Fox Magic 17: Closer (Part 3)
“…And then, of all things, he told me he wanted to be my partner. Who does that? Nobody does that. He’s fucking weird.” Naruto finally ran out of breath, shaking his head as he walked alongside his friend. The hard road was warm beneath his feet despite the shade between the closely packed buildings, heat warping the air around them. “It’s like…it’s like he doesn’t care who I am. What I am.”
“And that unnerves you.” Gaara’s voice was quiet, as he had been for most of Naruto’s ramblings about his newest human companion. Truthfully, the fox demon suspected that Gaara hadn’t actually expected Naruto to take him up on his offer to talk, but whom else could he discuss this with?
Shrugging internally, he protested, “Well, wouldn’t you be? Even you’ve always looked at me as Kyuubi first and a person second, and you’re practically my brother.”
Gaara gazed solemnly at him, then subtly angled his body so that the two of them went down an alleyway to the right. “You are a very impressive person, Kyuubi-sama. While I admit to having been blinded by that in the past, I like to think that I have treated you as I would any person I respect.”
Naruto grinned at him, throwing an arm over Gaara’s shoulder. “And how many people do you respect, exactly?”
When the tanuki demon failed to respond beyond a faint dusting of red in his cheeks, Naruto chuckled and gave his shoulders a brief squeeze. “That’s what I thought.” His eyes softened. “You know that I appreciate you, don’t you?”
Gaara gazed at him for a long moment before the corners of his lips twitched upwards. “Yes. Incredibly, you are even easier to read now than you were before.” He paused, running his eyes over Naruto’s face. “You have changed, Kyuubi-sama.”
Naruto’s shoulders tensed, then released on a sigh. “I know I have. Does that…bother you?” Suddenly, he felt unaccountably nervous. Shukaku had looked up to him for ages. Losing that regard for any reason would be a blow he wasn’t sure his ego could handle.
Slowly, the smaller man shook his head. “No, although I find it fascinating that you seem to have become more open rather than less. I can’t imagine that your previous masters treated you well.”
Relieved, Naruto snorted. “No, I can’t say they did. But you know me, I had to buck authority whenever I could. Seems like the one thing that pisses off Uchihas the fastest is being loud, cocky, and obnoxious. Since I did that whenever I could get away with it…I guess it became a habit.” Gently, he lifted his left hand from its place on Gaara’s shoulder and pointedly stroked the dark skin under the tanuki demon’s eyes. “I guess we all have our ways of coping.”
Gaara’s gaze lowered, and his eyebrows furrowed. “How can I sleep?” he muttered.
Naruto frowned worriedly. “What do you mean?”
Beneath his arm, deceptively slim shoulders tensed. “How can I sleep, knowing that I failed you?” Gaara suddenly burst out. His body curled under a sudden onslaught of emotion, words rushing out of him with a ferocity that startled Naruto. “You were so close to everything you wanted, to everything you promised us, and I was so proud to be a part of it. To be your right hand man. After my reputation, after how I used to act, you trusted me and respected me, and it was my job to see your war through to the end. I should have known that bastard would betray you, I should have thought of another way to get to Mt. Fuji, but I didn’t!”
Naruto stared at him with wide eyes. Shukaku blamed himself for the war? “What… Why on earth would you think our loss was your fault? A human even warned me personally that Yamata no Orochi was going to betray me, and I didn’t listen. And hell, the whole war was my fault, anyway! Why would you blame yourself?” he asked incredulously.
Gaara scowled at the ground. “You trusted me with strategies and planning. I should have had a contingency plan. I was too confident.”
“Oh, right, because none of us could be charged with being too confident back then,” Naruto scoffed. Gradually, Gaara raised his head, a deep frown on his face. Naruto continued, “You have nothing to blame yourself for, Shukaku. And I’d apologize to you for the whole fucking mess we’re in, but I’ve had enough threats to my balls lately, and I’d like to keep them intact.”
Gaara snorted, then looked surprised at himself. His severe expression faded, replaced by weary fondness as he looked up at his ex-commander.
“I’ve been agonizing over my failure for the last thousand years, and you absolve me of it in ten seconds.” He gave Naruto a weak half-smile. “Perhaps you haven’t changed as much as I thought.”
Naruto gave his shoulders another squeeze, then finally released him. Something in the other demon’s eyes told him that Gaara was still a long way from forgiving himself, but at least now, they had time to correct that. “Well, if I’d known you were going to blame yourself, I’d have found a way to send you a message.” He clenched a fist and waved it teasingly. “I can still give you a whack upside the head if you want.”
Gaara’s eyes briefly flashed gold, and the weak smile evolved into a smirk. “Only if you think you can handle a real sparring session, and somehow I don’t think my cloaking illusions will cover that.”
Naruto laughed. “I’ll take a rain check on that. Or, uh. Wind check?” When Gaara rolled his eyes, the fox demon gently bumped their shoulders together. “And just so you know, I never cared what people said about you. Sure, you liked to drink a lot back then and you had that really eerie giggle, but you were incredible in battle, and I’ve never once seen you divert from something once you put your mind to it.” He smiled down at the smaller man. “You never give yourself enough credit. I don’t think it’s odd that I learned to respect you.”
A strange expression crossed Gaara’s face, muscles tightening around his lips and eyes. With anyone else, his obvious emotional distress would have led to something embarrassing. Clearing his throat, Naruto chose to diffuse the heavy atmosphere.
“Or, at least, I did until you decided to get us butt-lost in your own city.”
And just like that, the odd expression on Gaara’s face vanished, replaced with exasperation and a hint of smugness. “Did you think I was leading you around randomly?” he asked, his voice just a hint too dry to be completely casual.
Naruto spread his arms wide, indicating the close-knit buildings they were passing, which happened to look exactly like every other street they’d walked down.
“Do you see a rhyme or reason to this? Because if the point was that Sand is a boring town with boring buildings, I think I got the message.”
The tanuki demon smirked. “I won’t argue over the merits of a town built on my ashes, but…” Abruptly, the redhead turned left and paused, haughtily looking over his shoulder. “I would not call this a ‘random destination.’”
Curious, Naruto stepped up beside him and froze, eyes widening. Merely a few steps ahead of them, the buildings opened up into a narrow plaza filled to the brim with loud merchants and busy stands. Colors and enticing scents filled the air, transforming the dreary buildings into an explosion of life and energy. As soon as Naruto spied the merchandise, his face lit up.
“Ah! Is this where you were taking me?” Excitement bubbled up within Naruto’s chest, and a grin nearly cracked his face in two. Beside him, Gaara nodded.
“I thought you might appreciate the noise, and I recall that you were always fond of human trinkets.” Pale blue eyes swept over him, then returned to the sprawling bazaar. “Does it meet with your approval?”
Definitely smug. Naruto chuckled, clasping Gaara’s hand and dragging him towards the bustling business center.
“It does, it does. Let’s check it out!”
Chuckling, Gaara complied. As they approached the first table, Naruto cast a curious eye over the strange knickknacks and jewelry. Before he could help himself, the insistent thought that Sasuke would probably like to see this pushed its way into his head. In his own grumpy, exasperated way, Sasuke had seemed to enjoy Naruto’s enthusiasm for discovering the modern world, even going so far as to laugh occasionally. The younger man’s face would light up for a moment, taking away all those thick barriers he lived behind. And whenever that happened, Sasuke was beautiful.
“What is?” Gaara leaned over the table, startling Naruto out of his thoughts. “Did something catch your eye?”
Crap, I actually said some of that out loud? “Uh. Yeah. In fact, I was thinking of getting you something. If, you know,” he leaned away from the distracted merchant on the other side of the table and murmured into Gaara’s ear, “I can get away with a bit of counterfeiting.”
Gaara gave him a dry look. “The merchant will only hear what I wish for him to hear, Kyuubi-sama, and as long as you keep from spending a fortune, a few fake bills should not cause much unrest. And you are a terrible liar.”
Naruto kept his eyes glued to the table, choosing to pick up and fiddle with a small pendant necklace. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The tanuki demon sighed. “Your fascination with this human amazes me.”
Swallowing, Naruto put the pendant down. “I didn’t say anything about Sasuke. You’re the one who made me talk about him before.”
“Which you promptly took advantage of. And it was clear what you were thinking.” Gaara frowned. “I cannot fathom your attachment to him. He’s a mortal. He will continue to be a pest, grow old, and die. Your…obsession disconcerts me.”
“Hey now, I’m not obsessed!” he protested, moving on to the next table which had fabrics and desert clothing in various styles on display. “I’ve been practically living in his pocket for weeks. What else would I talk about that you don’t already know? Our past masters? No offense, but I don’t particularly want to go there.”
Gaara grunted, moving leisurely to his side. “Neither do I.”
Naruto sorted idly through the clothing hanging on a rack. “You’re right, though,” he continued quietly. “Sasuke will get old, and he will die, eventually.” His fingers paused on a deep red garment, and he forced some cheer into his voice. “The gods are lucky on that front. Any person, mortal or otherwise, chosen by a god to be their spouse gets to live forever.”
Gaara stiffened beside him, staring at him with something akin to shock. “Then you are planning to stay with him? Your obsession runs that deep?”
Naruto shot him an irritated glance. “I told you, I’m not obsessed. I just. I like him. Is that so wrong?”
Seconds ticked by as Gaara gazed at him, understanding dawning on his face. “You’re smitten.”
Naruto blinked. “What?”
“What do you think is his best feature?” Gaara abruptly questioned, eyebrows furrowing. Naruto stared at him.
Sasuke’s best feature? Immediately, a rare sight came to mind, and the fox demon looked away.
“…His smile,” he eventually replied under his breath. He sighed. “Sasuke has a beautiful smile.”
Gaara slowly nodded, as if that made all of the disturbing sense in the world. “You are smitten with him.”
Smitten? Horribly, Naruto felt his cheeks begin to burn. “No, I’m not.”
“You want him, don’t you? You think about him constantly, you are obsessed with his good opinion of you, and by your own words, you ‘like’ him. You’re smitten.” Gaara made a face somewhere between amusement and disgust.
“Well, I-He just-that’s not-!” Oh god, what if he’s right? Scowling, Naruto pivoted on his foot and began stalking down the crowded walkway. Gaara followed closely behind him, which wasn’t helping the thoughts that pounded against his temples like tsunami. It’s true, I’ve recently become a lot more willing to help him out, and I grant his wishes without him even asking me. And I like trying to make him happy. And I want to impress him. And be important to him. Fuck!
Like the irritatingly unhelpful little burr he’d become, Gaara continued, “If Sasuke attempted to seduce you, what would you do?”
Naruto automatically snorted. “Sasuke would never-”
As if Gaara had pressed an invisible terribision remote, a scene unfolded in the fox demon’s mind. Sasuke lounging naked on his bed, his pale, smooth skin on full display while his legs sprawled wantonly over the sheets. He was propped up on one elbow, smirking knowingly at Naruto as he ran a hand over his chest. Leisurely, Sasuke lifted that hand, palm up, and slowly curled each finger one by one until only his index finger remained extended. And then, heat burning in his eyes, Sasuke crooked his index finger invitingly.
“Well, usuratonkachi?”
The scene was dramatically interrupted by Naruto’s face abruptly colliding with the ground as he tripped over his own feet. He groaned pathetically.
Fuck. Me.
Gaara’s feet came to a stop beside his head. Eventually, a low, darkly amused voice stated, “I believe that answers that question.”
“Just because he’s sexy doesn’t mean I’m smitten,” Naruto muttered into the ground.
“And if he attempted to seduce you into doing something? Could you say no? Considering how much you seem to want to make him happy, and the fact that he’d essentially be promising to make you happy in return?”
Fuck. If Sasuke ever, ever tried that on him, Naruto might permanently lose his ability to say no. To anything. Ever. He groaned again. Shit, this was horrible news! How the hell had this happened?
Naruto ground his face into the hard road surface. “This isn’t fair,” he whined, voice muffled by the pavement. “I’m Kyuubi no Kitsune. I’m not supposed to be smitten or wrapped around somebody’s finger. I’m practically all-powerful!”
“‘Practically’ being the operative word, I assume.” Gaara’s gaze burned into the back of Naruto’s head. “Please stop debasing yourself and get up.”
With a low whine, Naruto rose to his hands and knees, then climbed to his feet. He rubbed a hand over his face. “Thank the gods that Sasuke isn’t the seducing type,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “I’d be permanently screwed if he figured out that’s all he’d have to do to get me to do whatever he wants.”
Granted, I’m pretty much doing whatever he wants right now. When the hell did that become a habit? he wondered despairingly. He sighed heavily.
After a moment of watching him, Gaara inquired, “Is Sasuke planning to free you?”
Naruto stiffened, then wearily shook his head as he lowered his hand. “I don’t have the slightest idea. And even if he is, it’ll be ridiculously difficult. Our bond is too deep.”
The tanuki demon winced faintly. “The deeper the bond, the greater the sacrifice required.”
“Exactly,” Naruto exhaled. “And hell, he wouldn’t even know what name to use, since I’m not allowed to say it! At least Temari knows yours.”
“Actually, I’m not sure that she does,” Gaara replied absently. He frowned. “Then Uchiha Sasuke has not yet figured out who you are?”
Naruto sighed. “You mean, who I’m trying to be? Not yet. He’s smart, though, and I’ve dropped some hints. He’ll probably figure it out. Until then, it won’t do me much good if he yells out, ‘I free you, Kyuubi no Kitsune!’”
Gaara hummed in acknowledgement, one eyebrow lifting. “But you do seem to have faith that he will free you some day, or try to at the very least.” His expression darkened. “I hope he is worthy of such devotion from you.”
The fox demon shook his head. “Worthy? He’s a good person, but I don’t know what you’d consider ‘worthy.’” He chuckled weakly, looking Gaara in the eye. “It’s no wonder that I got a swelled head with a friend like you standing beside me.”
Gaara seemed pleased in his typically understated fashion, but there was still a worrying glint in his eyes. “I have learned over time that it is occasionally necessary to save you from yourself, Kyuubi-sama. I will treat this new task the same as any other.”
Naruto groaned, rolling his eyes to the sky. “Whatever you do, don’t tell him any of this, ok? I’ll never live it down if he finds out that I’m…more than a little interested in him.”
“You have my word.”
“Good.” Shaking his head, Naruto marched determinedly to the next stand. “Let’s get back to shopping.”
Gaara fell quiet at his side, but Naruto couldn’t help imagining what might happen if Sasuke did find out. And if, by some miracle, they were able to stay together once he was freed, what would it be like to have a willing, seductive Sasuke at his side?
His eyes glazed over as he lost himself in a daydream.
Maybe being smitten wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all…
* * *
Part 4
“And that unnerves you.” Gaara’s voice was quiet, as he had been for most of Naruto’s ramblings about his newest human companion. Truthfully, the fox demon suspected that Gaara hadn’t actually expected Naruto to take him up on his offer to talk, but whom else could he discuss this with?
Shrugging internally, he protested, “Well, wouldn’t you be? Even you’ve always looked at me as Kyuubi first and a person second, and you’re practically my brother.”
Gaara gazed solemnly at him, then subtly angled his body so that the two of them went down an alleyway to the right. “You are a very impressive person, Kyuubi-sama. While I admit to having been blinded by that in the past, I like to think that I have treated you as I would any person I respect.”
Naruto grinned at him, throwing an arm over Gaara’s shoulder. “And how many people do you respect, exactly?”
When the tanuki demon failed to respond beyond a faint dusting of red in his cheeks, Naruto chuckled and gave his shoulders a brief squeeze. “That’s what I thought.” His eyes softened. “You know that I appreciate you, don’t you?”
Gaara gazed at him for a long moment before the corners of his lips twitched upwards. “Yes. Incredibly, you are even easier to read now than you were before.” He paused, running his eyes over Naruto’s face. “You have changed, Kyuubi-sama.”
Naruto’s shoulders tensed, then released on a sigh. “I know I have. Does that…bother you?” Suddenly, he felt unaccountably nervous. Shukaku had looked up to him for ages. Losing that regard for any reason would be a blow he wasn’t sure his ego could handle.
Slowly, the smaller man shook his head. “No, although I find it fascinating that you seem to have become more open rather than less. I can’t imagine that your previous masters treated you well.”
Relieved, Naruto snorted. “No, I can’t say they did. But you know me, I had to buck authority whenever I could. Seems like the one thing that pisses off Uchihas the fastest is being loud, cocky, and obnoxious. Since I did that whenever I could get away with it…I guess it became a habit.” Gently, he lifted his left hand from its place on Gaara’s shoulder and pointedly stroked the dark skin under the tanuki demon’s eyes. “I guess we all have our ways of coping.”
Gaara’s gaze lowered, and his eyebrows furrowed. “How can I sleep?” he muttered.
Naruto frowned worriedly. “What do you mean?”
Beneath his arm, deceptively slim shoulders tensed. “How can I sleep, knowing that I failed you?” Gaara suddenly burst out. His body curled under a sudden onslaught of emotion, words rushing out of him with a ferocity that startled Naruto. “You were so close to everything you wanted, to everything you promised us, and I was so proud to be a part of it. To be your right hand man. After my reputation, after how I used to act, you trusted me and respected me, and it was my job to see your war through to the end. I should have known that bastard would betray you, I should have thought of another way to get to Mt. Fuji, but I didn’t!”
Naruto stared at him with wide eyes. Shukaku blamed himself for the war? “What… Why on earth would you think our loss was your fault? A human even warned me personally that Yamata no Orochi was going to betray me, and I didn’t listen. And hell, the whole war was my fault, anyway! Why would you blame yourself?” he asked incredulously.
Gaara scowled at the ground. “You trusted me with strategies and planning. I should have had a contingency plan. I was too confident.”
“Oh, right, because none of us could be charged with being too confident back then,” Naruto scoffed. Gradually, Gaara raised his head, a deep frown on his face. Naruto continued, “You have nothing to blame yourself for, Shukaku. And I’d apologize to you for the whole fucking mess we’re in, but I’ve had enough threats to my balls lately, and I’d like to keep them intact.”
Gaara snorted, then looked surprised at himself. His severe expression faded, replaced by weary fondness as he looked up at his ex-commander.
“I’ve been agonizing over my failure for the last thousand years, and you absolve me of it in ten seconds.” He gave Naruto a weak half-smile. “Perhaps you haven’t changed as much as I thought.”
Naruto gave his shoulders another squeeze, then finally released him. Something in the other demon’s eyes told him that Gaara was still a long way from forgiving himself, but at least now, they had time to correct that. “Well, if I’d known you were going to blame yourself, I’d have found a way to send you a message.” He clenched a fist and waved it teasingly. “I can still give you a whack upside the head if you want.”
Gaara’s eyes briefly flashed gold, and the weak smile evolved into a smirk. “Only if you think you can handle a real sparring session, and somehow I don’t think my cloaking illusions will cover that.”
Naruto laughed. “I’ll take a rain check on that. Or, uh. Wind check?” When Gaara rolled his eyes, the fox demon gently bumped their shoulders together. “And just so you know, I never cared what people said about you. Sure, you liked to drink a lot back then and you had that really eerie giggle, but you were incredible in battle, and I’ve never once seen you divert from something once you put your mind to it.” He smiled down at the smaller man. “You never give yourself enough credit. I don’t think it’s odd that I learned to respect you.”
A strange expression crossed Gaara’s face, muscles tightening around his lips and eyes. With anyone else, his obvious emotional distress would have led to something embarrassing. Clearing his throat, Naruto chose to diffuse the heavy atmosphere.
“Or, at least, I did until you decided to get us butt-lost in your own city.”
And just like that, the odd expression on Gaara’s face vanished, replaced with exasperation and a hint of smugness. “Did you think I was leading you around randomly?” he asked, his voice just a hint too dry to be completely casual.
Naruto spread his arms wide, indicating the close-knit buildings they were passing, which happened to look exactly like every other street they’d walked down.
“Do you see a rhyme or reason to this? Because if the point was that Sand is a boring town with boring buildings, I think I got the message.”
The tanuki demon smirked. “I won’t argue over the merits of a town built on my ashes, but…” Abruptly, the redhead turned left and paused, haughtily looking over his shoulder. “I would not call this a ‘random destination.’”
Curious, Naruto stepped up beside him and froze, eyes widening. Merely a few steps ahead of them, the buildings opened up into a narrow plaza filled to the brim with loud merchants and busy stands. Colors and enticing scents filled the air, transforming the dreary buildings into an explosion of life and energy. As soon as Naruto spied the merchandise, his face lit up.
“Ah! Is this where you were taking me?” Excitement bubbled up within Naruto’s chest, and a grin nearly cracked his face in two. Beside him, Gaara nodded.
“I thought you might appreciate the noise, and I recall that you were always fond of human trinkets.” Pale blue eyes swept over him, then returned to the sprawling bazaar. “Does it meet with your approval?”
Definitely smug. Naruto chuckled, clasping Gaara’s hand and dragging him towards the bustling business center.
“It does, it does. Let’s check it out!”
Chuckling, Gaara complied. As they approached the first table, Naruto cast a curious eye over the strange knickknacks and jewelry. Before he could help himself, the insistent thought that Sasuke would probably like to see this pushed its way into his head. In his own grumpy, exasperated way, Sasuke had seemed to enjoy Naruto’s enthusiasm for discovering the modern world, even going so far as to laugh occasionally. The younger man’s face would light up for a moment, taking away all those thick barriers he lived behind. And whenever that happened, Sasuke was beautiful.
“What is?” Gaara leaned over the table, startling Naruto out of his thoughts. “Did something catch your eye?”
Crap, I actually said some of that out loud? “Uh. Yeah. In fact, I was thinking of getting you something. If, you know,” he leaned away from the distracted merchant on the other side of the table and murmured into Gaara’s ear, “I can get away with a bit of counterfeiting.”
Gaara gave him a dry look. “The merchant will only hear what I wish for him to hear, Kyuubi-sama, and as long as you keep from spending a fortune, a few fake bills should not cause much unrest. And you are a terrible liar.”
Naruto kept his eyes glued to the table, choosing to pick up and fiddle with a small pendant necklace. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The tanuki demon sighed. “Your fascination with this human amazes me.”
Swallowing, Naruto put the pendant down. “I didn’t say anything about Sasuke. You’re the one who made me talk about him before.”
“Which you promptly took advantage of. And it was clear what you were thinking.” Gaara frowned. “I cannot fathom your attachment to him. He’s a mortal. He will continue to be a pest, grow old, and die. Your…obsession disconcerts me.”
“Hey now, I’m not obsessed!” he protested, moving on to the next table which had fabrics and desert clothing in various styles on display. “I’ve been practically living in his pocket for weeks. What else would I talk about that you don’t already know? Our past masters? No offense, but I don’t particularly want to go there.”
Gaara grunted, moving leisurely to his side. “Neither do I.”
Naruto sorted idly through the clothing hanging on a rack. “You’re right, though,” he continued quietly. “Sasuke will get old, and he will die, eventually.” His fingers paused on a deep red garment, and he forced some cheer into his voice. “The gods are lucky on that front. Any person, mortal or otherwise, chosen by a god to be their spouse gets to live forever.”
Gaara stiffened beside him, staring at him with something akin to shock. “Then you are planning to stay with him? Your obsession runs that deep?”
Naruto shot him an irritated glance. “I told you, I’m not obsessed. I just. I like him. Is that so wrong?”
Seconds ticked by as Gaara gazed at him, understanding dawning on his face. “You’re smitten.”
Naruto blinked. “What?”
“What do you think is his best feature?” Gaara abruptly questioned, eyebrows furrowing. Naruto stared at him.
Sasuke’s best feature? Immediately, a rare sight came to mind, and the fox demon looked away.
“…His smile,” he eventually replied under his breath. He sighed. “Sasuke has a beautiful smile.”
Gaara slowly nodded, as if that made all of the disturbing sense in the world. “You are smitten with him.”
Smitten? Horribly, Naruto felt his cheeks begin to burn. “No, I’m not.”
“You want him, don’t you? You think about him constantly, you are obsessed with his good opinion of you, and by your own words, you ‘like’ him. You’re smitten.” Gaara made a face somewhere between amusement and disgust.
“Well, I-He just-that’s not-!” Oh god, what if he’s right? Scowling, Naruto pivoted on his foot and began stalking down the crowded walkway. Gaara followed closely behind him, which wasn’t helping the thoughts that pounded against his temples like tsunami. It’s true, I’ve recently become a lot more willing to help him out, and I grant his wishes without him even asking me. And I like trying to make him happy. And I want to impress him. And be important to him. Fuck!
Like the irritatingly unhelpful little burr he’d become, Gaara continued, “If Sasuke attempted to seduce you, what would you do?”
Naruto automatically snorted. “Sasuke would never-”
As if Gaara had pressed an invisible terribision remote, a scene unfolded in the fox demon’s mind. Sasuke lounging naked on his bed, his pale, smooth skin on full display while his legs sprawled wantonly over the sheets. He was propped up on one elbow, smirking knowingly at Naruto as he ran a hand over his chest. Leisurely, Sasuke lifted that hand, palm up, and slowly curled each finger one by one until only his index finger remained extended. And then, heat burning in his eyes, Sasuke crooked his index finger invitingly.
“Well, usuratonkachi?”
The scene was dramatically interrupted by Naruto’s face abruptly colliding with the ground as he tripped over his own feet. He groaned pathetically.
Fuck. Me.
Gaara’s feet came to a stop beside his head. Eventually, a low, darkly amused voice stated, “I believe that answers that question.”
“Just because he’s sexy doesn’t mean I’m smitten,” Naruto muttered into the ground.
“And if he attempted to seduce you into doing something? Could you say no? Considering how much you seem to want to make him happy, and the fact that he’d essentially be promising to make you happy in return?”
Fuck. If Sasuke ever, ever tried that on him, Naruto might permanently lose his ability to say no. To anything. Ever. He groaned again. Shit, this was horrible news! How the hell had this happened?
Naruto ground his face into the hard road surface. “This isn’t fair,” he whined, voice muffled by the pavement. “I’m Kyuubi no Kitsune. I’m not supposed to be smitten or wrapped around somebody’s finger. I’m practically all-powerful!”
“‘Practically’ being the operative word, I assume.” Gaara’s gaze burned into the back of Naruto’s head. “Please stop debasing yourself and get up.”
With a low whine, Naruto rose to his hands and knees, then climbed to his feet. He rubbed a hand over his face. “Thank the gods that Sasuke isn’t the seducing type,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “I’d be permanently screwed if he figured out that’s all he’d have to do to get me to do whatever he wants.”
Granted, I’m pretty much doing whatever he wants right now. When the hell did that become a habit? he wondered despairingly. He sighed heavily.
After a moment of watching him, Gaara inquired, “Is Sasuke planning to free you?”
Naruto stiffened, then wearily shook his head as he lowered his hand. “I don’t have the slightest idea. And even if he is, it’ll be ridiculously difficult. Our bond is too deep.”
The tanuki demon winced faintly. “The deeper the bond, the greater the sacrifice required.”
“Exactly,” Naruto exhaled. “And hell, he wouldn’t even know what name to use, since I’m not allowed to say it! At least Temari knows yours.”
“Actually, I’m not sure that she does,” Gaara replied absently. He frowned. “Then Uchiha Sasuke has not yet figured out who you are?”
Naruto sighed. “You mean, who I’m trying to be? Not yet. He’s smart, though, and I’ve dropped some hints. He’ll probably figure it out. Until then, it won’t do me much good if he yells out, ‘I free you, Kyuubi no Kitsune!’”
Gaara hummed in acknowledgement, one eyebrow lifting. “But you do seem to have faith that he will free you some day, or try to at the very least.” His expression darkened. “I hope he is worthy of such devotion from you.”
The fox demon shook his head. “Worthy? He’s a good person, but I don’t know what you’d consider ‘worthy.’” He chuckled weakly, looking Gaara in the eye. “It’s no wonder that I got a swelled head with a friend like you standing beside me.”
Gaara seemed pleased in his typically understated fashion, but there was still a worrying glint in his eyes. “I have learned over time that it is occasionally necessary to save you from yourself, Kyuubi-sama. I will treat this new task the same as any other.”
Naruto groaned, rolling his eyes to the sky. “Whatever you do, don’t tell him any of this, ok? I’ll never live it down if he finds out that I’m…more than a little interested in him.”
“You have my word.”
“Good.” Shaking his head, Naruto marched determinedly to the next stand. “Let’s get back to shopping.”
Gaara fell quiet at his side, but Naruto couldn’t help imagining what might happen if Sasuke did find out. And if, by some miracle, they were able to stay together once he was freed, what would it be like to have a willing, seductive Sasuke at his side?
His eyes glazed over as he lost himself in a daydream.
Maybe being smitten wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all…
* * *
Part 4