A/N: I got the entire idea for this fic from two things. One was a fic with a line similar to this: "Sasuke was wearing sunglasses." And, of course, the only sunglasses that came to mind while picturing Sasuke were aviators. I told this to Conscience who made an icon. A really cute icon. With little Sasuke (pre-Itachi murdering rampage) wearing aviators. It read "yeah, I'm h-core". (And h-core, if you didn't know, means hardcore). Thus, this fic was born. Also, I read spoilers for Naruto on wikipedia BUT, for those of you who read my Harry Potter fics, you know that when I don't like something in canon, I ignore it. So this is in canon up until about episode 30 of Shippuuden. But, of course, as the whole meeting Sasuke at Rochi's base or whatever bit is very, very vague in the first episode or so of Shippuuden, it's really only canon up until Sasuke leaving Konoha. One last thing: Reviews? Yeah, LOVE 'EM! And I do respond to them. Also, it doesn't matter what they say. I'm a HUGE fan of flames. I actually think they're hilarious. And, I will respond hilariously (or at least, I'LL think I'm funny…)
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Really, I don't. Because if I did… well, do you really think Sasuke would have run off to Orochimaru? NO! He would have stayed back, waited a couple years, then had hot man sex with Naruto. Really. I'm not kidding. Orochimaru's just a fat old man anyways.
"How was school, Sasuke-kun?" his mother asked as Sasuke rushed into the house.
"Fine, oka-san," he replied, as he headed rapidly toward his room. He dropped his bag on his bed and then slid on a pair of dark aviators. The six year old had gotten the sunglasses in an attempt to look as cool as his brother.
As Sasuke was gathering his shuriken and kunai for throwing practice, he heard Itachi announce his arrival home from another long and grueling mission. He heard their mother greet Itachi warmly. Sasuke was happy that their father wasn't home. Things would be tense when he got off work.
"Onii-san!" Sasuke shouted and hugged his brother after emerging from his room.
"It's good to see you too, Sasuke," Itachi chuckled and ruffled his younger brother's hair playfully.
"Onii-san," Sasuke looked at the ground, not meeting his brother's eyes. "I know you just got back from a mission but will you watch me while I practice throwing shuriken and kunai?"
Itachi must have been feeling extremely generous that day for his response was not what the youngest Uchiha had expected. "Sure, Sasuke. Just let me put my things away." The older brother wore an affectionate smile that was aimed at his younger brother. Sasuke was wearing a large grin.
"Oka-san," Sasuke said, contemplatively, "Do you think Onii-san agreed because of the glasses?"
"I'm not sure, Sasuke-kun," she replied smiling. "But I think they might've helped."
"Sasuke," Itachi said after watching the young boy nearly hit each target, "perhaps you should try relaxing more." Sasuke nodded, but, try as he might, remained tensed up. "And perhaps your aim would be better without those ridiculous sunglasses."
"My aim is better with the sunglasses," Sasuke replied quickly. "I wasn't getting anywhere near the targets today in class."
"You still need to relax, Sasuke. It's a wonder those shuriken are near the mark at all, considering how tense you are." There was a small smile on Itachi's face as he sat on the rock and calmly watched his brother's practice.
"How do I relax?" Sasuke turned and asked. Itachi looked amused.
"You stop worrying about aiming and hitting the target and focus only on throwing properly. If it doesn't feel fluid, then you're doing it wrong," Itachi explained.
Sasuke closed his eyes, took a deep breath and slowly let it out. His eyes snapped open and he threw the shuriken, each hitting the bull's-eye of its target.
"Good job, Sasuke," Itachi smiled proudly. "Even some of the best ninja do not take direction that well." Sasuke beamed proudly. Then, he remembered that he was trying to act cool.
The smile dropped instantly from his face and he replied, "Yeah, I'm h-core." Itachi chuckled lightly.
"We should get home soon, Sasuke. We wouldn't want to miss dinner. Oka-san would be angry." Itachi showed that he was just afraid of their mother's wrath as Sasuke was.
"I don't like when Oka-san is angry," Sasuke replied.
Not a month later, Sasuke found himself renting an apartment. He had tried living in his old home, once it was cleaned up and no longer a crime scene. The problem with this was that, no matter what he did, he saw flashes of what Itachi had done in his mind. He couldn't sleep for all the nightmares he had there.
He had kept very few possessions with him. Most of what he'd taken were his clothes, the things necessary for school and a few personal items. One of those few things he'd kept were his sunglasses. He didn't know why, but he couldn't bear the thought of leaving them behind.
The entire time he mourned the loss of his family (a whole month, as he was quite devastated), he wore the sunglasses everywhere he went. It might have been because of his emotional attachment, or it might just have been his Uchiha pride not letting anyone see that he'd been crying. Uchihas, even ones as young as Sasuke, didn't cry.
When Sasuke graduated from the Academy, he was thrilled but, admittedly, had seen it coming. He knew he'd graduate top in his class. What he didn't know was that he'd be placed on a team with the annoying Uzumaki Naruto. To hide his annoyance, Sasuke donned his old pair of aviators. No one was going to see that the last Uchiha was less than pleased with his team.
As they sat in the classroom, waiting and waiting for their sensei to arrive, Sasuke surveyed the room through the tinted lenses. For some reason, the world seemed more inviting when it was darker and more orange from his glasses.
After sitting for a good hour with his team, he was starting to realize that maybe Haruno Sakura was more annoying than Naruto. At least Naruto had a reason to be loud and obnoxious: he was vying for attention. The boy often looked as lonely as Sasuke felt (and that was pretty lonely). Sakura had two loving parents and had grown up well-adjusted. Sasuke could see already this team was going to be the image of dysfunction.
When he met their sensei, he was positive they would be.
Hatake Kakashi was, for lack of a better word, insane. He drove the team apart in an effort to get them to work together. He was always, always, always late, much to his team's chagrin. He never gave a good excuse and, for the most part, let them feud amongst themselves. Loudly.
When their journey to the Land of the Waves came, Sasuke had gotten good enough at dealing with his team that he was hardly masking his emotions behind his sunglasses anymore. He was quite proficient at masking them without any help by then. Still, he packed them. He'd never had to deal with the dobe, the whiner and the pervert for more than eight straight hours before. He felt he was in for a rude awakening.
Luckily, Sasuke found he hadn't needed the shades. His rude awakening hadn't come. They'd been too busy fighting for their lives to worry about petty things like emotions getting out. Naruto had annoyed him but, in the end, he'd saved the blond's obnoxious life. Plus, he got the added bonus of developing his Sharingan.
The next time the Uchiha felt himself reaching for his aviators was when he was leaving Konoha for Orochimaru. They were the only things left from a life he didn't care to remember; a life he never wanted to forget. No matter how much he despised emotional attachment, Sasuke loved those sunglasses like he'd loved Naruto-- and like he'd loved his now long-gone family.
Somehow, after the fight with Naruto, the only thing he had left from his pack were the sunglasses. He put them on, knowing that he was near-bursting with emotions now. He let a few tears escape, the sunglasses and rain hiding them. When the rain stopped, so did Sasuke's crying. He was leaving his best friend behind, but he gritted his teeth and kept going. There was no turning back now; he was a monster.
After arriving at Orochimaru's palace, Sasuke was surprisingly unimpressed. He wore the sunglasses and remained impassive, even scaring Kabuto with his wrath. One day, Sasuke told himself, one day, he would return to his friend apologize profusely, hoping for forgiveness. And something told him Naruto would give it.
From then on, Sasuke never let the sunglasses out of his sight. They were always on his person. With the Sharingan, he knew his opponent's every move as they knew it. Thus, he avoided blows that would have crushed the aviators. Somehow, someway, they remained intact.
When Naruto and Sasuke next met, things were tense, to say the least. For once, however, Sasuke realized that it wasn't just tension between two friends who couldn't agree; it was sexual tension, and somehow, that made Sasuke more tense.
At the end, Sasuke donned the old sunglasses and he could tell Naruto was holding back a smirk. "What're you hiding from us this time, teme?" he asked. Sasuke didn't answer but he was fairly certain Naruto already knew. He was hiding the friendship that wanted to ooze out of his eyes. He was hiding the fact that he was resisting the urge to hug Sakura and pepper his own idiot with kisses. And he was hiding the fact that the power didn't satisfy him like he'd thought it would.
A few years later, Sasuke decided to have a holiday on the beach. It wasn't that he wanted a tan (he couldn't get one if he did, with his fair complexion anyways). He just wanted Naruto to find him. To take him home. To do very dirty things to him. Plus, it was an excuse to wear his old shades.
As he sat in his hotel room and watched the sunset, he wondered if he'd receive a better welcome if he turned himself in. On the one hand, he'd heard that Naruto had made a promise to retrieve him. On the other, if he was making an effort to go back to what he'd left, they'd realize he knew he was wrong and was willing to do better next time.
The next day, he set off for Konoha. Naruto could retrieve him from his own sick daydreams and let him live out the night's dreams. As the raven-haired man reached the Konoha gates, he wore a mischievous smirk.
He composed himself and pulled the sunglasses slowly off. Then, he recalled something his brother had once told him. Just relax, Sasuke, he heard in his mind. And he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly released it. His eyes snapped open, looking calmer and warmer than they had in years, and he knocked on the gates to the city.
They opened and he strode in. The two gatekeepers, chuunin, by the looks of them, looked shocked. The two had heard stories about the infamous Last Uchiha and were shocked to see him in the flesh.
"Remain where you are," the more composed one ordered. "You're a known criminal and are under arrest." The second leapt away, most likely to get backup (ANBU, considering how dangerous Sasuke was considered to be).
"I'm not going to pose any trouble," Sasuke informed him. "I'm here to turn myself in." The calm, deep, silky voice usually warranted trust. Apparently, Konoha ninja were better than most, for the chuunin scoffed.
"You're Uchiha Sasuke," he replied. "There must be some trick. You don't just come back after seven years, deciding to turn yourself in." Of course, Sasuke mused, people didn't usually know who he was when he charmed them with his voice.
"Most people wouldn't," Sasuke amended. "I did. I have always strived to be different." There was an amused grin on the Uchiha's face.
Suddenly, Sasuke was surrounded by ANBU. Heading them, there was an S-class jounin. Uzumaki Naruto's bright blue eyes stared into warm black orbs.
"Sasuke," Naruto greeted gruffly.
"Naruto," Sasuke said, a smile present on his face. Something about the blond ninja just made him smile. And in that moment he knew they shared a connection deeper than just sexual tension. He wondered, briefly, what would come of it.
"Why did you come back?" The blue eyes were sad, as if they didn't want to see Sasuke hurt or endangered.
"For you," Sasuke answered truthfully. A smile flickered across Naruto's face. Then, he remembered his duty.
"All right, guys. Let's bring him in for holding." Those blue eyes remained on Sasuke's black ones and he knew, he just knew, that Naruto felt it too. That Naruto was happy he was back. That Naruto was concerned for his well-being.
As Sasuke sat in his cell contemplating, he put his sunglasses on. Not because it was too bright or because he wanted to hide his emotions though. No, this time he wore them for their comfort. For the familiarity in a cold, unrelenting place.
"Uchiha, eh?" the guy in the cell next to him scoffed. "I bet I could beat you one handed if you didn't use your precious Sharingan." Sasuke, who was used to abuse like this from jealous on-lookers, failed to rise to the bait.
"I've sparred with Uzumaki Naruto, bud," Sasuke replied coolly. "No one's as tough as him." Sasuke thought that Naruto deserved the praise.
"Uzumaki Naruto's the reason I'm in here. What about you, eh Uchiha?" The man's voice continued to be taunting.
"I'm in here because Uzumaki Naruto is my best friend and I couldn't live without him any longer," Sasuke replied airily. The man snorted derisively.
"Yeah right, Uchiha." Even his name could be a taunt. "Uzumaki Naruto doesn't befriend criminals."
"Nope, just one criminal," a rough, yet familiar voice said just outside Sasuke's cell. "Ne, teme, I think I can get you a deal with the council." Naruto wore a roguish grin that Sasuke found entirely too becoming on the young man's face.
"And what do you want in return, Usuratonkachi?" Sasuke raised an amused eyebrow.
"I don't want anything," Naruto replied. "The council's going to want some sort of formal apology, though. Tsunade obaa-chan said she'd help us out."
"You're selfless, Naruto," Sasuke cooed teasingly. "Whatever did I do to deserve a friend like you?"
"Beats me. You've been a rather crap friend," Naruto muttered. "Nice glasses, by the way. Hiding your emotions again?" Sasuke marveled, not for the first time, how well the dobe read him.
"Not this time," Sasuke replied, taking them off. "They're just comforting, I guess." He shrugged before bringing his sincere eyes level with Naruto's ocean-like eyes.
"I gotta go soon." Naruto sounded reluctant. "Visiting hours are almost up."
"Hey Naruto," Sasuke stopped him momentarily, "In case the council votes to execute me, I have something to tell you." He got up close to the bars and whispered to Naruto, "I love you."
Naruto's eyebrows shot up into his hair. The blue eyes were wide with shock. And then, Naruto composed himself like the ninja he was. "Back at ya, teme," he said before walking off dramatically.
The sixth hokage, dressed for traveling, walked to the Konoha city gates. Standing there was a smug jounin wearing aviators. The shinobi, the hokage's escort, was leaning against one side of the gate and smirking at the leader of the very city he worked for.
"You're telling me I have one escort?" the blond man asked, unimpressed.
"Something tells me that we'll be enough, Usuratonkachi," the jounin replied, the smirk never leaving his place. "Plus, once we hit the Wind Nation, we'll have an escort to guide us and protect us in the foreign country."
"How did you get the job anyways, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto asked as the two walked out of the city, the gates closing dramatically behind them.
"I am the head of your regular guard. I just told the others that I felt we'd be safe enough without them." The raven-haired jounin caught the blond's hand. "We don't get enough time alone together," he added for explanation.
"That last statement, I can agree with," Naruto replied, twining his fingers with Sasuke's. "Now, why are you wearing those sunglasses again? You know you needn't hide your emotions with me." The blond wore a welcoming smile.
But, for the first time in a long time, Sasuke was wearing the glasses for the purpose he'd bought them for: to look cool. This time, though, it wasn't to impress his always better older brother. This time, the glasses were to look handsome for his man.
"Did I ever tell you the story of these sunglasses?" Sasuke asked. And as the sun rose and the two journeyed forward, Sasuke told a story about a little boy trying to impress his big brother.