Disclaimer: Hmm, nope, I don't have enough money to own Naruto, the only thing I do own is my weird imagination and my window, from which this idea sprung from.
A/N- set a few years after Sasuke has left, but does not follow most of the time line. Just so you know.
It keeps him awake at night, the nagging sense at the edge of his mind
It keeps him awake at night, the nagging sense at the edge of his mind. He knows that if he thinks too hard about it he'll never get to sleep and that generally makes for cranky training in the morning. It's the feeling that there's something just out of reach that keeps him staring at the ceiling for hours, because if he doesn't move, then it doesn't move. Whatever it is.
Although part of him thinks he knows what it is, like when you switch types of ramen and then years later catching the scent of the one you used to eat. Which really is a weird analogy, but so long as he didn't mention it to Sakura, then he was safe.
So he lays there, arms tucked behind his head, blankets pooled low on his hips as he listens, trying to catch the slightest sound that will tell him if anyone is there. Just outside his window, out of view, he can sense someone; no tell tale sounds, just a familiar scent that is barely even there.
It drives him crazy to the point where he finally just says screw it and rolls over, poking his head out the window.
There's no one there of course, he knew there wouldn't be, but it doesn't stop him from hoping that maybe his night time stalker will show them to him. The scent is still there though, fading away with the breeze and it drives him crazy because he knows it so well or at least thinks he should.
Naruto, frustrated, pulls his head back in, yanking his blanket up above his shoulders, decides that he is going to get some sleep. Because no creepy stalker is going to keep him up at night, especially when he has a mission tomorrow with Kakashi and Sakura.
So he manages to fall asleep, but ends up dreaming of faceless twelve year olds and in turn over sleeps and is late for his mission anyways.
DI
He's not back in Konoha for a week and by the time he gets back, he's battered and bruised and just so damn tired. Sakura is in the hospital and he would be too except Kyuubi has mostly healed his major wounds, so he shrugs off the healers, choosing to collapse into his bed as soon as he can.
Except now he can't sleep. His eyes kept drooping and his mind has all but shut down, but still sleep eludes him.
He wants to scream in frustration, scream for sleep, and scream for the person outside his window to just go away! But they won't because he's been gone for a week and they've missed him. Or so he assumes anyways, it's the only explanation he can think of.
Naruto had mentioned his stalker to Sakura on the mission, before everything went to hell, but she only stared at him and rolled her eyes, muttering something about oblivious blondes.
He figures he should be insulted, but he's not sure why, so he spluttered out indignantly while trying to decipher her words. At least he's not the one that talks to himself (alright, sometimes) like how the day before the mission he had walked in on Sakura talking to herself and cooking a meal that could feed a group of people. Now he can't ask her about it because she's lying in a hospital bed unconscious.
"Come in or go away!" He calls out; irritated that he won't be able to get any sleep. There's no reply, not that he's surprised. He's had an entire conversation with his stalker before, all one sided.
"Why don't you go bug Kiba tonight?" Naruto calls out sighing. Let his stalker be scarred for life when they accidentally walk in on Shino and Kiba…doing things. It would serve his stalker right. The presence still doesn't leave. "Or visit Sakura in the hospital."
If he concentrates hard enough, then maybe he can almost hear the laughing insult on the wind, but he can't. The presence is gone, presumably to go check on Sakura or they were just bored.
Ino thought his stalker was a figment of his imagination, or maybe Konahamaru. He knew it was neither. Neji had wanted to know why anyone would want to stalk a loud mouth blonde. Naruto had grown taller and stronger than Neji in the past few years, so the other seventeen year old had left with a black eye.
He closes his eyes, finally relaxing into sleep now that his creepy stalker is gone. He figures he'd be able to sleep fine with the presence there, if he just knew who it was, because he feels like he's supposed to know who it is.
Sometimes he believes Iruka-sensei may know who it is, with the knowing looks he's been sending Naruto and the not so subtle hints that he at least knows about the stalker. Sometimes he suspects that it's the creepy pervy sage outside his window and this is some sort of training, the thought doesn't last long, but does give him nightmares.
Naruto drifts off to sleep, awhile later to images of pale skin and cool smirks.
He barely stirs when the presence returns. A familiar figure slipping into his room, sitting on the edge of his bed and watching Naruto for awhile, before slipping back out as silently as they'd entered.
Naruto grins in his sleep.
DI
Naruto has torn his room apart searching for it. The things that is driving him crazy, because the scent is still there, even if the presence isn't. Even if it's four in the afternoon and his stalker only comes at night.
The scent is barely there, hidden under piles of ramen cups and dirty socks, but strong enough that he picked up on it as soon as he got home.
Naruto might have ignored it, if not for the fact that there was also a bag of fresh vegetables on his table that he had most definitely not bought. The scent had been on them too. So now his stalker is looking out for his health as well, great. That just made his day.
He can almost hear the insult accompanying the food about his eating habits.
"Bastard!" He calls out, digging into his closet and half wondering if his stalker is even a guy.
The scent is stronger there, which is kind of creepy, because it means that his stalker was in his closet. Why anyone would want to be in there is beyond him, he swears that's where Orochimaru has been hiding out for the past few years with Itachi or something.
Shikamaru's slouched against the door frame, staring at him as though he's lost his mind as he tears through his closet, which in reality, he believes he may have when he encountered that moldy ramen cup. Naruto ignores him though, because he knows whatever it is, is in there and he will find it!
Eventually he sits back on his heels, irritated and disappointed, because he didn't find anything.
"Moron." Shikamaru mutters, reaching over his head and grabbing something from the top shelf.
"A key?" He asks in disbelief, 'cause really, what kind of a stalker leaves a key in a closet?
Shikamaru merely sighs and mutters troublesome, leaving, probably in search of Ino. This leaves Naruto alone to ponder exactly why anyone would leave a key for him.
DI
Iruka-sensei seems to find the entire thing all too funny. Naruto isn't sure why though, seeing as he's being stalked. (He swears that he felt the presence when he was walking to Iruka-sensei's apartment!) But whatever, at least he believes him.
"Can I see the key?" He asks, laughter tickling his voice after Naruto tells him about the latest thing. He nods handing over the small silver object, watching Iruka carefully.
Something tells him that Iruka knows exactly what the key is for, but his former teacher doesn't reveal anything as he hands the key back to the blonde.
"So, do you know what it's for?" Naruto asks after a long pause.
"I believe," Iruka-sensei begins pensively, that has Naruto leaning forwards in his seat, eagerly awaiting the answer. "That it is a house key." Naruto falls off his seat, face hitting the floor with a thud! He's already figured that much out, he's still getting the feeling that Iruka-sensei is toying with him.
"But for what house?" He whines, impatiently. This just proves that Iruka-sensei has been spending far too much time with Kakashi; they're beginning to think alike, in the 'lets drive Naruto crazy', sense.
"I do not have the answer to that; perhaps your stalker will tell you if you just ask?" He raises an eyebrow at his former teacher, because he's already thought of that as well and it got him no where except some irritating branch hitting one of his windows all night.
"What should I do, try out every door in Konoha?"
This is how he finds himself, five hours later, going from door to door in the village, testing out his key. He hadn't realized the sheer amount of doors in the village- now he's beginning to wonder if this was the best course of action.
"Greetings Naruto!" Lee bounds up to him, grinning, as Naruto receives another odd look from a villager whose house he just tried his key out on.
"Hey, Lee." He heads to the next house, his friend trailing behind. "What're you doing here? I thought Gaara was arriving today?"
"Oh, he is." Lee continues, happily oblivious to how odd Naruto is acting. "I was on my way over, actually. Would you like to come with me?" Naruto considers it, and then considers spending the next ten hours and only getting half the village done. Perhaps he can finish off the rest of the doors tomorrow; besides, he hasn't seen Gaara in months. Maybe his stalker will lay off tonight since he's at least tried to find the door that matches his key.
"Sure."
DI
Gaara looks at him, then at Lee, then back at him.
"Moron." The kazekage mutters quietly. Naruto glances at Lee in confusion, but Lee doesn't pay it any attention, bubbling on about his latest training exercise and how he'll be taking on a squad in a few months.
"You haven't noticed?" Gaara asks him, face and voice neutral when Lee wanders off to get them drinks.
"Noticed what?" Naruto asks, feeling slightly annoyed, because apparently everyone in the village have noticed something he hasn't; which really isn't his fault, considering the fact that he's been on a lot missions recently and he has his stalker to deal with.
Gaara shoots him a strange look, then glances out the window, before turning his attention to the door as Lee comes bouncing through with their drinks, somehow managing not to spill anything.
The presence is back, Naruto realizes, darting to the open window and thrusting his head out, glancing around wildly. There's nothing there of course. The sun is setting the distance, casting shadows on Konoha, but the only other living thing that high up outside of Hokage tower, is a large raven, staring unblinking at him. It's kind of disturbing, so he pulls his head back inside and ruffles his hair sheepishly before rejoining his friends.
When he gets home later, the presence isn't there. Considering how late it is, he supposes that his stalker got bored of waiting up for him and went home.
He's decided that the key is his stalkers weird way of asking him to move in with him, which, okay would be kind of cool, but he has no idea who his stalker is, so that makes it kind of difficult. Alright, so maybe he has an idea- but it's impossible.
Instead, Naruto changes into his pajama's and is about to climb into bed when he remembers the annoying tapping the previous night. It could have been just to annoy him, however, there's always the chance. So he shuffles over to his window, the one opposite his bed, where his stalker had been tapping, and opens it, peering out over Konoha.
Nothing, he doesn't see anything that could be a clue. All he sees are houses and apartments with the occupants sleeping soundly and in the distance, the Uchiha's houses. They've been deserted for years now, but Sakura still goes over there to tidy up once in awhile. He hasn't been able to go near the place since Sasuke left them.
Frustrated, he turns back to bed, climbing in and settling in for a full night of sleep. Naruto sleeps restlessly, feeling the distinct lack of his stalker until Kakashi shows up at his window at the crack of dawn and drags him off for an emergency mission.
DI
It isn't until he gets back from the mission, exhausted once again, does he remember the key and the window and perhaps, Sasuke's old house. The presence is outside his window again, he discovers as he flops down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He can almost feel the worry radiating off of his stalker, which makes him want to laugh, but it's one of those times where he's seen too much blood, too much death and he seems to have forgotten how to smile.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." He assures the empty room, an idea slowly forming in his head. He can almost hear the retort that the other person wasn't worried and for him to get up off his lazy ass and figure out what the key opens.
"Do you know how many doors there are in Konoha?" He asks instead. The reply is instant in his head; you've never given up before. Part of him realizes that he's having a one sided conversation with his stalker, in his head, but he ignores it.
"I'm not giving up." Naruto snaps instead. He sighs, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes. "Are you coming in tonight?" There's no reply, even in his head, but he suspects that he already knows what his stalker wants.
"It took me awhile, but I think I finally get it." He announces to the room, sitting up. "This just proves how weird you are."
DI
He hasn't been there in years.
Hasn't wanted to. He'd gone out of his way to avoid the place at first, and then just found something else to do every time Sakura invited him to go with her. Well, it wasn't like he could avoid the place forever.
It comes as no surprise that there is a light in the window, since while the entire village seemed to be in on the conspiracy, he'd finally figured it out.
The key fits into the lock perfectly, opening with a click. He pushes the door open, stepping in, careful to remove his shoes before proceeding. The large house is silent around him at first, and then trained ears pick up the slightest noise coming from the room down the hall. He remembers it being a library.
Naruto makes his way down the hall, pushing the door open without hesitation, because it can be only one person and he already knows who it is. Sure enough, he's curled up on the couch in the corner, legs tucked underneath him, book propped open on his knee.
Obsidian eyes glance up at him in annoyance, as though to say 'what took you so long?'
"If you weren't so weird, I would have figured it out sooner, teme." Naruto informs him, feeling nervous, but excited, because it has been years. Displaying more confidence than he feels, he makes his way over to the couch, sinking down into the soft cushions and peering over his friends shoulder, pretending to be interested in what he was reading.
"Sakura figured it out before you."
"You spent a month sitting outside my window, when you could have just told me." Naruto points out, tugging the book away and setting it aside, forgetting to mark the page just to annoy his friend.
"That would have been too easy for you." Naruto snorts, giving into the feeling and wrapping his arms around the other teenager, feeling arms return the awkward hug.
"So, you asking me to move in with you?" He asks puffing warm breath against a pale neck and smirking as the slender figure in his arms shivers lightly.
"Yes."
"We'll probably kill each other." Sasuke pulls back slightly to stare at him, one perfect eye brow raised. He doesn't look that different, older, but otherwise still Sasuke. The nights where he wasn't outside his window, he was probably with the Hokage, discussing the terms to his return, because while Naruto is overjoyed that Sasuke is back after all this time, he knows there will be repercussions.
"Like you could take me in a fight, dobe." Naruto smirks, choosing another way to deal with the challenge. He pushes the paler teen back down onto the couch, climbing on top and straddling his waist.
"I don't need to beat you to be on top, teme." He cuts off Sasuke's reply, sealing his lips over the others and spends the next few hours making him moan in as many ways as possible.
Sasuke's back and the mystery of his creepy stalker has been solved. Life is pretty good.