melting down in the raging waters, maintaining his
place as Kisame rode the wave, his sword uplifted, waiting for his opponent.
Despite
being partially composed by water, Suigetsu found it hard to resist the current
of the shark man�s attack, and knew he had to get the upper hand, since Kisame
had way more chakra than he did.
Suigetsu
evaded one swipe of Samehada as Kisame passed next to him, pushing upwards on
the moving water and rolling down on its surface, then straightening back up
and leaning over his sword. He was definitely having fun, for a change.
The
travelling with Sasuke had not offered any boredom�relief, and not even
bickering with the double�faced bitch had helped �plus Juugo was completely
plain.
Sasuke himself
was totally unfunny. Not cool.
Flickering
his eyes to the side, he watched as Juugo and Karin jumped on two poles, barely
above the water that was cooling down, filling the ground around them; the
orange haired young man had his eyes lost in the distance again, whilst Karin
was glaring at him.
Suigetsu
fought the sudden impulse to take the fight over to where she was standing just
to spite her, but then decided otherwise �it would just ruin the fun.
There was
no more time to think as Kisame moved towards him, and he had barely the time
to move out of the way, dropping lower in the water stream and swinging his
sword through Kisame�s legs� and watching as the Mizu Bunshin exploded.
�Heh��
Suigetsu
let himself fall into the water, having no problems breathing as he felt around
with his chakra, trying to guess from where Kisame would attack again. The
whole surface was coated with his chakra flares, so it wasn�t easy, and
Suigetsu had never been good at pinpointing directions anyway.
He felt
an increase of power below him and resurfaced, standing on his hands and knees
above the water just in time to see Kisame explode out, holding his sword as he
slashed it parallel to the surface, hitting Suigetsu in the face and making him
fall back inside.
Slowly,
the water started to flood away, partly being absorbed by the ground and partly
drained away; Suigetsu stood up again, whistling at the destruction around
them, holding the handle of his sword. He was ready to start another round, and
Kisame, who was standing in front of him with a smirk on his face, was of the
same idea.
Unfortunately
the fun was short�lived as Karin suddenly turned around, feeling Sasuke�s
chakra subside, wavering and disappearing far too quickly to be normal; merely
a second later, a shattering scream reached their ears, effectively stopping
both Kisame and Suigetsu mid�strike.
Karin
blinked in shock, knowing something had happened inside. Juugo shook himself
out of his trance and turned in the direction where Sasuke had disappeared
into, frowning lightly; Kisame�s smirk faltered, if only slightly, and he
replaced his sword on his back with a haste move.
From
behind him, a dark figure flickered away from the Uchiha hideout compound.
�Seems
like we�ll have to cut our meeting short,� he muttered, his shoulders tense.
�Until next time, Suigetsu�.
Kisame�s
figure vanished in a pool of water, together with the heavy chakra that
belonged to him, and Suigetsu�s smirk disappeared from his lips. Karin and
Juugo jumped at his side, both with the same confused frown, and all the three
of them turned towards the Uchiha hideout.
No one
moved, the only thing breaking the silence was the softly blowing wind.
Karin
froze.
�Someone
is coming� she murmured, pointing behind her.

Dissonance
� fracture

Barely a
glance, eyes lost somewhere behind his back, on the wall. It had been a mere
second, the time it took for him to blink in shock, and everything had been
twisted around, the control he held on the Genjutsu, on the world, was not his anymore.
It had
been easy to fight, knowing he was superior, knowing this would be the final
glance at his brother, knowing that he would end it all right now.
Equal
fight of Genjutsu skills, Sharingan against Sharingan, until Itachi had taken
the battle way higher, activating his Mangekyou Sharingan. Sasuke had refused
to follow his brother�s lead this much, ignoring his words, unable to kill the
person that had been his closest one just to be at the same level of the man he
had sworn to kill.
Sasuke
thought better of himself.
And yet,
listening to Itachi�s words, the explanation, the impossible truth, what was
behind his actions, Sasuke couldn�t believe his ears. Was this what was hidden
behind Itachi�s attitude, behind his fake care, behind everything?
A man
that had, with his doings, corrupted his brother�s mind. Uchiha Madara. A man
Sasuke knew would die, right after Itachi.
Sasuke
had summoned his shuriken, pressing against the bloody seals on his wrists,
attacking his brother viciously, breaking the fight in the real world just as
he fought his brother�s control, knowing he would�
And then,
he had understood. When Itachi moved on him, effortlessly evading all his
attacks, causing him to harm a Kage Bunshin instead, the face that had been
contorted moments before had already returned to the impassibility emotionless
stone.
Three
single moves and Sasuke was pushed against the wall, one arm slammed above his
head and Itachi standing millimetres from him, holding him there, their eyes
meeting for a second. Itachi wasn�t even trying.
The loud
crack had echoed through the room far too clearly, followed by the choked sound
of a gurgling throat fighting hard to breathe �bubbles of red liquid pooling at
the sides of his mouth, filling everything.
Methodical
to a degree, brutal, harsh.
Another
loud crack, this time the muffled voice could make it through the blood, and
coughed in the air, gasping for the air that tried so hard to fill his lungs.
Painful.
The dark
haired man stood still, his face void of emotions, void of what had been there
moments before, eyes that were still swirling madly but that didn�t see
anything anymore, lost somewhere that was not here anymore.
Still
looking in Sasuke�s eyes, but not looking
at all.
�You will be my eyes�.
Torment
and anguish, as one pale, strong hand lowered down to the body held against the
wall, circling lightly the white neck, brushing over the pooled blood only to
move down, reaching a shoulder, and then, with a swift, graceful strike, pulled
it off its socket, driving out from the agonizing teen he held still another
pain filled yell, with a raw throat that shouldn�t have been able to hold sound
anymore.
The
tormentor not even caring as he inflicted any kind of pain, torture, to the
fallen body, unable (or uncaring) to
see anything but his own determination in completing his work.
There was
a methodical, plain reasoning through his actions though, and in his barely
conscious mind, Sasuke knew his brother was teaching him another lesson. He was
still stronger, and despite the training, despite it all �Sasuke still meant
nothing.
Sasuke
cried out again, the pain far too strong to even clutch to his policy of not
making a sound (he didn�t want to give
Itachi the satisfaction of knowing he was hurting him), because it didn�t
matter anymore.
Itachi
didn�t care for Sasuke�s pain.
Sasuke
fell down, the grip on him loosening up, making him hit hard, coughing blood;
and still, Sasuke gritted his teeth, defiance burning in his eyes. He would
never give up.
Harsh
breathing, air filling his bloody lungs in broken gasps, Sasuke wondered what
had gone wrong. He was supposed to be stronger, and still, with all his
training, it had amounted to this.
Ignoring
everyone and everything around him, only trying to become stronger, leaving the
place he was born into just to seek power strong enough to satiate his lust for
revenge, hurting others without caring, and yet�
It
amounted to�
His brain
processes ended suddenly when he felt Itachi�s hand grasp the back of his head,
towering over him with the same emotionless eyes, swirling with madness, and
the ease it took to the older Uchiha to lift the battered body of his younger
brother was far too clear.
Sasuke
could feel the pain flare from his broken fingers and his dislocated shoulder,
and from the many broken ribs that made it hard to breathe, but nothing
compared to the horror he had for himself.
That was
stronger than his own pain. The knowledge that he was still too weak.
His
blurry Sharingan still active, Sasuke said nothing when his brother�s free hand
moved towards his face.

Glissando � droplets

Suigetsu
cracked his shoulders, carefully placing his sword against a small pillar, and
turned towards Karin, who was deep in concentration, her head lightly lowered. �Do
you recognize the chakra?�
The dark
haired teen blinked and bit on her lower lip, turning towards the Uchiha
hideout and then back at Suigetsu, for once not up to fight him.
�It�s the
Jinchuuriki� she said, frowning in confusion. �But he is moving alone, at a
great speed, and it�s coming this way �almost as if��
Suigetsu
blinked, for a moment not understanding what Jinchuuriki she was talking about,
then he remembered. Sasuke�s so called friend, the one the Akatsuki was searching,
the one he had failed to kill.
The guy
they met for a single instant, as a Kage Bunshin.
And he
was coming in this direction, all by himself?
It made
no sense.
�Somehow,
the Jinchuuriki seems to know we are here� Karin continued, feeling the strong
pressure of the double chakra of the Bijuu�container move accordingly to their
exact position, even increasing his speed.
Juugo
breathed deeply.
�Sasuke�s
chakra is almost completely gone� Karin continued. �If we don�t move right now
to get him away, the Jinchuuriki will soon reach us. I never fought against
one, I don�t know his strength��
Suigetsu
frowned. Even though Sasuke had never mentioned it (God knew the brooding
Uchiha never tried to speak to them in familiar terms), he heard the Jinchuuriki
was fixated with him, and that he wanted to take him back to Konoha.
So
probably, if he were to get Sasuke right now, and Suigetsu was practically
certain Sasuke had been crushed by his brother�s strength, he would take him
back to the village without hassle.
And
Sasuke didn�t want to go back. Not before killing Itachi.
And yet�
�We have
to take Sasuke away from here,� Karin said, stepping towards the Uchiha
hideout.
Suigetsu
looked up at Juugo, meeting his eyes in a silent confrontation; the two had
never been on friendly terms, but now, after some time in the same team, the
previous dislike had no reason to exist anymore.
�Juugo is just� too� too�� Suigetsu
grimaced inwardly. Yeah, he was nothing like he had once thought him to be.
�Karin�.
She
stopped, turning around at Suigetsu�s serious voice, and looked at him,
twitching slightly, but not speaking.
�Let the
Jinchuuriki come and take Sasuke back�.
Karin�s
cheeks coloured red in anger, her eyes sparkling us as she ran to him, trying
to hit Suigetsu�s face, but this time he evaded the hit, straightening back
again to look at her in the eyes.
�What the
hell are you saying, you damn idiot?! Sasuke�kun doesn�t want to go there
anymore! We are here to��
�To what,
exactly? To help him kill Itachi?� Suigetsu turned towards the hideout. �He
wanted us to keep any unwanted attention off himself as he fought, but in the
end, not even his so�called skills helped him. This Uchiha Itachi was stronger
than him�.
�And he
will need time to recover, and we are not the best with that� Juugo intervened,
surprising both Karin and Suigetsu, who had not expected him to speak at all.
�Konoha will take care of him. He will be healed. He ran away once, that place
has no protection. He will do it again, if he feels like it�.
�Konoha
wouldn�t let him go� Karin hissed, angered to be the only one seeing the truth.
�We have no authority to go against Sasuke�s desires!�
�Sasuke
did not care he was running towards probable defeat, Karin� Suigetsu shook his
head, cursing the woman�s stubborn side. �He didn�t think it through, nor did
he think he could lose� he was a cool, stoic type, but in the end, he acted in
a rush and without planning anything out� he gripped the sword harder in his
hand. �No training, he just decided we had enough power, but he knows nothing
of what we are capable of. And he underestimated his own brother�s strength,
even though he had years to prepare himself�.
Karin
gulped down her reply, knowing he was basically right but not willing to accept
it.
�Still, I
don�t get what good would do Konoha to him! You were the first badmouthing that
place!�
Suigetsu
smirked, his pointed teeth flashing as he did so.
�Yes, but
I am not talking about the place. It�s the people. Three years, and they are
still searching for him �and not to kill Sasuke, but to take him back. Any
other shinobi would have been labelled as missing�nin without second thought,
but not him� his friends want him back as he is�.
Juugo
turned his eyes towards the Uchiha hideout as well, a small smile on his face.
�He might not want it but it is better this way�.
�I am not
allowing someone to take Sasuke�kun away!� Karin persevered, baring her teeth
as her anger bubbled under her calm surface. �What would we do then, let him
go, and then? We have promised him to follow him until Itachi was dead �and he
certainly isn�t� she spat.
Juugo
frowned, inclining his head a bit. He didn�t want to go where people lived. It
would only sparkle his curse.
�Konoha has
one of the best medic nins ever, Orochimaru himself said so� Suigetsu casually
said, not looking at the orange haired man at his side. �She would help with
your little control problem�.
�Why
would she? We�re not the good guys!� Karin huffed, crossing her arms in anger.
�What would stop her from killing or torturing us?�
Suigetsu
rolled his eyes.
�We are
not ninja �well, I once was, but I don�t have a hitai�ate nor any background
records other than my name, and that is not recognized outside my specialization�
he shrugged. �We have no records against any hidden village nor commoners, we
are just Sasuke�s chosen team. Even if they wanted answers from us, they have
no rights to question us. They can�t control us, they can�t force us into
things we don�t want�.
Juugo
blinked, apparently thinking it over, then nodding his consent. Suigetsu was
right, they had no records on them.
�If we
offer information on Orochimaru�s experiments and his hideouts� whereabouts, it
would be an even better deal and they couldn�t but keep us� Suigetsu continued,
pointedly looking at Karin. �So we could wait whilst Sasuke is healing and
afterwards decide what to do�.
Now he
could feel the pressure of the incoming chakra as well, and he wondered idly if
the Akatsuki was enough miles away not to feel it too. It was so fast� that
Jinchuuriki seriously knew how to run.
Karin was
uncertain on what to do; either leave by herself, which would be useless, or
accept her two team mates� idea and stay as well. Despite her hatred for Suigetsu
she had to admit his reasoning made sense.
Was it
the better alternative possible?
She was
the one with the most information, since she had worked in the Snake�s prisons
for years now. And even though she despised the idea of telling Orochimaru�s enemies
about them, she really had nothing left to do in there.
Even
before Sasuke came to her, she had long since decided she would move away from
there.
Besides,
the thought that Sasuke had underestimated them all in his plans against the
older Uchiha bothered her more than she thought it possible. She wasn�t sure
that he was worth her interest in that department. She hated to be
underestimated.
Looking
away, still grimacing, Karin stepped back, her shoulders relaxing. They would
wait for the Jinchuuriki�s arrival. But she was doing it only for Sasuke, she
reminded herself and the other two, her voice clipped. He needed professional
treatment.

Deceptive cadence � shattered

Naruto didn�t
know when he started pouring out Kyuubi�s chakra, using it to assess if the
masked guy had given him right information, trying to find out the chakra that
could tell him where Sasuke was, and all in all, he didn�t care what he used as
long as he could get to where he was.
This was
it, apparently, and this time, alone or not, he would certainly take Sasuke
back.
He felt
adrenaline rush through his body, feeling a thrill he hadn�t felt ever before,
not in any of his previous battles �the knowledge that this was the moment he
had expected for years.
He
smirked, feeling his slightly elongated fangs brush against his lower lip.
Yes, he
was going to see Sasuke, and make him understand. With actions if words
wouldn�t be enough. Anything to get him back.
At any
normal pace, travelling through the forest would take at least one, two days,
but given his Kyuubi�enhanced speed, a few hours seemed to suffice enough.
Soon,
Naruto could feel a change in the nature around him, noticing the different
type of trees and bushes as he kept moving onwards, vaguely realising he had
entered the Sound country�s boundaries in his mad run.
Sasuke
had to be this way. He had to.
Not even
knowing exactly where he was going, Naruto briefly wondered if he had to stop
for a moment, to organize his thoughts and see if he could recognize Sasuke�s
chakra somehow, but despite his own uncertainty, he didn�t stop.
�I will keep going until I��
His next
step faltered as he suddenly caught a sniff coming from somewhere further ahead
of him; his speed reduced drastically as he frowned, analyzing the sudden
presence of three chakra that had entered his perception.
He didn�t
recognize any of them, but something was nagging at him, something he had
forgotten� but what?
�Three chakra, and none I can recognize�
it�s not Sasuke, but�� Naruto bit his lower lip, moving faster
again. �Who?�
His
answer came pretty soon, when he reached the end of the forest. His feet
stopped outside the grass, on clean ground, feeling it sag a bit under his weight,
detecting traces of lingering chakra everywhere around �a chakra he remembered
well.
�Akatsuki� was here? Shark�face?� Naruto
stopped entirely, allowing the flux of Kyuubi�s chakra that had surrounded him to
fade away, pulsing lightly one more time before seeping back in the seal.
And right
there, standing in front of him, a few meters away, stood the three people he
had seen by chance when his Bunshin had met with Sasuke.
His heart
skipped a beat, finally understanding whom the three chakra signature belonged
to �inwardly cursing against his rush. Now he would have to fight them all by
himself, and he wasn�t sure just how strong they were.
Falling
on guard, he stared at them, his eyes flickering from one to the other, trying
to see something he could use at his own advantage. Maybe the idea of leaving
his group wasn�t that good after all�
The guy
on the left had a strange skin colour, his hair looking oddly coloured too �a
mix of grey, white and light azure� and was smirking, one pointy teeth clear
between his lips. He had a giant sword in hand, one that Naruto had seen
somewhere else already, but he couldn�t remember.
The
lingering chakra in the air that belonged to Kisame was stronger on him, which
meant the two had� fought?
Then
there was another male, a tall one, with orange hair. The guy looked positively
imposing. And still, the look on his face was puzzling. He wasn�t� well, Naruto
had expected his face to be as dangerous as his figure. But he looked so
peaceful.
The third
person of the group was a female, with reddish mid�length hair, and a pair of
dark glasses. She was glaring at him, a stuck�up expression on her face, and
was tapping her foot on the ground, her hands twitching at her side, but still,
none of the three moved as Naruto stopped to a halt in front of them.
Truth to
be told, Naruto had quite expected to be attacked as soon as the three saw him,
because they had met once (the Kage Bunshin) and surely Sasuke must have
explained them� and yet�
�I am
here for Sasuke, and I intend to bring him back to Konoha!� he decided to chase
his insecurity away, and growling at them, Naruto narrowed his eyes. He was
ready.
�He�s
down there, in the big building you can see from here� the one with the sword
on his back said, pointing behind with his thumb. �I suggest you to move
quickly, because he needs help�.
Despite
his words, Naruto couldn�t move.
What did
this mean?
�You�re
not� going to stop me?� he hesitated, not understanding what the three were
doing. They had looked possibly dangerous to him, and still, they were not
moving against him? �Shouldn�t you� I don�t know, Sasuke��
�Doesn�t
want to come back, we know� the girl sneered, pouting a bit. �But that�s what is
best for him at the current moment. He had a very one�sided battle against his
brother, and we don�t have the knowledge to heal him all the way, not if Itachi
used his Mangekyou against Sasuke�.
Naruto
blinked, eyes widening in shock as he finally caught up with what had happened.
Indeed, the masked man�s words were true, and Sasuke was� Sasuke was�
Pushing
away the guy with the sword, Naruto moved towards the building, ignoring the
growing feeling of uneasiness he had. In a single day, all his thoughts had
been turned around and twisted. An enemy had helped him, the reasons still
unknown, and three possible enemies had given up even before he arrived.
He didn�t
want to think about it.
Running
towards the building, every other sound washed away by the mad thumping of his
heart, Naruto gulped down on a dry throat as he tried to feel Sasuke�s chakra,
but without being able to pinpoint it.
�Why can�t I feel it?� he
pressed on, slamming open the first door in front of him and running through
the first corridor, feeling an insane sense of d�j� vu as he searched every
corner to see his friend.
This was
it. The moment he had waited for all these years, the moment that would
conclude his dream, the only dream he ever had, a truly powerful one that had
been in his thoughts so long.
Find
Sasuke, fight him and talk to him, now that he had nothing to fear from the
Uchiha�s companions�
He
wouldn�t stop now. Sasuke was going to come back to Konoha, willingly or not�
The world
shattered in front of him.
�S� Sasuke?�

Rondo � infinite?

All
thoughts fled Naruto�s mind, his heartbeat rushing in his ears with the noise
of a tornado, as with the last corner, he entered in a bigger room.
Deep blue
eyes dulled out at the sight that was burning itself in his retinas, his feet
suddenly feeling so heavy he found himself stopping on the entrance, unable to
move anymore.
There was
a voice uttering Sasuke�s name again, but surely it wasn�t him.
Was it?
Was this his voice?
It didn�t
sound confident, a part of his mind reprimanded him. So frail. Trembling. But
any consciousness he had seemed so far away now. His eyes lost in the sight of
what was Sasuke now.
What his
insane need for revenge had caused him to become.
�Is this
a joke�? Come on, Sasuke teme��
There was
no reply.
No sound
except his own heartbeat, and it was hard enough to hear his own words in the
chaos of it.
Naruto
finally moved forwards, the soft noise of his footsteps echoing in the dead
silence, as he reached the body of his friend, his own heartbeat dulling down,
the perfect undertone�s music.
The still
form of Sasuke was right in front of him, on the ground, the pool of blood
slowly growing bigger around his head, the liquid covering the grains of dust,
eating them away.
Crimson blood �it was all over him.
His face,
his clothes, his naked skin, the disjointed arms�
Was this
Sasuke?
�This isn�t a dream anymore�.
The fear
came almost as hard as a physical blow, making the blond waver. It wasn�t just fear,
but the feeling filling him now had no name.
It was so
sudden that for a moment, Naruto was overwhelmed, and yet it was so strong he
was already stepping backwards when he realised what he was doing.
The panic
washed over him in waves, his breath erratic and irregular as he fell on the
ground, still backing away from the sight of Sasuke, tears burning his eyes and
his cheeks as they streamed down.
�Sasuke��
And still
he couldn�t yell, nor explain the empty void the sight had caused inside him.
Only a
part of him took notice of the degree of injuries the dark haired teen had
sustained, the list of it growing longer and longer the more his blue eyes
looked at him, barely noticing the light breathing that still moved his chest
up and down, clear signal he was still alive, if only barely.
One arm
was twisted in a strange position, Naruto noted, still in a daze. And there was
too much blood pooling from his face, the left side, the side that was pointing
upwards. And the blackness from where the blood was coming from�
�Don�t go
there! Don�t go there don�t go there don�t go there� the words were coming out
from his lips without control, and still Naruto had yet to move from his fallen
position.
This was�
This was
it.
The three
years, the pain, the betrayal. This was the result.
A bloody
form lying on the ground.
The next
thought came like a slap.
�Leave him there and go away �it was not
supposed to be like this!�
For a
second, as Naruto stood up shakily, the thought made sense. This couldn�t be real.
After all, Naruto had it clear, how he had to take Sasuke back.
The
fight, the way Sasuke�s eyes would darken in pain, the way Naruto�s words would
finally penetrate the blackness of his heart, and how the two would walk side
by side to Konoha�
Everything
was rehearsed in detail, night after night�
There was
not a bloody Sasuke, a Sasuke that couldn�t listen to Naruto�s reasoning.
There was
not an unconscious teen whose actions had led to this.
It was
supposed to be the fight of their life. It was supposed to be Naruto�s dream,
after all.
Naruto
was going to bring Sasuke to Konoha unwillingly.
No,
certainly it wasn�t the truth. This was
not real.
As such,
Naruto turned around, eyes still wide, and took a step away from the bloodied
form of his friend, a small smile appearing on his face.
Yes, this
was� a nightmare.
�Not the
truth� he smiled to himself. �Sasuke isn�t supposed to be dying. Not after
killing Orochimaru. Not after all he did��
Not like
this�
Then he
stopped.
No breeze
around him, but still, his entire frame was trembling terribly.
Slowly,
almost as if the entire world�s fate depended on him, Naruto turned around. The
look in his eyes, had anyone been there to see, couldn�t be described.
Panic, fury,
pain, fear, anguish� swirling madly in deep blue orbs, almost pulsing through
his body as Naruto�s eyes turned even larger, taking in the whole picture.
Emptiness
eating away the hope he had felt barely a minute before.
This was
the truth.
What had
he been doing?
He had
turned his back on Sasuke, who was slowly dying at his feet. For a single,
desperate moment, Naruto had looked away. Wishing he could leave him there.
Naruto
blinked slowly, his erratic breathing fading away, his shoulders relaxing down.
His eyes were still on Sasuke, a part of him desperately clinging to the stupid
hope that the raven haired teen would wake up and fight.
It
shouldn�t be like this�
A mantra
repeated over and over again in his head, the only thought that had still place
in his mind.
His mind
had never been clearer, however. With the same strength of a thousand typhoons,
thoughts leashed inside him, the barriers he had kept strong until that moment
were now finally broken.
Had eyes
been able to look at him now, his soul would have been bare to them, everything
so clearly written on his face.
This was
the truth.
As he
kneeled down next to his fallen friend, hands carefully cradling the young
teen�s body in his arms, not even cringing now at the sight of so much blood
(and pain, and suffering), Naruto�s body was trembling again.
A raw
laughter coming out from his gritted teeth.

Progression � professing

It was
raining.
Kakashi
was looking through the darkness, his only uncovered eye darting from left to right,
unable to confront the deep instinctual fear that told him something bad had
happened.
So much
to think about, knowing he had failed to see the real purpose of the masked man
until the very end. Knowing he had caught Naruto in a Genjutsu ever since the
start� and still� had looked so utterly stupid, playing with them, faking his
idiocy.
And
Naruto had turned away, running in the distance, apparently with a clear
destination in mind, but Kakashi could only feel his own heart constricting.
Another student
he had abandoned. Another student. And once again, he feared for the worst.
The rain
was falling messily on his frame, as he made no move to turn away from the spot
he was on, his eye still glaring at the darkness around the walls of Konoha. He
had appointed himself as guard, unable to think of anything to do in the
meanwhile, as ANBU moved through the forest and everywhere, intent in finding
what he
had lost.
Tsunade�s
words still lingering in his mind.
�We don�t know what the Genjutsu placed by the
man could have done to Naruto�s mind, we don�t know what caused his sudden
running �hopefully we will be able to get to him before Akatsuki does, because
with the speed burst from Kyuubi�s chakra being used, not even they could have
predicted his exact position�.
Kakashi
shuddered under the thundering rain, slumping against the wall. They had turned
to Konoha after the attack, when the masked man whose name was Tobi (as he had
gleefully told them) had disappeared, apparently finding them less interesting
after Naruto had gone away.
Naruto
was gone somewhere, and had his control over himself faltered a bit more,
Kakashi would already be running with the ANBU, unable to stand still. As it
was, with the sudden lack of strength due to the guilt heavy on his heart,
Kakashi could do nothing.
Just
wait, as he had done for the last day and a half.
Wait for
a miracle to happen?
Or for
Naruto�s body to be found.
That was
the reason why, hearing people approaching, Kakashi had simply cringed,
expecting the last ANBU team to come back with bad news or no news at all.
The
voices were dulled out by the rain and thunders, but still, when they got near
enough, understandable.
�If we
had moved a bit slower, then I wouldn�t have slipped, you damn idiot!�
�Perhaps if
you had looked where you were going, it wouldn�t have been a problem at all,
bitch�.
Kakashi
frowned. ANBU were more silent than this, and they didn�t bicker.
Then�
Travellers?
With such horrible weather? In the middle of the night?
Whipping
out a kunai, Kakashi�s body slumped a bit more in the relaxed tenseness that
brought so many enemies to their premature death.
Only he
wasn�t expecting the sight.
The light
of the lantern that was hanging at his right, above his head, could only reach
so far with the storm, and it was only in its cone that he was able to see the
incomers.
First
came a tall orange headed guy, dressed with a black cape. Then the two that
were bickering, a male with a familiar�looking blade and a female with
flame�coloured hair, both wearing the same cape, the girl�s looking dirty for
the worse.
All the
three of them were completely wet but didn�t look like they cared.
Kakashi
stepped forwards, trying to attract their attention, but suddenly his own
attention was all for the fourth figure stepping from the foliage, a slumped
body supporting something on his back.
Kakashi�s
single eye widened in shock as the figure finally reached the trembling light
cone of the lantern.
�Naruto?!�
The blond
was huddled in the same white cape he had during his fight against the masked
Akatsuki member, a deep contrast with the other three figures �four, Kakashi
numbly added as he stared at the person on Naruto�s back.
The cape Naruto
wore was totally wet, attached to his frame, and ripped in various parts, as
though the blond had been running miles through thorn�filled bushes, his hands
tightly gripping Sasuke�s waist from behind.
Sasuke
was unconscious, his whole face minus mouth and nose covered with bloody
bandages, his hands falling limply at Naruto�s sides, the paleness of his skin
far too noticeable in the darkness.
Kakashi�s
uncovered eye closed, unable to take in the sight.
�Seriously
man, are you going to stay still like this forever?� the dull atmosphere was
suddenly shattered with the voice of one of the other three, the guy with the
sword. Kakashi dully noticed that the guy�s eyes wandered from him to Naruto,
the fierce look almost wavering at the sight, before strengthening back again.
Kakashi
stepped towards Naruto, who wasn�t even looking up at him as he spoke. �He�s
back� he muttered, still keeping strong his hold on the Uchiha. �And he needs
Tsunade. Now�.

Fermata � stone

Suigetsu
looked with a rather perplexed stare at the village around him.
It had
been almost two days since Team Hebi�s arrival in Konoha, but he had been
released by the Hokage only now, after six entire hours spent talking with the
ANBU and the village�s torture specialist, a strange guy who had looked quite
disappointed when the Hokage had refused to allow him to use his methods with
the three of them.
Suigetsu
was more than thankful though.
Juugo was
still in the infirmary, his situation had been explained, and Tsunade had lost
no time in accepting their truce, since after Orochimaru�s death it would be
best to close up all the laboratories.
Suigetsu
had seen the interest clearly in the woman�s eyes, together with the assurance
she would do anything in her hands to help him. If something had to be said
about the Konoha shinobi was that they were true to their words.
Suigetsu
had been the first to insult them, Sasuke�s stupid idea not to kill people, but
in a way, he also admired their view. Not that he quite understood or shared
the idea with them. Not at all.
As it
was, Konoha�s Hokage took the Uchiha�s return quite calmly, more interested in
Naruto�s own state than in Sasuke�s (Suigetsu had thought it would be the
opposite, knowing how the hidden village�s policy about bloodlines was), but
had healed the raven haired teen nonetheless, preventing anyone from staying
with her inside as she did so.
Suigetsu
had been actually shocked to learn Itachi had popped out one of Sasuke�s eyes
whilst fighting (the reason was still unknown), but a battle injury was a
battle injury, and an eye was not the worst he could have come up with.
The
Hokage had also allowed them free pass through Konoha, knowing that, even if
their allegiance fell with the Uchiha, they had no ill feelings towards Konoha and
actually she couldn�t really hold them up in a cell, as their status was clean.
Karin had
remained in the hospital as long as she had been allowed to, accepting a room
to sleep into and then visiting the Uchiha as soon as Tsunade deemed it safe to
�Sasuke would still be out for a week at the most, since his injuries would
require a lot of rest to heal� and Juugo was now a patient of said healer
Tsunade, but of the three, Suigetsu was the one that had nothing to do in all
the racket.
Thus his
bored walking around through the village, eyeing the sake�ya and the small
restaurants, not curious at all.
It was
only then that his thoughts had returned to the blond boy; when he had stepped
out from the building with the Uchiha on his back, Suigetsu had not been the
only one to notice there was a change in him.
Of
course, he could blame it on the fact that he didn�t know this Naruto at all,
but when he had presented himself to get Sasuke back, the teen had wanted to
fight, and was ready for it. His eyes were burning with determination.
And yet,
the moment he stepped out from the Uchiha hideout, his eyes had been clear and
cold, a blue so transparent it looked like ice; he had refused to give up
Sasuke�s body, so Karin had to bandage him right there to ensure he would live
long enough to get to Konoha, and then, without a word, Naruto had taken off
towards Konoha, without looking back.
He had
asked them if they would follow their leader or not, and it had been Karin the
one to answer, the three of them (counting Juugo as well, despite his normal
denseness) surprised at the strange lack of emotions in the voice.
Sasuke
had rarely spoke about something Konoha related, but some things had been
easier to get by, and the only thing the Uchiha had said about Naruto was�
passionate.
This was
far from it, and in his actual uncaring way, Suigetsu was quite worried.
�Well, not worried. More like intrigued� he told
himself, nodding in agreement at his own words.
The blond
teen had vanished from the hospital the moment Tsunade had ascertained he was
fine, when the news of Sasuke�s return were not yet of public domain, and since
then, he had not visited again.
For
someone who had appeared so concerned of Sasuke�s welfare and had expressed it
fairly obviously back in the Uchiha hideout, it was quite strange.
�Sai!�
Suigetsu
saw a pink bubble run past him and towards a strange guy with even stranger
clothes, but quickly dismissed the two shinobi (the hitai�ate was a giveaway)
and resumed his looking around, until some words reached his ears.
�Sasuke�kun
is back! Naruto returned yesterday� Tsunade shishou said he wasn�t alone, but
that Sasuke�s companions are free to move through the village�.
The kunoichi�s
face was lightened up in happiness, reminding Suigetsu of Karin, in a way.
The pale
guy nodded, a cold smile making its way on his face �a smile that was as fake
as Suigetsu�s smirks� and flipped a small brush through his fingers.
�Is
Naruto safe?� he asked, clearly unimpressed about Sasuke�s return.
�Ah,
well, I don�t know yet �Tsunade shishou said he requested a day off and
disappeared as soon as she allowed him to leave the Hokage tower� you should
have seen Sasuke�s condition, though, Tsunade shishou had a hard time working
on him�.
The guy
named Sai allowed a frown to take place of his smile. �Is Naruto ok?�
Both
teens shared some kind of private look, the excited smile on the pink haired
kunoichi disappearing from her face. �I don�t know, Sai. Something was wrong,
and Tsunade shishou was sure of it too, but�� she shrugged. �I wanted to ask
you to help me search for Naruto. He isn�t at Ichiraku and his apartment is
empty��
Sai
nodded at her. �Don�t worry Sakura�san,� he told her.
There was
something he was missing, Suigetsu was sure of this.
Shrugging
it away, happy that he had left his sword with the Hokage (moving around
through villagers would be quite tiring if everyone was looking at him), he
left the two behind and moved through the crowd, wishing for once that Karin
was at his side.
The azure
haired teen had never despised a person more than her, but she could recognize
the blond�s chakra and tell him where he was. Suigetsu�s curiosity was highly
piqued, and he wasn�t going to back down.
He was
someone who never stopped his own impulses, after all. Apart with Sasuke and
his problem about killing. But that was merely because Sasuke was a Konoha
citizen, and was stronger than Suigetsu, apparently.
Suigetsu
would only admit it to himself, but at certain times he had been afraid of the
Uchiha� but even then, he had stressed his boundaries, wanting to know how far
he could go.
The thing
was, Suigetsu wanted to know about the blond. The reason?
He wasn�t
supposed to have reasons. The blond teen simply interested him. As easy as
that.
Smirking
openly, Suigetsu looked up at the giant mountain whose side was carved with the
previous Hokage faces (quite the bad taste, but who was him to comment on that?);
if he were to get up there, he would have a better view of the village. Someone
with a blond head would be easy to spot if he was anywhere in the open, and if
he wasn�t�
Well, but
anyway, Suigetsu had a very good sight.

Ostinato � buried

It felt
as if the world had stopped moving �like holding a breath, not willing to let
it go.
Even his
own heartbeat was dulled somehow, even the colours around him were a bit
softer, not as bright as they had looked until the day before.
And yet,
Naruto felt everything had never been this sharp before.
Yesterday�s
rain had been quite welcomed, somehow feeling the droplets on his skin had
helped Naruto maintain his grip on reality, because as it was, not even the
weight of Sasuke�s motionless body on his back had been good enough.
As it
was, Naruto could no longer deny his own reaction back at the hideout. He had
been disappointed.
Broken.
The sight
of Sasuke on the ground, bloodied and barely alive, had been quite the shock to
him, but he could not deny it wasn�t the real reason for his sudden subdued
mood.
Part of
him had known Sasuke would not be unscathed after a confrontation with his
brother, but he had believed it would make Sasuke see his mistakes and repent,
willingly coming back.
Part of
him had even wanted them to see each other, so everything would end up well, so
Naruto could have had another incentive to take the Uchiha back.
And the
same part of him that had thought rationally about the whole situation, had
been the one that stood in front of Sasuke and accepted what he saw. Naruto had
somehow felt this was going to be it. He had foresaw the consequences, but the
moment he faced them, another part of him had been destroyed forever.
He had
turned away.
He had turned
away because if he had taken Sasuke back as it was, his own dream would have
been shattered beyond repair� because it wasn�t how he had wanted it to be.
Because it wasn�t how he had deluded himself it would be.
Naruto
had wanted to run, fast, away from Sasuke.
�I was so
stupid, all this time� his voice felt just as hollow as he himself felt. He
chuckled, mirroring the same laughter that had erupted from his mouth before.
Barely clinging to sanity, he had laughed because he had seen the utterly hilarious
side of the situation.
He had
promised to bring Sasuke back, and he had forgotten everything else in order to
do that, and the only thing he had left to think about was how he would do it.
He had given no thought of the after, and now that Sasuke was really back�
Naruto had no idea what to do. He felt empty, tired, without energy.
Because
to keep his promise he had broken his own dream �the only thing that kept him
from realising the agonizing truth about himself, and Konoha.
He had
needed something to keep him chained down, because otherwise he would have
realised how good it had felt to train with Jiraiya away from the village, how
good it had felt to have attention on himself� how good it had felt to
concentrate on anything in order to deny that he had no reason to keep up
anymore.
Sasuke
would never understand why Naruto had brought him back.
He would
still want to move away, restart it all, trying to attack Itachi, no matter the
injuries he had sustained. Their friendship meant nothing to him. Itachi would
always come first�
Whilst
for him, Sasuke always came first.
�I have
to admit it, it�s a good sight from here�.
Naruto
nearly tripped down from Yondaime�s head, where he was sitting, when a voice
suddenly spoke from above him; he twisted his back, watching an upside down
version of the azure haired teen without the sword looked down at him with a
smirk.
�Ah,
you�re�� Naruto stopped. Despite having travelled from the Uchiha compound to
Konoha with him and the other two, he had not bothered to ask for their names.
The situation had been quite ruffled, but he had still acted impolitely.
�Suigetsu,�
the guy said, his smirk widening even more. �If you wonder, though I would ask
you why you would in the first place, the other two idiots are Juugo and
Karin�.
Naruto
frowned, confused by the other�s speech, but nodded anyway, returning his gaze
to the sight in front of him. Coming up there always brought him peace, because
Konoha�s view from the head of the Hokage mountain was beautiful and calm.
He wanted
some time alone, that was why he had asked for a day off, and now this guy had
appeared. Maybe he would go away if he ignored him�
�Sasuke
is doing fine� Suigetsu continued, sitting down at Naruto�s side despite the blond�s
obvious distress. �I thought you would care for his welfare, after everything
you did to bring him back�.
�What
would you know?� Naruto felt himself ask despite his own thoughts. Had Sasuke
spoke about him?
�I heard
about the Valley of End� Suigetsu replied, looking down at Konoha as well. �And
you kept searching for him for three years?�
�I wanted
him to come back �to know he was still wanted here� Naruto commented, a strange
undertone in his voice. This kind of conversation wasn�t what he had expected
from the stranger, but still not something he wanted to indulge into.
Suigetsu
bit his lower lip with his sharp tooth and inclined his head to the left, as if
pondering over his words. �Why are you here and not with him?�
Naruto
sighed. It looked like he wouldn�t be alone anymore. �He�s asleep, no need to
be there. I wanted some time by myself, that�s all. What is it to you?�
The other
shrugged. �I was just curious, that�s it�.
For some
reason Naruto felt disappointed. �Why did Sasuke choose you to help him out?� �why didn�t he ask me to join him? I would
have helped��
�I am not
sure. He freed me from Orochimaru�s laboratory tank, and then he also wanted
the other two, but I am not sure if he really knew our strength� Suigetsu�s
hand moved towards his back, but then realised he had no sword with him, and
shook his head. �When he had to meet with Itachi he told us not to interfere�
actually, we were useless to him�.
Naruto
frowned, it seemed as if that guy wasn�t totally unhappy about it.
There was
another thing he had wanted to know about this Suigetsu guy, and maybe asking
would take the subject away from Sasuke. �Your sword�?� he wasn�t sure why he
was holding up his part of the conversation, but it felt nice. Probably because
Suigetsu didn�t know much about him. �I�ve seen it before, I am sure of it�.
Suigetsu
laughed in pride. �Of course, of course. It was Zabuza�sempai�s sword, I
retrieved it at his tomb�.
Naruto
felt a cold rush inside his chest at the mention of the Mist man. Memories of
him replayed in his head, how he had died, the last thread of his honour and
pride restored, and then buried next to Haku.
�My
brother was a member of the Seven Swordsmen of Mist, just like him and
Kisame�sempai� Suigetsu continued, as if the speech wasn�t bothering him at
all. �They have disbanded, but my goal is to get all their swords for myself�.
Naruto
blinked.
His goal�
his dream, then?
�Why?�
�I want
to show I am far stronger than any of them might ever be, that�s all� Suigetsu smirked
again. �What is your dream? Don�t you want to be strong?�
Yeah, his
dream had once been just that �to be strong enough to be recognized. �I want
this village to recognize who I am� to see the me behind�� he stopped, eyes
wide. He couldn�t believe he was admitting such things to a perfectly unknown
person.
Said
unknown person chuckled, looking at him with acute eyes. �The you behind the
demon?� he chuckled more when Naruto paled. �Come on, Sasuke told us about it.
And before him, I heard Orochimaru speak about that�.
Naruto
wasn�t sure what to think, but decided that if this guy wasn�t freaked out,
then he wouldn�t be too shocked.
Then,
another thing occurred to the blond as he looked at the smirking Suigetsu
�talking to him had helped. They had not spoke of anything important, nothing
more than a casual chat, but Naruto felt something inside him had changed
again.
The
casual speech had helped him calm down completely, allowing his heart to catch
up.
He had
been empty before, not understanding his own actions or the cause of it, but
right now he realised he didn�t care. Sasuke was back in Konoha, even if he
wasn�t ok with that, and he would stay there. Naruto had kept his promise, but
that didn�t mean he had nowhere to go now�
Sure,
Sasuke was still the first in his mind, but he would be fine. Slowly, and their
friendship would never be fully restored �because on the Uchiha�s part the
friendship had ceased to exist years before�� but Naruto would be ok too.
Even if
Sasuke wasn�t his friend anymore, Naruto was still Sasuke�s friend.
The smile
he sent Suigetsu�s way was returned with the same intensity.

Requiem � destruction

They had
been there, Sakura, Kakashi, Tsunade, and even two of the three companions Sasuke
had chosen �Naruto had been there, of course.
It had
taken less than ten minutes for Sasuke to wake up, stare at the faces all
around him, and understand where he was, and who had brought him back, not to
mention for Tsunade to explain in detail the amount of severe injuries he had
sustained.
They all
had watched with a twinge of pity as Sasuke�s hand had moved upwards, brushing
against the bandage that covered what remained of his left eye, the other one
widening in shock.
Sasuke
had barely heard Tsunade tell him that he would still be able to retain his
title of shinobi, had not even realised who was around him �he was completely
and utterly furious.
First,
Itachi had managed to run away, once again too strong for him to defeat, and
this time he had not allowed Sasuke to go away unscathed. He had taken one of
his eyes as punishment, as a way to show him he was not strong enough, not yet.
He had
seen his pride and honour destroyed with each of Itachi�s blows.
Then he
had been taken back to the place he had left for revenge, a place he didn�t
want to be in anymore. Naruto had taken him back �using his and Itachi�s fight
as advantage.
And now
he woke up, with an eye less, only to realise his own team had thought he would
be safer here.
But Sasuke
knew better �if not for his fight against the Akatsuki member, the one who blew
himself off, he would have defeated his brother.
And now
he had to face them all in his weakness, when all he wanted was to follow
Itachi again, and this time destroy him completely.
In front
of the two adults and the other teens, Sasuke had forced his depleted chakra
up, growling in hatred, trying to attack Tsunade, Kakashi, anyone, to get away
�expecting his team to follow him up again, now that he was awake.
But he
had been forced back down, in shame of his own recurring weakness, furious ten
times more by the pitying looks they were sending his way.
He had
attacked again, sending spiteful words towards Naruto who had brought him back,
to Konoha and to his team, and again he had been forced down.
And then
the offer had been made �such preposterous offer that had caused an uproar in
the room.
�Sasuke,
I am willing to give you one of my eyes�.
Naruto had
been the one, of course. It was always Naruto. Who could have been so stupid to
say things like this? No one else. Just him.
Tsunade
had gasped out in shock, knowing nothing of that, Kakashi had moved his hand to
his own covered eye, feeling a strong d�j� vu hit his mind, unable to
understand why Naruto would do that.
Suigetsu
and Karin, the only two of his team in the room, had both blanched. Suigetsu
had been a recurring presence in Naruto�s life for the last seven days it took
Sasuke to wake up, a strange, comforting presence that allowed Naruto to train
and even talk, glad for someone that would not look at him in pity. Karin had
wandered around Konoha, surprised to find herself liking the place, in the end,
liking some of the younger generation.
Both had
not been aware Naruto would offer so much to Sasuke, a way to try and mend
their broken friendship, and Sakura had turned pale, scandalized as well.
No one
wanted Naruto to keep this offer true.
�Why
not?� the blond had looked at all of them with his bright blue eyes, forcing
them to understand. �It�s important for him �I thought about this. I want to do
it!�
So much,
all for Sasuke� to Naruto this was not a painful decision �it had been easy,
far too easy, to end up this way. What was an eye when he could help Sasuke
finally conclude his revenge days?
What was
an eye if compared to friendship?
And then
they had all been there to witness what exactly Sasuke had thought of Naruto�s
offer.
The laugh
had filled the infirmary room, a clipped, insane and rough laugh that caused
them all to still in shock, their eyes turning to him in a split�s second.
Sasuke had never laughed so hard in his whole life, but the thought of
accepting one of the blond�s eyes had done the trick.
�So you
think I could accept� his words were so laced with malice it was hard to
believe he was the one speaking �even him was mildly surprised.
The flash
of relief that crossed the Hokage�s face was shortly lived.
�How
could I accept such worthless eye?! Useless, against the strength of a
Sharingan eye!� he glared at the blond with his only eye left, his blurry sight
and the twinges of pain coming from what remained of the other one ignored.
�Your eyes are worth nothing! I will take my own eye back from him, so why would I use you instead?�
Naruto
stood there frozen, shock and pain washing through him. But Sasuke hadn�t
finished.
�The only
thing I�d accept from you would be the only thing you�re good at �the Kyuubi�s power�
the Uchiha sneered, propping up a bit on the hospital�s bed to look more
closely to the blond.
The slap
that echoed right after he finished speaking made his entire world spin around,
as a pair of green eyes were looking down at him, filled with hatred.

Elegy � whirlwind

Quite
fitting, Suigetsu thought as he made his way up the Hokage mountain, his
trained eyes already spotting the blond teen sitting on top of the fourth head
�the one belonging to Yondaime� that the last thread of their friendship was to
be broken like this.
�Hey,
Naruto� he casually said, allowing the blond a second to feel his approach. �I
knew you�d be up there�.
Despite
the problems caused by Konoha�s mistrust on Team Hebi, especially Tsunade, who
had hard time accepting she could not lock them up away by law, Suigetsu had
been able to casually stroll through the village and had the company of Naruto
(who had probably been appointed as his �guard� by the distrustful Hokage),
something he had appreciated.
He had
come to enjoy his presence, as did Juugo, whose attitude when not controlled by
his blood was just as friendly as Naruto�s normally was, and it was something
uncommon for the azure haired teen, especially after the years of imprisonment
under Orochimaru.
Suigetsu
had never met someone so easily befriended as the blond, and in the last five
days, at least until Naruto had been refused once more by the Uchiha, the two
of them had often spent time together.
And
still, it was probably something very Konoha�like, to attract and befriend even
those who resisted �even Karin had ended up liking the place, after all. And
that was saying something.
Suigetsu
had been laughing it off at first, telling himself he was merely waiting for
Sasuke to wake up, so then they would take off again and make the Uchiha get
his second beating from his brother, and repeat until he would understand he
still lacked strength and a proper plan, but when Sasuke�s eyes had opened,
Suigetsu had found himself hoping to have more time.
It wasn�t
a matter of liking Konoha. Just� Naruto.
He was
far too interesting to give up just to follow a madman to his death pledge.
So
Sasuke�s reaction, despite turning his blood cold in desire of hitting him, had
caused Suigetsu to feel a rush of relief.
He would
never follow a man who valued friendship so little. Suigetsu himself wasn�t
totally into the whole friendly stuff, but he valued his companions equally,
even Karin, even Juugo, after all. He had immediately considered Sasuke one
too, but if the Uchiha could say things like these to someone he had known
since childhood, then�
He was
unfit as their team leader.
Karin had
been hurt as well. She had followed Sasuke mainly because she was attracted by him,
but her interest had been short�lived, as she had realised his traits even
before seeing this side of him.
She
wasn�t as compelled in following him anymore either, and the news would reach
Juugo as well, in his own infirmary room where the Hokage was treating him.
�Why?�
Naruto�s
voice was quiet, so low Suigetsu had hard time hearing it. He wasn�t trembling
or anything, but he did look defeated.
Suigetsu
sat down next to him, looking right down at the village, deep in thought. �I
don�t quite believe the �why� is important now� he finally said, a small smirk
gracing his lips. �Sasuke is� complex. I can�t understand what he went through,
nor I want to. I am not interested in that. But this revenge thing� is
unhealthy. He threw himself in his enemy�s hands without reflecting. He was
defeated and now he can�t accept it, and sends the blame to anyone but himself.
I don�t know how he was before, but I do believe that no one should allow such
disruptive behaviour to themselves�.
Naruto
blinked, the words of wisdom strangely out of place in the azure haired teen�s
mouth.
�The
�why� doesn�t matter, because there is no answer to that� Suigetsu shrugged.
�But
Sasuke��
�Sasuke,
the one you knew, is not anymore. Your ideal of �Sasuke� was of a friend, if
you are still so bent in helping him� you are clinging to something that was
lost years ago, or that perhaps never truly existed. There should be a �why�
for that too, but I am not asking�.
Despite
the deep hurt that was burning inside his heart, Naruto�s lips twitched in a
smile. A tired, sad one, but still a smile.
Maybe
Suigetsu could never truly understand the pain Naruto had suffered, nor
Sasuke�s own pain, but perhaps it didn�t matter. If the condition for someone
to understand and befriend him was to share his pain, then Naruto wished no one
would ever understand.
He would
never wish that pain to anyone, so why ask fervently for someone to understand,
when others were acting as friends even without such cognition?
�I can�t
give up on him �he still means something. Even if what I am loyal too doesn�t
exist anymore, I still owe that Sasuke my friendship. No matter how many times
he rejects me� he admitted.
Looking
at Suigetsu, who was staring at him, he had the impression that even under
these circumstances, the teen could understand.
�I�ve
always had a dream of taking Sasuke back to Konoha� dreamed of what the
village�s reaction would be� dreamed of how Sasuke would act, that he would
understand, and come back willingly� I thought it would be perfect then, but my
own dream was too perfect to be true�� he felt himself explain, knowing
Suigetsu would listen, but not understanding why he was revealing such private
thought to someone he had known by barely a week. �But Sasuke was taken back
without understanding my reasoning� and his loathe was apparent just minutes
ago� but I had to bring him back!�
�Do you
feel like you have to take responsibility for his actions, then?� Suigetsu was
looking straight at him, his eyes intent. Naruto felt something shift in his
stomach at the sight of the other�s complete attention on him.
�Not of
his actions, but if I had seen before his need for power, I would have tried to
help� I wanted him to understand he can rely on his friends� I just thought
that��
�Naruto�
the azure haired teen met Naruto�s eyes. �Sasuke�s mind is fixed on his
revenge. Until then, he will never look at anything else. Until he�s got what
he wants, he won�t listen to any reason� not even through a beating. You did
see how he was after Itachi had some time with him� Naruto flinched �and yet he
was defiant, not admitting he has no way of beating him yet��
�Even
though he got away at the Valley of End doesn�t mean that I will allow him to
go away again� Naruto bit back, eyes flaring in anger.
�He left
you behind without a second thought, and every time you see him, he shows you
he doesn�t care� why are you still so determined to be at his side?�
Suigetsu
really didn�t understand. The blond had friends who didn�t act like idiots. Why
Sasuke?
�He�s the
first person who looked at me and saw me�
Naruto admitted, finally looking away, right down the village underneath him.
Despite it all, despite the hole Sasuke�s words had caused in his heart, he couldn�t
let him go. It would be equal to admitting defeat� and he could not give up on
a friend. �how can I give up on him? I care for that teme!�
Suigetsu
could not understand this, but perhaps it was because he himself hadn�t had
many friends to begin with. He despised the mere thought of betrayal of mates
and friends because in his mind, they were important. Weapons could be tools,
but people were not. Even he had a heart. �He has given you up already�.
Something
in Naruto�s eyes changed, and Suigetsu realised with a start that he had hurt
the blond with his words. But they were the truth.
�Naruto�
he would not ask for forgiveness, because it was not something he did daily.
�Face the truth. He won�t care until Itachi is dead�.
�And
then? What then?!� Naruto�s burning eyes flared with anger, fisting his hands
on his lap. �If I give up on him he won�t have anywhere to come back to!�
Suigetsu
blinked.
�Even
with Itachi dead, are you sure he will want to come back? Won�t he go against
something else? There is no end�.
Naruto
froze.
�Listen,
Naruto�. Suigetsu had to admit that Naruto was truly stubborn. Sasuke had been
right, he was truly passionate about everything� so strange to find such passion
in a ninja. Different. He had to admit that trying to make him see his point
was impossible� he had to twist it around. �Let Sasuke go. If you really trust
him to come back, he will in his own time. You can�t force him to listen to
you� you said you care for him� but if he feels pressured, he will close
himself even more. Accept that this is what he wants to do, and simply wait for
him�.
Naruto�s
entire anger evaporated in that instant, Suigetsu�s words penetrating his mind,
burning in his conscious.
He did
trust Sasuke. But at the same time, he had actually tried to impose his own
view on the Uchiha, who was too sucked up in his revenge need to pay attention.
Was this the right way to go instead? Was this�
�I must
admit I am jealous� Suigetsu let out a chuckle, even though Naruto detected
something in it that was humour. �He doesn�t deserve a friend like you. I wish
someone would go that far for me as well�.
�But I
would do the same for you too!� Naruto grabbed Suigetsu�s hand, tightening his
grip on it and making the older teen look at him. �You are a friend, too!� and
he meant it. Naruto easily formed friendship, even when the other part wasn�t
aware.
Suigetsu
blinked in surprise, the warmth of Naruto�s hand on his was pleasant for his
senses, and a part of him suddenly wanted it to last.
�This Naruto is definitely something else� he
thought.
His hand
tightened a bit as well, making Naruto realise what he was doing. Flushing a
bit in embarrassment, the blond tried to let go, suddenly ashamed of his
touchiness that had once again controlled him.
�Ah,
sorry� he muttered, but when he tried to tug his hands away, he realised that
Suigetsu wasn�t allowing him to.
A second
later, Naruto�s vision was covered by the other�s face, as Suigetsu brought
their lips together.
It was a
mere feathery touch, before he moved away, a smirk appearing on his face as he
licked his lips, utterly pleased with himself. That kind of warmth felt
pleasant on his lips as well.
Naruto
stood frozen for a second, spluttering in shock at the horrible red flush on
his own cheeks, before freeing his hands.
�What the
hell��
A second
later he punched Suigetsu, expecting him to fall right on the ground by the
sheer strength he had used, only to feel his shock turn into confusion as
Suigetsu�s face exploded in water, recomposing itself the moment Naruto�s hand
moved away.
�Huh?�
was Naruto�s intelligent reply, the �kiss� forgotten.
Suigetsu
smirked again, enjoying the confusion written on Naruto�s face. At least he knew
what he wanted, now.

Duet � priorities

The
streets were completely void of people, the few lampposts throwing strange,
trembling lights over the houses, the darkness of the night enveloping
everything in a mantle of blackness.
Sasuke
was staring at the ceiling, deep in thought, trying to think of a way to get
away from the bed, get away from Konoha, and track down his brother again.
Tsunade had healed his injuries at her best, and despite the white bandages
covering half of his face, he actually felt good.
He didn�t
want to stay here anymore. If only his team had visited him in the last three
days, he would have been able to demand to be freed �as it was, he needed to
wait for them to get out from the hospital, warded as he was to prevent his
escape.
Konoha
was once again tying him down, preventing him from finally getting his revenge.
Like
Naruto.
Sasuke�s
eye turned into cold, red stone as his Sharingan activated, sending a flare of
pain directly onto his other eyehole, where no eye was anymore.
Itachi
had taken away that and his pride, but now that Sasuke was healed, eye or not,
he would get everything.
A shift
outside his window attracted his attention and he turned swiftly that way when
the window slid open, revealing a blond head; Sasuke gritted his teeth, knowing
who exactly was coming into his room, and his old anger resurfaced, making his
Sharingan swirl faster.
Naruto
stopped there, the only light coming from behind him and thus hiding his face
from Sasuke. The Uchiha glared with passion at the still figure, growling at
him, almost daring to advance towards him.
Slowly,
in perfect silence that was so opposite to his brash acting, Naruto moved near
the bed, hands moving towards the restraining wards around Sasuke�s legs and
arms.
Sasuke
almost twisted around, trying to do something, anything �he didn�t want to know
what Naruto was doing, what he thought he was doing, what�
The wards
slid off, falling on the floor with a fluttering sound.
Sasuke
blinked in shock.
Naruto turned
his back to Sasuke, making the Uchiha fury bubble until it felt almost
painfully physical (a double meaning of complete trust or complete
underestimation), and moved towards the window again.
Neither
had spoken yet.
Sasuke
stood up carefully, and a second later was crouched next to the bed, a bit
disorientated by the world in a different perspective, but his sight never
wandered away from the back of the shinobi in front of him, who was slipping
out of the window.
The dark
haired teen followed.
Cold
whips of breeze hit his skin the moment he exited the room, but Sasuke did not
care. He wanted to know why Naruto had freed him, why he still cared even after
all the things Sasuke had told him.
Things he
wasn�t sure he meant or not. It didn�t matter anyway.
He was
pleasantly surprised to see his team standing underneath the hospital wall, and
wondered if they had forced Naruto to help as well. Not that he cared.
�You can
go� Naruto finally spoke, his tone low, barely higher than a whisper. �Tsunade won�t
realise until morning, maybe mid�afternoon, if you are lucky�.
Naruto
was willingly helping him to escape� when previously he had done everything he
could for the opposite reason. He was truly an idiot.
Ignoring
him, Sasuke turned towards Suigetsu, who was holding his katana in his hands.
The azure haired teen moved forwards, handing the sword to Sasuke, who
hesitated a second before grabbing it, his own hand a bit unsteady calculating
the distance of things due to his only remaining eye.
It would take
him a while to get used to that.
�Suigetsu,
Karin, Juugo� he stated, his voice cold. �Let�s go�.
He turned
his back to them and took a step towards the village�s wall, only to stop when he
realised the other three had not moved. He turned around again, his Sharingan
flaring against his control.
The world
swayed around him, but he kept his footing and ignored the feeling.
�What are
you three doing?� he hissed out, clearly conveying his fury.
�We�re
not coming� Suigetsu replied, stepping back at Naruto�s side; the blond had yet
to look up. �We are not leaving Konoha� at least not with you�.
Sasuke�s
eye widened in shock, then he recoiled and narrowed it, glaring at the three of
them before his attention turned sharply to Naruto.
It was
surely his fault� he had turned his team against him!
�You��
Sasuke
took a step towards the blond, who was still looking at the ground, but stopped
dead in his tracks when Suigetsu stepped in front of him, effectively blocking
him. In a way, he was protecting the blond for eventual attacks from the
younger Uchiha, even though he didn�t need that.
�Go away,
Sasuke� he said quietly. Then, completely spontaneously, a smirk made its way
on his lips, swinging Zabuza�s sword around and pointing it at him. �You never
cared to check our strength, it might surprise you�.
Sasuke
flipped towards Karin, but she was staring at him with the same loathing she
had the day they met for the first time. Juugo was looking at him with an
emotion in his eyes that Sasuke had hard time recognizing, but when he did, he
felt his rage turn cold.
Disappointment.
Why would he look at him like that?!
�We won�t
turn this chase of yours into a massacre, Sasuke� Karin said, pushing her
glasses up her nose. �We won�t follow you�.
Sasuke
growled. He could not fight them, because he wanted to keep his full energy for
Itachi. But then� if he didn�t leave now, the ANBU patrolling would see him.
�I will come back� he hissed, intending
his words as a threat, especially for Naruto.
He turned
around and started to run.
That was
why he never heard Naruto�s quiet reply, that made the other three turn his
way, all of them sharing the same feeling at the sight.
�I hope so��

Finale � perfection

Suigetsu
rolled his eyes as he stared at the horrid sight of Naruto slurping down his
third bowl of ramen, sitting comfortably at the counter in the ramen shop
Naruto had called Ichiraku. At his side, Zabuza�s sword was carefully placed so
it wouldn�t be hit by any customer coming in.
Despite
his interest and care and� that something more he felt for Naruto, the sight of
him inhaling ramen was enough to unsettle him. And that was a first.
Calmly,
Suigetsu sipped his water packet, wondering just what did Naruto find in such
disgusting food.
�Have you
finished yet?� he wondered, twitching in annoyance when Naruto shook his head,
pondering over the next flavour he could get. �Naruto, it�s not like I have all
day�.
The blond
turned towards him with a smirk, cleaning his mouth with a handkerchief. �Is
that so? I suppose since you spend all days mimicking Shikamaru, you�d have all
your days filled to the fullest�.
Suigetsu
didn�t really know who this Shikamaru was, but he got the point at the same
time.
Not being
a shinobi, and not belonging to Konoha at all, he had nothing to do the whole
day, spending all his time wasting away in some meadow or another, waiting for
Naruto to finish up his daily missions with his team.
At the
other side of Naruto, Sai leaned backwards to send Suigetsu one of his usual
fake smiles, managing to unnerve the teen even more. Damn doll�faced stuck up.
�You should get used to it, water tank� he said calmly, pleased about the
nickname he had given Suigetsu.
Suigetsu�s
eyebrow twitched.
�Sai!
What did I tell you about nicknaming people!� Naruto spluttered, trying hard
not to snicker at the choice of words.
�That I
should research the meaning of them before using them� that someone might find them
offensive� Sai replied candidly, sending Naruto�s way one of his less fake
smiles.
�Yeah,
that� Naruto muttered, turning apologetically at Suigetsu and shrugging it off.
Suigetsu
shook his head, leaning forwards with a smirk. A second later he was carefully
tracing Naruto�s lips with his own, cringing a bit at the ramen taste before
deciding it was still tasty enough for him.
Naruto�s
reaction was amusing, just like every time �the blond had yet to accustom
himself to Suigetsu�s open affection in public� as he spluttered and blushed,
pouting in a way that on him looked pricelessly good, punching Suigetsu in the
face.
Just as
effective as the first time, every single time he tried punching, Suigetsu�s
face turned into water at the contact, reforming a second later.
�That
sucks� Naruto muttered half�heartedly, picking his chopsticks back up and
preparing for another bowl.
But both
Suigetsu and Sai could see his lips twist upwards in a smile, and both
exchanged a knowing look. Suigetsu would never try anything if Naruto had not
shown his acceptance� and Naruto had long since given it to him.
He just
was a bit opposed to openly affections� something that Suigetsu enjoyed doing
instead.
�Apparently
Dickless is not as opposed as it�d seem�� Sai had barely time to finish his
line before he and the floor had a close, face to face encounter by the same
fist that had hit the azure haired sword�wielder before.
Suigetsu
smirked again, leaning on the counter of the shop and restarting his favourite
hobby �blond sightseeing.
Naruto
sighed in frustration, his mind once again thinking in shock at how things had
changed in the span of three weeks; in less than a month, he had kept his
promise to Sakura, and broken it all the same, allowing the Uchiha to run away
again �not that anyone knew it had been him. And he had ended in this strange,
twisted sort of relationship with a water tank.
Yes,
unexpected things always happened to him. It felt like a small rest before more
dangers dawned on him, since the Akatsuki was still on the loose, and Sasuke
was still somewhere, running towards the inevitable battle, but as it was,
Naruto had never felt more contented.
This was
not a start, nor a conclusion� it was just a pause, but he could truly end up settling down with this� things had
never been this good. Even if Sasuke�s return in Konoha had not been like he
had hoped, and nothing had been solved, this� this was�
Naruto peered at Suigetsu whilst blowing on his ramen bowl,
smiling as he saw the other still lost staring at him (and probably thinking
NC�17 rated things again�); this was not how he had pictured his days to be
after his dream ended, in a sort of pleasant normality, but�
It was perfect all the same. A perfect day.

��

Owari

��

Cepheus: so this ends the
shot. Quite a long way to go. hope it�s ok :D

��

Glossary
of words used in this shot:

Suiton �Bakushouha: Water
seal �aquatic shockwave. Expels water from the mouth to form a giant tsunami.
Sempai: older colleague in
school or at work.
Teme: bastard
(technically, just like kisama, is a rough term for
�you� with a light insulting undertone).
Shishou: master. Word used
by Sakura to identify her teacher Tsunade.

Glossary
of musical terms used in this shot:
Adagio: a tempo having a
slow movement; restful at ease.
Canon: A musical form
where the melody or tune is imitated by individual parts at regular intervals.
The individual parts may enter at different measures and pitches. The tune may
also be played at different speeds, backwards, or inverted.
Capriccio: A quick,
improvisational, spirited piece of music.
Coda: closing section of
a movement.
Deceptive cadence: A chord progression
that seems to lead to resolving itself on the final chord; but does not.
Dissonance: Harsh, discordant,
and lack of harmony. Also a chord that sounds incomplete until it resolves
itself on a harmonious chord.
Duet: A piece of music
written for two vocalists or instrumentalists.
Elegy: An instrumental lament with praise for the
dead.
Fermata: To hold a tone or rest held beyond the
written value at the discretion of the performer.
Finale: Movement or passage that concludes the
musical composition.
Glissando: Sliding between two notes.
Ostinato: A repeated phrase.
Progression: The movement of chords in succession.
Requiem: A dirge, hymn, or musical service for the
repose of the dead.
Rondo: A musical form where the principal theme is repeated
several times.
Tempo: indicating speed.
- 1
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The Perfect Day