Title: Silencing Demons
Pairing: errr...NaruSasu? SasuSaku on the side if you see it that way
Rating: K+
Warnings: Language, unbeta-ed
Words: 943
Disclaimer: ...
Summary: Sometimes, the most effective way to comfort isn't very comforting. pre-time skip and chuunin exams

AN: This is my second piece of fan fiction. I originally had one with a similar theme, but it was so sappy that it decayed my mouth down to the last gum so I decided to do a rewrite, which turned into something completely different with Sakura in the mix. Excuse the lack of details surrounding Sakura and their mission, I didn't quite know how to make them fit in. And this turned out to be more "romantic" than intended. I was trying for subtleness.
I've been working on it off and on for a month or two and just forced myself to finish it tonight, now it's nearly 3 am. It just goes to show how I can't write anything for other than school. But I've had this plot-bunny for awhile and decided to finally make myself finish something. So this is the result. I tried to keep them somewhat IC. There will be grammar mistakes so feel free to point them out. Comments and crits are very very much appreciated. I'll revise it someday. And I shall top rambling now.

For Team 7, it had become an unspoken routine during those long nights away from home, cramped in a tiny tent with only enough personal space to breathe. No sooner was there the arrival of those bouts of shaking sobs and violent fidgeting, these demons - that reduced their teammate into a whimpering wreck.

A sleepless night was very much guaranteed for the trio.

It worried them both, the way the tensed up emotions seemed to flow – no exploded into something that they all had a hard time grasping still. But the emotive was always met by the opening comfort from the bubblegum haired kunoichi, the one who was always ready to hold his blotchy-face against her underdeveloped chest. She never spoke or indicated a word of complaint as those fingers dug long and hard onto her bare shoulders and those tears soiled the already tarnished nightgown from the nights before.

The ample warmth and placate whispers had quite the contrary effect on the latter boy, whom was pressed as far against the opposite corner as possible, seething in blatant jealously - fists clenching, lips pursing, heart aching…

Then Sakura would close her hands around his and squeeze, and with a weak smile she wordlessly asked if he understood. Naruto would always squeeze back; yet, he didn't understand, he couldn't, wouldn't. But the reassurance was always did manage to hold back that part of himself that threatened to crack.

And by day, nothing those nights would ever follow through the day. Acceptance of tenderness was well obsolete between Sasuke and Sakura; the constant bickering between missions that had long become tradition, just as the nightly arrivals of Sasuke's demons.

In the midst of the burning rage and unbridled jealously, Naruto could feel a different pain that wasn't quite so unpleasant at times. Yet, he felt it was too easy to channel it into a spitefully induced determination. And so he did.

It so goes that one night that Sakura wasn't there for once. It was going to be a hard night for them both, prides and emotions in turmoil over the fact that it had been past their ability to keep their teammate from harm. Kakashi had gone away with Sakura in search of the nearest hospital, yet the mission still had to be completed which left the two alone.

Naruto willed himself to sleep to the end of his corner wallowing over his concern and guilt with Sakura's wounds tearing at him from all sides, with the fact that she wouldn't be there for the confrontation. He prayed that he would not have to confront Sasuke's instability that night.

But the demons had come again.

Naruto ignored the first round of whimpers that came, trying to imagine them away, but no sooner did they get from irritating to downright disturbing, even after so many times it had been heard. He carefully edged closer to Sasuke and placed a palm around the boy's sweat streaked shoulders to nudge him awake.

"Sasukeee…snap out of it, just because Sakura-chan told me not to, I still won't hesitate to kick your ass, coz' I so totally can 'ttebayo".

The said boy just cried out in repose and started thrashing even more violently.

Naruto didn't know what possessed him to do so, but he suddenly found his arms around the other boy while his nose nuzzled the back of his head, a clumsy semblance of what their pink-haired had done just the night before.

"Just shut up you fucker, everything's going to be all right. Sakura-chan will be back comforting your sorry ass before you know it so I will never have to sink so low as to do this again", Naruto whispered in a grudging but gentle voice.

To his surprise, the frantic breaths had begun to even out while the thrashing had subsided.

It was almost beginning to get pleasant to much to Naruto's dismay, he's never held someone to such proximity, and not even the embraces he occasionally got from Iruka-sensei. The feeling was foreign, yet nice. His heart had begun to feel ever so heavy.

A few minutes passed and the peace was once again disrupted when the body a pale fist shot up and met with the side of Naruto's cheek while the other pushed them apart.

"WHAT.THE.FUCK". The glare of one very infuriated – one very conscious Sasuke burned holes in Naruto's sanity and pushed the fury that then fell over the bay and unto to swirling depths beneath.

In instant retaliation, Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the neck and slammed his face on to the bottom of their tent. So they were at it, just two very enraged kids, rolling around the dirt (for the foundation of the tent eventually gave out due to their erratic behavior to say the least) while throwing badly aimed punches and exchanging incoherent insults, civility and training well left behind.

Some time later, they were both passed out beneath the stars and far from their camp. But Sasuke didn't mind one bit, because his mind had never been so quiet under the night. The demons seem to have finally run out of things to say.

Sasuke ignored the burning pain on every part of his body as he inched closer to Naruto. He smirked and admired his handiwork of the many cuts and bruises on those whiskered cheeks, fingers brushing absentmindedly against them.

Thanks, usuratonkachi.

Despite the feel of dirt and sand digging beneath his aching skin and ripped pajamas, he closed his eyes and relinquished the comforting pain as it lulled him to sleep.

After all, tenderness never worked as well with silencing the demons.

fin