(no subject)
Title : Between Horizons [ 2/10 ]
Author : stupid_poem
Rating : Eventual R [ blood, swearing and adult situations ]
Pairing : Sasuke/Naruto -- Sai/Naruto
Summary : He was to lie to Naruto, for his own good. Sasuke knows Itachi could be lurking around any corner, but he can’t seem to let Naruto know how much worth he has in Sasuke's eyes. And theres that bothersome Sai ...
Chapter One
“That’s … that’s Uchiha!”
The man’s screams died in his throat as a blade whistled through his chest and the body slumped forward. A swirling black cat mask fell from his face and Sasuke caught it easily, slinging the cord around his neck so that it rested on his collarbone.
Sasuke couldn’t recall the first time he’d killed, which he was sure was just another sign of his slipping humanity, but he never forgot the sounds of it. How could he forget?
Blood welling up in a sliced throat, gurgling and sounding like drowning, only colder and much more lonely. More men were coming but Sasuke didn’t mind. The dark haired nin shook the droplets from his blade and his eyes were already drawing blood in their own way. He killed them, five all together, and itched to get the katana out of his hands. But there were worst nightmares to be had, he knew.
From where he stood the Hokage’s tower was a clear view, a former ANBU standpoint. He tried to steal a glance inside but the curtains were drawn in Tsunade’s office. Muttering a curse under his breath, Sasuke slid the feline mask into place and moved in closer. There was an unavoidable sense of urgency in the air and he wanted to get Naruto out as soon.
---
“ Well …” Tsunade pressed fingers over her eyes. “We should set up defenses immediately surrounding Kohona. And you, Naruto, should be kept under strict ANBU elite watch.”
The blonde averted his eyes to look out the window in search of Sasuke. He had failed to tell Tsunade that the missing nin was in the village lest he cause a panic. Everyone in the Leaf either despised or feared the traitorous Uchiha and Naruto didn’t doubt that any ninja would gladly end him.
“That’s great and all, old hag but … wouldn’t it be better if I weren’t in the village when they attacked? I mean, I’m the one their looking for,” he said cautiously and sent a glance in Sakura’s direction. Did she know? Could she sense their mourned teammate?
Sakura seemed to understand and stepped forward. “Maybe it would be best if Naruto left the village for a while and went into hiding. If not, all of Fire County could be in danger,” she said reasonably. Tsunade considered this with a frown, then sighed heavily.
“Fine. But! I still want you to be escorted by some high rank ninja. I will send them with you upon your departure. You leave tomorrow, so come back by dawn to retrieve your team from me,” she said with a finality that Naruto didn’t dare question. In his mind he was weighing his options on what to do with Sasuke.
“Thank you sensei,” Sakura said with a nod and grabbed Naruto by the arm, effectively dragging him from the room and into the hallway. The blonde gave her a confused look but her green eyes stared straight ahead as she walked toward the door.
Once outside, she guided him toward a patch of trees and roughly pinned her companion to the trunk of the nearest one. “Where is he?” she hissed, eyes narrowed. This was not the Sakura of yester-year who fawned over their former teammate. This was a ninja that had a roughly healed broken heart that still held a tender spot when it came to Sasuke.
“I … uh …” Naruto fumbled, blue eyes downcast. “He’s waiting for me, somewhere in the village.” Abruptly, the grip loosened on his orange training jacket. He couldn’t quite place the expression on Sakura’s face. A hint of anger? Regret? Relief?
“I’m coming with you, then.”
Naruto made no objections, and for a lingering moment the two were immersed in memories of the long destroyed Team 7. Perhaps they would have stood there reminiscing for longer, but Sai was approaching, his pale face split into an enormous grin.
“Naruto. I have your gift,” he said, holding out a white box for the blonde to take.
The package was surprisingly light and he unwrapped it with child-like eagerness. The top discarded, he peered down at a magnificent orange Hokage coat neatly folded and perfectly stitched. For a moment, he was speechless. Pulling the coat from it’s container he saw the careful white thread that formed the Japanese
characters on the bottom.
“Sai! This is amazing!” Naruto exclaimed, mouth agape. He could hardly imagine the time and effort that would go into creating such a thing. Even Sakura was running her hand over the smooth material. Sai smiled serenely, apparently pleased with Naruto’s reaction.
“It’s for you, my favorite person,” he said innocently. Naruto looked at him, smiling warmly.
“How about we all go back to my place for some ramen?”
---
Naruto’s apartment was mottled with random coatings of dust from lack of use, but the three of them quickly dusted off the table and counters and soon enough, the blonde was walking slowly over the table balancing three bowls of ramen in his arms.
“Hot! Hot!” he exclaimed and set the bowls onto the table.
“You should wait for it to cool down before you carry it,” Sai commented and took hold of Naruto’s hand, examining the angry red of his fingers. The pale boy proceeded to blow on them, eyes never leaving Naruto. A blush crept up the blonde’s cheeks, but Sakura pretended not to notice.
“This was really nice of you, Naruto,” she said while positioning her chopsticks. Naruto snatched away his hand and grabbed his own chopsticks.
“Who wouldn’t want to share the wonder of ramen with his best friends?” he chirped happily and made short work of the noodles, slurping them noisily. Sai, on the other hand took small conservative bites like Sakura, and the pair looked on as Naruto finished the bowl and slapped it down onto the table with a satisfied noise.
“Maybe you should eat a little slower or you’ll end up choking one of these times,” the female nin said. Naruto laughed loudly. “I’m too good at eating ramen for that to happen!”
Sai was the only one not laughing, but looking at the door, perplexed. “Why is the Uchiha here?” he said, picking up his paintbrush and a scroll. Naruto grabbed Sai by the shoulder and held him in place.
“No, it’s alright,” he said and padded over to the front door, sliding it open. Sure enough, Sasuke was standing in the doorway, a cat ANBU mask covering his eyes. The dark haired ninja walked confidently into the room and removed the mask, tossing it onto the floor.
Naruto quickly turned to look at Sakura, who’s eyes were frozen on the Uchiha’s expressionless face. She appeared to be in disbelief because she didn’t speak right away. Sai, on the other hand, boldly stepped up to him.
“So you’re Orochimaru’s pet, the traitor, Uchiha,” he said blandly, head cocked slightly to the side. Sasuke’s eyes burned, but he didn’t reply. Instead, he turned to look at Naruto.
“Are we leaving now?” he said, voice cool.
Sakura seemed to snap out of her trance, and jumped to her feet.
“We aren’t leaving now. And I’m coming,” she barked out and she would have come off as brave had her fingertips not have been shaking as they rested on the tabletop.
“Hn. You won’t be of any use to us, Sakura,” Sasuke said, finally acknowledging her presence. Even after all she had grown, the pinked haired girl still held a fiery temper.
“Don’t you dare belittle me, Sasuke,” she said, eyes cold.
“Guys! Calm down! We’re all on the same side here,” Naruto said nervously while slipping in between them with his hands raised in peace. Sai was the one to speak up.
“I’m most certainly not on the same side as that traitorous bastard.”
The Uchiha sent a murderous glare his way, muscles visibly tensing. Naruto bit his lip, inwardly debating whether or not he should step in. Luckily, Sakura did so first. Her fist came slamming down onto the table with such force that the forgotten bowls quivered.
“All of you just stop. We aren’t leaving tonight and that’s all. If you have a problem with that, leave. I’m not fixing any injuries.” Her voice was authoritative and full of venom. “I’m going to bed.”
With that sentiment she stood and strode into the other room, leaving all three of the boys momentarily stunned. In a rare display of genuine emotion, Sasuke smiled contentedly. “She hasn’t changed a bit.”
----
All four of them settled into Naruto’s apartment for the night. He only had three rooms and a tiny bathroom, and so the blonde had granted Sakura with his own bed and left the other to find their own place to rest.
Naruto had pulled out the sleeping bag he usually reserved for missions and draped it across the wooden floor. Before crawling to it, he glanced around to see Sai laying down across the room and Sasuke sitting with his back against the wall, attentively staring down his replacement with such hatred that Naruto began to wonder if it was safe for them to sleep in the same room.
“Goodnight, Naruto,” Sai’s voice drifted through the still air.
“Night, Sai.”
He said nothing to Sasuke, but felt the burn of eyes from the dark haired ninja’s direction. Still, it seemed all too much to think that his best friend was actually in his apartment after all those years of searching. It was too much for Naruto to turn around and look at the lithe figure pressed against the wall. The blonde felt his eyes droop heavily and didn’t fight it when they closed.
Everyone was quickly swept into sleep from pure exhaustion of the day’s events. But not Sasuke, no. He rarely slept; a trait he had picked up after long years of being hunted and constantly on alert. Even here, disguising his chakra, he didn’t feel the least bit safe. This village wasn’t his now [ no, nothing belonged to him any longer ] and he felt it. This was just another potential place to be cornered.
Moonlight leaked through the window and the Uchiha found himself admiring Naruto as he slept. Time changed many things in Sasuke’s soul, but nothing ever seemed to reach Naruto’s. The boy, though weary from having been through so much, still had such a pure heart that the Uchiha felt a twinge of wrong doing every time he came in contact.
They were so alike, yet so painfully different. The blonde was always striving for Sasuke’s acceptance, his approval and he never granted it. For a long moment Uchiha stared at Naruto’s face, thinking back to that day in The Valley of the End. How he had unwaveringly drove Chidori through his chest, so willingly transformed into more of a demon than Naruto could ever be. All for vengeance. All because of Itachi.
Sasuke stood silently, wanting to be closer. He felt a flicker of shame at his own actions as he listened to Naruto‘s even breaths. It was such a foreign feeling that he hardly recognized it, but it was there all the same. Infinitely hesitant, he reached his hand out and rested it on Naruto’s. Perhaps it was the feeling of the blonde’s warm skin that startled him, he didn’t know, but he jumped away like he’d been burned. Feeling foolish, Sasuke retreated back to his corner, unsettled.
Some time after that he fell into an uneasy sleep and as always he dreamt of murder and revenge.
Author : stupid_poem
Rating : Eventual R [ blood, swearing and adult situations ]
Pairing : Sasuke/Naruto -- Sai/Naruto
Summary : He was to lie to Naruto, for his own good. Sasuke knows Itachi could be lurking around any corner, but he can’t seem to let Naruto know how much worth he has in Sasuke's eyes. And theres that bothersome Sai ...
Chapter One
“That’s … that’s Uchiha!”
The man’s screams died in his throat as a blade whistled through his chest and the body slumped forward. A swirling black cat mask fell from his face and Sasuke caught it easily, slinging the cord around his neck so that it rested on his collarbone.
Sasuke couldn’t recall the first time he’d killed, which he was sure was just another sign of his slipping humanity, but he never forgot the sounds of it. How could he forget?
Blood welling up in a sliced throat, gurgling and sounding like drowning, only colder and much more lonely. More men were coming but Sasuke didn’t mind. The dark haired nin shook the droplets from his blade and his eyes were already drawing blood in their own way. He killed them, five all together, and itched to get the katana out of his hands. But there were worst nightmares to be had, he knew.
From where he stood the Hokage’s tower was a clear view, a former ANBU standpoint. He tried to steal a glance inside but the curtains were drawn in Tsunade’s office. Muttering a curse under his breath, Sasuke slid the feline mask into place and moved in closer. There was an unavoidable sense of urgency in the air and he wanted to get Naruto out as soon.
---
“ Well …” Tsunade pressed fingers over her eyes. “We should set up defenses immediately surrounding Kohona. And you, Naruto, should be kept under strict ANBU elite watch.”
The blonde averted his eyes to look out the window in search of Sasuke. He had failed to tell Tsunade that the missing nin was in the village lest he cause a panic. Everyone in the Leaf either despised or feared the traitorous Uchiha and Naruto didn’t doubt that any ninja would gladly end him.
“That’s great and all, old hag but … wouldn’t it be better if I weren’t in the village when they attacked? I mean, I’m the one their looking for,” he said cautiously and sent a glance in Sakura’s direction. Did she know? Could she sense their mourned teammate?
Sakura seemed to understand and stepped forward. “Maybe it would be best if Naruto left the village for a while and went into hiding. If not, all of Fire County could be in danger,” she said reasonably. Tsunade considered this with a frown, then sighed heavily.
“Fine. But! I still want you to be escorted by some high rank ninja. I will send them with you upon your departure. You leave tomorrow, so come back by dawn to retrieve your team from me,” she said with a finality that Naruto didn’t dare question. In his mind he was weighing his options on what to do with Sasuke.
“Thank you sensei,” Sakura said with a nod and grabbed Naruto by the arm, effectively dragging him from the room and into the hallway. The blonde gave her a confused look but her green eyes stared straight ahead as she walked toward the door.
Once outside, she guided him toward a patch of trees and roughly pinned her companion to the trunk of the nearest one. “Where is he?” she hissed, eyes narrowed. This was not the Sakura of yester-year who fawned over their former teammate. This was a ninja that had a roughly healed broken heart that still held a tender spot when it came to Sasuke.
“I … uh …” Naruto fumbled, blue eyes downcast. “He’s waiting for me, somewhere in the village.” Abruptly, the grip loosened on his orange training jacket. He couldn’t quite place the expression on Sakura’s face. A hint of anger? Regret? Relief?
“I’m coming with you, then.”
Naruto made no objections, and for a lingering moment the two were immersed in memories of the long destroyed Team 7. Perhaps they would have stood there reminiscing for longer, but Sai was approaching, his pale face split into an enormous grin.
“Naruto. I have your gift,” he said, holding out a white box for the blonde to take.
The package was surprisingly light and he unwrapped it with child-like eagerness. The top discarded, he peered down at a magnificent orange Hokage coat neatly folded and perfectly stitched. For a moment, he was speechless. Pulling the coat from it’s container he saw the careful white thread that formed the Japanese
characters on the bottom.
“Sai! This is amazing!” Naruto exclaimed, mouth agape. He could hardly imagine the time and effort that would go into creating such a thing. Even Sakura was running her hand over the smooth material. Sai smiled serenely, apparently pleased with Naruto’s reaction.
“It’s for you, my favorite person,” he said innocently. Naruto looked at him, smiling warmly.
“How about we all go back to my place for some ramen?”
---
Naruto’s apartment was mottled with random coatings of dust from lack of use, but the three of them quickly dusted off the table and counters and soon enough, the blonde was walking slowly over the table balancing three bowls of ramen in his arms.
“Hot! Hot!” he exclaimed and set the bowls onto the table.
“You should wait for it to cool down before you carry it,” Sai commented and took hold of Naruto’s hand, examining the angry red of his fingers. The pale boy proceeded to blow on them, eyes never leaving Naruto. A blush crept up the blonde’s cheeks, but Sakura pretended not to notice.
“This was really nice of you, Naruto,” she said while positioning her chopsticks. Naruto snatched away his hand and grabbed his own chopsticks.
“Who wouldn’t want to share the wonder of ramen with his best friends?” he chirped happily and made short work of the noodles, slurping them noisily. Sai, on the other hand took small conservative bites like Sakura, and the pair looked on as Naruto finished the bowl and slapped it down onto the table with a satisfied noise.
“Maybe you should eat a little slower or you’ll end up choking one of these times,” the female nin said. Naruto laughed loudly. “I’m too good at eating ramen for that to happen!”
Sai was the only one not laughing, but looking at the door, perplexed. “Why is the Uchiha here?” he said, picking up his paintbrush and a scroll. Naruto grabbed Sai by the shoulder and held him in place.
“No, it’s alright,” he said and padded over to the front door, sliding it open. Sure enough, Sasuke was standing in the doorway, a cat ANBU mask covering his eyes. The dark haired ninja walked confidently into the room and removed the mask, tossing it onto the floor.
Naruto quickly turned to look at Sakura, who’s eyes were frozen on the Uchiha’s expressionless face. She appeared to be in disbelief because she didn’t speak right away. Sai, on the other hand, boldly stepped up to him.
“So you’re Orochimaru’s pet, the traitor, Uchiha,” he said blandly, head cocked slightly to the side. Sasuke’s eyes burned, but he didn’t reply. Instead, he turned to look at Naruto.
“Are we leaving now?” he said, voice cool.
Sakura seemed to snap out of her trance, and jumped to her feet.
“We aren’t leaving now. And I’m coming,” she barked out and she would have come off as brave had her fingertips not have been shaking as they rested on the tabletop.
“Hn. You won’t be of any use to us, Sakura,” Sasuke said, finally acknowledging her presence. Even after all she had grown, the pinked haired girl still held a fiery temper.
“Don’t you dare belittle me, Sasuke,” she said, eyes cold.
“Guys! Calm down! We’re all on the same side here,” Naruto said nervously while slipping in between them with his hands raised in peace. Sai was the one to speak up.
“I’m most certainly not on the same side as that traitorous bastard.”
The Uchiha sent a murderous glare his way, muscles visibly tensing. Naruto bit his lip, inwardly debating whether or not he should step in. Luckily, Sakura did so first. Her fist came slamming down onto the table with such force that the forgotten bowls quivered.
“All of you just stop. We aren’t leaving tonight and that’s all. If you have a problem with that, leave. I’m not fixing any injuries.” Her voice was authoritative and full of venom. “I’m going to bed.”
With that sentiment she stood and strode into the other room, leaving all three of the boys momentarily stunned. In a rare display of genuine emotion, Sasuke smiled contentedly. “She hasn’t changed a bit.”
----
All four of them settled into Naruto’s apartment for the night. He only had three rooms and a tiny bathroom, and so the blonde had granted Sakura with his own bed and left the other to find their own place to rest.
Naruto had pulled out the sleeping bag he usually reserved for missions and draped it across the wooden floor. Before crawling to it, he glanced around to see Sai laying down across the room and Sasuke sitting with his back against the wall, attentively staring down his replacement with such hatred that Naruto began to wonder if it was safe for them to sleep in the same room.
“Goodnight, Naruto,” Sai’s voice drifted through the still air.
“Night, Sai.”
He said nothing to Sasuke, but felt the burn of eyes from the dark haired ninja’s direction. Still, it seemed all too much to think that his best friend was actually in his apartment after all those years of searching. It was too much for Naruto to turn around and look at the lithe figure pressed against the wall. The blonde felt his eyes droop heavily and didn’t fight it when they closed.
Everyone was quickly swept into sleep from pure exhaustion of the day’s events. But not Sasuke, no. He rarely slept; a trait he had picked up after long years of being hunted and constantly on alert. Even here, disguising his chakra, he didn’t feel the least bit safe. This village wasn’t his now [ no, nothing belonged to him any longer ] and he felt it. This was just another potential place to be cornered.
Moonlight leaked through the window and the Uchiha found himself admiring Naruto as he slept. Time changed many things in Sasuke’s soul, but nothing ever seemed to reach Naruto’s. The boy, though weary from having been through so much, still had such a pure heart that the Uchiha felt a twinge of wrong doing every time he came in contact.
They were so alike, yet so painfully different. The blonde was always striving for Sasuke’s acceptance, his approval and he never granted it. For a long moment Uchiha stared at Naruto’s face, thinking back to that day in The Valley of the End. How he had unwaveringly drove Chidori through his chest, so willingly transformed into more of a demon than Naruto could ever be. All for vengeance. All because of Itachi.
Sasuke stood silently, wanting to be closer. He felt a flicker of shame at his own actions as he listened to Naruto‘s even breaths. It was such a foreign feeling that he hardly recognized it, but it was there all the same. Infinitely hesitant, he reached his hand out and rested it on Naruto’s. Perhaps it was the feeling of the blonde’s warm skin that startled him, he didn’t know, but he jumped away like he’d been burned. Feeling foolish, Sasuke retreated back to his corner, unsettled.
Some time after that he fell into an uneasy sleep and as always he dreamt of murder and revenge.