Teamwork 3 - chpt 5 - part 2
I'm still writing at the moment, but where it stops is a tolerable stopping point. *typetypetype* omg writing mood, how long will it last...
Previous part
Naruto reformed two Kage Bunshins to guard their flanks and watch out for trouble, and they walked away from the trio, in search of a team to steal those elusive last tokens from.
"I think we have to set down ground rules about baby names," Sasuke said.
Sakura blinked. "Hm? Like what?"
"What's acceptable or not, mostly." He threw Naruto a faintly mocking smirk; Naruto scowled in wary confusion. "No ramen-based names."
"Wha --"
"In favor," Sakura replied without missing a beat.
The corner of Sasuke's mouth quirked up. "Motion passed."
Naruto stared at them both in turn, cheeks puffed up in annoyance. Sasuke gave him a look he probably thought was deadpan; Sakura was trying to smother a laugh behind her hand. "Hey! Come on, guys, that's not fair. Ramenmaru would be a totally bitchin' name!"
"No ramen names."
"Misohiko?"
Sakura's eyes narrowed. "I believe we've already had this conversation."
Naruto grumbled and gave them a half-serious glare-pout, glad to see them joking even at his expense. "Fine, but then I get to set rules too. No flower names, hah!"
Sakura put both hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you have against flower names? They're a family tradition, I'll have you know."
"It is?" Sasuke asked, arching an eyebrow.
Sakura briefly looked sheepish. "Well, it's only been two generations. But it could be."
"Well yeah, but your mom is 'flower' in general and you're 'one kind of flower'; if you keep getting more specific, what's the kid gonna be called next? Stem? Pistil?"
Sakura pouted. "Kahen -- petal -- it could work. Besides there are many very pretty flower names."
"I don't know for you, but if I'd been named after some sissy flower I'd have become a hermit at age five," Naruto drawled, crossing his arms behind his head casually. Sakura bristled.
"Oh, because being named for a ramen ingredient is any better?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, though Naruto could see he was laughing at them a bit. "Compromise. If it's a girl, flower-based names are acceptable; if it's a boy, it isn't. Easy."
Sakura was still frowning a bit. "Fine. But I get veto rights on everything."
"Oi! How come?"
"Because I'm pregnant and you're not. But I'm sure I could come up with some kind of medical jutsu to fix that."
Ghhk. Naruto pressed his thighs together and shuffled a few steps back. Sakura crossed her arms sulkily.
Sasuke was absolutely no help, of course.
"How about tree names for a boy?" Naruto said, as a peace offering.
Sakura blinked at him with some surprise, and seemed to be considering.
"...It better not be a sissy tree, is all I'm saying."
"Oh, shut up."
Sakura shoved him halfheartedly, and Naruto pretended to stumble, laughing. He bumped into Sasuke, expecting a sarcastic comment or a shove in the other direction, but Sasuke only pushed him enough to get him back properly upright. Naruto blinked and then squinted at him.
"Okay, what's got you depressed now."
"I'm not depressed." Sasuke glared a little; Naruto didn't believe it. "... I'm thinking, is all -- wait, you wouldn't know what that's like."
"Oh hah hah. That was old when we were twelve, man. Okay, what are you brooding about?"
"I'm not brooding. Leave me alone already."
Naruto's face scrunched up in fake horrified sadness and he threw an arm around Sasuke's neck. "Don't tell me you really had your heart set on naming our unborn son Marigold."
Sasuke rolled his eyes, but some of the inward-looking vagueness in his eyes faded, reassuring Naruto. He never liked it when Sasuke thought too much about depressing things. Then he'd get pissy because he couldn't find anything else to do about his worries and push his lovers away and sulk like a bitch.
Sakura slowed down and moved to Sasuke's other side, peering at him. Sasuke looked away, as if he were considering ignoring her and running away from all their well-meaning worrywartiness. Naruto secured his hold, just in case.
Sakura's voice was soft, a little sad. "Would you want to name them after... someone?"
Sasuke's put-upon expression melted away, and he met Sakura's eyes with a solemn look of his own.
"... Your parents?"
Naruto blinked when he finally understood. "Huh? People do that? That's a bit weird, isn't it?"
Sasuke tensed under his arm and leaned away from him slightly. Naruto grimaced, and didn't let go.
"Lots of people are named for someone -- or something -- meaningful," Sakura intervened, scowling at him for being insensitive. "Naming a child isn't just about what sounds pretty."
Naruto grimaced at her a little. He hadn't meant it like that. "Maybe it should be," Naruto said back, and then realized it sounded kind of like he was looking for a fight. He softened his tone, his eyes never looking away from Sasuke's angry ones. "No -- listen, I just mean, it's not a bad idea in general, but... Wouldn't the kid wonder if they're supposed to be a replacement?"
From the flinch and the way Sasuke's fists clenched, Naruto could see that Sasuke didn't like hearing that much -- but also that he could see his point, however reluctantly. Naruto nudged him a bit, trying to find the words to make it better.
He didn't, so he just nudged Sasuke again.
"... You're right," Sasuke admitted with some difficulty. He looked away then, not quite at Sakura either. "It would be too much baggage to saddle the child with."
Naruto smiled then. "Yeah. A brand-new person. No baggage allowed."
Sakura smiled a little wetly and slipped her arm around Sasuke's waist, hugging him. Sasuke sighed. "You two are so clingy."
Naruto noticed Sasuke wrapped an arm around Sakura's waist right back nonetheless, allowing himself a few seconds of sappiness before he shrugged them both into giving him back his personal space. Naruto obliged, allowing his arm to slip away from Sasuke's shoulders, but really just because it would be stupid to be too entangled to fight back if they were attacked now.
"Hey, we can always badger our children into choosing who our grandchildren get to be named after."
"... Naruto, don't talk about grandchildren now." If it had been anyone else, Naruto would have said they sounded a little faint, but of course Sasuke did not. Yeah right. Now Sasuke didn't look vaguely depressed anymore, he looked just a bit overwhelmed; but Naruto thought worrying about the future was still better than brooding about the past.
"Traditional clan names are probably okay, though, right? As long as they sound nice. We don't want the kid to be laughed out of the schoolyard."
Sakura grimaced at him behind Sasuke's head and mouthed silently 'Leave it alone already.' Naruto blinked, and realized Sasuke's face looked kind of a little seasick.
No matter what Sakura said, it was just too tempting to pass up.
"Hey, bastard?"
"What?"
Naruto allowed himself a grin of amusement about the fact that 'bastard' was now so much of Sasuke's official nickname that he didn't even blink twice anymore. Granted, it would also depend a lot on the tone of Naruto's voice when he said it. "You get to be the get-off-my-lawn grandpa. I'll be better at the candy-giving one."
Sasuke's reaction was a mix of annoyance -- expected -- and cringing frustration -- definitely unexpected. "Don't --" He breathed out, and glared, but it didn't make his first word sound any less pleading. "You're a real pain in the ass."
Naruto sighed. Now he felt a little bad, for teasing Sasuke when he was feeling vulnerable. He should probably have encouraged Sasuke to open up more by being attentive and supportive and stuff, but he didn't have a clue how to do that without looking stupid or making Sasuke clam up. At least if he teased Sasuke having him clam up as a result would be deliberate.
"Don't what?" Sakura asked softly.
Sasuke glanced at her, and then glared at his shoes. "... Nothing. Look, there's animal tracks, let's find some food."
He went up ahead, bouncing over a rock and quickly out of sight; Naruto winced guiltily. Sakura gave him a little glare but it soon melted away; she stepped up to him and bumped him with her shoulder.
"I don't think he's angry, just... Wigged."
"But having a family is great!"
Sakura nodded. "Yes. He thinks so too, you know that. I think that's the problem. Maybe he's just afraid to jinx it."
Naruto wrapped an arm around Sakura's back and hugged her to his side briefly, sighing in her hair. It made sense, now that he thought of it. It was more scary to have the potential of something good than nothing at all. Then you got to be scared of everything that could make it not happen. When you had nothing and expected nothing, there was nothing to lose, not even hope.
"...Our boyfriend is a freak."
Sakura gave him a crooked smirk and prodded him in the chest with a hard finger. "Like you can talk, ramen-boy."
"Hey, my liking of ramen is perfectly normal and healthy. Ramen is great, AND it's nutritious and filling."
Sakura gave him a dubiously cocked eyebrow. "I don't think you want to argue nutritional values with me. You'll lose." She flipped her hair and started jogging after Sasuke.
"It's not my fault they don't make fruit ramen!"
Since they were going hunting and not passively waiting for someone to attack them, Naruto dissipated the bunshins. They'd seen nothing but rocks and thorny bushes and more rocks. He could have spared himself the expense of chakra -- but then again they wouldn't have had that conversation.
The area smelled like rabbits and that weird miniature island deer, a few small predators, and a lot of lizards, so when they followed Sasuke down a hollow and found a little stream at the bottom, half-hidden by tall ferns, he wasn't too surprised. Sakura tested the water and then she and Sasuke refilled the flasks. Naruto watched the area. The hollow was greener than the rest of the island so far, the plants higher; a few of the trees even managed to reach about Jiraiya's height. Which was kind of ridiculous for a tree, but on that island it was still damn high.
Good hunting here, he thought. Well... Rabbits. But good enough.
"It's getting late," Sakura commented. "Should we camp here?"
Sasuke grimaced. "We can, but tomorrow we'll have to go straight to the tower.
By this point it would be full of enemies lying in wait... "It's not as if we've had any luck finding tokens out here," Naruto grumbled. "I say we just run at them and smash right through."
Sakura huffed. "You would."
"We'll have to go through to get to the watchtower anyway. Might as well use them."
"And if we don't fall into a trap?"
"Then we make one. Or look for a Jounin to steal from."
Judging by Sasuke's decisive tone, he'd managed to find his footing again. That or repress like crazy. Business as usual. Naruto was almost sad.
Naruto took in the place and considered. The slopes weren't steep enough to keep game boxed in if he tried to flush them at his teammates, so...
"What are you grinning about?" Sakura asked, looking faintly worried.
Naruto realized he was doing a happy shark impression and immediately looked sheepish. "Haha, nothing, I just realized I'm gonna have to crawl around in the bushes to hunt. It's kind of fun. You know, stalk your prey..."
Sakura's worry didn't seem to be getting much better. Naruto sighed, shoulders slumping.
"Or I could just crawl around so I can find rabbit tunnels and know where to put up some snares."
"I'll come with you," she said. "Your traps are horrible."
Well, it was funnier to catch them with his own teeth. ... Hands. Naruto shivered. 'Hey Kyuubi, you here?'
"--Naruto?"
"Uh -- sorry, distracted. Alright, if you insist..."
"And you, Sasuke-kun?"
"I'll set the camp. Just go."
next part.
Previous part
Naruto reformed two Kage Bunshins to guard their flanks and watch out for trouble, and they walked away from the trio, in search of a team to steal those elusive last tokens from.
"I think we have to set down ground rules about baby names," Sasuke said.
Sakura blinked. "Hm? Like what?"
"What's acceptable or not, mostly." He threw Naruto a faintly mocking smirk; Naruto scowled in wary confusion. "No ramen-based names."
"Wha --"
"In favor," Sakura replied without missing a beat.
The corner of Sasuke's mouth quirked up. "Motion passed."
Naruto stared at them both in turn, cheeks puffed up in annoyance. Sasuke gave him a look he probably thought was deadpan; Sakura was trying to smother a laugh behind her hand. "Hey! Come on, guys, that's not fair. Ramenmaru would be a totally bitchin' name!"
"No ramen names."
"Misohiko?"
Sakura's eyes narrowed. "I believe we've already had this conversation."
Naruto grumbled and gave them a half-serious glare-pout, glad to see them joking even at his expense. "Fine, but then I get to set rules too. No flower names, hah!"
Sakura put both hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you have against flower names? They're a family tradition, I'll have you know."
"It is?" Sasuke asked, arching an eyebrow.
Sakura briefly looked sheepish. "Well, it's only been two generations. But it could be."
"Well yeah, but your mom is 'flower' in general and you're 'one kind of flower'; if you keep getting more specific, what's the kid gonna be called next? Stem? Pistil?"
Sakura pouted. "Kahen -- petal -- it could work. Besides there are many very pretty flower names."
"I don't know for you, but if I'd been named after some sissy flower I'd have become a hermit at age five," Naruto drawled, crossing his arms behind his head casually. Sakura bristled.
"Oh, because being named for a ramen ingredient is any better?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, though Naruto could see he was laughing at them a bit. "Compromise. If it's a girl, flower-based names are acceptable; if it's a boy, it isn't. Easy."
Sakura was still frowning a bit. "Fine. But I get veto rights on everything."
"Oi! How come?"
"Because I'm pregnant and you're not. But I'm sure I could come up with some kind of medical jutsu to fix that."
Ghhk. Naruto pressed his thighs together and shuffled a few steps back. Sakura crossed her arms sulkily.
Sasuke was absolutely no help, of course.
"How about tree names for a boy?" Naruto said, as a peace offering.
Sakura blinked at him with some surprise, and seemed to be considering.
"...It better not be a sissy tree, is all I'm saying."
"Oh, shut up."
Sakura shoved him halfheartedly, and Naruto pretended to stumble, laughing. He bumped into Sasuke, expecting a sarcastic comment or a shove in the other direction, but Sasuke only pushed him enough to get him back properly upright. Naruto blinked and then squinted at him.
"Okay, what's got you depressed now."
"I'm not depressed." Sasuke glared a little; Naruto didn't believe it. "... I'm thinking, is all -- wait, you wouldn't know what that's like."
"Oh hah hah. That was old when we were twelve, man. Okay, what are you brooding about?"
"I'm not brooding. Leave me alone already."
Naruto's face scrunched up in fake horrified sadness and he threw an arm around Sasuke's neck. "Don't tell me you really had your heart set on naming our unborn son Marigold."
Sasuke rolled his eyes, but some of the inward-looking vagueness in his eyes faded, reassuring Naruto. He never liked it when Sasuke thought too much about depressing things. Then he'd get pissy because he couldn't find anything else to do about his worries and push his lovers away and sulk like a bitch.
Sakura slowed down and moved to Sasuke's other side, peering at him. Sasuke looked away, as if he were considering ignoring her and running away from all their well-meaning worrywartiness. Naruto secured his hold, just in case.
Sakura's voice was soft, a little sad. "Would you want to name them after... someone?"
Sasuke's put-upon expression melted away, and he met Sakura's eyes with a solemn look of his own.
"... Your parents?"
Naruto blinked when he finally understood. "Huh? People do that? That's a bit weird, isn't it?"
Sasuke tensed under his arm and leaned away from him slightly. Naruto grimaced, and didn't let go.
"Lots of people are named for someone -- or something -- meaningful," Sakura intervened, scowling at him for being insensitive. "Naming a child isn't just about what sounds pretty."
Naruto grimaced at her a little. He hadn't meant it like that. "Maybe it should be," Naruto said back, and then realized it sounded kind of like he was looking for a fight. He softened his tone, his eyes never looking away from Sasuke's angry ones. "No -- listen, I just mean, it's not a bad idea in general, but... Wouldn't the kid wonder if they're supposed to be a replacement?"
From the flinch and the way Sasuke's fists clenched, Naruto could see that Sasuke didn't like hearing that much -- but also that he could see his point, however reluctantly. Naruto nudged him a bit, trying to find the words to make it better.
He didn't, so he just nudged Sasuke again.
"... You're right," Sasuke admitted with some difficulty. He looked away then, not quite at Sakura either. "It would be too much baggage to saddle the child with."
Naruto smiled then. "Yeah. A brand-new person. No baggage allowed."
Sakura smiled a little wetly and slipped her arm around Sasuke's waist, hugging him. Sasuke sighed. "You two are so clingy."
Naruto noticed Sasuke wrapped an arm around Sakura's waist right back nonetheless, allowing himself a few seconds of sappiness before he shrugged them both into giving him back his personal space. Naruto obliged, allowing his arm to slip away from Sasuke's shoulders, but really just because it would be stupid to be too entangled to fight back if they were attacked now.
"Hey, we can always badger our children into choosing who our grandchildren get to be named after."
"... Naruto, don't talk about grandchildren now." If it had been anyone else, Naruto would have said they sounded a little faint, but of course Sasuke did not. Yeah right. Now Sasuke didn't look vaguely depressed anymore, he looked just a bit overwhelmed; but Naruto thought worrying about the future was still better than brooding about the past.
"Traditional clan names are probably okay, though, right? As long as they sound nice. We don't want the kid to be laughed out of the schoolyard."
Sakura grimaced at him behind Sasuke's head and mouthed silently 'Leave it alone already.' Naruto blinked, and realized Sasuke's face looked kind of a little seasick.
No matter what Sakura said, it was just too tempting to pass up.
"Hey, bastard?"
"What?"
Naruto allowed himself a grin of amusement about the fact that 'bastard' was now so much of Sasuke's official nickname that he didn't even blink twice anymore. Granted, it would also depend a lot on the tone of Naruto's voice when he said it. "You get to be the get-off-my-lawn grandpa. I'll be better at the candy-giving one."
Sasuke's reaction was a mix of annoyance -- expected -- and cringing frustration -- definitely unexpected. "Don't --" He breathed out, and glared, but it didn't make his first word sound any less pleading. "You're a real pain in the ass."
Naruto sighed. Now he felt a little bad, for teasing Sasuke when he was feeling vulnerable. He should probably have encouraged Sasuke to open up more by being attentive and supportive and stuff, but he didn't have a clue how to do that without looking stupid or making Sasuke clam up. At least if he teased Sasuke having him clam up as a result would be deliberate.
"Don't what?" Sakura asked softly.
Sasuke glanced at her, and then glared at his shoes. "... Nothing. Look, there's animal tracks, let's find some food."
He went up ahead, bouncing over a rock and quickly out of sight; Naruto winced guiltily. Sakura gave him a little glare but it soon melted away; she stepped up to him and bumped him with her shoulder.
"I don't think he's angry, just... Wigged."
"But having a family is great!"
Sakura nodded. "Yes. He thinks so too, you know that. I think that's the problem. Maybe he's just afraid to jinx it."
Naruto wrapped an arm around Sakura's back and hugged her to his side briefly, sighing in her hair. It made sense, now that he thought of it. It was more scary to have the potential of something good than nothing at all. Then you got to be scared of everything that could make it not happen. When you had nothing and expected nothing, there was nothing to lose, not even hope.
"...Our boyfriend is a freak."
Sakura gave him a crooked smirk and prodded him in the chest with a hard finger. "Like you can talk, ramen-boy."
"Hey, my liking of ramen is perfectly normal and healthy. Ramen is great, AND it's nutritious and filling."
Sakura gave him a dubiously cocked eyebrow. "I don't think you want to argue nutritional values with me. You'll lose." She flipped her hair and started jogging after Sasuke.
"It's not my fault they don't make fruit ramen!"
Since they were going hunting and not passively waiting for someone to attack them, Naruto dissipated the bunshins. They'd seen nothing but rocks and thorny bushes and more rocks. He could have spared himself the expense of chakra -- but then again they wouldn't have had that conversation.
The area smelled like rabbits and that weird miniature island deer, a few small predators, and a lot of lizards, so when they followed Sasuke down a hollow and found a little stream at the bottom, half-hidden by tall ferns, he wasn't too surprised. Sakura tested the water and then she and Sasuke refilled the flasks. Naruto watched the area. The hollow was greener than the rest of the island so far, the plants higher; a few of the trees even managed to reach about Jiraiya's height. Which was kind of ridiculous for a tree, but on that island it was still damn high.
Good hunting here, he thought. Well... Rabbits. But good enough.
"It's getting late," Sakura commented. "Should we camp here?"
Sasuke grimaced. "We can, but tomorrow we'll have to go straight to the tower.
By this point it would be full of enemies lying in wait... "It's not as if we've had any luck finding tokens out here," Naruto grumbled. "I say we just run at them and smash right through."
Sakura huffed. "You would."
"We'll have to go through to get to the watchtower anyway. Might as well use them."
"And if we don't fall into a trap?"
"Then we make one. Or look for a Jounin to steal from."
Judging by Sasuke's decisive tone, he'd managed to find his footing again. That or repress like crazy. Business as usual. Naruto was almost sad.
Naruto took in the place and considered. The slopes weren't steep enough to keep game boxed in if he tried to flush them at his teammates, so...
"What are you grinning about?" Sakura asked, looking faintly worried.
Naruto realized he was doing a happy shark impression and immediately looked sheepish. "Haha, nothing, I just realized I'm gonna have to crawl around in the bushes to hunt. It's kind of fun. You know, stalk your prey..."
Sakura's worry didn't seem to be getting much better. Naruto sighed, shoulders slumping.
"Or I could just crawl around so I can find rabbit tunnels and know where to put up some snares."
"I'll come with you," she said. "Your traps are horrible."
Well, it was funnier to catch them with his own teeth. ... Hands. Naruto shivered. 'Hey Kyuubi, you here?'
"--Naruto?"
"Uh -- sorry, distracted. Alright, if you insist..."
"And you, Sasuke-kun?"
"I'll set the camp. Just go."
next part.