Note: The religious views in the following story are not my own. They are not meant to offend anyone. They are simply views made up for the purpose of the story. Please do not take them seriously and leave me religious hate mail because I will cry. Also, the racial views are not my own. I am not racist and I do not hate people because of their ethnicity. When I hate people, it is because of their personality. Thank you for taking your time and reading this if you did. If you didn't, as long as I don't get hateful reviews, I'm fine. If you want, I'll slap Sasuke for him mean talk.
JW: -Slaps Sasuke- I'm sorry! I had to!
Sasuke: -with murder swirling in his eyes- IT WAS ON THE DAMN SCRIPT THAT YOU WROTE!
JW: -backs away slowly- Now Sasuke… it was bad….
Sasuke: -seething with rage- Don't you blame this shit on me!
JW: -screams loudly- QUICK! READ! DON'T LOOK AT THE VIOLENCE!
Naruto: -holds up large censor sign and smiles- Feel free to ignore the following screams of pain as you hopefully enjoy the story. Please note that JW does not own the song associated, characters, or any form of the Naruto anime/manga in any way. If she did… Sasuke might not be such a brain dead fool.
Sasuke: -pokes head out from behind the sign- YOU WANT SOME TOO?
Crash And Burn
Uchiha Sasuke watched the blonde boy running across the school grounds. He turned his head to the teen beside him, "Who's that?" He asked.
"Uzumaki Naruto," the laziest person in the world said, not bothering to lift himself up and look. "He's probably going to the abandoned warehouse down the street."
"You mean the sugar factory? That's dangerous," The Uchiha muttered, watching the other go.
"Yeah, but it's the only place he can hide from those punks in Class 4-C," Shikamaru mumbled. Sasuke looked down at him. "They bully him all the time."
"Why didn't you bother to tell me this before?" Sasuke hissed.
"You had enough on your hands, what with the fangirls trying to molest you every day, oh great Sir Uchiha," The Nara said with a slight scoff. "The teachers are thinking of making you an actual one man Disciplinary Committee."
"Someone's got to stick up for the losers that no one likes," Sasuke muttered.
"Are you just saying that because what you've been through? Or is that your Uchiha Pride speaking again?"
"Uchiha Pride," Sasuke grunted. He stood up. "The truth is, I just like a nice loud fight. I hate morbid crap like bullying." Sasuke stood up. "Alright then, Class 4-C, I'm gonna kick your asses."
"Have fun." Shikamaru waved his friend off and went back to sleep, it was his only college study, after all.
WHEN YOU FEEL ALL ALONE
Sasuke buried his fist into the face of the blond senior. "Deidara," He hissed angrily, "I'm going to beat the living daylights out of you until you tell me what I want to know!"
"I didn't do it, Uchiha!" The blond snarled angrily. "It was Hidan and Kakuzu, they always do that shit to him!"
"Where are they?" Sasuke growled. The blond looked nervously at the gym doors and Sasuke dropped him. He turned that way instead and kicked open the doors. The blond he saw running earlier was trapped in a corner, shaking as the seniors advanced on him. "Well, whadaya know? Here I was, looking for some rule-breaking moron, and I find you two, threatening a child."
"Get lost, Uchiha Fuck-Face. We're busy." Hidan had this nasty habit of pissing Sasuke off.
"Wanna run that by me again? I didn't quite hear you, cock-sucker," Sasuke said. He marched over to the group and pulled out a knife. It wasn't respect that made the entire Group 3 student body listen to Sasuke and be little do-gooders, it was extreme fear. It was hero-worship that made the Groups 1 and 2 listen to him and follow his orders. They were fools.
"He said we were just leaving. Come on Hidan, it's not worth it right now," Kakuzu wisely said. It was known to many that Hidan had no brains of his own. They shuffled past Sasuke and out of the Gym. Sasuke looked at the blond boy.
"You ok?" He asked quietly. Striking eyes - as blue and deep as any ocean – stared up at Sasuke. Tan cheeks colored slightly pink and hands trembled.
"Uzumaki Naruto, Class 1-D." The blond whispered. Sasuke felt a sweatdrop ready to form.
"That's not what I asked." He said. The blond jumped.
"OH! Right! Gomen! I'm fine!" Naruto bowed deeply to him. Sasuke frowned slightly and put his hand on the blond head.
"Don't go to the sugar factory anymore. It's dangerous there. If you want somewhere to hide, go to the roof. I have a key to the door hidden under the tile in the left corner. I go there when I need to think. No one will disturb you," Sasuke offered to the nervous boy.
"Arigato! Thank you so much!" Naruto was still blushing a bit. Sasuke sighed and took his hand and shook it.
"Uchiha Sasuke, Class 3-A." He said. Naruto smiled shyly.
"I've heard of you. All the sophomores talk about you. They say you're a hero."
Sasuke smirked slightly and turned away. He tilted his head over his shoulder just a bit and said, "No, I'm a monster."
WHEN HOPES AND DREAMS ARE FAR AWAY; YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN'T FACE THE DAY
Sasuke stared down at the picture of his family. He ran his fingers tenderly over his older brother's image. "I'm so sorry, Itachi. It was all my fault…" He put down the picture and pulled out a gun from under his bed. "It'll all gonna be over…" he sighed as he loaded the gun with bullets. He aimed it at his temple. "Itachi… Aniki…" Sasuke whispered.
Yet that conflict still filling me; mistrust venom inside of me. I am not the man that you see, just look inside me! Trust in me that way I trust in you, I know we could have done this together. Believe in me, like I believe in you. My heart would be forever in your hands!
"Ugh…" Sasuke lifted up his phone and looked at the caller id. Nara Shikamaru. "Nya?" He answered in a cat-like sound.
"You've been crying, what happened?" Shikamaru could tell through the phone? Sasuke wiped his face clean.
"Don't be ridiculous. Uchihas don't cry," He muttered. "Now what do you want?"
"Your order came in, come and get it whenever you want," Shikamaru sounded… lazy… as usual.
"Are you going to make me fill out the form again?"
"Of course, I don't want you going into the hospital again and the blame get pinned on us by your retarded lawyer," The Nara yawned and Sasuke grumbled something under his breath.
"Alright, on my way," Sasuke hung up the phone and pulled on his shoes. "I quit drinking a long time ago. I'm not that stupid, I won't mix alcohol and meds again. Not only did it fail to kill me, they almost put me back in that place." Sasuke shuddered and made his way to the Nara clinic. He signed the usual waiver and paid for his anti-depressants.
"See ya, Uchiha," Shikamaru mumbled. Sasuke nodded to him. He left the pharmacy and headed home once more, stopping when he heard snickering.
"Give us all your money, kid." Three large men held a blonde kid against the wall and a knife in his face. Sasuke sighed as he recognized those whisker marks and that mess of blonde hair.
"Uzumaki Naruto, Class 1-D." He said. The men looked at him.
"What do you want, ya little fuck?" They snorted. Sasuke pulled out the gun that he had originally felt stupid for bringing. Now he was glad he did.
"I want you to release the kid and back away slowly before I bust a cap in your ass. Back away from the goldilocks or I will shoot a hole in your skull and give it to a prisoner in Alcatraz to fuck," Sasuke growled. They backed away slowly and Sasuke nodded for Naruto to run before he followed.
"You are a hero, no matter what you say," Naruto panted when Sasuke caught up to him.
"I just threatened to kill a man and give his skull to a necrophiliac and you think I'm a hero? What is this world coming to?" Sasuke snorted. "Anyways, let's get you home."
They walked to the orphanage and when Sasuke dropped Naruto off, he made it obvious that he was packing, and he would use.
AND THE WORLD HAS TURNED ITS BACK ON YOU
"Everyone's still in a shock that you saved that Uzumaki kid. Twice. Apparently, no one likes him," Shikamaru took a seat on their usual bench next to his best friend. Sasuke looked up from his cigarette and rolled his eyes.
"It was one kid in thirty. They can calm down," He said.
"Everyone says he's a monster that death follows closely. Both his parents are dead. Still, he smiles at everyone he sees. Those ones are the dangerous ones," Shikamaru watched his friend's reaction. Sasuke sighed.
"He's not the type to kill himself. I know he fits the normal situation for suicide but... when I talked to him... I got this vibe that he's not... you know, normal. Anyways, it's not my business what he does or doesn't do, as long as I'm not the one left cleaning up the remains."
"You're an asshole, you know that?" Shikamaru sighed and watched Sasuke blow a ring of smoke. He sighed louder, "So troublesome. Are you really that cold? Or are you afraid he'll drag up unwanted memories about that time?"
"Not listening," Sasuke replied. He closed his eyes and thought about the time his friend spoke of.
"Sasuke, RUN!"
Sasuke shook himself and stubbed out his smoke on the sole of his shoe. "Fuck. This. Shit." He grumbled, standing up. He went to the roof door and retrieved the key from under the tile in the corner. He put it back before going in.
Naruto stood, staring out over the railing. Sasuke watched him for a long moment. "Uzumaki," He said slowly. The blond jumped and looked at him.
"Uchiha-sempai!" He said, bowing deeply. Sasuke grunted and looked at the traffic of far away streets. "I was just-"
"Running from attackers?" Sasuke cut him off. The blond frowned and looked down sadly.
"It happens everywhere I go. Shouts of "Monster," "Beast," and "Grim Reaper" follow me down the streets and hallways." He shuffled his feet and sunk to a sitting position. Sasuke relit his cigarette and looked away.
"And the bruises?" He asked, eyeing a dark purple bruise on the boy's arm. He sputtered and clenched his hands.
"At the orphanage... they don't like me... I'm just a pest," He whispered. Sasuke nodded in understanding.
"That's what happens. If people don't think you belong, they'll cast you out. As long as one person doesn't understand, the fear and hatred will remain," Sasuke sat beside the blond. "It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold."
"Huh?"
"People are cruel." Sasuke folded his hands together. "It's natural to fear things you don't understand. That fear turns into anger and hatred and people get hurt. That's how wars start. That's what leads a group of sixteen-year-olds to gang up on a kid and beat him to death when they learned he was gay. That's what causes a man to sneak into a house and kill the three people he can find while they lay in their beds," Sasuke blew smoke in the air and sighed. He hated stuff like this.
"People are all kinds of hideous, I guess," Naruto smiled in a relieved kind of way and Sasuke smirked.
"In a way, we're all monsters," he agreed quietly.
WHEN DARKNESS IS UPON YOUR DOOR AND YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE
They started a routine. Naruto would finish his classes and meet Sasuke on the roof during the teen's smoke break. They would talk about the ugliness of people. They conversed about things they saw in the news, like a teen in Romulus Michigan being accused of rape, and a few weeks later, the girl he supposedly raped hanging herself. Or two half brothers who cut up their mother because it was on an episode of 'The Sopranos.'
"People are horrible. What makes someone kill someone else?" Naruto asked. Sasuke chewed the end of his cigarette a moment.
"Every person has this thing in their brain that says violence is wrong. In some people, because of things they grew up with or what happened to them in their past, this part of their brain doesn't communicate with the rest of the brain. They resort to violence because they don't know how to deal with the stress and frustrations. Or the fear," Sasuke gave Naruto a sidelong glance and the boy nodded.
"Oh..." he whispered softly. "Can we talk about something new today?"
"Like what?" Sasuke rose a brow and Naruto blushed a little, fidgeting where he sat next to the older boy.
"Love?" He whispered almost inaudibly.
"Love... huh... Never much cared for that one," Sasuke blew a smoke ring and it shaped into a heart. Naruto stared in awe as Sasuke blew something that resembled an arrow through it. "It's not something that puts food on a table, nor does it protect anyone. It's useless. Love provides an excuse for an inability to survive on your own."
"That's... that's not what I think..." Naruto murmured softly, eyes downcast.
"Then enlighten me, oh wise one. What is it that you think?" Sasuke quirked an elegant brow once more.
"I think... that we need love to survive. You've seen the research study, right?"
"About the monkey? Yeah, I read the article. What about it?" Sasuke waited for Naruto to build up his argument.
"No matter how many times they did it, it chose the soft doll over the hard one, even though it got food if it chose the hard one. It showed a desire to be comforted over its body's need of nourishment," Naruto looked at Sasuke hopefully.
"Comfort, not love. It wasn't shown love. It's just mind over matter. It would rather be comfortable than uncomfortable, no matter what the price is," Sasuke pointed out. Naruto frowned and looked down.
"What about that thing about the orphanages in Russia? How the children aren't shown love and have Psychological disabilities later in life?" Naruto tilted his head.
"I got three words for you, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. In case you haven't noticed, the Russians are a bunch of drunk nomads who don't know a lick about anything but war and drinking games," Sasuke said with a snort. Naruto huffed.
"That's not true! What about the cold war?"
"Notice the word 'war'? That counts too," Sasuke mumbled.
"Well what about us? We don't know anything about anything except making video games and anime!" Naruto snapped, "And the Chinese are only good at outsourcing and buying America! But you don't see their orphans lined up in cribs in silence, only picked up to be fed and then put back when it's done!"
"What orphans? The government controls everything to the point where they don't freaking have orphans!" Sasuke argued. Naruto glared at him slightly.
"They even said in the case study, loving bonds and nurturing atmospheres produce children with higher IQs and have a lower psychological disability percentage," Naruto huffed. Sasuke looked at him.
"You come from a hostile environment, but you're fine. Retarded, maybe, but that's probably from being dropped on your head," Sasuke countered.
"In elementary school I made a friend who showed me love and care. He helped me a lot," Naruto stared intently at his hands.
"What about me? I have a fairly high IQ and I'm a boy who hasn't seen a shred of love or care or affection since I was six. That's eleven years, Naruto."
"But you had it. You felt it and you understood, "this is love. This is important to my survival." And you have friends," Naruto whispered.
"I have acquaintances. I have people I hang out with. I have people I talk to who don't know a damn thing about me. Shikamaru is the closest thing I have to a friend and he only knows what he figured out on his own. I've never told him a damn thing," Sasuke growled. Naruto looked up at him.
"Then tell me," He murmured sadly. "Tell me what happened to make you like this."
"Or are you afraid he'll drag up unwanted memories about that time?"
"Nothing special," Sasuke murmured, scratching at his left shoulder subconsciously.
LET ME BE THE ONE YOU CALL
SPLASH!
A snort followed by a loud burst of laughter filled the air.
"You're not funny, teme," Naruto hissed, pulling the paint bucket off his head. His blond hair was covered in purple paint. Sasuke was nearly doubled over as he kept laughing. "Let's see here... I think pink is definitely your color," Naruto lifted the bucket of pink paint and dumped over Sasuke's head, watching the black spikes soak it in. He grinned mischievously.
"Sonovabitch!" Sasuke grabbed the closest bucket and flung it at Naruto, splattering yellow paint all over the wall. The paint war had thus started and the classroom became speckled with blues, yellows, blues, reds, greens, and an ugly shade of pink that resembled Pepto Bismal than anything else. "Just looking at this wall makes me want to vomit," Sasuke muttered.
"Let's fix it quickly," Naruto suggested, grabbing the green paint brush.
"WHAT IS THIS?" Someone yelled. The both jolted and turned to see the teacher in charge of the classroom they were redecorating, Might Guy-sensei, standing in the doorway.
"Erm... it's... abstract art?" Sasuke said, unsure of himself. Guy stepped into the room and looked around.
"I don't believe it... it's... it's..." Naruto started creeping for the door. "BEAUTIFUL! IT SCREAMS WITH YOUTH! IT'S AMAZING!" He yelled, tears streaming from his eyes. "I LOVE IT!"
"You do? I mean... of course you do. It was my idea, after all," Sasuke said, smirking.
"OI! TEME! That's a lie!" Naruto screeched. They started fighting, rolling around on the plastic canvas and smearing it with paint.
"Ah, the beauty of youth. Get out of here you little rapscallions." Guy said. They left and Sasuke took of his shoes.
"There's paint on my toes," He muttered, clearly disgruntled. Naruto snorted.
"There's paint up my nose," He countered. Sasuke sighed and tugged under the blonde's arm.
"My house, hot shower," He grunted, pulling Naruto along with him. They entered the pricey flat Sasuke lived in and Sasuke shoved Naruto to the bathroom. "Go, before I have to replace my carpet," He ordered, though the paint was mostly dry by now. Naruto blushed darkly and hurried into the bathroom to take a shower. He'd never been in Sasuke's house before.
"Two months..." He whispered, sitting on the floor of the shower. "Two months we've been talking... and today... today he asked me if I wanted to help him paint a classroom... cuz he didn't want to do it alone. He wanted my help with something…" Naruto looked at the bathroom doors. "Does this mean we're… friends?"
Sasuke could tell the other was saddened about something by the way he poked at his noodles. The idiot loved ramen. The raven sighed and put down his fork. "What is it, dobe?" He muttered, annoyed.
"What are we?" The blond replied softly. Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.
"My birthday is July 23rd, my favorite color is red, I don't like sweet things, and my favorite food is tomatoes. I started smoking and drinking when I was fourteen and haven't been able to quit smoking since, though I did kick my alcohol addiction when I was fifteen. There, you know things about me, things I trusted you enough to tell you. Does that make you happy?" Sasuke looked over at the blonde who launched himself across the table and held him in a bear hug.
"Does this mean I'm your friend?"
"You're an acquaintance, just more important than Shikamaru."
"That's good enough for me," Naruto whispered.
IF YOU NEED TO FALL APART, I CAN MEND YOUR BROKEN HEART
"Let's talk about love Sasuke," Naruto urged. Sasuke groaned.
"What, again? That smut book giving you ideas?" Sasuke nodded to Naruto's book. Naruto shook his head. "What's there to say? It's pointless."
"Why is it pointless? What makes love so unappealing to you?"
"Because it's meaningless. We don't need love, it's an imaginary emotion created by Hallmark so they could sell more cards," Sasuke grumbled. Naruto shook his head.
"No, true love. Do you believe in love at first sight?"
"If I don't believe in love at all, why would I believe in something as stupid as that?" Sasuke snorted. "Do you believe in that shit?"
"Not in love at first sight. I have my own theory about love. Will you listen to it?" Sasuke shrugged. "I believe that god creates people in pairs of two. He makes their soul, not worrying about their physical image, and says to the two, "Your purpose in life is to find each other and make each other happy." And the souls go down to earth to find a womb with eggs and fill the empty fetus. And then, this other person is their counterpart, people are destined to be together before they've even consciously met."
"I never thought I'd be listening to you talk about religion and actually considering your ideas," Sasuke sighed softly. Naruto smiled at him.
"I never thought you'd listen to me talk about religion period."
"Right, continue."
"Well, I believe that when those two people meet again, there's a spark they don't recognize before a deep friendship binds them," Naruto meshed his fingers together and watched intently as he wiggled them.
"So how does a pair know when they are destined to be together?" Sasuke quirked an elegant brow and Naruto tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"When their bodies fit perfectly together, like they were two halves that have become whole." Naruto smiled and looked at Sasuke. The Uchiha suddenly pitched forward and kissed him harshly on the lips. He pulled the blond into his lap and noticed how they were a perfect fit.
"Like this?" He questioned. He got a slow nod and a dark blush. "So, according to your theory, that means we were created together," Sasuke's voice was husky and smooth. Naruto blushed and looked at him. "It's an interesting theory. However, those are your beliefs and I have my own," Sasuke moved Naruto and stood.
"What are your beliefs?" Naruto whispered, forcing himself to keep the hurt out of his voice. Sasuke stood up on the ledge of the school building. He looked at Naruto.
"I believe that there is no higher power. Evolution created us and we take on our possibilities. And when he die, they put us in a box and forget about us. He become crap to rot in the earth beneath everyone." Sasuke started to lean backwards. Naruto lunged forward and grabbed his arm.
"Please… don't do that…" Naruto whispered softly. "Why are you always like this?"
"The world is a cold place, Naruto. You have to understand that before you can become someone," Sasuke said quietly.
"Please, not my brother!"
Sasuke shuddered and Naruto took his hand. "My family was murdered. My older brother sacrificed himself so I could live. That's my story. Are you happy now? I told you," The Uchiha mumbled. Naruto shook his head.
"No, that's not it. Tell me what really happened."
"If I couldn't tell the therapists, why would I tell you?" Sasuke hissed. Naruto smacked him across the face gently.
"Because I'm your friend. The therapists weren't. Tell me what happened… what's up with that tattoo on your shoulder?" Sasuke stiffened and looked at Naruto.
"what do you know about that?" He growled. Naruto frowned.
"I know it bothers you. You don't like to look at it, and when you're upset about something you scratch your shoulder in a nervous habit. But I don't know how you got it or what it means to you, those are things that I want to know!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke glared at him. He turned and ran from the roof, kicking open the door on his way. Naruto sighed and followed. "SASUKE!" He shouted, watching the older boy taking the stairs three at a time.
"Leave me alone, usuratonkachi! I don't need this shit! I don't need anyone!"
IF YOU JUMP, I'LL BREAK YOUR FALL
"Sasuke!" Naruto tackled the older boy. He chased him all through the streets and finally cornered him in a dead end alley. "Will you tell me? I finally caught you now tell me!"
"Leave me alone, dobe…" Sasuke whispered. Naruto saw the tears on his face. He frowned and hugged the other boy's head tightly.
"I haven't been picked on once since that day when you saved me. I want to help you, too. Please, tell me," Naruto cooed softly in his arms. "Let's go to your house, where no one can interrupt us."
IF YOU NEED TO CRASH, THEN CRASH AND BURN
Sasuke was wrapped up in a blanket with a mug of hot cocoa in his hand. He looked at the blond who was flitting about the room, worrying needlessly about him and his comfort. Sasuke looked down.
"Now, will you tell me?" Naruto whispered. Sasuke sighed and pulled off his shirt, showing Naruto the tattoo of three swirling commas.
"We called it the curse mark; there was different kinds, too. But it was a branding, a mark that said we belonged to Orochimaru. He used us in sick experiments, treated us like garbage. We were forced to undergo horrible living conditions, we were supposed to be equal in our suffering…" Sasuke bit down on his fingers. Naruto grabbed his hand.
"But you weren't?" Sasuke shook his head.
"Because I was the favorite. I didn't get put through such extreme experimentations, so I was treated differently. The others hated me. They beat the crap out of me whenever they got the chance, one time even my jaw was broken," Sasuke took a deep breath. "For six years I was in that place, taking their abuse. Before those six years I was in a house where my father refused to look at me unless I had all As on my report cards. If I got a bad mark he locked me out of the house for the night and I had to wait for my brother to pull me in through the window. They died… because I left a window open. A man came in, high off something or other, and started beating my mother. He shot my father and beat my mother to death. Itachi hid me in the closet while he tried to fight off the guy. He died from blood loss. It was… my fault… They put me in the orphanage and Orochimaru got his claws into me."
"It wasn't your fault, Sasuke," Naruto moved and pulled the other into his arms. He started to rock his older friend. "I'm right here, cry it out. I won't let anything bad happen to you while you crash and burn." Naruto murmured. The pain-filled sobs racking the older's body tore at Naruto's heart. "Oh, Sasuke… I wish I could take it all away, all those painful memories. Give me a moment to put your heart at ease."
YOU'RE NOT ALONE
"I'm sorry, Naruto. I was so cruel to you." Sasuke murmured. Naruto turne d his head towards his lover and smiled. "I just… Shikamaru was right, I was so scared… I didn't want to remember things… so I mocked you. I went out of my way to piss you off."
"Yeah, but through all that, we became this. I'm glad you waited for me… until I was sixteen. That's really sweet of you," Naruto leaned closer and kissed the pale man on the cheek. "Why do you keep thinking about it?"
"Because I keep thinking about what you said, about how we were made together," Sasuke pulled the blonde into his lap and made a sound close to purring at how perfectly they fit together. "I don't like these boxers, they get in the way." He grumbled, tugging at the green and orange boxers the other wore.
"They are my only protection from your dirty fingers," Naruto huffed. He sighed and laid his head on Sasuke's chest. "How's that editing job coming along?"
"It's coming. Jiraiya-sensei is trying to write a yaoi book. He's hell bent on doing it. He's been asking me questions left and right about our relationship, I think he's going to write a book about us, just over-dramatized," Sasuke hummed and ran his hands along his younger love's smooth back.
"He have a title for it yet?" Sasuke hummed in affirmation. "Well, what is it?" Naruto lifted his head and stared with questioning eyes. Sasuke smirked a little.
"Crash and Burn," He whispered, seductively. Naruto blushed. "Let's give him something to research." Sasuke flipped them and tore off Naruto's boxers.
"NEE! TEME! I HAVE SCHOOL IN TWO HOURS! I CAN'T! I- Aaaaaahhhhhh …"
