[FIC] What We Might Do - Chapter III
What We Might Do
Overall rating: R - NC-17
Summary: What we might do. When we're all alone. There's just you. And there's just me. And the promise of nothing in between.
SPOILERS: None
Pairing: Uchiha Sasuke x Uzumaki Naruto
Chapter Rating: 15+
Disclaimer: Naruto and all related characters © Masashi Kishimoto -- i.e. They are not mine
iii.
The last thing Sasuke saw before collapsing was Kakashi on the far end of the battle field, at the edge of the canyon, body hunched over with palms pressed against the ground, his one sharingan eye swirling dizzily and the other blue one staring glassily out over the cliff. Sasuke wondered vaguely what Kakashi was looking down at. Then there was the relief of darkness and the air that was tainted with screams evaporated around his ears.
When he next woke up Sakura was bent over him, hands at his chest; a green glow emanating from them. When she saw that he had come back to consciousness, she gave a sniff and wiped the steadily falling tears off of her face with a shoulder, her hands still placed on his chest. He tried to sit up and the hands fell away. A quick hug and Sakura was on to the next shinobi.
Sasuke sat up and watched as medical-nins scoured the field, reviving Nins left right and centre. His head hurt but he found himself ignoring the throbbing pain as his eyes drifted steadily over the battle field. It was a moment before he spotted Naruto, standing quietly besides Shikamaru. Their heads were bent towards each other as they talked, Naruto’s eyes darting around the field, the blue eyes filled with concern and anxiety.
It was a moment before their eyes met and Naruto whispered something quickly to Shikamaru before making his way towards Sasuke. In a moment Naruto was crouching besides him. They didn’t say a word to each other but simply stared out around them looking for familiar faces.
Hinata. Neji bent over her. Hanabi off to the side, hands tugging impatiently at her hair.
Ino, Chouji. Kiba trapped underneath the weight of a delighted Akamaru.
Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo were off to one side, Izumo’s shouted words couldn’t be understood from where they sat but Sasuke heard the anxiety and relief that laced the angry words.
Sasuke turned to look at Naruto whose eyes were fixed on Namiashi Raido and Shirinaui Genma. Several medical Nins surrounded the Genma, his chest heaving as Raido shouted angry demands down at him. Sasuke could just hear them.
“Pull through! Pull through! Don’t you dare fucking die on me! Don’t you dare!”
Sasuke looked away and so did Naruto. They stared at the ground that lay between them and only looked up when they heard the hard sobbing and the “You bastard, you bastard. You scared me. You scared me.”
“Sasuke.” Naruto whispered. Sasuke could feel warm fingers brushing against his own. “Sasuke, look.”
And he did. There was Tenten who didn’t wake up. A Lee who was still unconscious. Shizune lying on her side, head twisted oddly to one side.
Sasuke turned to look at Naruto and knew then why Naruto would become Hokage. Pain filled the blue eyes, pain that was both familiar and completely alien to Sasuke. Pain for everyone but himself. He seemed to share people’s grieving. Seemed to want to soak it up like a sponge. Seemed to want to protect everyone, everyone and anyone, no matter what. The familiarity of loving and losing family stained the blue iris. Sasuke looked away.
“There’s Kakashi.” Naruto whispered, squinting and looking out to their senpai, silver hair glinting in the dull dusty moonlight.
Sasuke saw that Kakashi was where he had last seen him, still staring down into the canyon. They got up and made their way towards him.
“There were more than we thought.” Naruto whispered, struggling to keep his voice calm.
Sasuke merely nodded.
“The first few teams were almost killed off instantly. It’s a good thing we were prepared.” Naruto continued. “Mine should have gone first.”
Sasuke smirked. His team had been the ones at the forefront. Naruto had demanded the spot for his team from the Hokage. She flat out refused, thrusting him into a team headed by Kakashi. What made it worse was Iruka was on the same team and Naruto complained he wouldn’t even be able to scratch his ass without his two self-appointed guardians - or at least Iruka was - hovering in the background worrying over him.
Naruto’s gaze moved over to Sasuke. “I saw you.”
Sasuke started, eyes meeting Naruto’s. “You’re getting a bit too cocky, Uchiha.” Naruto mocked, a small smile dancing on his face. It went unsaid. Thank God you’re alive. “Heh. You’re still a klutz as always.” You too. Oh God you too.
Naruto’s smile widened. They were getting closer to Kakashi; Sakura was already there. She put an arm on her sensei’s shoulder and talked to him, asking him questions and inspecting his injuries. Still, Kakashi did not move.
Sasuke frowned and he watched Sakura’s gaze move from their senpai down into the canyon Kakashi seemed so interested in. Reaching the edge where Sakura and Kakashi crouched, Sasuke turned his attention to Kakashi; curious. Naruto smiled broadly at Sakura who didn’t respond and just turned her gaze back down into the canyon.
The smile was still there when Sakura suddenly pushed herself backwards.
“Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.”
The kunoichi seemed to be chanting. She scrambled away from the edge before pulling at Kakashi, pulling and pulling him back, tears streaming down from her green eyes. Kakashi was pulled back easily and the shinobi lay on his back, his one blue eye glassy with unshed tears and sharingan eye swirling and swirling and swirling. It stared up into the sky, as if ready to copy the movements of the stars. Sasuke turned away and gazed at Naruto, who looked just as confused as he was.
Sasuke’s eyes never left Naruto’s face even as Naruto looked past Sasuke down into the canyon. A ghost of a smile still lingered on his face.
“Sasuke! Sasuke! Get Naruto away! Get him AWAY!” Sakura was crying.
The choking, choking, choking sound that Sakura was making caused Sasuke to grab Naruto and push him away from the edge. As he did so, he glanced down himself. And there was Iruka.
He was lying on a ledge ten feet from where they stood.
And there were the jagged cuts all across his uniform and the gaping hole on his side where the exploding tag had been slapped on.
Sasuke’s insides froze in shock and suddenly he was eight again and he was confused - so fucking confused. But the shock ebbed away but came back and brought with it a friend. Sasuke’s body was tense with concealed horror and he turned slowly - so so slowly - towards Naruto. Naruto had seen it. Naruto had seen it all. The smile was gone and Sasuke wondered, detachedly, if the smile had been there at all. If Naruto had ever smiled before. If Naruto even knew how.
Sasuke reached out to Naruto, to do what Sakura was doing for Kakashi. He wanted to hold him.
His fingertips met the dry flesh of Naruto’s cheeks and slid down down down and around the back of Naruto’s neck and then he pulled. He pulled Naruto towards him and it was easy - too easy - and in a moment, maybe less, Naruto was against him, blue eyes staring out at nothing.
Sasuke held him. Held him as well as he could. Held him as if trying to keep him together, to keep him from falling apart. It didn’t work. But Sasuke held Naruto anyway. Even when it felt like he was holding on to the sharp shards of a broken mirror.
to be continued...
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