Ignorance is Bliss (Naruto): #439 - See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
Title: Ignorance is Bliss
Author: scarlet_ivy
Rating: G
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing/s: onesided sasunaru, sasusaku
Theme: #439 - See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
Genre/s: Angst
Warnings: angst
Words: 1076
Summary: He noticed it - he noticed everything; he just chose to ignore it.
Disclaimer: Do you see Naruto getting together with two specific Uchihas? Do you see Itachi coming back from the dead? Do you see- *sigh* never mind… I still don’t own Naruto.
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Ignorance is Bliss
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“Welcome home, Sasuke,” the blond greeted the man at the door.
Sasuke grunted as he stepped into the house. He strode to the bedroom without a passing glance at the blond. The ignored man visibly drooped, picking himself up off the couch he had been sitting in to follow the other.
He entered the room to the sight of a naked Sasuke already asleep on the bed, covers thrown haphazardly across his body, and clothes strewn carelessly on the floor. The blond sighed fondly, going over to adjust the sheets, careful not to wake Sasuke. He then proceeded to pick up the forgotten garments on the ground. The faint smell of perfume on the clothes was ignored by the blond. As was the small lipstick imprint on the collar of Sasuke’s white shirt. And the questionable stain on the front of his pants.
The blond stripped off his own clothing, and threw the whole pile into the laundry basket to be washed tomorrow.
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Have an important mission today. Won’t be able to make it to dinner. -U.S.”
The note lay on the dining table, harmless words stabbing with utmost precision into his heart. His throat felt clogged with emotions; it was suffocating. He swallowed hard, and plastered a smile on his face as he stepped out of the house, seemingly without a care in the world.
‘He knew what today was. He knew!’ The voice in his head sounded accusing, but he pushed the thought away. ‘The mission he’s sent on is very important. It’s for the sake of the village,’ his heart assured his mind.
Today, he decided to take to the roads like the civilians, instead of jumping on rooftops, however fun that is, like shinobi. Of course, walking down the streets just plain stupid. He was taking unnecessary risks just by being exposed to the people of Konoha. But he didn’t care. The bustling noises of the village helped ease his mind off of more painful memories. He ignored the whispers and the hateful eyes that followed him. Like everything else. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore…
As he approached the Hokage Tower, he spotted his friends from the Rookie Twelve, bar himself, Sasuke, Sakura, and Chouji. He ducked around the corner, not wanting to face them yet. He knew if he saw them, he’ll just break down crying. Everyone from the Rookie Twelve had gotten together, and the happy feelings will just make him feel even worse.
The blond skirted around the back, keen on avoiding his friends. He saw Shikamaru glance in his direction, but he knew the lazy genius probably wouldn’t bother chasing after him to ask him what his problem was.
Walking into the building, Naruto noticed some of the veterans glare at him, but most other shinobi were indifferent. The blond smiled widely.
“Hey, Iruka-sensei!” He hollered. The man handing out the missions with the scar running across his nose blushed as all eyes turned towards him.
“Quiet down, Naruto! There are people here!” Iruka reprimanded.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he approached the missions desk. “Heh.. heh… Hey, are there any good missions today?”
Iruka thumbed through the papers, looking for one that would take less than a day to complete. It was a special day for Naruto after all. He smiled as he found the perfect mission. “Here you go!” He said cheerfully as he handed the mission papers to the blond.
Naruto thanked Iruka, leaving the Tower before reading the mission. ‘A C-rank… help the Godaime Hokage with paperwork?!’ He growled loudly. ‘The Hokage should be doing her own paperwork, not hiring shinobi to do it for her!’ Nonetheless, he walked back in to the Tower and straight to the stairs.
“Tsunade-baa-chan, what’s the meaning of this?!” Naruto yelled as he pushed open the doors to the room, ducking to avoid the weighted paper holder that was aimed for his head.
“Insolent brat!” Tsunade growled affectionately. “This is who they send up to help me?! You can’t do paperwork!”
Naruto scowled. “I can so do paperwork! This is easy! Just read through some stuff and put your signature on the line! Think of it as training for the future Hokage!”
Tsunade smirked. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
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Naruto groaned as he trudged back home. He could barely move his hands, they were so tired. He passed stores and roads, almost forgetting where he was going.
A flash of blue and pink. Two people kissing in the alley, bodies wrapped intimately around each other. Whispers of love and affection floated to his ears. He ignored everything as he made his way to the bakery.
He thanked the young lady behind the counter as he picked up his order. Rushing back home, he entered through the kitchen window so that he can place down his cake. ‘Doors are so overrated,’ he thought blearily.
He walked to the bedroom to change into more comfortable clothing, before going back to the dining room, taking the cake, and leaving through the window. Then, he jumped up, landing and settling down nicely on the roof. He opened the box, smiling as he saw his cake. It was a simple, white cake, with no special decorations on it. He knew that when he ate it, it would not be very sweet. ‘Just the way Sasuke liked it,’ he thought mournfully.
Fireworks filled the skies, as Naruto took the first bite from his cake.
‘Happy birthday to me.’
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The night had turned cold. Naruto picked up his now empty cake box and went back inside. He threw the box away, and sat himself down on the couch.
Just then, Sasuke walked in.
“Welcome home, Sasuke,” the blond greeted him.
Sasuke grunted as he walked past Naruto to enter the bedroom. No ‘hello’, no ‘how was your day?’ or even a ‘happy birthday’.
Somehow, along the lines, the intense, passionate feeling at the start of the relationship had dwindled down to mere embers, and the love had slowly disappeared from Sasuke. And Naruto was left with an empty feeling in his chest.
The blond followed Sasuke, stripping down into his boxers and slipping into the covers beside him. He snuggled up to the other man. Sasuke didn’t put his arms around him, like he used to. The blond didn’t miss the fact that Sasuke smelled like perfume. He just chose to ignore it. Like everything else.
“Love you, Sasuke. ‘Night.”
Silence.
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