Renewing Changes - Report 11 (part II)
Title: Renewing Changes
Author: Fourangers
Rating: M
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Wordcount: 10.000 words.
Summary: "Oh crap." Muttered the blond. Sometimes, there's something worse than one-night stands. It's called we're-doing-this-because-we're-going-to-die-tomorrow desperate sex. Too bad they didn't in the end. NaruSasu.
Part I
At first, Sasuke thought that it was probably his secretary asking his current location as he was supposed to be inside their office working. However, he saw his father's name displayed on the screen instead and that bewildered him. As far as he knew, there wasn't any significant issue in regards to Uchiha Corporation that they should discuss today. He gingerly pressed the button to receive the call:
"Sasuke…we've found him." The frantic relief was barely restrained from Fugaku's tone.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes confused, unable to decipher this short sentence. "Father, you have found who?"
"Itachi."
And with only one word, his whole world had turned upside down. He felt as if a hand was slowly encasing around his heart and also cutting the air supply to his lungs, his head started throbbing with an insistent buzz. Sasuke could only dumbly recite that name again, that person that had always haunted his family and himself.
"Itachi…he-what?"
"We found his whereabouts in Somalia. One of our agents caught some clues about a Japanese man living there and once they found him; your brother was willing to contact them. As soon as Itachi is done with his business in that country, he is going to take the first flight and come home to Japan." As Fugaku kept explaining the situation, the burbling happiness was becoming more and more discernible. However, as Sasuke kept listening, the feeling of dread kept growing and lodging in his heart.
He could barely mutter back any intelligible response.
Naruto stared at Sasuke's reactions by his side. At first, he didn't pay attention to the conversation since it was probably something business related and it'd be rude listening to it, but once he saw Sasuke's shoulders tensing and a strained tone in his voice, the blond approached, mildly alarmed.
"Fourteen years…for fourteen years he's been missing and we haven't found any information regarding him or even one photo. Now finally…our son is coming back."
Sasuke painfully closed his eyes, feeling a cold sweat running down his spine. His hands were trembling, so he closed them tightly into fists.
"Your mother is also so excited about this…she's asking for you to go home now, I agree with this idea. There're also other details that we found out about your big brother-"
At last, his mouth was moving on its own accord and Sasuke spilled forth whatever was going on in his mind. "I can't."
"…I can cancel whatever meeting you have to-"
"I really can't." The youngest Uchiha growled. "I-" He was suddenly aware of the other presence standing next to him, confused by the fact that Naruto hadn't gone away to continue his tour. "I have to-Uzumaki-san is now in Tokyo and I'm helping him visit some interesting landmarks. Today is the last day of his vacation."
Fugaku paused in apparent bewilderment until he answered. "Well, fine, you can ask one of our staff or hire a tourist guide in this case, this way you're free from this task."
"No. I don't-he personally asked me for this, since I live in Tokyo."
"Dismiss him then, apologize for this inconvenience! How can you give a bigger priority to someone else when your brother is finally returning after so long…"
"I don't care!" Sasuke shouted in a sudden outburst. "I have to go now - I'll go home once I'm done."
"Sasuke, why are you-"The brunet could detect that familiar disapproving tone that Fugaku always used on him so he blurted out:
"I'm sorry… I'm busy so I have to hang up. Goodbye." He frantically pressed the button, his breath erratic. Sasuke sensed Naruto next to him so the brunet threw the most venomous glare at him. "What?"
Naruto shifted his legs awkwardly, muttering. "So did your father demand anything bad or absurd of you?"
Sasuke frowned, staring at his cell phone. "Yes…but fortunately, I could dismiss it."
"Uh yeah…using the excuse that you had to help me out and be my tourist guide. I heard that part." Naruto quirked an uncomfortable smile, feeling powerless to help the situation.
"Yes…so? Aren't you glad that the tables turned in your favor?" Sasuke replied sarcastically.
"Hmm…but you just rejected me quite heartlessly when I suggested going for some sightseeing…I can't see why I should help you out covering up an excuse to avoid obeying your father." Naruto said airily. He stared at Sasuke, who at this moment had a complicated expression ranging between anger and frustration, so he quickly changed tactics with an easy smile. "But I can't deny that you're a decent tourist guide. So, let's go."
Naruto saw and was relieved, when Sasuke's features visibly relaxed and the brunet slowly returned to his standard nonchalant expression.
"Hn. But if I'm really going to be your tourist guide, then I get to decide where we're going to visit."
"Oh? Where?" Naruto asked curious despite himself.
"The Uchiha Clan's private shrine."
~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~
The shrine was actually located in a nearby town, outside of Tokyo, so it took some time to arrive. Naruto stared impressed at the gigantic wooden Shinto gate, a long path made of stones lying beyond as verdant forest surrounded them. Once they started walking, the place gave a peaceful sensation, the serene quietude being in huge contrast with the frenetic lifestyle of urban life.
There were security guards standing in strategic places, though once Sasuke passed through they would bow politely.
"I thought that most shrines were public." Naruto commented.
"This one is different. We're not praising some Shinto god or Buddhist saint, we're simply honoring our ancestors by creating this place."
They arrived at the main building and much to Naruto's dismay, there was a loooooong staircase to climb to the temple. Sasuke didn't mind this fact though as he had always thought that climbing those stairs was some method to purify your mind away from negative feelings and he had always escaped to this place whenever those emotions would overwhelm him in the past.
"Um…so…do we have an elevator somewhere?" Naruto asked, glancing sideways.
"Of course not, there's only one way to get to the top, which are those stairs." Then, Sasuke smirked. "Or are you saying that Uzumaki Naruto-san can't accomplish such a small feat as climbing those kiddy stairs?"
The blond scowled. "Fine then! Just a little bit of a workout won't defeat me! Just you wait till I arrive before you in the end then!"
Unfortunately both took a while to reach the main temple, as the lengthy staircase proved to be endless. Once they arrived there, they took some time to catch their breath as Naruto stared at the temple.
Surprisingly, it wasn't grandiose and it didn't emit an overwhelming aura, it was a normal sized temple with clean designs and few details here and there. Sasuke united his palms in a prayer.
"This shrine is personally my favorite place. It gives me some feeling of peace and calms me down no matter how sad or distressed I was before I entered." He confessed.
Naruto nodded in agreement, also praying. "It does give those sorts of vibes."
"I assume that I'll need that…now that they have found my older brother healthy and alive." Sasuke muttered almost inaudibly.
Blue eyes widened astonished in response and Naruto blurted out. "Wow, that's great isn't it? It's been so long since you've seen him; fortunately in the end he's still alive!"
"…I suppose." Sasuke whispered.
"I bet your whole family must be very relieved now. After all, he's your brother, you're probably feeling content now right?" Naruto asked, searching for any sort of concurrence on Sasuke's face. However, he received none.
If this was supposed to be some sort of positive news…why am I unable to see happiness reach your eyes?
"And once he's back, I'm sure that there will be a lot to talk about and amend, but I hope that everything will go back the way it used to be bef-"
"No." Sasuke suddenly interrupted. "I don't want him to wreck my life again, I don't want him to return and simply change everything in my life on his whim. I don't want him back."
Naruto paused, only to speak hesitantly. "But he's your brother…?"
"So what. He created more damage than anyone I have ever met in my life - I don't want him near me, I don't want him to suddenly materialize in front of us and receive absolute forgiveness and adoration from my p-" Sasuke clamped his mouth shut, in attempt to block any further resentful words spilling to his tongue. "Besides, I hardly doubt he was found by our investigators' work. He's a genius and has managed to hide from everyone for fourteen long years, I'm sure he has the ability to cover any trace of his presence from the world if he wants. He must have left those clues on purpose, he…he wouldn't commit such a slip."
"So are you afraid for whatever obscure plans he has once he's back here? Are you afraid of his influence on the family…?"
"Yes." Sasuke confirmed, his shoulders hunched and fists tightly balled. No…that's not all… "He'll come back, ready to receive my father's praise and respect so gratuitously when I have always failed to achieve it - because in the end, I'm just the second unworthy son. I'm not a genius; I'm not worthy to have his attention."
"What? No Sasuke…but your father does care about you, he also recognize you as his son." Naruto shook his head, placing both hands on Sasuke's shoulder but the brunet swatted them away.
"So maybe he does care about me but he would never…he'd never…" Sasuke felt a lump slowly emerging in his throat and he swallowed dryly. "It was never enough. I have never…achieved enough. I can't be the best, because this seat was always occupied by Itachi, if he hadn't disappeared…then I would have remained completely insignificant."
His eyes were practically burning, fogging his vision…Sasuke gritted his teeth with an angry huff, blinking rapidly to clear them.
"There would always be some sort of comparison…he would always haunt me wherever I went, he was always-always greater than me. Then, just the idea of seeing him return-just like that. Because he suddenly wanted it and now the rightful heir is back, then I-I-"His vision was becoming misty again, so he furiously wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
"No wait, Sasuke." Naruto gently enveloped the wrist with his fingers and spoke. "Sasuke…if you really want to cry, you don't have to restrain yourself."
Sasuke scoffed disdainfully, removing his hands from the tanned fingers. "I'm not crying, I'm not going to cry. Why the hell would I want to cry?"
"Because…" Naruto sighed, remembering old memories that still plagued him sometimes. "Because you've built up those negative emotions for so long, and you have to let them go, or else they will haunt you for the rest of your life." He said, trying to approach and comfort Sasuke.
"I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to do something so…weak and cowardly like that." Sasuke took some steps backwards. A few tears leaked from his eyes and he quickly wiped them away, breathing heavily.
"Sasuke, you have to cry. You have to stop accumulating all this resentment, this fear. You have to expel this sadness before it consumes you entirely. And you…you want to cry, don't you?" He added softly.
"No!" Sasuke screamed in denial, his guard up. "Doing something weak like that, I'm not going to be someone weak like that. I'm not going to allow anything to overwhelm me, because I'm not the type of immature person…who would foolishly depend on emotions and cry…because I was too weak."
A tense silence stretched between them, as the brunet glared defiantly towards Naruto, his stomach churning from the possibility of seeing pity in his eyes, something that he didn't want to happen, not from Naruto.
However, with an unreadable expression, the blond simply shifted closer, raising his arms with each step. For a wild moment, Sasuke thought that Naruto was going to kiss him and his body was ready to repel it completely-
But those arms simply curled around his neck, pushing his face forward and placing it on Naruto's shoulder, the hands sliding over his back in soothing motions. This simple action made Sasuke's legs lose their strength, slowly bending until they were both sitting on the ground.
Naruto moved until Sasuke's head was settled on Naruto's warm chest, the latter placed both arms and his chin above the dark head and whispered slowly.
"You see…there's no one here in this whole shrine. This is a private location; all the security are placed far away from here. If you're weak or strong, that doesn't really matter now, no one is here to see you or judge you." He tightened his arms around Sasuke's neck and shoulders and continued. "No one is going to see whatever you're going to do now -no one is going to hear whatever you want to say. That's why…it's ok. It's ok…"
As the words slowly sunk in and Naruto's scent was giving him another form of solace, he felt one tear sliding down his pale cheek and dropping to his leg. Then, others were falling one after another, until it poured down, cleansing his soul.
They stood in that position for a couple of more minutes, Naruto could feel the occasional hiccups vibrating in his body, as he patted the dark hair. He waited until it subsided, disentangling his arms when Sasuke raised his head, his eyes a little bit reddened as a result.
He couldn't resist when his hands moved to cup the pale cheek, his thumb wiping some stray tears as he caressed the smooth skin. Sasuke's eyes gradually returned to their usual clarity as he stared at Naruto, one pale hand resting on Naruto's shoulder. It moved to the junction between neck and shoulder, sliding upwards until it settled on the nape, lightly playing with the golden strands with his fingers.
"…Naruto…" Sasuke whispered.
It felt natural when his body began to automatically tilt forward, Sasuke's eyelids felt heavy as Naruto's breath fanned his face. He tightened his hold on the blond's neck to keep it steady as his mouth slowly descended, reveling in the thrill as cerulean eyes were also closing, the tanned face angled a little bit. However, the moment he felt Naruto's hand moving to comb his hair Sasuke's eyes snapped open, moving backwards:
"No."
The blond blinked wide, a little bit dazed and completely befuddled.
"No…Naruto, I-we can't-" Sasuke felt his stomach drop when, once gaining full comprehension, the blue eyes narrowed in obvious hurt and rejection, Naruto immediately straightened up, turned around and ran towards the exit.
Sasuke also stood up quickly, trying to catch up to Naruto, as he said, "Wait, Naruto-I'm sorry but I-wait." One of his hands succeeded in reaching one shoulder-
But the blond violently shoved it away, turning around. "Sasuke, you let me go right now or I won't waste one fucking second punching through your thick skull." He snarled.
Whatever excuse he was trying to come up with slipped away as his hand lowered, watching Naruto walk down the stairs and disappear from his field of vision, his heart hammered so painfully that it forced Sasuke to admit one painful truth:
He had definitely done something wrong this time.
~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~
"There you go, giving a deer to another deer Shika." Naruto placed the small statue in Shikamaru's hand as the latter placed it on his desk with a roll of eyes.
"So I take it you went to Toudaiji then?"
"Yep, but all of those deer are absolutely crazy. They would eat anything that it's front of them, you have to be careful or else they would end up eating your map." Naruto complained.
"Hmm. What really surprises me is that you chose to go to those popular tourist spots instead of choosing the unusual ones." Shikamaru said, still so occupied with drawing a plan on the computer that he didn't see Naruto's eyes darkening a little before erasing it with a grin.
"Yeah, I thought that I should go to at least one of those right? Since it's really interesting to study the techniques they used to apply centuries before."
Since Shikamaru was busy, it didn't take long for other employees to surround Naruto asking questions, some happily receiving the souvenirs the blond bought for them as he also updated Sarutobi on the relevant trip details.
"Oh yes. Did you like Ichiraku's Ramen in the end? That restaurant is unfortunately more famous for its name rather than quality, so I was unsure if I should recommend you going there. But you sounded so excited about it…" Sarutobi said.
"Don't worry about it Sarutobi-san. Whenever there's something related to Ramen, I'm sure that even the worst Ramen in the world is like the nectar from the Japanese gods as Naruto has always eloquently explained." Shikamaru explained with a snort.
"Well…but seriously, was the taste decent enough?" The old man asked.
Everyone stopped talking, expecting Naruto's answer but those blue eyes were set on a faraway place, remembering something. The blond suddenly realized where he was and he settled with a scratch at the back of his head.
"Hah…well, can you believe it Sarutobi-jiichan? I got busy and didn't have the time to taste it, unfortunately."
"Really? Well, you can try it out later, sometime." Sarutobi answered.
"Yeah…yeah, maybe." Naruto grinned wide, changing the subject as he described Tokyo's bay landscape.
However, Shikamaru could no longer pay attention to the conversation because only one thought was stamped inside his brain.
Naruto was lying.
~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~
When Shikamaru commented that Naruto was a terrible liar, he really meant it. It was easy to corner him and then extract the answers from him, when his feelings were exposed like an open book.
However, Shikamaru also knew that Naruto was more than goofy smiles and stubborn determination. The blond also had an uncomfortable past that he'd rather keep to himself than share with anyone, for whatever reasons and Shikamaru respected that.
But in a few instances, Naruto could lie well; when he was hurt on the inside and didn't want to burden other people around him. Actually, regarding this subtlety even he, who had been Naruto's friend since middle school and was an observant person, took a long while to notice it, seeing that even though the blond laughed it off whenever someone degraded him, he was more hurt than he let on.
So obviously whenever he did that Shikamaru knew that whatever was happening to his friend was a grave matter, he intended to ask what had been troubling Naruto lately. He was mildly surprised when he went to smoke in the Emergency Exit and the blond was there sprawled on the ground, staring at the clouds.
"I thought cloud watching was my hobby." Shikamaru said when he sat next to his friend.
Naruto shrugged. "Nah…it's fun to do it every once in a while, just to focus your thoughts."
"What kind of thoughts? Having some kind of problem lately?"
"Yeah…Yeah…nothing bad, actually. Just…" Naruto didn't finish the sentence.
"Is it related to Sasuke Uchiha?" Shikamaru asked, noticing the instant stiffening of his friend's shoulders.
"Uh-yeah. But it's nothing tragic, really." Naruto laughed awkwardly. "He rejected me, that's all."
"That's all? That's all. So, have you finally changed your mind and given up this pursuit I hope?"
"Maybe…maybe. It's just that…lately I've been wracking my brain as to why he would do such a thing, why he would shove me away when I could feel-"Naruto sighed tiredly. "Maybe since he's gay and famous, he can't have any public relationship, or maybe it's something related to his father or brother, maybe…maybe I was wrong and he didn't feel the same way so maybe…it was just a spur of the moment and everything was wrong…then I kept thinking on those maybes and I can't find a solution."
Comprehension dawning on his brain, Shikamaru stared with some sort of sympathy towards his blond friend. He said. "That's why the best way to do it is to forget about it, forget about this chase. He's not worthy. Also, like I've said, you get too emotionally attached."
"I'm not. I'm fine - I'm sure."
"If you're so sure, then why do you look so sad since you've been back from Tokyo?"
"I'm just feeling a little bit down, but that doesn't mean anything." Naruto defended back.
"Why do you keep making excuses for Sasuke Uchiha's sake? When he was the one who rejected your advances?" Shikamaru criticized.
"It's not that easy." Naruto said, shaking his head. Then, he looked guilty. "Sasuke also has some problems-"
"You called him Sasuke." Shikamaru suddenly interrupted.
The blond widened his eyes and he grimaced.
"Wait, you're really calling him Sasuke?" Shikamaru raised his voice, startled. "You have always followed the policy of this company; you wouldn't ever call any of our clients by their first name. You never broke this regulation before, even though there were some clients that you were interested in romantically or they were a friend of yours. But with Uchiha you're making an exception. And you really think that you didn't overstep any boundaries? You are getting too emotionally attached to him!"
"Okay! So maybe I am-a little bit!" Naruto protested, throwing his arms in the air in frustration. "So why is this so important? I'm just getting more involved than normal, that's all!"
"His rejection is so important to you, and now you're hurting, when you promised that you wouldn't fall for him!" Shikamaru rebutted.
"I-I…" Naruto placed both hands on his face and massaged it gingerly, groaning loudly. "That doesn't matter much! I was just surprised, once I find some sort of ground, I'll-"
"For how long are you going to insist on denying this situation?" Shikamaru shouted. "He has already gotten under your skin, you have become too sensitive to his presence, that's why he's capable of hurting you so easily without even trying too hard!"
Naruto closed his mouth, unable to come up with any other excuse. His hands were resting on his thighs, his face still contorted, pensive.
Shikamaru sighed deeply, wondering if it was really going to be ok to attempt to destroy those blooming feelings. With one hand on his shoulder, he shook him lightly, gaining Naruto's attention to his words.
"But even if you've gotten involved with him…even through those problems…in the end your attraction is only based on the fact that you both made a mistake at the wrong time. You don't really know him; you don't really understand his personality. It's just physical attraction; once you see his flaws everything will fall apart. And you're just doing this because it's the first time you're attracted to a guy. It's something different, something new. Once this whole novelty wears off, you'll be left with nothing but disillusionment. You don't really like Sasuke Uchiha."
Blue eyes widened slowly as his brain attempted to absorb this concept, his head hanging low.
Shikamaru threw the last bomb, with one last forewarning. "So you better stop all this…before it's too late."
~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~
Report 11: Premonition
AN: Don't kill Shikamaru. Seriously, don't. He has a good reason why he's doing this as Naruto's friend that will later be explained in the next chapter. So see! You guys kept complaining about chapter 9's cliffhanger, this one is worse! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
As usual, information about Kushiage: (remove the spaces the parts that weren't underlined)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DllrwVGWdp4
Sumida River:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumida_River
And Tokyo Bay, the sight is pretty in my opinion. It's kinda different.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Bay
The 'poo statue':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asahi_Beer_Hall
Although the Uchiha shrine is a fictional place, I based in a real shrine (in which I completely forgot the name about it so…sorry.) It's also in a neighboring town from Tokyo, I thought it was pretty even though it was in a humble size in comparison to other temples I went.
http://pics.livejournal.com/fourangers/pic/0079aphx
http://pics.livejournal.com/fourangers/pic/0079b10d
And lastly about Japanese people not removing their shoes whenever they're on the beach. Although they are changing lately, but mostly they still won't remove it if they aren't wearing bathing suits. It's really weird seeing a bunch of kids running on the beach but still wearing shoes and clothes, it's like they can't have 100% fun right? But yeah, it's more common than you think. (ew gross, soaked socks and shoes)
Come to think about it, I remember the time when I went to Tokyo Bay and I also wanted to remove my shoes but my tourist guide went all "Uh…do you really have to?" but unlike Naruto, I got discouraged and gave up.
Author: Fourangers
Rating: M
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Wordcount: 10.000 words.
Summary: "Oh crap." Muttered the blond. Sometimes, there's something worse than one-night stands. It's called we're-doing-this-because-we're-going-to-die-tomorrow desperate sex. Too bad they didn't in the end. NaruSasu.
Part I
At first, Sasuke thought that it was probably his secretary asking his current location as he was supposed to be inside their office working. However, he saw his father's name displayed on the screen instead and that bewildered him. As far as he knew, there wasn't any significant issue in regards to Uchiha Corporation that they should discuss today. He gingerly pressed the button to receive the call:
"Sasuke…we've found him." The frantic relief was barely restrained from Fugaku's tone.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes confused, unable to decipher this short sentence. "Father, you have found who?"
"Itachi."
And with only one word, his whole world had turned upside down. He felt as if a hand was slowly encasing around his heart and also cutting the air supply to his lungs, his head started throbbing with an insistent buzz. Sasuke could only dumbly recite that name again, that person that had always haunted his family and himself.
"Itachi…he-what?"
"We found his whereabouts in Somalia. One of our agents caught some clues about a Japanese man living there and once they found him; your brother was willing to contact them. As soon as Itachi is done with his business in that country, he is going to take the first flight and come home to Japan." As Fugaku kept explaining the situation, the burbling happiness was becoming more and more discernible. However, as Sasuke kept listening, the feeling of dread kept growing and lodging in his heart.
He could barely mutter back any intelligible response.
Naruto stared at Sasuke's reactions by his side. At first, he didn't pay attention to the conversation since it was probably something business related and it'd be rude listening to it, but once he saw Sasuke's shoulders tensing and a strained tone in his voice, the blond approached, mildly alarmed.
"Fourteen years…for fourteen years he's been missing and we haven't found any information regarding him or even one photo. Now finally…our son is coming back."
Sasuke painfully closed his eyes, feeling a cold sweat running down his spine. His hands were trembling, so he closed them tightly into fists.
"Your mother is also so excited about this…she's asking for you to go home now, I agree with this idea. There're also other details that we found out about your big brother-"
At last, his mouth was moving on its own accord and Sasuke spilled forth whatever was going on in his mind. "I can't."
"…I can cancel whatever meeting you have to-"
"I really can't." The youngest Uchiha growled. "I-" He was suddenly aware of the other presence standing next to him, confused by the fact that Naruto hadn't gone away to continue his tour. "I have to-Uzumaki-san is now in Tokyo and I'm helping him visit some interesting landmarks. Today is the last day of his vacation."
Fugaku paused in apparent bewilderment until he answered. "Well, fine, you can ask one of our staff or hire a tourist guide in this case, this way you're free from this task."
"No. I don't-he personally asked me for this, since I live in Tokyo."
"Dismiss him then, apologize for this inconvenience! How can you give a bigger priority to someone else when your brother is finally returning after so long…"
"I don't care!" Sasuke shouted in a sudden outburst. "I have to go now - I'll go home once I'm done."
"Sasuke, why are you-"The brunet could detect that familiar disapproving tone that Fugaku always used on him so he blurted out:
"I'm sorry… I'm busy so I have to hang up. Goodbye." He frantically pressed the button, his breath erratic. Sasuke sensed Naruto next to him so the brunet threw the most venomous glare at him. "What?"
Naruto shifted his legs awkwardly, muttering. "So did your father demand anything bad or absurd of you?"
Sasuke frowned, staring at his cell phone. "Yes…but fortunately, I could dismiss it."
"Uh yeah…using the excuse that you had to help me out and be my tourist guide. I heard that part." Naruto quirked an uncomfortable smile, feeling powerless to help the situation.
"Yes…so? Aren't you glad that the tables turned in your favor?" Sasuke replied sarcastically.
"Hmm…but you just rejected me quite heartlessly when I suggested going for some sightseeing…I can't see why I should help you out covering up an excuse to avoid obeying your father." Naruto said airily. He stared at Sasuke, who at this moment had a complicated expression ranging between anger and frustration, so he quickly changed tactics with an easy smile. "But I can't deny that you're a decent tourist guide. So, let's go."
Naruto saw and was relieved, when Sasuke's features visibly relaxed and the brunet slowly returned to his standard nonchalant expression.
"Hn. But if I'm really going to be your tourist guide, then I get to decide where we're going to visit."
"Oh? Where?" Naruto asked curious despite himself.
"The Uchiha Clan's private shrine."
~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~
The shrine was actually located in a nearby town, outside of Tokyo, so it took some time to arrive. Naruto stared impressed at the gigantic wooden Shinto gate, a long path made of stones lying beyond as verdant forest surrounded them. Once they started walking, the place gave a peaceful sensation, the serene quietude being in huge contrast with the frenetic lifestyle of urban life.
There were security guards standing in strategic places, though once Sasuke passed through they would bow politely.
"I thought that most shrines were public." Naruto commented.
"This one is different. We're not praising some Shinto god or Buddhist saint, we're simply honoring our ancestors by creating this place."
They arrived at the main building and much to Naruto's dismay, there was a loooooong staircase to climb to the temple. Sasuke didn't mind this fact though as he had always thought that climbing those stairs was some method to purify your mind away from negative feelings and he had always escaped to this place whenever those emotions would overwhelm him in the past.
"Um…so…do we have an elevator somewhere?" Naruto asked, glancing sideways.
"Of course not, there's only one way to get to the top, which are those stairs." Then, Sasuke smirked. "Or are you saying that Uzumaki Naruto-san can't accomplish such a small feat as climbing those kiddy stairs?"
The blond scowled. "Fine then! Just a little bit of a workout won't defeat me! Just you wait till I arrive before you in the end then!"
Unfortunately both took a while to reach the main temple, as the lengthy staircase proved to be endless. Once they arrived there, they took some time to catch their breath as Naruto stared at the temple.
Surprisingly, it wasn't grandiose and it didn't emit an overwhelming aura, it was a normal sized temple with clean designs and few details here and there. Sasuke united his palms in a prayer.
"This shrine is personally my favorite place. It gives me some feeling of peace and calms me down no matter how sad or distressed I was before I entered." He confessed.
Naruto nodded in agreement, also praying. "It does give those sorts of vibes."
"I assume that I'll need that…now that they have found my older brother healthy and alive." Sasuke muttered almost inaudibly.
Blue eyes widened astonished in response and Naruto blurted out. "Wow, that's great isn't it? It's been so long since you've seen him; fortunately in the end he's still alive!"
"…I suppose." Sasuke whispered.
"I bet your whole family must be very relieved now. After all, he's your brother, you're probably feeling content now right?" Naruto asked, searching for any sort of concurrence on Sasuke's face. However, he received none.
If this was supposed to be some sort of positive news…why am I unable to see happiness reach your eyes?
"And once he's back, I'm sure that there will be a lot to talk about and amend, but I hope that everything will go back the way it used to be bef-"
"No." Sasuke suddenly interrupted. "I don't want him to wreck my life again, I don't want him to return and simply change everything in my life on his whim. I don't want him back."
Naruto paused, only to speak hesitantly. "But he's your brother…?"
"So what. He created more damage than anyone I have ever met in my life - I don't want him near me, I don't want him to suddenly materialize in front of us and receive absolute forgiveness and adoration from my p-" Sasuke clamped his mouth shut, in attempt to block any further resentful words spilling to his tongue. "Besides, I hardly doubt he was found by our investigators' work. He's a genius and has managed to hide from everyone for fourteen long years, I'm sure he has the ability to cover any trace of his presence from the world if he wants. He must have left those clues on purpose, he…he wouldn't commit such a slip."
"So are you afraid for whatever obscure plans he has once he's back here? Are you afraid of his influence on the family…?"
"Yes." Sasuke confirmed, his shoulders hunched and fists tightly balled. No…that's not all… "He'll come back, ready to receive my father's praise and respect so gratuitously when I have always failed to achieve it - because in the end, I'm just the second unworthy son. I'm not a genius; I'm not worthy to have his attention."
"What? No Sasuke…but your father does care about you, he also recognize you as his son." Naruto shook his head, placing both hands on Sasuke's shoulder but the brunet swatted them away.
"So maybe he does care about me but he would never…he'd never…" Sasuke felt a lump slowly emerging in his throat and he swallowed dryly. "It was never enough. I have never…achieved enough. I can't be the best, because this seat was always occupied by Itachi, if he hadn't disappeared…then I would have remained completely insignificant."
His eyes were practically burning, fogging his vision…Sasuke gritted his teeth with an angry huff, blinking rapidly to clear them.
"There would always be some sort of comparison…he would always haunt me wherever I went, he was always-always greater than me. Then, just the idea of seeing him return-just like that. Because he suddenly wanted it and now the rightful heir is back, then I-I-"His vision was becoming misty again, so he furiously wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
"No wait, Sasuke." Naruto gently enveloped the wrist with his fingers and spoke. "Sasuke…if you really want to cry, you don't have to restrain yourself."
Sasuke scoffed disdainfully, removing his hands from the tanned fingers. "I'm not crying, I'm not going to cry. Why the hell would I want to cry?"
"Because…" Naruto sighed, remembering old memories that still plagued him sometimes. "Because you've built up those negative emotions for so long, and you have to let them go, or else they will haunt you for the rest of your life." He said, trying to approach and comfort Sasuke.
"I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to do something so…weak and cowardly like that." Sasuke took some steps backwards. A few tears leaked from his eyes and he quickly wiped them away, breathing heavily.
"Sasuke, you have to cry. You have to stop accumulating all this resentment, this fear. You have to expel this sadness before it consumes you entirely. And you…you want to cry, don't you?" He added softly.
"No!" Sasuke screamed in denial, his guard up. "Doing something weak like that, I'm not going to be someone weak like that. I'm not going to allow anything to overwhelm me, because I'm not the type of immature person…who would foolishly depend on emotions and cry…because I was too weak."
A tense silence stretched between them, as the brunet glared defiantly towards Naruto, his stomach churning from the possibility of seeing pity in his eyes, something that he didn't want to happen, not from Naruto.
However, with an unreadable expression, the blond simply shifted closer, raising his arms with each step. For a wild moment, Sasuke thought that Naruto was going to kiss him and his body was ready to repel it completely-
But those arms simply curled around his neck, pushing his face forward and placing it on Naruto's shoulder, the hands sliding over his back in soothing motions. This simple action made Sasuke's legs lose their strength, slowly bending until they were both sitting on the ground.
Naruto moved until Sasuke's head was settled on Naruto's warm chest, the latter placed both arms and his chin above the dark head and whispered slowly.
"You see…there's no one here in this whole shrine. This is a private location; all the security are placed far away from here. If you're weak or strong, that doesn't really matter now, no one is here to see you or judge you." He tightened his arms around Sasuke's neck and shoulders and continued. "No one is going to see whatever you're going to do now -no one is going to hear whatever you want to say. That's why…it's ok. It's ok…"
As the words slowly sunk in and Naruto's scent was giving him another form of solace, he felt one tear sliding down his pale cheek and dropping to his leg. Then, others were falling one after another, until it poured down, cleansing his soul.
They stood in that position for a couple of more minutes, Naruto could feel the occasional hiccups vibrating in his body, as he patted the dark hair. He waited until it subsided, disentangling his arms when Sasuke raised his head, his eyes a little bit reddened as a result.
He couldn't resist when his hands moved to cup the pale cheek, his thumb wiping some stray tears as he caressed the smooth skin. Sasuke's eyes gradually returned to their usual clarity as he stared at Naruto, one pale hand resting on Naruto's shoulder. It moved to the junction between neck and shoulder, sliding upwards until it settled on the nape, lightly playing with the golden strands with his fingers.
"…Naruto…" Sasuke whispered.
It felt natural when his body began to automatically tilt forward, Sasuke's eyelids felt heavy as Naruto's breath fanned his face. He tightened his hold on the blond's neck to keep it steady as his mouth slowly descended, reveling in the thrill as cerulean eyes were also closing, the tanned face angled a little bit. However, the moment he felt Naruto's hand moving to comb his hair Sasuke's eyes snapped open, moving backwards:
"No."
The blond blinked wide, a little bit dazed and completely befuddled.
"No…Naruto, I-we can't-" Sasuke felt his stomach drop when, once gaining full comprehension, the blue eyes narrowed in obvious hurt and rejection, Naruto immediately straightened up, turned around and ran towards the exit.
Sasuke also stood up quickly, trying to catch up to Naruto, as he said, "Wait, Naruto-I'm sorry but I-wait." One of his hands succeeded in reaching one shoulder-
But the blond violently shoved it away, turning around. "Sasuke, you let me go right now or I won't waste one fucking second punching through your thick skull." He snarled.
Whatever excuse he was trying to come up with slipped away as his hand lowered, watching Naruto walk down the stairs and disappear from his field of vision, his heart hammered so painfully that it forced Sasuke to admit one painful truth:
He had definitely done something wrong this time.
~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~
"There you go, giving a deer to another deer Shika." Naruto placed the small statue in Shikamaru's hand as the latter placed it on his desk with a roll of eyes.
"So I take it you went to Toudaiji then?"
"Yep, but all of those deer are absolutely crazy. They would eat anything that it's front of them, you have to be careful or else they would end up eating your map." Naruto complained.
"Hmm. What really surprises me is that you chose to go to those popular tourist spots instead of choosing the unusual ones." Shikamaru said, still so occupied with drawing a plan on the computer that he didn't see Naruto's eyes darkening a little before erasing it with a grin.
"Yeah, I thought that I should go to at least one of those right? Since it's really interesting to study the techniques they used to apply centuries before."
Since Shikamaru was busy, it didn't take long for other employees to surround Naruto asking questions, some happily receiving the souvenirs the blond bought for them as he also updated Sarutobi on the relevant trip details.
"Oh yes. Did you like Ichiraku's Ramen in the end? That restaurant is unfortunately more famous for its name rather than quality, so I was unsure if I should recommend you going there. But you sounded so excited about it…" Sarutobi said.
"Don't worry about it Sarutobi-san. Whenever there's something related to Ramen, I'm sure that even the worst Ramen in the world is like the nectar from the Japanese gods as Naruto has always eloquently explained." Shikamaru explained with a snort.
"Well…but seriously, was the taste decent enough?" The old man asked.
Everyone stopped talking, expecting Naruto's answer but those blue eyes were set on a faraway place, remembering something. The blond suddenly realized where he was and he settled with a scratch at the back of his head.
"Hah…well, can you believe it Sarutobi-jiichan? I got busy and didn't have the time to taste it, unfortunately."
"Really? Well, you can try it out later, sometime." Sarutobi answered.
"Yeah…yeah, maybe." Naruto grinned wide, changing the subject as he described Tokyo's bay landscape.
However, Shikamaru could no longer pay attention to the conversation because only one thought was stamped inside his brain.
Naruto was lying.
~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~
When Shikamaru commented that Naruto was a terrible liar, he really meant it. It was easy to corner him and then extract the answers from him, when his feelings were exposed like an open book.
However, Shikamaru also knew that Naruto was more than goofy smiles and stubborn determination. The blond also had an uncomfortable past that he'd rather keep to himself than share with anyone, for whatever reasons and Shikamaru respected that.
But in a few instances, Naruto could lie well; when he was hurt on the inside and didn't want to burden other people around him. Actually, regarding this subtlety even he, who had been Naruto's friend since middle school and was an observant person, took a long while to notice it, seeing that even though the blond laughed it off whenever someone degraded him, he was more hurt than he let on.
So obviously whenever he did that Shikamaru knew that whatever was happening to his friend was a grave matter, he intended to ask what had been troubling Naruto lately. He was mildly surprised when he went to smoke in the Emergency Exit and the blond was there sprawled on the ground, staring at the clouds.
"I thought cloud watching was my hobby." Shikamaru said when he sat next to his friend.
Naruto shrugged. "Nah…it's fun to do it every once in a while, just to focus your thoughts."
"What kind of thoughts? Having some kind of problem lately?"
"Yeah…Yeah…nothing bad, actually. Just…" Naruto didn't finish the sentence.
"Is it related to Sasuke Uchiha?" Shikamaru asked, noticing the instant stiffening of his friend's shoulders.
"Uh-yeah. But it's nothing tragic, really." Naruto laughed awkwardly. "He rejected me, that's all."
"That's all? That's all. So, have you finally changed your mind and given up this pursuit I hope?"
"Maybe…maybe. It's just that…lately I've been wracking my brain as to why he would do such a thing, why he would shove me away when I could feel-"Naruto sighed tiredly. "Maybe since he's gay and famous, he can't have any public relationship, or maybe it's something related to his father or brother, maybe…maybe I was wrong and he didn't feel the same way so maybe…it was just a spur of the moment and everything was wrong…then I kept thinking on those maybes and I can't find a solution."
Comprehension dawning on his brain, Shikamaru stared with some sort of sympathy towards his blond friend. He said. "That's why the best way to do it is to forget about it, forget about this chase. He's not worthy. Also, like I've said, you get too emotionally attached."
"I'm not. I'm fine - I'm sure."
"If you're so sure, then why do you look so sad since you've been back from Tokyo?"
"I'm just feeling a little bit down, but that doesn't mean anything." Naruto defended back.
"Why do you keep making excuses for Sasuke Uchiha's sake? When he was the one who rejected your advances?" Shikamaru criticized.
"It's not that easy." Naruto said, shaking his head. Then, he looked guilty. "Sasuke also has some problems-"
"You called him Sasuke." Shikamaru suddenly interrupted.
The blond widened his eyes and he grimaced.
"Wait, you're really calling him Sasuke?" Shikamaru raised his voice, startled. "You have always followed the policy of this company; you wouldn't ever call any of our clients by their first name. You never broke this regulation before, even though there were some clients that you were interested in romantically or they were a friend of yours. But with Uchiha you're making an exception. And you really think that you didn't overstep any boundaries? You are getting too emotionally attached to him!"
"Okay! So maybe I am-a little bit!" Naruto protested, throwing his arms in the air in frustration. "So why is this so important? I'm just getting more involved than normal, that's all!"
"His rejection is so important to you, and now you're hurting, when you promised that you wouldn't fall for him!" Shikamaru rebutted.
"I-I…" Naruto placed both hands on his face and massaged it gingerly, groaning loudly. "That doesn't matter much! I was just surprised, once I find some sort of ground, I'll-"
"For how long are you going to insist on denying this situation?" Shikamaru shouted. "He has already gotten under your skin, you have become too sensitive to his presence, that's why he's capable of hurting you so easily without even trying too hard!"
Naruto closed his mouth, unable to come up with any other excuse. His hands were resting on his thighs, his face still contorted, pensive.
Shikamaru sighed deeply, wondering if it was really going to be ok to attempt to destroy those blooming feelings. With one hand on his shoulder, he shook him lightly, gaining Naruto's attention to his words.
"But even if you've gotten involved with him…even through those problems…in the end your attraction is only based on the fact that you both made a mistake at the wrong time. You don't really know him; you don't really understand his personality. It's just physical attraction; once you see his flaws everything will fall apart. And you're just doing this because it's the first time you're attracted to a guy. It's something different, something new. Once this whole novelty wears off, you'll be left with nothing but disillusionment. You don't really like Sasuke Uchiha."
Blue eyes widened slowly as his brain attempted to absorb this concept, his head hanging low.
Shikamaru threw the last bomb, with one last forewarning. "So you better stop all this…before it's too late."
~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~...~~~
Report 11: Premonition
AN: Don't kill Shikamaru. Seriously, don't. He has a good reason why he's doing this as Naruto's friend that will later be explained in the next chapter. So see! You guys kept complaining about chapter 9's cliffhanger, this one is worse! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
As usual, information about Kushiage: (remove the spaces the parts that weren't underlined)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DllrwVGWdp4
Sumida River:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumida_River
And Tokyo Bay, the sight is pretty in my opinion. It's kinda different.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Bay
The 'poo statue':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asahi_Beer_Hall
Although the Uchiha shrine is a fictional place, I based in a real shrine (in which I completely forgot the name about it so…sorry.) It's also in a neighboring town from Tokyo, I thought it was pretty even though it was in a humble size in comparison to other temples I went.
http://pics.livejournal.com/fourangers/pic/0079aphx
http://pics.livejournal.com/fourangers/pic/0079b10d
And lastly about Japanese people not removing their shoes whenever they're on the beach. Although they are changing lately, but mostly they still won't remove it if they aren't wearing bathing suits. It's really weird seeing a bunch of kids running on the beach but still wearing shoes and clothes, it's like they can't have 100% fun right? But yeah, it's more common than you think. (ew gross, soaked socks and shoes)
Come to think about it, I remember the time when I went to Tokyo Bay and I also wanted to remove my shoes but my tourist guide went all "Uh…do you really have to?" but unlike Naruto, I got discouraged and gave up.