The Little Things, Part 2, Chapter 1
The Little Things: Part 2
By starapple (i.e. Martinique)
Rating: R
Note: Adultfanfiction version has higher rating material (currently part 1 only)
Disclaimer: Naruto and assorted does not belong to me.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
There's a time gap between this part and the last part, roughly 2 years. This is an attempt on my part to bring some of the new canon into the story and write about some other ideas I have had in relation to this fic.
I have written side-fics, that fall into the two-year gap. After the first part of The Little Things, you should read: Epilogue: At Home, A Return, Lifetimes (Jiraiya/Tsunade) and Bitter Fruits. Bitter Fruits is a WIP, and will lead up to the 'true' beginning of this story in terms of plot line, but is a Hinata/Neji-centric fic. Root to Life is a side-fic for InoShikaChou, set in the war of Part 1. Expect “spoilers” for all manga chapters, and all previous side-fic.
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Leaves have fallen all around him, burying the village paths and streets with their fake strength, resisting for a brief moment before disintegrating with a resounding crackle. Perhaps Autumn is the worst season of the year, a daily reminder that Winter is imminent. The wind slices at his face, cheeks a bright red. The air tastes damp, and Naruto thinks that Sasuke may have had a valid point.
To him it feels like a warning too, to eat more and pack on the pounds for the winter. Sasuke accuses him of being out to hibernate for the winter, and it pauses him in his tracks momentarily. Perhaps he is. Perhaps the fox is.
So he is.
It still feels strange. He never realised how true Sasuke's words when they met again all those years ago could be. But then its hard to look outside of yourself, assuming that he was just growing into an adult. Even now he doesn't quite feel like one. The strange dichotomy of being him and a shinobi. A killing tool doubled, the sharp edge of his knife is the stamina of a jinchuuriku.
Dust has settled into the cracks that have finally shown in Konoha's canvas, the façades of the buildings beleaguered by island monsoons.
People tell him that being an islander is a difficult change. It requires a new mindset. No faces carved into mountains that peer benevolently onto inhabitants. It doesn't bother him, all returns to the earth anyway. The sand beneath his feet eddies briefly, and Naruto has a full flash of Gaara's eyes, dark and hurt.
It has taken time, too much, to come to terms with that he did. Mercy.... He barely sees himself capable of it, wind shying away in shuffling steps from it. But he's capable of it.
The path splits into two, one leading to the mountains and the other to the markets. He turns towards the market, dimly making out the cries of traders. There's a port that finally brings goods that cannot be made on the island. Some natural resources. The island is huge, but felling is strictly regulated, as are mining and other similar industries. All their battles are fought away from home, and it strikes him again how weird it is that someone out there, a clone of him dying for the safety he's briefly basking in. it would be his turn eventually. All turns to dust. Sand. Or shaky images of a warren.
Naruto shakes his head.
It doesn't matter, the Mist Village is buried in reparations. He wonders what it would be like now to be one of them, but he knows that despite their unmitigated victory, there are still many dangerous mist ninjas. Sasuke didn't find Itachi with Kisame in tow, and that was what worried him to a degree. Kisame was still in play. Whether he would feel bound to the dignity of his former home was questionable, but Naruto wouldn't put it past him to harbour a general grudge against all leaf ninja in any case. The Akatsuki had gone quiet after the rampage of demons, suddenly finding themselves in too precarious a situation in which to wield any real influence. But now the Leaf had stabilised the continent.
The perfect breeding ground for scum.
This train of thought was depressing Naruto. The wind beat at his face, and he wished it would take his dour mood with him. Limbs felt heavy in the gusts, forcing against ever-present gravity. The cries of the traders grew louder, and as he entered the covered market hall the wind tunnelled behind him, propelling him forwards. A smile quirked on his lips - he wasn't light, so to feel the pressure was indicative of very strong winds. He wondered what the weather forecast was supposed to be, he hadn't been keeping up with the news lately. He wasn't sure where all of his time was going, in all honesty.
The meat area was to his right, so he made a sharp turn, wind letting off suddenly. His cheeks stung a little, veins warming the skin above. Eyeing the various counters for the freshest meat, he reminded himself again why coming so late in the day was a bad idea. All the mothers and elderly folk came early in the morning and nabbed the choicest cuts. He spotted a lamb shoulder cut that looked fine.
“Could I have this shoulder cut please?” He asks politely, pointing at the meat.
“Of course, sir.” The man, in fair shape, slightly balding, hefts the piece up, presenting it to him. He nods, he weighs it and then wraps it up. “Would you like a bag?”
“No thanks, I have one here.” It goes into a fold-able bag, and from thereon in, he picks up vegetables and fruit at random, purely on whim with little thought for the combinations they are supposed to create. But then, Sasuke was far better at this. He appreciated the combination of flavours more and therefore sought to reproduce it in his own cooking, and while Naruto could appreciate them also, he never truly got too involved in it on a day-to-day basis.
A peek at his watch reveals that Sasuke should be here by now. He decides to wait at the entrance, tails lazily flowing behind him as he makes his way there.
It's the scent of pine that distracts him, causing him to breathe deep and see behind closed eyelids flashbacks of a thousand murders. Bile rises suddenly, and Naruto curses vehemently, bent double and clutching his knees for balance. Deep breaths. Breathe.
“Are you okay?” A young female voice asks, and he peers up slightly into the round black eyes of a girl no more than ten. Civilian. He blinks twice, nodding weakly. Scent of pine and smoke and burning flesh.
This time it comes from his own mind, memory of what he did in a mock-war, that forest, two children demons. That could have been him, and he had a choice - and he didn't. He wasn't himself, at least not totally. A tail twitched fitfully, and calming himself, the nausea retreated, allowing him to stand up.
“Yes, thank you. Must've had something bad to eat last night.” He smiles at her, a smart line of white teeth and a fang that extends more than it should. She doesn't blink, smiling and returning to her mother's side with a prompt, bouncy step. Naruto picks up the fallen groceries and waits.
Sasuke wanders in casually, not-quite ten minutes late. He sidles up to Naruto's side, fingers loosely grasping his hand and a smile in his sharingan-eyes.
“Let's go home.” he says, and Naruto's too happy to mention what just happened. What had begun to happen more and more lately, even though he thought that they should have ended years ago. He hadn't heard from the fox in 8 years, just felt his strength and power be added to.
“Sure. I got us some food. Did your mission go OK?” Naruto babbled. Sasuke smiled at that, as always straightforward and to the point, wanting to know.
“ The mission was a success, but we found evidence of strange activities like the ones you mentioned from your last trip to the continent. And I hear that others since have come across them too.” He released his hand, walking out of the market, into the on-going gust towards their home.
Naruto nodded at Sasuke's words. It confirmed his suspicions that there was something afoot on the continent, and knowing his superiors, they were probably aware of it months ago. He tried to squash the bitter edge to his thoughts.
If it hadn't been for the value of those five years, maybe Gaara's mind could have been saved. The comfortable silence that enveloped them as they walked allowed him to retreat into his thoughts, to try and test his mind against a puzzle the shape of which he couldn't tell, the number of pieces missing unknown.
“What kind of a world do we live in where we are needed?” Naruto mused out loud. He felt the uncertainty emanating from Sasuke at this statement, left unsure of what Naruto meant.
“We are a necessary evil.” He replied, although Naruto hadn't really meant it as a question. He appreciated the implication though.
“Are we really?” Naruto stopped himself from saying any more - they had arrived at their home. Sasuke's estate. The wind rushing through the trees masked the sound of their footfalls on the steps up to the door. A key frantically twisted, and they were indoors, sheltered from the harsh wind.
“Crazy weather.” He shook his head, and Naruto could only agree.
“We're on an island, we need to start appreciating the changes in the season. It'd be a hot dusty autumn back home.” He said it more as a reminder, rather than as a lecture.
“You're right. We've been here long enough now.” Shoes off, followed by the overcoat. The house appeared to be the same as he had left it, the only evidence of another's occupation being the dishes in the sink. “What've you been doing with yourself while I've been gone?”
Naruto smirked at his curiosity.
“Oh you know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. I find the bed is very comfortable at around two in the afternoon when the sun shines on it.”
“Really? I think I'd like to test this theory.” A lifted eyebrow betrayed his amusement, and then a serious look on his face as he approached, an arm around his waist. “Let me say hello.” He leant in, Naruto's hand coming up to trace the outline of his jaw as their lips touched, a thorough kiss to clear debts for missed days.
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R&R as always warmly welcomed and appreciated.
A/N: It feels sort of strange to semi-revive this, but its been knocking around in my head for a few weeks now and won't go away. I blame the new chapters. Stuff is getting interesting.
By starapple (i.e. Martinique)
Rating: R
Note: Adultfanfiction version has higher rating material (currently part 1 only)
Disclaimer: Naruto and assorted does not belong to me.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
There's a time gap between this part and the last part, roughly 2 years. This is an attempt on my part to bring some of the new canon into the story and write about some other ideas I have had in relation to this fic.
I have written side-fics, that fall into the two-year gap. After the first part of The Little Things, you should read: Epilogue: At Home, A Return, Lifetimes (Jiraiya/Tsunade) and Bitter Fruits. Bitter Fruits is a WIP, and will lead up to the 'true' beginning of this story in terms of plot line, but is a Hinata/Neji-centric fic. Root to Life is a side-fic for InoShikaChou, set in the war of Part 1. Expect “spoilers” for all manga chapters, and all previous side-fic.
-
-
-
Leaves have fallen all around him, burying the village paths and streets with their fake strength, resisting for a brief moment before disintegrating with a resounding crackle. Perhaps Autumn is the worst season of the year, a daily reminder that Winter is imminent. The wind slices at his face, cheeks a bright red. The air tastes damp, and Naruto thinks that Sasuke may have had a valid point.
To him it feels like a warning too, to eat more and pack on the pounds for the winter. Sasuke accuses him of being out to hibernate for the winter, and it pauses him in his tracks momentarily. Perhaps he is. Perhaps the fox is.
So he is.
It still feels strange. He never realised how true Sasuke's words when they met again all those years ago could be. But then its hard to look outside of yourself, assuming that he was just growing into an adult. Even now he doesn't quite feel like one. The strange dichotomy of being him and a shinobi. A killing tool doubled, the sharp edge of his knife is the stamina of a jinchuuriku.
Dust has settled into the cracks that have finally shown in Konoha's canvas, the façades of the buildings beleaguered by island monsoons.
People tell him that being an islander is a difficult change. It requires a new mindset. No faces carved into mountains that peer benevolently onto inhabitants. It doesn't bother him, all returns to the earth anyway. The sand beneath his feet eddies briefly, and Naruto has a full flash of Gaara's eyes, dark and hurt.
It has taken time, too much, to come to terms with that he did. Mercy.... He barely sees himself capable of it, wind shying away in shuffling steps from it. But he's capable of it.
The path splits into two, one leading to the mountains and the other to the markets. He turns towards the market, dimly making out the cries of traders. There's a port that finally brings goods that cannot be made on the island. Some natural resources. The island is huge, but felling is strictly regulated, as are mining and other similar industries. All their battles are fought away from home, and it strikes him again how weird it is that someone out there, a clone of him dying for the safety he's briefly basking in. it would be his turn eventually. All turns to dust. Sand. Or shaky images of a warren.
Naruto shakes his head.
It doesn't matter, the Mist Village is buried in reparations. He wonders what it would be like now to be one of them, but he knows that despite their unmitigated victory, there are still many dangerous mist ninjas. Sasuke didn't find Itachi with Kisame in tow, and that was what worried him to a degree. Kisame was still in play. Whether he would feel bound to the dignity of his former home was questionable, but Naruto wouldn't put it past him to harbour a general grudge against all leaf ninja in any case. The Akatsuki had gone quiet after the rampage of demons, suddenly finding themselves in too precarious a situation in which to wield any real influence. But now the Leaf had stabilised the continent.
The perfect breeding ground for scum.
This train of thought was depressing Naruto. The wind beat at his face, and he wished it would take his dour mood with him. Limbs felt heavy in the gusts, forcing against ever-present gravity. The cries of the traders grew louder, and as he entered the covered market hall the wind tunnelled behind him, propelling him forwards. A smile quirked on his lips - he wasn't light, so to feel the pressure was indicative of very strong winds. He wondered what the weather forecast was supposed to be, he hadn't been keeping up with the news lately. He wasn't sure where all of his time was going, in all honesty.
The meat area was to his right, so he made a sharp turn, wind letting off suddenly. His cheeks stung a little, veins warming the skin above. Eyeing the various counters for the freshest meat, he reminded himself again why coming so late in the day was a bad idea. All the mothers and elderly folk came early in the morning and nabbed the choicest cuts. He spotted a lamb shoulder cut that looked fine.
“Could I have this shoulder cut please?” He asks politely, pointing at the meat.
“Of course, sir.” The man, in fair shape, slightly balding, hefts the piece up, presenting it to him. He nods, he weighs it and then wraps it up. “Would you like a bag?”
“No thanks, I have one here.” It goes into a fold-able bag, and from thereon in, he picks up vegetables and fruit at random, purely on whim with little thought for the combinations they are supposed to create. But then, Sasuke was far better at this. He appreciated the combination of flavours more and therefore sought to reproduce it in his own cooking, and while Naruto could appreciate them also, he never truly got too involved in it on a day-to-day basis.
A peek at his watch reveals that Sasuke should be here by now. He decides to wait at the entrance, tails lazily flowing behind him as he makes his way there.
It's the scent of pine that distracts him, causing him to breathe deep and see behind closed eyelids flashbacks of a thousand murders. Bile rises suddenly, and Naruto curses vehemently, bent double and clutching his knees for balance. Deep breaths. Breathe.
“Are you okay?” A young female voice asks, and he peers up slightly into the round black eyes of a girl no more than ten. Civilian. He blinks twice, nodding weakly. Scent of pine and smoke and burning flesh.
This time it comes from his own mind, memory of what he did in a mock-war, that forest, two children demons. That could have been him, and he had a choice - and he didn't. He wasn't himself, at least not totally. A tail twitched fitfully, and calming himself, the nausea retreated, allowing him to stand up.
“Yes, thank you. Must've had something bad to eat last night.” He smiles at her, a smart line of white teeth and a fang that extends more than it should. She doesn't blink, smiling and returning to her mother's side with a prompt, bouncy step. Naruto picks up the fallen groceries and waits.
Sasuke wanders in casually, not-quite ten minutes late. He sidles up to Naruto's side, fingers loosely grasping his hand and a smile in his sharingan-eyes.
“Let's go home.” he says, and Naruto's too happy to mention what just happened. What had begun to happen more and more lately, even though he thought that they should have ended years ago. He hadn't heard from the fox in 8 years, just felt his strength and power be added to.
“Sure. I got us some food. Did your mission go OK?” Naruto babbled. Sasuke smiled at that, as always straightforward and to the point, wanting to know.
“ The mission was a success, but we found evidence of strange activities like the ones you mentioned from your last trip to the continent. And I hear that others since have come across them too.” He released his hand, walking out of the market, into the on-going gust towards their home.
Naruto nodded at Sasuke's words. It confirmed his suspicions that there was something afoot on the continent, and knowing his superiors, they were probably aware of it months ago. He tried to squash the bitter edge to his thoughts.
If it hadn't been for the value of those five years, maybe Gaara's mind could have been saved. The comfortable silence that enveloped them as they walked allowed him to retreat into his thoughts, to try and test his mind against a puzzle the shape of which he couldn't tell, the number of pieces missing unknown.
“What kind of a world do we live in where we are needed?” Naruto mused out loud. He felt the uncertainty emanating from Sasuke at this statement, left unsure of what Naruto meant.
“We are a necessary evil.” He replied, although Naruto hadn't really meant it as a question. He appreciated the implication though.
“Are we really?” Naruto stopped himself from saying any more - they had arrived at their home. Sasuke's estate. The wind rushing through the trees masked the sound of their footfalls on the steps up to the door. A key frantically twisted, and they were indoors, sheltered from the harsh wind.
“Crazy weather.” He shook his head, and Naruto could only agree.
“We're on an island, we need to start appreciating the changes in the season. It'd be a hot dusty autumn back home.” He said it more as a reminder, rather than as a lecture.
“You're right. We've been here long enough now.” Shoes off, followed by the overcoat. The house appeared to be the same as he had left it, the only evidence of another's occupation being the dishes in the sink. “What've you been doing with yourself while I've been gone?”
Naruto smirked at his curiosity.
“Oh you know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. I find the bed is very comfortable at around two in the afternoon when the sun shines on it.”
“Really? I think I'd like to test this theory.” A lifted eyebrow betrayed his amusement, and then a serious look on his face as he approached, an arm around his waist. “Let me say hello.” He leant in, Naruto's hand coming up to trace the outline of his jaw as their lips touched, a thorough kiss to clear debts for missed days.
-
-
-
R&R as always warmly welcomed and appreciated.
A/N: It feels sort of strange to semi-revive this, but its been knocking around in my head for a few weeks now and won't go away. I blame the new chapters. Stuff is getting interesting.