Painful Reality-Part 3
Title: Painful Reality
Pairing: SasuNaru
Rating: PG-13 (for now)
Summary: Naruto awoke in a field bathed by stars with a raven looking over him. In this world, there was no more pain, no more beatings. The reality was only a fairytale now. In this new world, Naruto gets to experience the one thing he never truly had... but how long can this reality go for until it shatters?
A/N: Here's chapter Three :)! Only two more parts left and possibly an Epilogue?
A Painful Reality
Part Three
The next thing I remembered was that painful look in his eyes.
Naruto's stomach started to growl in protest from the lack of attention. "I wonder if they have any ramen?" although Naruto knew that question loud and clear. If he really wanted that delicious substance he'd have to go into town and go to the restaurant himself. "Eh," he said with a sigh as he hopped off the table, "might as well find some money and go out then."
After searching for a few spare yen from the couch, and Sasuke's respective wallet, Naruto was ready to go out for the night. He walked through the backyard, enjoying the complete difference in scenery. Itachi had told him once that from all his trips around the region he always had to bring something back from his missions. So in the end it turned out with the North, East, West, and South areas of the mansion decorated like some other country.
Right now, Naruto was walking through the Wave Country. Leading from the porch was a wide boardwalk with a humongous pond underneath it. To the far right was a huge waterfall that the blonde had yet to explore but wanted to do someday.
Depending on how many days left he had in this world…
He was nearly out of the gate when Sasuke appeared, worn out and seriously pissed off, in all his stoic glory.
"Hey, Sasuke, welcome back!" Naruto grinned happily. It was always better to eat ramen with a friend rather than all by yourself. It gives you a chance to mooch more money off of them that way. "How did your mission go?"
Sasuke ran a tired hand through his hair. Normally he'd be over the moon - on the inside - when Naruto greeted him with such a carefree and happy look. He loved seeing Naruto happy, because in someway it made his heart skip a beat and one of those unusual smiles came out to play on his lips.
But tonight was a totally different story.
"Where are you going?" Sasuke completely ignored the question, his eyes steeling over as he flipped his ANBU mask to the back of his head.
"Oh, well, I was planning to go out to eat tonight. Wanna come with me?"
The raven stared long and hard. For a moment, Naruto thought that Sasuke was having some inner battle between himself on whether or not to take up the offer. But that only lasted a few seconds before he saw that usual smirk on his face.
"Fine, but you're paying for the meal."
Naruto smirked right back, "That's okay. This is your money anyways."
I remember the way the truth hit like a ton of bricks.
"No. More. Dobe!" Sasuke hissed, trying to pry the half empty bowl of ramen from Naruto's fingers but with no avail. For God's sake Sasuke had been training as a ninja since he could walk yet his strength wasn't even close to comparison to Naruto's.
"Just let me finish this last bowl!" Naruto said in between slurps. It felt like absolute ages since the blonde had tasted such good food! Sure, the Uchiha's mansion was stored with food now that they had an extra member in the house, but other than that nothing they had could make Naruto's stomach whir in anticipation like the wonderful taste of ramen could.
"That's what you said about the last five bowls you had!" Sasuke clenched his fists, feeling the electricity of his anger flow through his palms before his eyes shot open. No, he wouldn't use that technique just because of his horrible temper problems.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sasuke exhaled a breath or two before calming down. "Alright, fine, whatever just finish the bowl so we can go already."
Naruto slurped down an extremely long noodle, a bit of the soup splattering on his cheek. "We're going somewhere?" he asked as he doused his last bowl, sighing contently as the contents of the meal hit his stomach with a warm thud.
Sasuke just smirked, "Did I not just point that out, Dobe?"
"Oi, who said you could adopt that name for me anyways, Teme?"
The raven shrugged, paying for both their meals with the money Naruto had and hopped off the stool. He peered over his shoulder and smirked, "About the same time you decided to was a smart idea to run with a kunai in your hands down the stairs." His smirk increased when he saw that adorable pout mar his face, and a reasonable blush adorn those whiskered cheeks.
"I thought we made a promise to never bring that up again!" Naruto whined as he caught up to Sasuke's pace in a run. The raven sure had some long legs on him.
"I don't ever remember making that promise, Naruto." The raven chuckled, feeling all the tension from earlier slip away. Mind you, he was still chewing on the inside of his cheek, and his hands that were stuffed in his pockets were clenching and unclenching into fists, but other than that he felt slightly at ease around the blonde.
'I don't think I've ever felt this calm around anyone before.' He thought as he took a chance to glance at the blonde. The cool night air was whipping the blonde's hair every which way, and it was highly enjoyable to see Naruto pout and whine as he tried to swat his hair away. Oh what Sasuke would give to be able to run his fingers through those golden tresses, to get tangled up in that hair during a passionate… kiss?
'I want to kiss him?' His eyes trained on those plump red lips that Naruto would abuse anytime he had to think extremely hard. He thought of how much he wished to dig his own teeth into those lips and suck and pull until he had the blonde pleading for mercy. Sasuke shook his head to dispel such thoughts, currently fighting down that blush that was attempting to attack him at full force.
'I cannot fall for him. I will not fall for him. I cannot.' He told himself over and over again. Naruto wasn't from this world. He was an outsider, an anomaly that piqued his interest. Or so the raven wanted to believe, but he couldn't stop those pesky feelings that always surfaced whenever the blonde was around.
'But I can't fall for him… Not when he'll soon be leaving…'
Naruto raised an eyebrow - another skill he obtained from the raven - at Sasuke's recent silence. Obviously something was eating at the raven's mind from the way he walked with tense movements and a serious expression on his face. Naruto frowned. He hated seeing Sasuke so out of it. It made him want to do something to change that frown into a smile.
An idea popped into his head, and a good one at that, as he stopped in mid-walk. He giggled when he saw that Sasuke just kept on going and going, not even noticing the blonde's lack of presence. Naruto allowed at least a decent amount of space between them before he bolted from his spot and ran up to hug the raven from behind.
Sasuke was caught by the surprise with such force that both boys were knocked to the ground in a thud. The wind was knocked out of him, and he nearly flipped the blonde over and pinned him down until he caught that infectious and lively smile that he had grown so accustomed to in the past months.
"Smile, Teme." Naruto grinned from ear to ear as he started to tickle the raven's sides. "A frown causes wrinkles and you're too young for that!"
Sasuke laughed. Not from the tickling. Oh no, those fingers sent electric sparks up and down his spine. What he was laughing from was the complete bliss that soared through him whenever Naruto would say that ridiculous nickname. It felt like he was on cloud nine, and for a moment all his worries had drowned out in the laughter that danced along in the night.
"Thank you." Naruto said quietly into the night.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why are you thanking me?"
Naruto sighed and rested his head on Sasuke's chest. A few months ago he was so afraid of such contact, but now it felt right to be touching the raven like this. "For not leaving me alone back there…"
Sasuke's arms wrapped around Naruto's lower back and hugged him tightly. He didn't want to let go of the blonde. He wanted Naruto to stay with him in this world forever. Where they could laugh and be happy. And where the blonde could never experience the pain he felt upon entering this world ever again.
But their happiness was very short lived…
I remember that face that looked exactly like mine.
"I've brought him, Yondaime." Sasuke bowed respectfully, concealing his voice of any emotion as he raised his head to stare face to face with his Hokage.
"No need to act like a robot, Sasuke." The Yondaime chuckled and walked around his desk to lean on the front of it. He cocked his head to the side, his golden locks falling to frame his face, his blue eyes dancing with amusement, as he eyed the blonde look a like that was giving him the 'fish look.'
"Sorry," Sasuke replied almost sheepishly.
Naruto was absolutely astounded. If he thought he was in a totally different world before, his mind practically exploded at the older look alike in front of him. There was no way those two couldn't have been somewhat related, or if the world he was in now somehow had an alternate copy of him.
Either way, Naruto was pretty fucking speechless.
"Is this the boy who you couldn't stop talking about, Sasuke?" The Yondaime smirked when he saw blushes erupt on both boys face. How adorable. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Naruto Uzumaki." He extended his hand for the boy to shake, "I am Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of this village."
"Whoa! I never thought I'd be able to meet you! It's kind of freaky, huh? I mean, we both look a lot a like! It's sort of like you're my older brother or something!" Naruto nearly squealed with excitement as he gripped the older man's hand. He had always wanted an older brother. Someone he could depend on to protect him from the ferocities of the outside world.
The only person he ever knew that came closer to be called a brother, died.
Minato's blue eyes flashed a bit of sadness that only last for a few minutes while he gripped his look a like's hand. "Right… brothers." He muttered quietly before smiling brightly and ruffling Naruto's hair. "Outsider or not, I welcome you with open arms into my village and I will assist you in anyway possible. Now then, if you will, I did not have Sasuke bring you here just to meet you. Please do take a seat." The Yondaime's face turned serious as he walked back to his chair, his chin propped on his knuckles as he stared at his fellow ninja and look alike square in the eyes. "We have a lot to discuss."
And then Reality hit…
"As Sasuke has told me, you have no recollection of what happened before you arrived in this world, correct?"
Naruto fidgeted in his seat. It felt like someone had jabbed him underneath a microscope to be dissected and probed for examination. He chewed on his lower lip until he thought he was drawing blonde under the heavy gaze of both the Yondaime and Sasuke. What he told them was mostly the truth… When he woke up he really had no idea how he had gotten there in the first place. But when those first few spikes of pain erupted throughout his body, he instantly remembered.
He squinted his eyes shut, trying to block the painful memories as his body broke out into shivers. Naruto had wanted to tell Sasuke sooner or later about his life prior to arriving here; he just never got around to doing it. Either the ninja was out for a long mission, or he was trying to help the blonde become more accustomed to the new world he was in. Overall, Naruto's hidden past had stayed hidden under layers and layers of dirt until this very moment.
Yet just thinking about his past made Naruto want to curl up into a tiny ball…
Sasuke's whole body cringed when he saw those dusky blue eyes tinted with pain. He wanted so desperately to just pull Naruto into his arms and hide him away from all his pains and troubles. But what he couldn't wrap his mind around was how distant he felt from the blonde although the two had grown primarily close over the past couple of months. He had tried to ask Naruto about his past, only to come up with a shrug and the adverting of blue eyes whenever the question popped up.
After that, Sasuke had dropped the question completely. But the curiosity was still there, always haunting his mind.
"Is something wrong, Naruto?" Minato looked at the blonde with compassion in his eyes. The sudden change of emotions didn't slip past the Fourth Hokage. Obviously there was more to the blonde than what he could decipher at the moment, but he learned from years of experience that you should never push anyone further than needed. And Naruto seemed like the person that would only talk when ready.
Clearing his throat, Minato flashed the blonde a small smile. "Alright, we'll safely assume that you awoke with no memories of how you arrived here. But, I would like to know if you have any intentions of leaving here."
"Leaving?" Naruto's voice piped up at the word. Never had the word even crossed his mind while he was here. He actually had hoped that, if this was some sort of dream, to never wake up and just live here with Sasuke and Itachi for the rest of his life. He shook his head furiously, his golden locks flying every which way. "No, I never really thought of going…"
"I see…" Minato smiled calmly and allowed his bangs to fall around his face. "That's good to hear, but what of your family, Naruto? Wouldn't they miss you if you stayed away for too long?"
"Parents?" Naruto's tone of voice dripped with mockery. "You mean the two people who dumped me in a box to rot in Hell with a bastard of an uncle?" the blonde's voice started to escalate higher and higher as his anger flooded through his veins. The thought of his parents always sent his adrenaline pumping in all the wrong ways. He had already given up on the fact that there were people out there that were looking for him, waiting for him to come back, after all those birthdays he had spent alone in a bloody corner awaiting for the day to be over.
Both Minato's and Sasuke's eyes jumped forward at the cruel intensity in the blonde's voice. Sasuke's even more so because the only time Naruto ever allowed such hatred to enter his words was when the raven was doing something that annoyed the daylights out of him. But even then the hatred was child-like and barely anything to take notice about.
These words though, that were directed toward the two beings that had brought the blonde into this word held such malice that Sasuke nearly felt his heart freeze from the iciness.
The Yondaime let out a labored sigh, trying to piece together his thoughts and words before he spoke. He glanced up from behind his bangs at the blonde look alike who still didn't seem unfazed by such an outburst. Either Naruto just didn't care, or he was so fired up that he didn't feel any self-consciousness from his statement.
"Those are very strong feelings to have, Naruto…" Minato started out slowly, "But I must say that all parents have a reason for their actions. Perhaps there was a foundation of love behind all of this."
Naruto's eyes steeled over with all his pent up hatred and fury. "Is Love what you call leaving your only son to the mercy of your abusive Uncle? If so, then oh yes… there was definitely a lot of 'Love' in their actions."
The next thing I remembered was the comfort of his voice.
The blonde sighed as he idly swung his legs back and forth on the porch swing, completely lost in his own world. He had never expected to create such an outburst like that, especially in front of the Yondaime.
'Way to go, Uzumaki.' Naruto let out a low sigh as he watched the evening sky begin to mix with the hazy purple of oncoming nightfall. He had been sitting here for hours, blocking memories and wincing at words he wished he had never spoken. He was more or less also trying to avoid the raven who he knew would ask him a million and one questions for his actions today. Naruto barely had the resolve at the moment to answer one question, so he escaped into hiding.
"Have you ever noticed that when you're lost in thought you gain cute little wrinkles above your eyebrows?"
"Itachi?" Naruto leaned his head back to look up at the smirking older raven above him. Oh well, Itachi would be better to talk to at the moment than Sasuke in the blonde's opinion.
"Who else would it be?" Itachi scoffed and placed himself besides Naruto on the swing. "I heard about what happened today. I must admit, I'm a tad bit surprised."
"Was I really that bad…?" Naruto couldn't bear to look into those crimson eyes and forced his own irises to stare at the wooden floor.
"Not bad, per say. It was more like astounding - in a good way, of course."
Naruto cocked an eyebrow, highly confused by Itachi's choice of words. Sure, the blonde hadn't said anything insulting to the Yondaime, but his tone of voice and actions towards him were highly disrespectful. Something Sasuke had chewed him out on before storming off somewhere. That's why Naruto was sitting on the porch swing by himself.
"How is it astounding? I completely blew up on the Hokage! What if he didn't smile it off and decided to kill me right there and then?" Naruto dropped his face into his hands and groaned at his inability to control his emotions. "I'm so screwed…"
The older raven chuckled. He was debating right now if he should allow Naruto to wallow in his despair for a few more minutes, say something completely unreal to throw the blonde off even more. After a few seconds of going over the pros and cons, Itachi decided to give Naruto some much needed leeway and settled on neither of his first options.
Instead he decided to be fairly civil and try to cheer the blonde up.
"You're worrying yourself over nothing, Naruto. If the Hokage was truly upset with your lack of control, he would have issued Sasuke and I to put you on lockdown until further notice." Alright, Itachi… maybe cheering people up isn't one of your better skills.
"Thanks, Itachi. You make me feel so much better." sarcasm dripped heavily off of Naruto's words as he idly kicked his feet back and forth.
"I try," Itachi smirked, completely ignoring the bit of sarcasm. The older raven sat himself down on the swing next to Naruto's and started to kick up tiny clouds of dirt. They sat there on the swingsets, soaking up the golden rays of the evening before Itachi finally broke the silence. "So what made you snap?"
Oh Itachi... always the gentlest when stepping on a self-destructive topic.
The blonde's grip tightened around the chains holding the swing's seat up. He had steeled himself, prepared, rehearsed every line for when someone (hopefully Sasuke) would ask him that same question. And, after awhile, he thought he had come up with the perfect answer. A long-winded, but heart-jarring and tear-producing story of his past before he got to this world. Unfortunately, all those delicate words and fabricated sentences had been wiped clean from his memory. Now he was gaping like a fish.
Smirking, Itachi titled his head back to gaze at the mixing oranges and yellows of a summer sky. "Won't tell me, huh? You don't have to push your self. It was a stretch in itself to get you to open up to me." he smiled warmly as he saw the hurt and guilt cross of Naruto's face. Leaning over, he brushed a feather's kiss on the blonde's temple. "Now don't look like that; you're face will freeze that way. I expected this, more or less, and I understand. That's why I brought someone here who you'd probably feel more comfortable opening up to..."
As if by magic-which really wouldn't be too surprising considering the world Naruto had fell into-Sasuke appeared. Fists shoved deep into the tunnels of his pockets, eyes adverted to the side out of embarrassment, and a slight scowl marred his face as he walked towards Naruto.
"You missed dinner, Dobe." Sasuke was all sorts of smooth if you haven't noticed.
Itachi groaned silently and rubbed his temples at his brother's lack of tact for anything dealing with human's emotions. "This isn't how we rehearsed it, Otouto."
"Neither was that kiss!" Sasuke shot an accusing finger towards his nonchalant-looking brother. Jealously was pumping wildly through his veins and Sasuke didn't even know why yet. "Where the hell did that come from?"
Itachi smirked, "Jealous I got to kiss him first, Otouto?"
Sasuke was literally fuming, smoke rising out from his ears, he was holding back every gyrating impulse to pounce his brother and knock him senseless. He opened his mouth, prepared to disagree on so many levels when the sound of soft, sweet giggles floated around the air.
Naruto had his head thrown back, chest heaving in puffs, as the laughter trickled from his lips and painted his whiskered cheeks in a rosy hue. Bubbles of delight were floating up, up, up in his stomach at the new feeling of actually being… wanted, in a sense. No one had ever really taken the time, or the energy, to care for him. To fuss over him in the way the Uchiha brothers were and it made him extremely giddy to know that they showed he at least had some space in their hearts.
Which meant a lot considering the Uchiha brothers weren't necessarily known for their kindness.
"What's so funny?" the older raven folded his arms across his chest, a trimmed eyebrow arched high in the air.
Gasps of air escaped his mouth as Naruto tried to calm himself. "It's just… it's nice, you know? I've never been the object of someone's jealousy before. It's weird but… in a good way."
Sasuke and Itachi shared glances. Now their curiosity had inflamed even higher…
"Come on," the younger raven grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him off the swing. He was tugging the blonde along the dirt path up to their spot. He needed to know everything about Naruto. To his slightest fears to the things that made him tick, smile, joyful. Naruto was the puzzle he couldn't figure out until the missing puzzle piece allowed itself to be found. The image was clearer, the lines becoming sharpening, and Sasuke thought he could see every, little detail about Naruto...
"Where are you taking me, Teme Sasuke was walking pretty fast and Naruto, more than once, was stumbling along the way.
Sasuke turned his head to look back at the flushing blonde and smirked, "Our spot."
Then, I remembered the moment when the key unlocked everything...
They sat with their knees touching and their hands still clasped, but not intertwined. The sun was melding behind the giant rock formation, blending the evening colors into a whirlpool of oranges and reds. Words, they needed to be said though neither boy could think of the sentences and letters to form. Silence was their companion resting heavily on their shoulders. It dared them to break it.
Finally, Sasuke spoke.
"Back when I was little, I was the biggest brat around." He didn't know why he had started out that way, or even if this train was going to go anywhere. It just… fabricated on his tongue and flew out of his mouth before he could even take them back.
"Can't say anything's different now," Naruto cracked a smile.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, scoffing at Naruto's immature jab. "I thought I was better than everyone else in my class. I purposefully alienated myself from the group, too. 'No one is as good as me,' I thought. 'So they don't deserve to be near me.' I learned, though, that I needed people around me if I ever wanted to be successful. I wasn't very open, but I became at least somewhat tolerable to be around."
"Why are you telling me this…?" the words blurted out of his mouth and Naruto quickly looked ashamed, stammering over his sentences, "I-I uh, I mean. Not that I don't mind you being so open to me. Really," he kicked his feet back and forth, back and forth, "but… why?"
The raven merely shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, "I just felt like sharing that. Naruto, I trust you. So I don't mind sharing the little details about me that not many people know."
Subtly, Sasuke was trying to push open that envelope, the final door, slide in the key, and let Naruto know he could truly open up to him. Sasuke had already vowed to himself that he would do everything in his power to make Naruto happy-to protect him from all the sadness and darkness that still lingered in that pure heart of his… He squeezed Naruto's hand a little tighter, and with his other hand brushed a few strands of blonde hair from those beautiful, blue eyes.
"M-My parents… left me on my uncle's doorstep when I was just a baby." Emptiness. It lingered in Naruto's words, leaving a horrible sickening feeling in the pit of his gut. The reality hit him hard and fast. Right I his heart where he thought was already steeled and numbed to the real life. "I never knew them, and honestly I don't think I want to know them. My uncle was an alcoholic, though he managed to keep his intake low when I was a kid. Then one day… he just snapped. I think it's because he lost his job that day, but when he came back it was around one in the morning and he was pissed. He called my name, slurred and angry. I was scared at first, but I went outside my room and answered anyways. I remember walking down those steps… my stomach vaulting up to my throat, as I got closer to him.
When I was at the bottom of the steps he grabbed me by the hair and threw me to the ground-hard. That was my first beating from him, but not my last. He found out that beating me up was a wonderful stress relief and would use me as his personal punching bag. Day in and day out my body had the word 'Pain' littered all over it in the form of bruises and scars that I don't think will ever disappear…"
To prove his point, Naruto rolled up his sleeve and showed the darkened bruise that went from his wrist and snaked up to his elbow. "That's from the stove." Naruto grimaced. His skin relieved the burning he had experienced so many years ago. Sasuke's fingers gently stroked the burn and Naruto instantly felt the heat slipping away… "Over the years his beatings became spaced out. One week he would leave the house and never come back until Sunday night. Other weeks I wouldn't be so lucky. I remember one night he had thrown me out of the house naked to suffer the freezing cold for my 'back talk' and wouldn't let me in no matter how much I begged. I was ten, I think. Nearly died of Hypothermia too."
"That's why you carry a pocketknife with you…" Somehow, someway, Sasuke's arm snaked around Naruto's waist and his hand was now resting comfortably on Naruto's hip. Closeness, perfect comfort, that's how their bodies perceived it as Naruto instinctively moved in closer for more warmth. "Did your uncle… touch you?" the question burned on his tongue and made Sasuke's blood boil at even the prospect of such a heinous thing happening. Optimistically, he thought that Naruto's uncle would never touch him that way. The boundary line of morality couldn't be that blurred…
Naruto's silence spoke heavenly volumes.
"I'm going to kill him!" Sasuke seethed. His hands were clenched in fists and murder glowed heavily in his eyes. "That fucking bastard will taste the wrath of my blade!"
Blue eyes stared up at him sadly as Naruto slowly shook his head, a small smile teasing his lips. "Don't. It's… You can't… I've tried so many times. And every time I stop myself because I know it isn't right. That's not me. I would be stooping down to his level if I just killed him." Naruto placed his head on Sasuke's shoulder a little awkwardly, it was an impulse, really, to get as close to the raven as he possibly could. Sasuke wasn't showing any adversity to it. In honesty he was encouraging the affection.
Nimble fingers twisted and swam through spikey golden locks that had grown a few inches longer over the past few months. "You're never going back there…" Sasuke whispered darkly, squeezing Naruto just a little bit tighter. "I won't let you go back there. Not back to that place…"
The blonde chuckled slightly, his heart growing warming and bleeding with emotion he couldn't really describe… "Leaving this place was the farthest thing from my mind, Teme. So you don't have to worry about that."
"Good. I don't think I could handle you leaving my side." An uncharacteristic blush scribbled across his face. When in the world did I get so cheesy? And then he realized something… He had changed. It wasn't a small one, but it wasn't exponentially huge either. Sasuke would have never put this much time and energy into another human being if they weren't Naruto. His heart never constricted painfully at the thought of someone touching or doing sexually immoral things unless it was Naruto the acts were being done to. He never had this strong urge to go out of his way to protect another person, to make them smile and Sasuke had no idea why. The foreign feeling was causing his heart to go insane, thumping erratically against his chest as he stared down at Naruto's face; memorizing every line, curve, and dip until they were firmly imprinted in his mind.
Naruto's grin had eaten half his face by now as he hugged the raven tightly, the same foreign emotion that was rampaging through Sasuke was attacking Naruto as well. "You're such a sweet guy, Sasuke!"
"Shut up, Dobe. You're pushing your lucky heavily right now."
"Oh please. What are you going to do to me, huh?"
"… I'll kiss you."
"Yeah, right. Why don't you try-Wait… what did you say?"
"I said… I'll kiss you."
"W-Why?" Naruto was the book definition of flabbergasted right now as he tried to read Sasuke's intentions… he came up depressingly empty.
Sasuke shrugged, hoping to play off indifferent. It was failing. "Itachi kissed you."
"Aw, you're still jealous!"
"I am not!"
Naruto cackled and poked the raven's cheek. "You so are! Admit it, Teme! You're soo jealous Itachi got to kiss me and you didn't."
"It wasn't even on the lips!" Sasuke retorted, slapping that offending finger from his face. "So why would I be jealous?"
"If you weren't jealous then you wouldn't have brought it up." Oh, Naruto was good.
Folding his arms across his chest, Sasuke silently fumed. He knew he was jealous. It was so obvious to him the minute he saw his older brother kiss Naruto. He had wanted to punch the living daylights out of Itachi-though such a thing was a rather comment thought, this time he thought he actually would do it. He took a sidelong glance,
"Would you let me kiss you…?"
A little off guard by the question, honestly Naruto thought Sasuke would have just kissed him already and be done with it, Naruto answered in a quiet voice. "I… wouldn't mind. Though, I suck at kissing."
"Lips still a virgin?" You wouldn't even have to see Sasuke's smirk, it sang loudly through his words.
"You're such a bastard!" a punch delivered to the shoulder followed shortly afterwards.
"So can I kiss you or no?" Sasuke was leaning closer and closer to the blonde's lips…
The distance between them was growing shorter and shorter…
"Y-You're already leaning in…" Naruto's hands were placed firmly against Sasuke's chest. They thumped and pulsated, moving to the steady tempo of the raven's pounding heartbeat. 'So loud...' he thought idly as his own heartbeat was amplified in his ears tenfold.His breath hitched in his throat, Sasuke's lips were only a few inches away…
Strong arms were wrapped around the blonde's waist. Onyx and blue eyes fluttered to a close as the inevitable dragged itself closer and closer…
Timid lips touched each other. They shyly pressed together, neither one knowing how far nor how slow they should take the interaction. Time seemed to stop. The world tipped off balance. Pulses raced erratically and the only thing either boy could think of was…
Wow.
They pulled back synchronized, faces flushed and lips red and slick from their kiss. Naruto's eyes fluttered open and watery blue clashed with piercing onyx. Before he could speak Sasuke pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, a gesture he returned without any hesitation. Clutched in his arms, Naruto felt his heart soar just a little higher…
He didn't know if they were still friends or if this kiss had sent them traveling on a road with no turning back. Naruto didn't know what he wanted from this kiss at the moment, but what he did know was that he never wanted to leave this world or Sasuke's side. He would be content simply staying on this rocky platform for the rest of his life as long as Sasuke was there with him.
"Great first kiss, huh?" The raven could never resist making a jab…
Naruto shook his head wildly and smirked, "You're one hell of a bastard, Sasuke."
Leave a comment on here (Leave a Rainbow) or a review if you read this on FF (:, please! Whatever floats your boats dearies! I hope you all enjoyed :D!
Pairing: SasuNaru
Rating: PG-13 (for now)
Summary: Naruto awoke in a field bathed by stars with a raven looking over him. In this world, there was no more pain, no more beatings. The reality was only a fairytale now. In this new world, Naruto gets to experience the one thing he never truly had... but how long can this reality go for until it shatters?
A/N: Here's chapter Three :)! Only two more parts left and possibly an Epilogue?
A Painful Reality
Part Three
The next thing I remembered was that painful look in his eyes.
Naruto's stomach started to growl in protest from the lack of attention. "I wonder if they have any ramen?" although Naruto knew that question loud and clear. If he really wanted that delicious substance he'd have to go into town and go to the restaurant himself. "Eh," he said with a sigh as he hopped off the table, "might as well find some money and go out then."
After searching for a few spare yen from the couch, and Sasuke's respective wallet, Naruto was ready to go out for the night. He walked through the backyard, enjoying the complete difference in scenery. Itachi had told him once that from all his trips around the region he always had to bring something back from his missions. So in the end it turned out with the North, East, West, and South areas of the mansion decorated like some other country.
Right now, Naruto was walking through the Wave Country. Leading from the porch was a wide boardwalk with a humongous pond underneath it. To the far right was a huge waterfall that the blonde had yet to explore but wanted to do someday.
Depending on how many days left he had in this world…
He was nearly out of the gate when Sasuke appeared, worn out and seriously pissed off, in all his stoic glory.
"Hey, Sasuke, welcome back!" Naruto grinned happily. It was always better to eat ramen with a friend rather than all by yourself. It gives you a chance to mooch more money off of them that way. "How did your mission go?"
Sasuke ran a tired hand through his hair. Normally he'd be over the moon - on the inside - when Naruto greeted him with such a carefree and happy look. He loved seeing Naruto happy, because in someway it made his heart skip a beat and one of those unusual smiles came out to play on his lips.
But tonight was a totally different story.
"Where are you going?" Sasuke completely ignored the question, his eyes steeling over as he flipped his ANBU mask to the back of his head.
"Oh, well, I was planning to go out to eat tonight. Wanna come with me?"
The raven stared long and hard. For a moment, Naruto thought that Sasuke was having some inner battle between himself on whether or not to take up the offer. But that only lasted a few seconds before he saw that usual smirk on his face.
"Fine, but you're paying for the meal."
Naruto smirked right back, "That's okay. This is your money anyways."
I remember the way the truth hit like a ton of bricks.
"No. More. Dobe!" Sasuke hissed, trying to pry the half empty bowl of ramen from Naruto's fingers but with no avail. For God's sake Sasuke had been training as a ninja since he could walk yet his strength wasn't even close to comparison to Naruto's.
"Just let me finish this last bowl!" Naruto said in between slurps. It felt like absolute ages since the blonde had tasted such good food! Sure, the Uchiha's mansion was stored with food now that they had an extra member in the house, but other than that nothing they had could make Naruto's stomach whir in anticipation like the wonderful taste of ramen could.
"That's what you said about the last five bowls you had!" Sasuke clenched his fists, feeling the electricity of his anger flow through his palms before his eyes shot open. No, he wouldn't use that technique just because of his horrible temper problems.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sasuke exhaled a breath or two before calming down. "Alright, fine, whatever just finish the bowl so we can go already."
Naruto slurped down an extremely long noodle, a bit of the soup splattering on his cheek. "We're going somewhere?" he asked as he doused his last bowl, sighing contently as the contents of the meal hit his stomach with a warm thud.
Sasuke just smirked, "Did I not just point that out, Dobe?"
"Oi, who said you could adopt that name for me anyways, Teme?"
The raven shrugged, paying for both their meals with the money Naruto had and hopped off the stool. He peered over his shoulder and smirked, "About the same time you decided to was a smart idea to run with a kunai in your hands down the stairs." His smirk increased when he saw that adorable pout mar his face, and a reasonable blush adorn those whiskered cheeks.
"I thought we made a promise to never bring that up again!" Naruto whined as he caught up to Sasuke's pace in a run. The raven sure had some long legs on him.
"I don't ever remember making that promise, Naruto." The raven chuckled, feeling all the tension from earlier slip away. Mind you, he was still chewing on the inside of his cheek, and his hands that were stuffed in his pockets were clenching and unclenching into fists, but other than that he felt slightly at ease around the blonde.
'I don't think I've ever felt this calm around anyone before.' He thought as he took a chance to glance at the blonde. The cool night air was whipping the blonde's hair every which way, and it was highly enjoyable to see Naruto pout and whine as he tried to swat his hair away. Oh what Sasuke would give to be able to run his fingers through those golden tresses, to get tangled up in that hair during a passionate… kiss?
'I want to kiss him?' His eyes trained on those plump red lips that Naruto would abuse anytime he had to think extremely hard. He thought of how much he wished to dig his own teeth into those lips and suck and pull until he had the blonde pleading for mercy. Sasuke shook his head to dispel such thoughts, currently fighting down that blush that was attempting to attack him at full force.
'I cannot fall for him. I will not fall for him. I cannot.' He told himself over and over again. Naruto wasn't from this world. He was an outsider, an anomaly that piqued his interest. Or so the raven wanted to believe, but he couldn't stop those pesky feelings that always surfaced whenever the blonde was around.
'But I can't fall for him… Not when he'll soon be leaving…'
Naruto raised an eyebrow - another skill he obtained from the raven - at Sasuke's recent silence. Obviously something was eating at the raven's mind from the way he walked with tense movements and a serious expression on his face. Naruto frowned. He hated seeing Sasuke so out of it. It made him want to do something to change that frown into a smile.
An idea popped into his head, and a good one at that, as he stopped in mid-walk. He giggled when he saw that Sasuke just kept on going and going, not even noticing the blonde's lack of presence. Naruto allowed at least a decent amount of space between them before he bolted from his spot and ran up to hug the raven from behind.
Sasuke was caught by the surprise with such force that both boys were knocked to the ground in a thud. The wind was knocked out of him, and he nearly flipped the blonde over and pinned him down until he caught that infectious and lively smile that he had grown so accustomed to in the past months.
"Smile, Teme." Naruto grinned from ear to ear as he started to tickle the raven's sides. "A frown causes wrinkles and you're too young for that!"
Sasuke laughed. Not from the tickling. Oh no, those fingers sent electric sparks up and down his spine. What he was laughing from was the complete bliss that soared through him whenever Naruto would say that ridiculous nickname. It felt like he was on cloud nine, and for a moment all his worries had drowned out in the laughter that danced along in the night.
"Thank you." Naruto said quietly into the night.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why are you thanking me?"
Naruto sighed and rested his head on Sasuke's chest. A few months ago he was so afraid of such contact, but now it felt right to be touching the raven like this. "For not leaving me alone back there…"
Sasuke's arms wrapped around Naruto's lower back and hugged him tightly. He didn't want to let go of the blonde. He wanted Naruto to stay with him in this world forever. Where they could laugh and be happy. And where the blonde could never experience the pain he felt upon entering this world ever again.
But their happiness was very short lived…
I remember that face that looked exactly like mine.
"I've brought him, Yondaime." Sasuke bowed respectfully, concealing his voice of any emotion as he raised his head to stare face to face with his Hokage.
"No need to act like a robot, Sasuke." The Yondaime chuckled and walked around his desk to lean on the front of it. He cocked his head to the side, his golden locks falling to frame his face, his blue eyes dancing with amusement, as he eyed the blonde look a like that was giving him the 'fish look.'
"Sorry," Sasuke replied almost sheepishly.
Naruto was absolutely astounded. If he thought he was in a totally different world before, his mind practically exploded at the older look alike in front of him. There was no way those two couldn't have been somewhat related, or if the world he was in now somehow had an alternate copy of him.
Either way, Naruto was pretty fucking speechless.
"Is this the boy who you couldn't stop talking about, Sasuke?" The Yondaime smirked when he saw blushes erupt on both boys face. How adorable. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Naruto Uzumaki." He extended his hand for the boy to shake, "I am Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of this village."
"Whoa! I never thought I'd be able to meet you! It's kind of freaky, huh? I mean, we both look a lot a like! It's sort of like you're my older brother or something!" Naruto nearly squealed with excitement as he gripped the older man's hand. He had always wanted an older brother. Someone he could depend on to protect him from the ferocities of the outside world.
The only person he ever knew that came closer to be called a brother, died.
Minato's blue eyes flashed a bit of sadness that only last for a few minutes while he gripped his look a like's hand. "Right… brothers." He muttered quietly before smiling brightly and ruffling Naruto's hair. "Outsider or not, I welcome you with open arms into my village and I will assist you in anyway possible. Now then, if you will, I did not have Sasuke bring you here just to meet you. Please do take a seat." The Yondaime's face turned serious as he walked back to his chair, his chin propped on his knuckles as he stared at his fellow ninja and look alike square in the eyes. "We have a lot to discuss."
And then Reality hit…
"As Sasuke has told me, you have no recollection of what happened before you arrived in this world, correct?"
Naruto fidgeted in his seat. It felt like someone had jabbed him underneath a microscope to be dissected and probed for examination. He chewed on his lower lip until he thought he was drawing blonde under the heavy gaze of both the Yondaime and Sasuke. What he told them was mostly the truth… When he woke up he really had no idea how he had gotten there in the first place. But when those first few spikes of pain erupted throughout his body, he instantly remembered.
He squinted his eyes shut, trying to block the painful memories as his body broke out into shivers. Naruto had wanted to tell Sasuke sooner or later about his life prior to arriving here; he just never got around to doing it. Either the ninja was out for a long mission, or he was trying to help the blonde become more accustomed to the new world he was in. Overall, Naruto's hidden past had stayed hidden under layers and layers of dirt until this very moment.
Yet just thinking about his past made Naruto want to curl up into a tiny ball…
Sasuke's whole body cringed when he saw those dusky blue eyes tinted with pain. He wanted so desperately to just pull Naruto into his arms and hide him away from all his pains and troubles. But what he couldn't wrap his mind around was how distant he felt from the blonde although the two had grown primarily close over the past couple of months. He had tried to ask Naruto about his past, only to come up with a shrug and the adverting of blue eyes whenever the question popped up.
After that, Sasuke had dropped the question completely. But the curiosity was still there, always haunting his mind.
"Is something wrong, Naruto?" Minato looked at the blonde with compassion in his eyes. The sudden change of emotions didn't slip past the Fourth Hokage. Obviously there was more to the blonde than what he could decipher at the moment, but he learned from years of experience that you should never push anyone further than needed. And Naruto seemed like the person that would only talk when ready.
Clearing his throat, Minato flashed the blonde a small smile. "Alright, we'll safely assume that you awoke with no memories of how you arrived here. But, I would like to know if you have any intentions of leaving here."
"Leaving?" Naruto's voice piped up at the word. Never had the word even crossed his mind while he was here. He actually had hoped that, if this was some sort of dream, to never wake up and just live here with Sasuke and Itachi for the rest of his life. He shook his head furiously, his golden locks flying every which way. "No, I never really thought of going…"
"I see…" Minato smiled calmly and allowed his bangs to fall around his face. "That's good to hear, but what of your family, Naruto? Wouldn't they miss you if you stayed away for too long?"
"Parents?" Naruto's tone of voice dripped with mockery. "You mean the two people who dumped me in a box to rot in Hell with a bastard of an uncle?" the blonde's voice started to escalate higher and higher as his anger flooded through his veins. The thought of his parents always sent his adrenaline pumping in all the wrong ways. He had already given up on the fact that there were people out there that were looking for him, waiting for him to come back, after all those birthdays he had spent alone in a bloody corner awaiting for the day to be over.
Both Minato's and Sasuke's eyes jumped forward at the cruel intensity in the blonde's voice. Sasuke's even more so because the only time Naruto ever allowed such hatred to enter his words was when the raven was doing something that annoyed the daylights out of him. But even then the hatred was child-like and barely anything to take notice about.
These words though, that were directed toward the two beings that had brought the blonde into this word held such malice that Sasuke nearly felt his heart freeze from the iciness.
The Yondaime let out a labored sigh, trying to piece together his thoughts and words before he spoke. He glanced up from behind his bangs at the blonde look alike who still didn't seem unfazed by such an outburst. Either Naruto just didn't care, or he was so fired up that he didn't feel any self-consciousness from his statement.
"Those are very strong feelings to have, Naruto…" Minato started out slowly, "But I must say that all parents have a reason for their actions. Perhaps there was a foundation of love behind all of this."
Naruto's eyes steeled over with all his pent up hatred and fury. "Is Love what you call leaving your only son to the mercy of your abusive Uncle? If so, then oh yes… there was definitely a lot of 'Love' in their actions."
The next thing I remembered was the comfort of his voice.
The blonde sighed as he idly swung his legs back and forth on the porch swing, completely lost in his own world. He had never expected to create such an outburst like that, especially in front of the Yondaime.
'Way to go, Uzumaki.' Naruto let out a low sigh as he watched the evening sky begin to mix with the hazy purple of oncoming nightfall. He had been sitting here for hours, blocking memories and wincing at words he wished he had never spoken. He was more or less also trying to avoid the raven who he knew would ask him a million and one questions for his actions today. Naruto barely had the resolve at the moment to answer one question, so he escaped into hiding.
"Have you ever noticed that when you're lost in thought you gain cute little wrinkles above your eyebrows?"
"Itachi?" Naruto leaned his head back to look up at the smirking older raven above him. Oh well, Itachi would be better to talk to at the moment than Sasuke in the blonde's opinion.
"Who else would it be?" Itachi scoffed and placed himself besides Naruto on the swing. "I heard about what happened today. I must admit, I'm a tad bit surprised."
"Was I really that bad…?" Naruto couldn't bear to look into those crimson eyes and forced his own irises to stare at the wooden floor.
"Not bad, per say. It was more like astounding - in a good way, of course."
Naruto cocked an eyebrow, highly confused by Itachi's choice of words. Sure, the blonde hadn't said anything insulting to the Yondaime, but his tone of voice and actions towards him were highly disrespectful. Something Sasuke had chewed him out on before storming off somewhere. That's why Naruto was sitting on the porch swing by himself.
"How is it astounding? I completely blew up on the Hokage! What if he didn't smile it off and decided to kill me right there and then?" Naruto dropped his face into his hands and groaned at his inability to control his emotions. "I'm so screwed…"
The older raven chuckled. He was debating right now if he should allow Naruto to wallow in his despair for a few more minutes, say something completely unreal to throw the blonde off even more. After a few seconds of going over the pros and cons, Itachi decided to give Naruto some much needed leeway and settled on neither of his first options.
Instead he decided to be fairly civil and try to cheer the blonde up.
"You're worrying yourself over nothing, Naruto. If the Hokage was truly upset with your lack of control, he would have issued Sasuke and I to put you on lockdown until further notice." Alright, Itachi… maybe cheering people up isn't one of your better skills.
"Thanks, Itachi. You make me feel so much better." sarcasm dripped heavily off of Naruto's words as he idly kicked his feet back and forth.
"I try," Itachi smirked, completely ignoring the bit of sarcasm. The older raven sat himself down on the swing next to Naruto's and started to kick up tiny clouds of dirt. They sat there on the swingsets, soaking up the golden rays of the evening before Itachi finally broke the silence. "So what made you snap?"
Oh Itachi... always the gentlest when stepping on a self-destructive topic.
The blonde's grip tightened around the chains holding the swing's seat up. He had steeled himself, prepared, rehearsed every line for when someone (hopefully Sasuke) would ask him that same question. And, after awhile, he thought he had come up with the perfect answer. A long-winded, but heart-jarring and tear-producing story of his past before he got to this world. Unfortunately, all those delicate words and fabricated sentences had been wiped clean from his memory. Now he was gaping like a fish.
Smirking, Itachi titled his head back to gaze at the mixing oranges and yellows of a summer sky. "Won't tell me, huh? You don't have to push your self. It was a stretch in itself to get you to open up to me." he smiled warmly as he saw the hurt and guilt cross of Naruto's face. Leaning over, he brushed a feather's kiss on the blonde's temple. "Now don't look like that; you're face will freeze that way. I expected this, more or less, and I understand. That's why I brought someone here who you'd probably feel more comfortable opening up to..."
As if by magic-which really wouldn't be too surprising considering the world Naruto had fell into-Sasuke appeared. Fists shoved deep into the tunnels of his pockets, eyes adverted to the side out of embarrassment, and a slight scowl marred his face as he walked towards Naruto.
"You missed dinner, Dobe." Sasuke was all sorts of smooth if you haven't noticed.
Itachi groaned silently and rubbed his temples at his brother's lack of tact for anything dealing with human's emotions. "This isn't how we rehearsed it, Otouto."
"Neither was that kiss!" Sasuke shot an accusing finger towards his nonchalant-looking brother. Jealously was pumping wildly through his veins and Sasuke didn't even know why yet. "Where the hell did that come from?"
Itachi smirked, "Jealous I got to kiss him first, Otouto?"
Sasuke was literally fuming, smoke rising out from his ears, he was holding back every gyrating impulse to pounce his brother and knock him senseless. He opened his mouth, prepared to disagree on so many levels when the sound of soft, sweet giggles floated around the air.
Naruto had his head thrown back, chest heaving in puffs, as the laughter trickled from his lips and painted his whiskered cheeks in a rosy hue. Bubbles of delight were floating up, up, up in his stomach at the new feeling of actually being… wanted, in a sense. No one had ever really taken the time, or the energy, to care for him. To fuss over him in the way the Uchiha brothers were and it made him extremely giddy to know that they showed he at least had some space in their hearts.
Which meant a lot considering the Uchiha brothers weren't necessarily known for their kindness.
"What's so funny?" the older raven folded his arms across his chest, a trimmed eyebrow arched high in the air.
Gasps of air escaped his mouth as Naruto tried to calm himself. "It's just… it's nice, you know? I've never been the object of someone's jealousy before. It's weird but… in a good way."
Sasuke and Itachi shared glances. Now their curiosity had inflamed even higher…
"Come on," the younger raven grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him off the swing. He was tugging the blonde along the dirt path up to their spot. He needed to know everything about Naruto. To his slightest fears to the things that made him tick, smile, joyful. Naruto was the puzzle he couldn't figure out until the missing puzzle piece allowed itself to be found. The image was clearer, the lines becoming sharpening, and Sasuke thought he could see every, little detail about Naruto...
"Where are you taking me, Teme Sasuke was walking pretty fast and Naruto, more than once, was stumbling along the way.
Sasuke turned his head to look back at the flushing blonde and smirked, "Our spot."
Then, I remembered the moment when the key unlocked everything...
They sat with their knees touching and their hands still clasped, but not intertwined. The sun was melding behind the giant rock formation, blending the evening colors into a whirlpool of oranges and reds. Words, they needed to be said though neither boy could think of the sentences and letters to form. Silence was their companion resting heavily on their shoulders. It dared them to break it.
Finally, Sasuke spoke.
"Back when I was little, I was the biggest brat around." He didn't know why he had started out that way, or even if this train was going to go anywhere. It just… fabricated on his tongue and flew out of his mouth before he could even take them back.
"Can't say anything's different now," Naruto cracked a smile.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, scoffing at Naruto's immature jab. "I thought I was better than everyone else in my class. I purposefully alienated myself from the group, too. 'No one is as good as me,' I thought. 'So they don't deserve to be near me.' I learned, though, that I needed people around me if I ever wanted to be successful. I wasn't very open, but I became at least somewhat tolerable to be around."
"Why are you telling me this…?" the words blurted out of his mouth and Naruto quickly looked ashamed, stammering over his sentences, "I-I uh, I mean. Not that I don't mind you being so open to me. Really," he kicked his feet back and forth, back and forth, "but… why?"
The raven merely shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, "I just felt like sharing that. Naruto, I trust you. So I don't mind sharing the little details about me that not many people know."
Subtly, Sasuke was trying to push open that envelope, the final door, slide in the key, and let Naruto know he could truly open up to him. Sasuke had already vowed to himself that he would do everything in his power to make Naruto happy-to protect him from all the sadness and darkness that still lingered in that pure heart of his… He squeezed Naruto's hand a little tighter, and with his other hand brushed a few strands of blonde hair from those beautiful, blue eyes.
"M-My parents… left me on my uncle's doorstep when I was just a baby." Emptiness. It lingered in Naruto's words, leaving a horrible sickening feeling in the pit of his gut. The reality hit him hard and fast. Right I his heart where he thought was already steeled and numbed to the real life. "I never knew them, and honestly I don't think I want to know them. My uncle was an alcoholic, though he managed to keep his intake low when I was a kid. Then one day… he just snapped. I think it's because he lost his job that day, but when he came back it was around one in the morning and he was pissed. He called my name, slurred and angry. I was scared at first, but I went outside my room and answered anyways. I remember walking down those steps… my stomach vaulting up to my throat, as I got closer to him.
When I was at the bottom of the steps he grabbed me by the hair and threw me to the ground-hard. That was my first beating from him, but not my last. He found out that beating me up was a wonderful stress relief and would use me as his personal punching bag. Day in and day out my body had the word 'Pain' littered all over it in the form of bruises and scars that I don't think will ever disappear…"
To prove his point, Naruto rolled up his sleeve and showed the darkened bruise that went from his wrist and snaked up to his elbow. "That's from the stove." Naruto grimaced. His skin relieved the burning he had experienced so many years ago. Sasuke's fingers gently stroked the burn and Naruto instantly felt the heat slipping away… "Over the years his beatings became spaced out. One week he would leave the house and never come back until Sunday night. Other weeks I wouldn't be so lucky. I remember one night he had thrown me out of the house naked to suffer the freezing cold for my 'back talk' and wouldn't let me in no matter how much I begged. I was ten, I think. Nearly died of Hypothermia too."
"That's why you carry a pocketknife with you…" Somehow, someway, Sasuke's arm snaked around Naruto's waist and his hand was now resting comfortably on Naruto's hip. Closeness, perfect comfort, that's how their bodies perceived it as Naruto instinctively moved in closer for more warmth. "Did your uncle… touch you?" the question burned on his tongue and made Sasuke's blood boil at even the prospect of such a heinous thing happening. Optimistically, he thought that Naruto's uncle would never touch him that way. The boundary line of morality couldn't be that blurred…
Naruto's silence spoke heavenly volumes.
"I'm going to kill him!" Sasuke seethed. His hands were clenched in fists and murder glowed heavily in his eyes. "That fucking bastard will taste the wrath of my blade!"
Blue eyes stared up at him sadly as Naruto slowly shook his head, a small smile teasing his lips. "Don't. It's… You can't… I've tried so many times. And every time I stop myself because I know it isn't right. That's not me. I would be stooping down to his level if I just killed him." Naruto placed his head on Sasuke's shoulder a little awkwardly, it was an impulse, really, to get as close to the raven as he possibly could. Sasuke wasn't showing any adversity to it. In honesty he was encouraging the affection.
Nimble fingers twisted and swam through spikey golden locks that had grown a few inches longer over the past few months. "You're never going back there…" Sasuke whispered darkly, squeezing Naruto just a little bit tighter. "I won't let you go back there. Not back to that place…"
The blonde chuckled slightly, his heart growing warming and bleeding with emotion he couldn't really describe… "Leaving this place was the farthest thing from my mind, Teme. So you don't have to worry about that."
"Good. I don't think I could handle you leaving my side." An uncharacteristic blush scribbled across his face. When in the world did I get so cheesy? And then he realized something… He had changed. It wasn't a small one, but it wasn't exponentially huge either. Sasuke would have never put this much time and energy into another human being if they weren't Naruto. His heart never constricted painfully at the thought of someone touching or doing sexually immoral things unless it was Naruto the acts were being done to. He never had this strong urge to go out of his way to protect another person, to make them smile and Sasuke had no idea why. The foreign feeling was causing his heart to go insane, thumping erratically against his chest as he stared down at Naruto's face; memorizing every line, curve, and dip until they were firmly imprinted in his mind.
Naruto's grin had eaten half his face by now as he hugged the raven tightly, the same foreign emotion that was rampaging through Sasuke was attacking Naruto as well. "You're such a sweet guy, Sasuke!"
"Shut up, Dobe. You're pushing your lucky heavily right now."
"Oh please. What are you going to do to me, huh?"
"… I'll kiss you."
"Yeah, right. Why don't you try-Wait… what did you say?"
"I said… I'll kiss you."
"W-Why?" Naruto was the book definition of flabbergasted right now as he tried to read Sasuke's intentions… he came up depressingly empty.
Sasuke shrugged, hoping to play off indifferent. It was failing. "Itachi kissed you."
"Aw, you're still jealous!"
"I am not!"
Naruto cackled and poked the raven's cheek. "You so are! Admit it, Teme! You're soo jealous Itachi got to kiss me and you didn't."
"It wasn't even on the lips!" Sasuke retorted, slapping that offending finger from his face. "So why would I be jealous?"
"If you weren't jealous then you wouldn't have brought it up." Oh, Naruto was good.
Folding his arms across his chest, Sasuke silently fumed. He knew he was jealous. It was so obvious to him the minute he saw his older brother kiss Naruto. He had wanted to punch the living daylights out of Itachi-though such a thing was a rather comment thought, this time he thought he actually would do it. He took a sidelong glance,
"Would you let me kiss you…?"
A little off guard by the question, honestly Naruto thought Sasuke would have just kissed him already and be done with it, Naruto answered in a quiet voice. "I… wouldn't mind. Though, I suck at kissing."
"Lips still a virgin?" You wouldn't even have to see Sasuke's smirk, it sang loudly through his words.
"You're such a bastard!" a punch delivered to the shoulder followed shortly afterwards.
"So can I kiss you or no?" Sasuke was leaning closer and closer to the blonde's lips…
The distance between them was growing shorter and shorter…
"Y-You're already leaning in…" Naruto's hands were placed firmly against Sasuke's chest. They thumped and pulsated, moving to the steady tempo of the raven's pounding heartbeat. 'So loud...' he thought idly as his own heartbeat was amplified in his ears tenfold.His breath hitched in his throat, Sasuke's lips were only a few inches away…
Strong arms were wrapped around the blonde's waist. Onyx and blue eyes fluttered to a close as the inevitable dragged itself closer and closer…
Timid lips touched each other. They shyly pressed together, neither one knowing how far nor how slow they should take the interaction. Time seemed to stop. The world tipped off balance. Pulses raced erratically and the only thing either boy could think of was…
Wow.
They pulled back synchronized, faces flushed and lips red and slick from their kiss. Naruto's eyes fluttered open and watery blue clashed with piercing onyx. Before he could speak Sasuke pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, a gesture he returned without any hesitation. Clutched in his arms, Naruto felt his heart soar just a little higher…
He didn't know if they were still friends or if this kiss had sent them traveling on a road with no turning back. Naruto didn't know what he wanted from this kiss at the moment, but what he did know was that he never wanted to leave this world or Sasuke's side. He would be content simply staying on this rocky platform for the rest of his life as long as Sasuke was there with him.
"Great first kiss, huh?" The raven could never resist making a jab…
Naruto shook his head wildly and smirked, "You're one hell of a bastard, Sasuke."
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