for: kimiessu
For: kimiessu
Title: Eclipse Me.
Rating: R
Summary: Emotion and logic, the sun and the moon chase each other and sometimes they meet not as polar opposites but as equals.
Warnings: Angst with poetic undertones, sexual tension, mindfuckery
A/N: It took me a while to get into my head what angst with poetic undertones was but I hope I managed to do it right.
Mod note: Reminder for the author/artist of this submission, please do not reply to comments signed in, if you want to reply anon commenting is enabled.
===****===
Naruto rolled out of bed and put on his armor. Slipping into his black attire and gunmetal gray armor chest plate, Naruto didn’t speak, putting on his mask. He wouldn’t do this again. He couldn’t, not when there was so much for him to lose and nothing to be gained. Every time he got out of bed from being with Sasuke he seemed so lost. Parts of the old him, emotional and weak, broke through the new, more logical piece, determined to be again. The sun-he didn’t want to be the sun; he wanted the darkness his despair the moon, and it suited him now.
“I expect to see you tomorrow.” Sasuke spoke calmly from twisted bed sheets; lying on his back and watching his bodyguard withdraw from him in every way.
Naruto was gone and Sasuke was alone. Sasuke silently cursed the impetuousness that made him agree to take the position of Hokage. He had effectively stolen it from the other. To compensate, Sasuke had offered Naruto a position as Hokage guard captain. He was to be second only to the Hokage but instead of taking it, he had refused. Sasuke threatened him and in a completely unNaruto-like fashion, he attempted to quit being a ninja. Sasuke almost had to kill Naruto before the other had agreed to stay on as his bodyguard. Even then, Sasuke was pretty sure he had to throw in a threat or two against the only other people Naruto could possibly be living for.
Sitting up, Sasuke hissed lightly as his muscles groaned and spasmed. He stretched lightly when he stood, walking into his bathroom and wincing at the feel of Naruto sperm sliding down his leg. In some ways he felt bad for using his position to get Naruto to do what he wanted. Then again, Naruto got to exorcise some demons. Their couplings were brutal and honest; their time outside Sasuke’s room was fraught with subtle insubordination on Naruto’s part and outright manipulation on Sasuke’s.
No one understood how their relationship worked or what exactly that relationship was. No one that probed into their thing actually managed to find out anything and if they did, it was dealt with quietly and in some cases violently. Sasuke was well aware that his relationship with Naruto transcended most relationship markers. Their relationship had always been one of brothers, equals, rivals, enemies, always moving and never resting on one term for long.
Quickly washing off, Sasuke dressed in his standard attire and headed to the Hokage tower. He felt calm, as he usually did after his times with Naruto. He knew for a fact he had a set of teeth marks on his shoulder that would require healing. The burn in his backside he would leave as a reminder. He enjoyed the sting and knew that Naruto would not be so easy to catch again during the next two days he had off. Sasuke would catch Naruto again, though; they belonged together and Naruto was every bit the fool he was to deny it. Soon though, very soon, Naruto would have to because Sasuke wouldn’t tolerate Naruto’s other flings without rancor or vengeance.
Naruto had a penchant for picking up strays. They were generally the weaker, the overemotional, those that clung to him and needed his protection, who couldn’t be without his presence whether it was in their beds or their lives. It bemused Sasuke that most of Naruto’s strays behaved like Sakura had towards him. Sasuke had ripped himself away from her and while he wasn’t stupid enough to think that he was the main reason behind her being so successful, he knew he was a catalyst to her change. He would be to their catalyst too; both the female Inuzuka and the male Aburame. Maybe their hate for him would get him better medic-nin. It was a thought, worth following up on.
=++++=
In full combat gear anyone would feel like a soldier and simultaneously a prisoner. For Naruto, all he felt was failure. Every additional day he spent in his ANBU guard uniform felt like another notch against his pride. The only thing missing from this moment was his mask, the mask that Naruto had placed in his side pouch as soon as he left that bastard whom the council had named Hokage. Uchiha Sasuke. His name was enough to piss Naruto off. If nothing else Naruto was thankful that, for the most part, as long as he did what his Hokage ordered, he was left alone and ignored. He liked it that way. He was used to that way.
He had survived and flourished regardless of other’s neglect, becoming a high ranking ninja when most thought he would only amount to a thief or worse but now he was stuck; he was stagnant. The only way from him to flourish now would be to get the job of Hokage. He wouldn’t get that unless something happened to Sasuke, and since it was his job to protect the Hokage, he would never obtain that Naruto couldn’t reach for the stars when the clouds were in the way.
By rights the Hokage job should have been his. He had put in all the hard effort and done all the groundwork so he should have been a shoe in. Old prejudices died hard though, regardless if one container made an excellent kage. Naruto still had his demon inside while the other had had his removed and that made all the difference. It wasn't the same and Naruto just wasn't safe enough or good enough for them to want to take a chance.
The avenger on the other hand was the prodigal son, returning with Orochimaru's head on a pike and more than enough information to buy his freedom. Sasuke was a hero, and well liked if not loved. He was strong and silent. After the upheaval of the fourth ninja war many felt that he was what was needed. When the news reached him, Naruto had quickly faded into the shadows, disappearing into the moon.
Naruto had destroyed what made him sunny by shaving his head. Instead he went for the night. Naruto didn't smile; he didn't laugh and he got tired of people attempting to pull him out of it. Sasuke asking for him to be one of his guards personally had been the last straw. Naruto had been allowed to refuse twice before he was told do it or give up being a ninja altogether-and Naruto had chosen the latter.
Deciding not to be a ninja had been easy; actually applying it had been bad for his health. Sasuke had spent the next two weeks actively trying to kill him and his current guards had taken their jobs seriously enough to defend Sasuke from the few attacks that Naruto actually got through Sasuke's defenses.
Naruto had almost bled to death twice but Sasuke kept making Sakura bring him back. Sakura performed her task because the Hokage ordered it and not because she wanted it-at her weakest moment, she had begged for Naruto’s life to be allowed to end.
Naruto refused to give in until Sasuke had threatened to kill Sakura and Iruka to gain his way. Seeing Sakura’s expression had broken Naruto’s heart; love died that day and from it some understanding grew. He could never understand love; it hurt entirely too much for it to be a positive emotion. Care, respect, loyalty, acknowledgement, he understood. Love was poisonous, something that could turn from a vaccine for the disease of loneliness to the very poison itself.
"I wish Orochimaru had killed him." Naruto let the words slide from between his lips as he studied the face of the moon, unsure if he actually meant them or if the slight pain where his heart used to be was telling him he did. The moon was his lone companion as he sat atop the Hokage Mountain. Pulling a bottle of Sake from his pouch, Naruto took a sip while studying the pock marks on the surface, imagining that he was that pock mark that blight on the moon.
"Here you are, Usuratonkachi."
“Hokage.” Naruto responded automatically, not even bothering to look at the unwelcome distraction through his misery.
Sasuke's everyday Hokage robes consisted of a short dark blue yukata with the Uchiha fan detailed around the edges, a black obi and black pants bound to his legs by dark wrappings and ending in black shinobi sandals. Sometimes for festivals Sasuke would wear the full length black kimono with his clan’s sign on his back. Naruto always had the urge to do target practice whenever he saw the blasted thing. Those were the only two outfits anyone ever saw him in. Naruto was well aware that Sasuke slept in the nude. Four years of service meant Naruto knew his Hokage better than most.
"Did you require something?" Naruto asked calmly, taking another sip of the alcohol and enjoying the slight sting. He could drink the stuff like water and never get drunk. It was a perk of sorts he supposed.
Taking his gaze off the moon, Naruto surveyed the sleeping village below. Occasionally he would catch glimpses of the other ninja on night time watch as they moved around. Making a mental note to chastise them later, Naruto let out a sigh. Giving Sasuke his attention, Naruto waited for Sasuke to speak.
For a moment nothing happened. Naruto wondered what Sasuke saw when he looked at him. Naruto knew he had grown a lot. He stood 6'3 now to Sasuke's 5'9. He was brawn, strength and endurance while Sasuke was speed and agility.
Sasuke was the smaller in build but his wiriness led to a lot of blood and death when underestimated. Naruto couldn't even begin to explain some of the things he had seen Sasuke do. The fact that Sasuke kept his Sharingan turned off the majority of the time didn't keep his legend from growing.
Women went after Sasuke for his power and beauty. Women went after Naruto for his security. He appreciated them accordingly when he had them. Naruto did men the same way. In his mind, love was love. Whether he got it from a man or woman it didn’t matter. They provided him with an escape and he provided them with encouragement and assistance when they needed it.
"You have been avoiding me." Sasuke stated plainly.
"No more than usual." Naruto responded honestly. It had been something Naruto had learned from Sai, the way to modify his voice just enough that it was irritating and disrespectful enough that he could get away with it. Naruto had added his own unique twist to it that played off his voice’s gravelly texture. It was obvious to even the most ignorant of pre-genin that one of the Hokage's guards hated his job. The fact that Naruto hated his job and was still an exemplar made up for it; Naruto might not have liked his job but he did it to the best of his abilities.
"Dobe, I meant since the most recent meeting of the Kages." Sasuke elaborated, his eyes glowing faintly in the light. "If you were the Hokage, I am sure you would do things differently."
"But I'm not." Naruto retorted, his gaze not leaving the village below. He could feel Sasuke's chakra pulse slightly.
"Stop bathing in the moonlight, it doesn't suit you." Sasuke commented and Naruto turned and looked at him for the first time.
"Then stop being a peeping tom while I'm bathing." Naruto dared to meet Sasuke’s eyes briefly before sliding his gaze away dismissively. "Hokage." Naruto nodded and then he was gone.
***++++****
"I really wish he would stop trying to befriend me." Naruto chastised to the ceiling of his second apartment. “We can’t be friends… we just can’t even-I don’t even think we could be enemies without a problem.” He let his lips quirk slightly at the mental image of his ceiling responding to him or gossiping with his walls about what went on in this second apartment.
The first one was the standard issue luxury apartment that most higher level shinobi had. Naruto had nothing against that apartment besides the fact that Sasuke demanded access and showed up at random hours to berate the mess of the apartment or the eating habits of its owner. In the end, Naruto had simply found a smaller second studio apartment to prevent him from putting a Rasengan through the Hokage's face. He had managed to keep it secret for three years but apparently it wasn't going to remain that way if the brisk knocking on the door was any indication.
After a long soak in his tub, Naruto had changed into his bright orange yukata and eaten a bowl of ramen. He was relaxed and calm again-he needed all the calm he could get at the rate the Hokage was riding him-but the knock had broken Naruto out of his calm and he didn’t need to look through the peephole in the door to know who it was. There was only person alive who could possibly break his wards and still be enough of an ass to knock.
"Hokage." Naruto opened the door, standing in the frame. "Did you require something?" His voice dipped to its lowest point as he tilted his head.
Only his sharp reflexes kept Naruto from catching a chakra ball with his face. Not wanting to do open warfare in his apartment, Naruto jutsued them both to the training grounds far away from anyone who could get hurt. Standing in the middle of the Hokage guards’ training ground deep in the woods surrounding the village, Naruto felt a brief moment of peace before a crackle of lightning shot past his face.
In a yukata, Naruto had no weapons with him but he did have a virtually unlimited store of chakra at his disposal. Visualizing his attack, Naruto leaped nimbly out of the way of the barrage of kunai coming after him. Knowing that his yukata was as good as painting a sign on him saying I'm here, Naruto tore it off once he had disappeared from view.
Crouching low he set up a quick trap that he had developed specifically for those with bloodline eye limits. It had taken weeks of conversations and bribes before Hinata had even considered helping him test it. If it weren't for the fact that he had helped her pass her Jounin certification, he doubted he would have been allowed near her. Naruto had predicted that Neji would come after him and he didn’t care. Neji was also one of Sasuke’s guards and twice the two had almost come to blows over it before Hinata stepped in herself.
In his black boxers, Naruto felt exposed as he took out one of the kunai he had grabbed from those that had been thrown his way. Cutting himself, he waited patiently for Sasuke to appear. The other man always seemed to turn up when he was bleeding. Sasuke appeared almost out of thin air, Sharingan blazing and suddenly his eyes were back to normal. He was hanging, blindfolded and gagged. Ropes tightly bound his arms to his sides and his wrists together. Naruto had chakra infused them so that Sasuke couldn't slide out of them. Picking Sasuke up and throwing him over his shoulder, Naruto grunted as Sasuke kicked him in the stomach.
"I don't know why you insist on being a bastard." Naruto growled. "Hold still." Slapping Sasuke sharply on the ass, Naruto picked up his yukata and transported them to the Hokage mansion. Strolling confidently into the dwelling, Naruto intended on putting the other down in the living area but finding it strewn with liquor bottles and various pill bottles, Naruto blinked.
"Are you drunk?" Setting Sasuke on his feet, Naruto noted the defiant posture. "For fuck's sake Sasuke." Ripping the blindfold off and removing the gag, Naruto met the icy glare, with one of his own. "What is wrong with you all of a sudden? You have everything." Waving his hand around to encompass the space, "Why would you throw it away? Again?" Naruto stressed, feeling his mood shifting, as the other man continued to regard him defiantly.
“No, I don’t-”
"The village depends on you and you what? Try to end it all? Well you know what? Let me give you a reason to throw it all away.” Naruto felt on edge; what the hell was he talking about? Everything felt slightly surreal, picking up his kunai he stabbed himself in the thigh and blinked at the suddenly pill free room.
“It got your attention didn’t it?” Sasuke commented evenly, proud his genjutsu had held up so well.
"What the fuck are you trying to pull?" Naruto swore, covering Sasuke's sharingan wielding eyes and dragging him down the hallway into the large bedroom. Throwing Sasuke on the bed, Naruto jutsued the chakra wire to manipulate it into tying Sasuke's arms to the headboard. Pushing his chakra out, Naruto felt around for the guard that was supposed to be protecting Sasuke. Not sensing one, Naruto resigned himself to spending the evening in his Hokage's residence.
Walking back to the bed, he pulled off strips of cloth and bandaged his leg before sitting on the side of the bed. "Why? Why do you always...?" Naruto sighed not knowing how to put it into words. He was completely defeated. "You have everything. You are Hokage, you can have anyone in the village you want. Yet you always..." Naruto got up, intending to leave.
"Stay." Sasuke's voice rasped out.
"Why? Why do you make me stay when you hate me?"
"Dobe."
"No, you don't get to call me that." Naruto was suddenly furious. "We aren't friends or teammates any more. You are my Hokage and I am your guard."
"Alright then." Sasuke spoke quietly. "As your Hokage I demand that you release me."
Naruto paused. In that moment he understood why treason was ever an option for some people. With a quick hand signal, he released Sasuke and turned away.
"Uzumaki, as your Hokage, I demand you stay the night." Sasuke removed the blindfold and slid to the side of the bed. "Seeing as there are no other guards around, you will also have to guard my body through the night."
"Absolutely not." Naruto protested looking down at Sasuke.
"I think you will."
"What type of mind fuck are you trying to pull?" Naruto demanded crossing his arms.
"Nothing that you don't like
Naruto blinked for a moment. "Absolutely not." Turning again and attempting to walk away, he shouldn't have been surprised when a chakra barrier appeared through the doorway, cutting off all exits and effectively neutralizing any chakra attempts at escape.
“Hokage, please let me go.” Naruto didn’t turn around, his shoulders tense as he heard Sasuke moving.
“No. I can’t and you don’t want me to.” Sasuke removed his clothes and studied Naruto’s determined stance. “You can deny what we have in public all you want, Naruto, but when it’s just us…” Sasuke walked up behind Naruto, debating if he should hug the other or even how to do it. “When it’s just us, you know we work. That you keep questioning it just proves that-”
“Shut up teme,” with a hand slapped over Sasuke’s mouth, Naruto shook his head. “I already know.”
Closing the distance between them, Naruto leaned close to Sasuke’s lips, almost touching. “And I hope you know that I intend to continue riding you and fighting for your job.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Sasuke murmured, licking lightly at Naruto’s lips.
Looking into Sasuke’s eyes, Naruto felt calm and oddly at peace with himself. “You took my dreams and made them your own. I can’t forgive you for that and I have every intention of taking my dream back. I can’t hate you-I don’t like you but I think I could love you.” Naruto sighed, realizing that his shadowy shell was cracking, that the sun was breaking through the darkness. He wasn’t meant for logic. Emotion was all he knew how to do.
Sasuke smirked and Naruto showed fangs. “I figured as much.”
“Feeling like you need someone to eclipse you?” Naruto prowled forward and Sasuke stepped back, “You know you just like getting in my way.”
“Dobe.”
“Yes, teme?”
“Eclipse me.”
“No.”
Naruto jutsued away the minute Sasuke’s chakra barrier wavered.
Landing in the Hokage tower, Naruto sat in Sasuke’s chair and enjoyed the quiet of the office. One of his men came in to check what the sudden disturbance was and Naruto waved him away.
It would be easy for Naruto to give into Sasuke’s manipulations but there was no fun in that. Refusing to give in that easily, Naruto waited patiently for Sasuke to find him, knowing the other was probably furious-Let him be angry. He needs more emotion in his life anyway. Putting his hands on his stomach Naruto briefly started when he felt the crackling of chakra that heralded someone’s transportation jutsu. Recognizing the chakra, Naruto waited patiently while Sasuke appeared on his lap, kunai pressing into Naruto’s jugular.
Sharingan eyes flared briefly before going to shining black, “Usuratonkachi,” sliding the razor sharp blade up and down Naruto’s throat, Sasuke was fascinated by the sound and sight of it playing across that strong muscle. Naruto’s pulse rate didn’t even seem to be accelerating at all. “I should kill you for being such a tease.”
Naruto smiled quietly. “I’m your sun. You are my moon,” Slowly moving his nose under Sasuke’s chin, Naruto inhaled his scent. “We chase each other through the sky, why should life be any different?”
“Anymore astronomy comments, Naruto, and I will keep you so busy that you forget what the sky looks like.”
The End.
Title: Eclipse Me.
Rating: R
Summary: Emotion and logic, the sun and the moon chase each other and sometimes they meet not as polar opposites but as equals.
Warnings: Angst with poetic undertones, sexual tension, mindfuckery
A/N: It took me a while to get into my head what angst with poetic undertones was but I hope I managed to do it right.
Mod note: Reminder for the author/artist of this submission, please do not reply to comments signed in, if you want to reply anon commenting is enabled.
===****===
Naruto rolled out of bed and put on his armor. Slipping into his black attire and gunmetal gray armor chest plate, Naruto didn’t speak, putting on his mask. He wouldn’t do this again. He couldn’t, not when there was so much for him to lose and nothing to be gained. Every time he got out of bed from being with Sasuke he seemed so lost. Parts of the old him, emotional and weak, broke through the new, more logical piece, determined to be again. The sun-he didn’t want to be the sun; he wanted the darkness his despair the moon, and it suited him now.
“I expect to see you tomorrow.” Sasuke spoke calmly from twisted bed sheets; lying on his back and watching his bodyguard withdraw from him in every way.
Naruto was gone and Sasuke was alone. Sasuke silently cursed the impetuousness that made him agree to take the position of Hokage. He had effectively stolen it from the other. To compensate, Sasuke had offered Naruto a position as Hokage guard captain. He was to be second only to the Hokage but instead of taking it, he had refused. Sasuke threatened him and in a completely unNaruto-like fashion, he attempted to quit being a ninja. Sasuke almost had to kill Naruto before the other had agreed to stay on as his bodyguard. Even then, Sasuke was pretty sure he had to throw in a threat or two against the only other people Naruto could possibly be living for.
Sitting up, Sasuke hissed lightly as his muscles groaned and spasmed. He stretched lightly when he stood, walking into his bathroom and wincing at the feel of Naruto sperm sliding down his leg. In some ways he felt bad for using his position to get Naruto to do what he wanted. Then again, Naruto got to exorcise some demons. Their couplings were brutal and honest; their time outside Sasuke’s room was fraught with subtle insubordination on Naruto’s part and outright manipulation on Sasuke’s.
No one understood how their relationship worked or what exactly that relationship was. No one that probed into their thing actually managed to find out anything and if they did, it was dealt with quietly and in some cases violently. Sasuke was well aware that his relationship with Naruto transcended most relationship markers. Their relationship had always been one of brothers, equals, rivals, enemies, always moving and never resting on one term for long.
Quickly washing off, Sasuke dressed in his standard attire and headed to the Hokage tower. He felt calm, as he usually did after his times with Naruto. He knew for a fact he had a set of teeth marks on his shoulder that would require healing. The burn in his backside he would leave as a reminder. He enjoyed the sting and knew that Naruto would not be so easy to catch again during the next two days he had off. Sasuke would catch Naruto again, though; they belonged together and Naruto was every bit the fool he was to deny it. Soon though, very soon, Naruto would have to because Sasuke wouldn’t tolerate Naruto’s other flings without rancor or vengeance.
Naruto had a penchant for picking up strays. They were generally the weaker, the overemotional, those that clung to him and needed his protection, who couldn’t be without his presence whether it was in their beds or their lives. It bemused Sasuke that most of Naruto’s strays behaved like Sakura had towards him. Sasuke had ripped himself away from her and while he wasn’t stupid enough to think that he was the main reason behind her being so successful, he knew he was a catalyst to her change. He would be to their catalyst too; both the female Inuzuka and the male Aburame. Maybe their hate for him would get him better medic-nin. It was a thought, worth following up on.
=++++=
In full combat gear anyone would feel like a soldier and simultaneously a prisoner. For Naruto, all he felt was failure. Every additional day he spent in his ANBU guard uniform felt like another notch against his pride. The only thing missing from this moment was his mask, the mask that Naruto had placed in his side pouch as soon as he left that bastard whom the council had named Hokage. Uchiha Sasuke. His name was enough to piss Naruto off. If nothing else Naruto was thankful that, for the most part, as long as he did what his Hokage ordered, he was left alone and ignored. He liked it that way. He was used to that way.
He had survived and flourished regardless of other’s neglect, becoming a high ranking ninja when most thought he would only amount to a thief or worse but now he was stuck; he was stagnant. The only way from him to flourish now would be to get the job of Hokage. He wouldn’t get that unless something happened to Sasuke, and since it was his job to protect the Hokage, he would never obtain that Naruto couldn’t reach for the stars when the clouds were in the way.
By rights the Hokage job should have been his. He had put in all the hard effort and done all the groundwork so he should have been a shoe in. Old prejudices died hard though, regardless if one container made an excellent kage. Naruto still had his demon inside while the other had had his removed and that made all the difference. It wasn't the same and Naruto just wasn't safe enough or good enough for them to want to take a chance.
The avenger on the other hand was the prodigal son, returning with Orochimaru's head on a pike and more than enough information to buy his freedom. Sasuke was a hero, and well liked if not loved. He was strong and silent. After the upheaval of the fourth ninja war many felt that he was what was needed. When the news reached him, Naruto had quickly faded into the shadows, disappearing into the moon.
Naruto had destroyed what made him sunny by shaving his head. Instead he went for the night. Naruto didn't smile; he didn't laugh and he got tired of people attempting to pull him out of it. Sasuke asking for him to be one of his guards personally had been the last straw. Naruto had been allowed to refuse twice before he was told do it or give up being a ninja altogether-and Naruto had chosen the latter.
Deciding not to be a ninja had been easy; actually applying it had been bad for his health. Sasuke had spent the next two weeks actively trying to kill him and his current guards had taken their jobs seriously enough to defend Sasuke from the few attacks that Naruto actually got through Sasuke's defenses.
Naruto had almost bled to death twice but Sasuke kept making Sakura bring him back. Sakura performed her task because the Hokage ordered it and not because she wanted it-at her weakest moment, she had begged for Naruto’s life to be allowed to end.
Naruto refused to give in until Sasuke had threatened to kill Sakura and Iruka to gain his way. Seeing Sakura’s expression had broken Naruto’s heart; love died that day and from it some understanding grew. He could never understand love; it hurt entirely too much for it to be a positive emotion. Care, respect, loyalty, acknowledgement, he understood. Love was poisonous, something that could turn from a vaccine for the disease of loneliness to the very poison itself.
"I wish Orochimaru had killed him." Naruto let the words slide from between his lips as he studied the face of the moon, unsure if he actually meant them or if the slight pain where his heart used to be was telling him he did. The moon was his lone companion as he sat atop the Hokage Mountain. Pulling a bottle of Sake from his pouch, Naruto took a sip while studying the pock marks on the surface, imagining that he was that pock mark that blight on the moon.
"Here you are, Usuratonkachi."
“Hokage.” Naruto responded automatically, not even bothering to look at the unwelcome distraction through his misery.
Sasuke's everyday Hokage robes consisted of a short dark blue yukata with the Uchiha fan detailed around the edges, a black obi and black pants bound to his legs by dark wrappings and ending in black shinobi sandals. Sometimes for festivals Sasuke would wear the full length black kimono with his clan’s sign on his back. Naruto always had the urge to do target practice whenever he saw the blasted thing. Those were the only two outfits anyone ever saw him in. Naruto was well aware that Sasuke slept in the nude. Four years of service meant Naruto knew his Hokage better than most.
"Did you require something?" Naruto asked calmly, taking another sip of the alcohol and enjoying the slight sting. He could drink the stuff like water and never get drunk. It was a perk of sorts he supposed.
Taking his gaze off the moon, Naruto surveyed the sleeping village below. Occasionally he would catch glimpses of the other ninja on night time watch as they moved around. Making a mental note to chastise them later, Naruto let out a sigh. Giving Sasuke his attention, Naruto waited for Sasuke to speak.
For a moment nothing happened. Naruto wondered what Sasuke saw when he looked at him. Naruto knew he had grown a lot. He stood 6'3 now to Sasuke's 5'9. He was brawn, strength and endurance while Sasuke was speed and agility.
Sasuke was the smaller in build but his wiriness led to a lot of blood and death when underestimated. Naruto couldn't even begin to explain some of the things he had seen Sasuke do. The fact that Sasuke kept his Sharingan turned off the majority of the time didn't keep his legend from growing.
Women went after Sasuke for his power and beauty. Women went after Naruto for his security. He appreciated them accordingly when he had them. Naruto did men the same way. In his mind, love was love. Whether he got it from a man or woman it didn’t matter. They provided him with an escape and he provided them with encouragement and assistance when they needed it.
"You have been avoiding me." Sasuke stated plainly.
"No more than usual." Naruto responded honestly. It had been something Naruto had learned from Sai, the way to modify his voice just enough that it was irritating and disrespectful enough that he could get away with it. Naruto had added his own unique twist to it that played off his voice’s gravelly texture. It was obvious to even the most ignorant of pre-genin that one of the Hokage's guards hated his job. The fact that Naruto hated his job and was still an exemplar made up for it; Naruto might not have liked his job but he did it to the best of his abilities.
"Dobe, I meant since the most recent meeting of the Kages." Sasuke elaborated, his eyes glowing faintly in the light. "If you were the Hokage, I am sure you would do things differently."
"But I'm not." Naruto retorted, his gaze not leaving the village below. He could feel Sasuke's chakra pulse slightly.
"Stop bathing in the moonlight, it doesn't suit you." Sasuke commented and Naruto turned and looked at him for the first time.
"Then stop being a peeping tom while I'm bathing." Naruto dared to meet Sasuke’s eyes briefly before sliding his gaze away dismissively. "Hokage." Naruto nodded and then he was gone.
***++++****
"I really wish he would stop trying to befriend me." Naruto chastised to the ceiling of his second apartment. “We can’t be friends… we just can’t even-I don’t even think we could be enemies without a problem.” He let his lips quirk slightly at the mental image of his ceiling responding to him or gossiping with his walls about what went on in this second apartment.
The first one was the standard issue luxury apartment that most higher level shinobi had. Naruto had nothing against that apartment besides the fact that Sasuke demanded access and showed up at random hours to berate the mess of the apartment or the eating habits of its owner. In the end, Naruto had simply found a smaller second studio apartment to prevent him from putting a Rasengan through the Hokage's face. He had managed to keep it secret for three years but apparently it wasn't going to remain that way if the brisk knocking on the door was any indication.
After a long soak in his tub, Naruto had changed into his bright orange yukata and eaten a bowl of ramen. He was relaxed and calm again-he needed all the calm he could get at the rate the Hokage was riding him-but the knock had broken Naruto out of his calm and he didn’t need to look through the peephole in the door to know who it was. There was only person alive who could possibly break his wards and still be enough of an ass to knock.
"Hokage." Naruto opened the door, standing in the frame. "Did you require something?" His voice dipped to its lowest point as he tilted his head.
Only his sharp reflexes kept Naruto from catching a chakra ball with his face. Not wanting to do open warfare in his apartment, Naruto jutsued them both to the training grounds far away from anyone who could get hurt. Standing in the middle of the Hokage guards’ training ground deep in the woods surrounding the village, Naruto felt a brief moment of peace before a crackle of lightning shot past his face.
In a yukata, Naruto had no weapons with him but he did have a virtually unlimited store of chakra at his disposal. Visualizing his attack, Naruto leaped nimbly out of the way of the barrage of kunai coming after him. Knowing that his yukata was as good as painting a sign on him saying I'm here, Naruto tore it off once he had disappeared from view.
Crouching low he set up a quick trap that he had developed specifically for those with bloodline eye limits. It had taken weeks of conversations and bribes before Hinata had even considered helping him test it. If it weren't for the fact that he had helped her pass her Jounin certification, he doubted he would have been allowed near her. Naruto had predicted that Neji would come after him and he didn’t care. Neji was also one of Sasuke’s guards and twice the two had almost come to blows over it before Hinata stepped in herself.
In his black boxers, Naruto felt exposed as he took out one of the kunai he had grabbed from those that had been thrown his way. Cutting himself, he waited patiently for Sasuke to appear. The other man always seemed to turn up when he was bleeding. Sasuke appeared almost out of thin air, Sharingan blazing and suddenly his eyes were back to normal. He was hanging, blindfolded and gagged. Ropes tightly bound his arms to his sides and his wrists together. Naruto had chakra infused them so that Sasuke couldn't slide out of them. Picking Sasuke up and throwing him over his shoulder, Naruto grunted as Sasuke kicked him in the stomach.
"I don't know why you insist on being a bastard." Naruto growled. "Hold still." Slapping Sasuke sharply on the ass, Naruto picked up his yukata and transported them to the Hokage mansion. Strolling confidently into the dwelling, Naruto intended on putting the other down in the living area but finding it strewn with liquor bottles and various pill bottles, Naruto blinked.
"Are you drunk?" Setting Sasuke on his feet, Naruto noted the defiant posture. "For fuck's sake Sasuke." Ripping the blindfold off and removing the gag, Naruto met the icy glare, with one of his own. "What is wrong with you all of a sudden? You have everything." Waving his hand around to encompass the space, "Why would you throw it away? Again?" Naruto stressed, feeling his mood shifting, as the other man continued to regard him defiantly.
“No, I don’t-”
"The village depends on you and you what? Try to end it all? Well you know what? Let me give you a reason to throw it all away.” Naruto felt on edge; what the hell was he talking about? Everything felt slightly surreal, picking up his kunai he stabbed himself in the thigh and blinked at the suddenly pill free room.
“It got your attention didn’t it?” Sasuke commented evenly, proud his genjutsu had held up so well.
"What the fuck are you trying to pull?" Naruto swore, covering Sasuke's sharingan wielding eyes and dragging him down the hallway into the large bedroom. Throwing Sasuke on the bed, Naruto jutsued the chakra wire to manipulate it into tying Sasuke's arms to the headboard. Pushing his chakra out, Naruto felt around for the guard that was supposed to be protecting Sasuke. Not sensing one, Naruto resigned himself to spending the evening in his Hokage's residence.
Walking back to the bed, he pulled off strips of cloth and bandaged his leg before sitting on the side of the bed. "Why? Why do you always...?" Naruto sighed not knowing how to put it into words. He was completely defeated. "You have everything. You are Hokage, you can have anyone in the village you want. Yet you always..." Naruto got up, intending to leave.
"Stay." Sasuke's voice rasped out.
"Why? Why do you make me stay when you hate me?"
"Dobe."
"No, you don't get to call me that." Naruto was suddenly furious. "We aren't friends or teammates any more. You are my Hokage and I am your guard."
"Alright then." Sasuke spoke quietly. "As your Hokage I demand that you release me."
Naruto paused. In that moment he understood why treason was ever an option for some people. With a quick hand signal, he released Sasuke and turned away.
"Uzumaki, as your Hokage, I demand you stay the night." Sasuke removed the blindfold and slid to the side of the bed. "Seeing as there are no other guards around, you will also have to guard my body through the night."
"Absolutely not." Naruto protested looking down at Sasuke.
"I think you will."
"What type of mind fuck are you trying to pull?" Naruto demanded crossing his arms.
"Nothing that you don't like
Naruto blinked for a moment. "Absolutely not." Turning again and attempting to walk away, he shouldn't have been surprised when a chakra barrier appeared through the doorway, cutting off all exits and effectively neutralizing any chakra attempts at escape.
“Hokage, please let me go.” Naruto didn’t turn around, his shoulders tense as he heard Sasuke moving.
“No. I can’t and you don’t want me to.” Sasuke removed his clothes and studied Naruto’s determined stance. “You can deny what we have in public all you want, Naruto, but when it’s just us…” Sasuke walked up behind Naruto, debating if he should hug the other or even how to do it. “When it’s just us, you know we work. That you keep questioning it just proves that-”
“Shut up teme,” with a hand slapped over Sasuke’s mouth, Naruto shook his head. “I already know.”
Closing the distance between them, Naruto leaned close to Sasuke’s lips, almost touching. “And I hope you know that I intend to continue riding you and fighting for your job.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Sasuke murmured, licking lightly at Naruto’s lips.
Looking into Sasuke’s eyes, Naruto felt calm and oddly at peace with himself. “You took my dreams and made them your own. I can’t forgive you for that and I have every intention of taking my dream back. I can’t hate you-I don’t like you but I think I could love you.” Naruto sighed, realizing that his shadowy shell was cracking, that the sun was breaking through the darkness. He wasn’t meant for logic. Emotion was all he knew how to do.
Sasuke smirked and Naruto showed fangs. “I figured as much.”
“Feeling like you need someone to eclipse you?” Naruto prowled forward and Sasuke stepped back, “You know you just like getting in my way.”
“Dobe.”
“Yes, teme?”
“Eclipse me.”
“No.”
Naruto jutsued away the minute Sasuke’s chakra barrier wavered.
Landing in the Hokage tower, Naruto sat in Sasuke’s chair and enjoyed the quiet of the office. One of his men came in to check what the sudden disturbance was and Naruto waved him away.
It would be easy for Naruto to give into Sasuke’s manipulations but there was no fun in that. Refusing to give in that easily, Naruto waited patiently for Sasuke to find him, knowing the other was probably furious-Let him be angry. He needs more emotion in his life anyway. Putting his hands on his stomach Naruto briefly started when he felt the crackling of chakra that heralded someone’s transportation jutsu. Recognizing the chakra, Naruto waited patiently while Sasuke appeared on his lap, kunai pressing into Naruto’s jugular.
Sharingan eyes flared briefly before going to shining black, “Usuratonkachi,” sliding the razor sharp blade up and down Naruto’s throat, Sasuke was fascinated by the sound and sight of it playing across that strong muscle. Naruto’s pulse rate didn’t even seem to be accelerating at all. “I should kill you for being such a tease.”
Naruto smiled quietly. “I’m your sun. You are my moon,” Slowly moving his nose under Sasuke’s chin, Naruto inhaled his scent. “We chase each other through the sky, why should life be any different?”
“Anymore astronomy comments, Naruto, and I will keep you so busy that you forget what the sky looks like.”
The End.