Title: Bonds and Promises
Author: lotus-bugxm9
Fandom: Naruto
Rating: K
Pairing: None
Disclaimer: I do not own anything what so ever belonging to…… Naruto!
A/N: This story was inspired by a very cute fan art picture I found while cruzing the internet one day, it's a sweet picture of Natuto and Sasuke hugging. Their relationship to me is so sadly bittersweet in such a sad way it makes me want to cry!! ); Please R&R when ever you can!;0 Thanks.
And please bare with me if there are any mistakes in my story, for I am still new and not perfect.
Summary: After having a terrifying nightmare one stormy night a dismayed Sasuke is comforted by none other then his blond knuckleheaded teammate and best friend Naruto.
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The weather outside was dark and storming with thunder and hard rain while inside a small country inn room somewhere in the land of fire warm orange light burned brightly.
For in side this room to one side leaning back against a lumpy bed and its hard wooden frame sat two young ninja of the hidden leaf village as they sat up late in the middle of the night.
Both regardless of the raging storm and its fury they continued to try and talk their way through it. As the storm continued to pound down upon them it was all to unnerving for Sasuke who was frighten, and continued to cry.
Kneeling bare footed next to his sobbing teammate who clutched at his orange-blue jacket tightly with an iron grip Naruto Uzumaki gently with sad light blue eyes tried again to comfort his best friend and rival teammate the best he could as he gently rubbed his trembling friends back soothingly.
He tried whispering words of comfort to the raven haired boy as he continued to sob freely into his warm shoulder as he revealed for him his horrible nightmare which had clearly scared the normally so strong of boy out of his mind as he was visibly shaken in what he had seen.
"T…that nightmare" Sasuke chocked out shakily moments later leaning up from his friends shoulder and comforting embrace to look up at him with glistening wet eyes "It was horrible….as I saw……saw…..the death of everyone I care about."
"Ah... it couldn't have been that…..bad" The loudmouthed blond knuckleheaded ninja joked with a small smile still not letting his teammate go "For everyone has bad nightmares once in a while like me for example I just had one a while ago with evil ramen stealing bunnies……with pitch forks"
The Uchiha prodigy however at hearing this didn't seem to thrilled by his teammates attempted jokes at a time like this when he was scared silly as his wet dark eyes soon narrowed in a glare as he roughly pulled away from the leaf village klutz.
"You don't…… understand!" Sasuke fired back at the other boy now clearly upset as much as he was still terrified in what he had seen in his dream "I saw each and everyone of you ……... be killed mercessly by a blood thirsty…….monster!"
Naruto at hearing this thoughtfully bit at his bottom lip as he regarded his teammate and friend wearily with a still sorrowful look for he was still so shaken up by his ordeal as he was still trembling.
"Okay…..I'm sorry" Naruto apologized quickly bowing his head with a sigh "Geez I didn't mean to upset you but truth be tolled aside from that evil bunny's nightmare I can relate to yours. For I have them too and they are always horrible……...…but I always somehow mange to pull through them for I know in my heart and soul that all of it isn't true…..and that monster…..doesn't exist"
"No your twisting everything around……you don't get it" Sasuke cried out now grabbing the blond shin obi by his shoulders as he started shaking him wildly "This monster in my dreams………...its just not any blood thirsty monster it's….it's me don't you understand you complete loser……… I'm the one who kills everyone in the end in my nightmares and smiles and….. laughs about it in the end!"
Naruto who now held the look of not being to amused with the other boy who still shook him wildly like a wild man with slited blue eyes regard the star student of Konoha wearily but his concern was still there as he still felt for his friend.
Carefully removing the other boys hands from his shirt Naruto held them down as he looked straight back at the other boy as his normal mirth filled light blue eyes now shun with seriousness as he looked at the still crying dark haired boy over carefully.
"Listen to me now……Sasuke!" Naruto said sternly gripping the other boys hands so tightly his knuckles were turning white "These nightmares of yours… mean absolutely nothing alright for they are just dreams and nothing more…..for they don't mean anything"
Sasuke looked at Naruto for a long time after hearing this as the two just sat silently as they stared into each others eyes without blinking. Not being able to look at one of the people he killed in his dreams in the face any longer the young Uchiha heir sharply turned his head away with a fresh sparkle of tears.
"No…..no.. you're wrong" He began softly now bowing his head as he choked "Your…….. wrong about everything for these dreams are real and that monster is…inside of me getting stronger as we speak!"
"…..Sasuke" Naruto sighted now feeling helpless at his friend who was agonizing over his dreams and fears.
"This monster….. wants nothing more then to………kill" The Uchiha continued tears once more streaming down his pale cheeks." And all I see is so much blood and….gore and all the dead bodies of the ones I care about the most at my feet for I'm the one who…kills them all just like my brother did to my entire family"
Naruto's blue eyes shinned now with many different emotions as he looked his friend over with out a clue as of what to do to stop him from thinking about all of this nonsense of talk about monsters and death for he knew he had to stop Susuke for he couldn't remain like this, for it just wasn't right.
For there was absolutely no way a person like Sasuke who was so powerful in both strength and will could be capable of something so horrible. For although he lacked emotions the Uchiha was not nearly as cold as he seemed for he had a pure heart…….for Naruto had felt it beat against his own.
"Sasuke……please" Naruto softly pleaded releasing his teammate's hands and grabbing onto his stiff shoulders now to gently shake him just like he had before with a sad look "You can not always believe what you see in your dream……for they sometimes lie and mess with your mind…...and make you go mad."
The dark haired boy remained silent and still at hearing this as it seemed Naruto was the only thing holding him up as a distant look could be seen in the prodigy's darkening eyes.
"Sasuke….are you listening to me?" Naruto asked quickly at seeing this raising a blond eyebrow as he shook Susuke a bit harder. "For if you are you have to listen to me now…………because what you are saying doesn't make any since at all……for you are not a monster...nor a bad person!"
Dead hard silence was heard after this with no response from the other boy as a vain of irritation surfaced on Naruto's forehead as it pulsed violently as he eyes narrowed dangerously at his other teammate growing with frustration and worry.
Naruto's hands griped Sasuke's shoulders harder then as he attempted to shake the other boy roughly like a human sized rag doll for ignoring him when he was trying to help him out.
But it seemed to have made the difference in the end when Sasuke finally came back to life almost again as if he had been temporarily been to another planet and back.
"I……I am the monster…...I see in my nightmares" Sasuke finally said out softly after the long pause as Naruto was shocked by it as he watched the Uchiha's dark glistening eyes draw up slowly to meet with own as he felt the other boy begin to go limp in his hold. And ….I'll…kill you Naruto….please…...please forgive me… for… I'm so sorry"
Naruto eyes widened in horror at hearing this and also in that very same moment he watched terrified as Sasuke eyes after releasing a shuttering breath rolled up into the back of his head. He then with a thud promptly collapsed forward into Naruto's arms as he fainted.
The young blond whirlwind shinobi remained quiet for a very long time after this. He remained were he sat on the wooden floor of the hotel room considerably deep in thought.
He stared down with shinning wet eyes at his now unconscious teammate whose head was now resting in his lap. His arms still kept a firm hold on his friend and teammate holding tight to comfort him now that he was out like a light.
Naruto as he looked now to Sasuke with a troublesome look wondered perhaps if the Uchila was having a peaceful dream for once instead of a terrifying nightmare like he had a little while ago as he had awoken up with a horrific cry, in the mean time nearly giving poor Naruto a heartache from his panic.
The other boy didn't deserve to have horrible nightmares like this as Sasuke had it real ruff these last few past mouths. He was dealing with many things in his short life that he shouldn't as the boy was always in a constant struggle to control his growing powers.
And what made the situation even more dangerous was the fact that not only was Sasuke powers going hey wire of late he was being hunted down by the evil snake legendary Sannin Orochimaru.
Naruto's hands balled into fists as he clenched the black fabric of Sasuke's shirt tightly in his hands as he thought back to that evil bastard for it was clear even now that ugly white snake man was still somehow managing to get to his teammate and hurt him.
For Naruto wasn't so naïve anymore not see what the real reason was that Susuke was hurting so much and always so fearful and weary.
He always seemed depressed and one step away from losing his mind for it was his cursed seal mark which was hurting him, which had been given to him by Orachimaru himself.
Biting down on his lip once again in his troubled thoughts Naruto carefully with darkening light blue eyes pushed back at the high turtleneck of his teammate's shirt as he beheld not moments later the curse mark itself as it gleamed evilly on his friends neck.
He recalled as he looked at the forbidden Jutsu mark what it had felt like to finally be tolled the truth about Sasuke's condition.
He had been the very last to finally be tolled the truth of what was going on with his sulking teammate. His instincts had be growing suspiciously that something was dreadfully wrong and demand to be told.
And when he had at last gotten his answers out of both Sakura and Kakashi-Sensei who had known all the along about Susuke's sickness he had been both hurt and disappointed that the rest of his team had left him out in the dark for so long as he vowed to never forgive them.
Sakura's secret to hide Sasuke's problem had hurt his ego the most for she was one of the few people out there he really counted on and trusted the most. For her to have lied to his face like that for so long the hurt and pain he still felt he could not yet forgive her.
And the same stood for Kakashi-Sensei as well as he had known also about Susuke's ordeal and didn't even once tell Naruto a damn thing about it which had pissed him off to no end as his trust in his sensei had been nearly shattered.
All of it had been a painful blow to the blond ninja but what had really seemed to have stabbed him at the heart the most was the fact Sasuke himself thought he had to hid his problem from him in the first place.
For although they were constant rivals and always at each others throats most of the time even though it was mostly for fun there was still somehow through it all a deep understanding and strong tie of friendship between the Uchiha and the demon-fox Vessel.
For that had been what had spurred the two friends and rivals to comfort each other tonight in the heat of the raging storm outside. As for what they now needed the most of all was each other in this scary time of struggle as they faced their demons.
For as a team they were suppose to look out for each other and comfort one another in times of need for it was the ninja way. And now that is how it was with Naruto as he would put his life on the line for anyone of those people closest to him …..and Sasuke was one of those people he cared about the most.
His fingers hovered over the black curse mark as they longed to touch it. But he pulled back at the very last moment fearing he would either get burnt by the marks evil power or get infected with it to, as that was the last thing the world needed for it was already in peril.
Naruto thought back briefly to Sasuke's and his teary eyed hug, as the Uchiha had been half mad and half scared to death at his horrible nightmare as he had revealed to his teammate the great terrible monster was him in the end.
He would become this awful thing if he were to be fully consumed by the power of the cursed seal mark and Orachimaure's dark influence.
"I won't let you become a monster……Sasuke" Naruto said gently tugging at his friends shirt as his blue eyes shinned brightly with strong determination as he pulled his motionless friend into a tight hug. "For.. I won't let you be engulfed by darkness just for all the power to get revenge…. for you're my friend for life and I'll….save you no matter what it takes… believe it"
He meant that promise with all his heart as Sasuke was more then just a teammate and friend to him for he was like family and considered the Uchiha to be almost like a brother, as he had never had one nor any real family for that matter just like Sasuke didn't as the two were all each other had.
"For I…..promise" Naruto continued narrowing his eyes as anger now leaped side him like hot raw fire as it burned in his insides like molted lava "I will protect you and kill…..Orochimaru and together we'll defeat the demons with in us and become great ninja……together one day…and even Hokage"
The End