FIRST KISSES

Man, that stupid Sasuke. He'd stolen his first kiss! Naruto hunched his shoulders as he stomped down the path between Village-Hidden-in-the-Leaves and the training field. Okay, it was an accident, not exactly stolen, but... but it had been Sasuke!

Sakura was supposed to be his first kiss! Sakura who was pretty and smart and tough and everything Naruto thought he wanted in a girl. And Sakura understood what it was to want to be accepted, just like Naruto. And it made Naruto ache all over just like he'd failed to block a flying kick and got hit in his heart chakra.

Of course he loved Sakura. But all Sakura wanted was to be accepted by that stupid baka Sasuke ! And that was a whole different kind of hurt and it made him fizzle and want to... want to...

Sasuke's lips were really pretty. And they had been unexpectedly soft. The kiss had been firm, mouth closed, but Sasuke had tasted kind of sweet like jasmine tea and peach blossoms and honey. Up close his eyes had been very large and dark and surrounded by ridiculously long dark eyelashes that had seemed to tremble when Naruto touched him, just like a butterfly's wings. And he had smelled nice, too, now that Naruto thought about it, kind of like the forest after an electric storm, alive and vibrant and mysterious as the dark heart of the wood.

He wanted to kiss him again.

"NANI?!" Naruto stood dead still in the middle of the forest path, breathing hard. He had not thought that. Had not. Must be Ino playing with her soul-possession jutsu or some shit like that. He didn't want to kiss Sasuke, he wanted to punch him right in that smug superior smirk of his.

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY INO!" He shouted. Birds twittered and suddenly took flight. The sun laced through the leafy branches above him, a butterfly fluttered near his face making him nearly cross-eyed as he watched its erratic flight.

Ino didn't answer. Naruto was uneasy. He didn't really feel any chi that would warn that there was another anywhere near and she had to be near in order to use her special jutsu technique.

But Ino had to have been here! Why else would he have thought about kissing Sasuke? Heat flushed Naruto's cheeks and he squeezed his eyes closed trying to picture kissing Sakura. He started to smile as the pink-haired beauty's image formed on his inner eyelids and he pictured her blushing ...

Sasuke had blushed. The dark-haired genin's image superimposed over Sakura's and Sakura's image blurred and faded. Naruto blinked. Sasuke had looked kind of cute, too... blushing.

Maybe he should try to kiss Sasuke again. See if he could make him blush again. Naruto felt his tummy warm and a blush spread across his cheeks.

What... am I nuts?!

Well maybe he should kiss Sasuke! He thought defiantly. If he could kiss Sasuke again, then he'd see it was nothing. It had just been Naruto's first kiss. That's why he couldn't get it out of his mind. His first kiss and that was it. It had nothing to do with how pretty or how smart or how strong Sasuke was. He nodded his head. "Mmmhmmm."

He didn't even have to kiss Sasuke again now that he knew why he had liked the kiss so much.

Naruto took a step and another toward the training field. It wasn't the irritating, know-it-all (pretty whispered through his mind) Sasuke at all! It was being a first kiss and all that made it haunt him this way.

Wait! Wait! He stood rooted to the path again, blue eyes widening in sudden awareness. Naruto thought Sasuke was pretty? "AGGGGGGGH" Naruto clutched handfuls of his wild yellow hair and shouted, "Sasuke! Sasuke! Sasuke! Why do I keep thinking about ..."

"What do you want loser?" Sasuke squatted on a tree branch not too far from where Naruto stood watching him.

A chill breeze rustled through the tree leaves while Naruto stared wide-eyed at his teammate.

Naruto's heart came to a running stop as if he'd slammed headfirst into Kakeshi-sensei's fist and then started up again, pounding, pounding, pounding like running footsteps against the concrete sidewalks of the village and he was being chased by a handful of angry jounin for vandalizing the monument to the four Hokages.

Had he said anything about kissing Sasuke out loud? Naruto swallowed painfully. Probably not or it wouldn't be Sasuke's lips he'd be tasting right now.

He had been so busy thinking about those soft lips and sweet smells and stupid, fucking Sasuke that he hadn't even been aware of the other genin approaching him.

"AHHHHH!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger, ignoring the blush burning his cheeks and the erratic thumping of his traitorous heart. "ARE YOU SPYING ON ME?"

Sasuke eyed him through those ridiculously long-lashed eyes and Naruto had the impression that he could fall into the darkness and be swallowed up. "Stupid. Who would spy on you?"

Sasuke dropped to the ground so lightly that not even a twig gave sign of his passing. He brushed an imaginary fleck of debris from his pristine white shorts. He was still staring at Naruto intently.

"What?"

Sasuke moved quietly across the pine needle strewn ground, and Naruto noticed that he seemed to walk like one of the large cats he'd seen in the zoo with rolling shoulders and on the tips of his toes. And Naruto stilled a shudder as he thought it looked like Sasuke was very much like a large predator stalking prey.

"I wanted to talk to you." Sasuke bit out and then, uncharacteristically, he looked away.

"Huh?" Naruto stared at Sasuke, feeling puzzled. He scrubbed a hand through his unruly hair. "Why?"

Had that been a pale blush stealing across the other genin's cheeks? Naruto's heart did a double thump and he swallowed again watching Sasuke's profile. Sasuke was quickly losing the baby fat of childhood, his body already lean and his face taking on the planes and angles of adulthood.

He envied that about Sasuke. When people weren't irritated with him and weren't busy pointing out that he was the nine-tailed fox, they were comparing him to a kitten with his strange markings and his soft round face. It was difficult to get people to take him seriously.

Sasuke glanced back at Naruto. "I..." Sasuke started and then looked away again, unable to maintain eye contact.

Sasuke was blushing. He was sure of it! Naruto felt triumphant. He'd made the stoic genin blush! Yes! He flashed a victory sign in his mind, not bothering to wonder why he wanted to make such an impact on his teammate.

"That kiss... it meant nothing." Sasuke blurted out, turning to face Naruto, his hands fisted stiffly at his side, dark eyes burning fiercely.

"W-w-what?" Naruto backed up a step from the fiery aura. He held up his hands, "It wasn't even a kiss. It was an accident... I don't kiss boys!"

"Exactly. It was an accident. It didn't happen." Sasuke asserted.

Naruto felt ill, as if he'd swallowed spoiled milk again. His stomach clenched painfully. Of course the kiss didn't bother Sasuke in the same way. Sasuke could have Sakura or Ino or half a dozen other girls with the toss of a kunai, he wouldn't need or want someone with the stain of the nine-tailed fox.

And he didn't want Sasuke either, so why did he feel so sad? Naruto hunched in on himself unaware of the dejected picture he made.

"I didn't mean it like that, idiot." Sasuke said under his breath.

Naruto almost didn't hear him. Naruto looked up at the other boy, face scrunched up in confusion. "What did you mean then, you jerk?" Sasuke was standing close enough to touch. Huh? When had the other boy gotten so close?

Sasuke was leaning down, his hand slid somewhat hesitantly onto Naruto's shoulder turning him.

Naruto looked up into dark, dark eyes surrounded by those wicked sooty butterfly lashes. He choked out, "What are you doing?"

"I think we should make sure it was a mistake."

"Yes. Yeah. Sure." Naruto babbled watching as Sasuke's face lowered and then the intensity of his gaze was shuttered as Sasuke's eyes closed and Naruto found himself following suit. His arms wound their way around Sasuke of their own accord, pulling the other boy's body tight against him.

Sasuke. Sasuke was kissing....him... Naruto! And it felt... it felt.... Naruto groaned. When his mouth opened, Sasuke hesitantly licked at his lips, his tongue stealing inside to find Naruto's. Their tongues tangled and Sasuke tasted even better than Naruto remembered.

Sasuke's hands were strong and firm on his hips and Naruto's mind futzed becoming ablaze with white noise as feelings too strong to put into words rushed through him. He was having a hard time breathing and he could feel Sasuke touching him curiously along his back and.... and....wait, was that a hand at the zipper to his jumpsuit?!

Naruto pulled away first, rubbing the back of his hand protectively against his lips. What was he going to do? He liked kissing Sasuke. He was so screwed.

Sasuke was staring at him, breathing hard.

"We can't do this..." Naruto started. Sakura was going to kill him slowly if she ever found out. He wasn't sure he cared.

Sasuke lifted a hand toward Naruto and then seemed to think better of it, letting it drop to his side. "I can't afford distractions."

"Distractions? Me?" Naruto squawked indignantly. "You're full of yourself..." Was Sasuke breaking up with him before there was even anything to break up? Would he break up the team? Anger and despair warred within him and what the hell did he mean distraction?

Turning his back on Naruto abruptly as if it didn't matter, as if the fact that they had kissed didn't matter, Sasuke remained quiet.

"I didn't think you were the type to kiss and run, you coward!" Naruto ground out. What the hell was wrong with him? Why should Naruto care?

Sasuke spoke without turning, "The Sacred Band of Thebes."

Naruto stared dumbfounded. "Sacred Band?" Naruto puzzled thinking of the temple priests in a marching band.

Sasuke snorted, almost like he could see into Naruto's thoughts. "Shield brothers. It made them stronger."

"Stronger...?" Naruto felt stupid, he wasn't following this conversation at all.

Sasuke looked back over his shoulder, an almost smile playing about his generously shaped mouth.

Naruto found himself staring at the slight quirk to Sasuke's mouth, a mouth still wet and swollen from their kiss. Their second kiss and not an accident this time. He felt a warming frisson tingling through him.

"Look it up and then give me your answer." Sasuke disappeared, leaping from branch to branch until he disappeared.

What had just happened?

Naruto didn't feel like training any more. He hoped Kakeshi-sensei would understand but he really, really needed to talk to Iruka-sensei right now.

That was the ticket, Iruka-sensei would explain everything and then Naruto could wipe that smirk right off of Sasuke's face! He'd know what the other genin was talking about.

"ALRIGHT!" Naruto pumped his fist and took off running back toward the village.