This is kind of like an AU, I guess. I mean, they're still ninja and stuff, but not really.
I will make this perfectly clear: this IS NOT a songfic to the the Fray song "How To Save A Life". That is a very wondeful song, but this story has nothing to do with it.
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HOW TO SAVE A LIFE
My name is Uchiha Sasuke.
I never really thought about how I was going to die. I always imagined it would be at the end of an enemy's kunai, in the heat of a fierce battle, and that I would go down in the noble name of all shinobi.
I never thought I would drown.
XXX
He was there helping me, when I didn't even know it. He saved my life. And I didn't even know who he was.
I studied him as my consciousness began to return. He was there, bending over me on his hands and knees, soaked to the skin, panting. He looked my age, 17, 18 maybe. His disheveled blonde hair clung to his forehead, and he was dressed like any modern young man. His blue eyes were staring intently at me.
He was a ninja, and he knew how to save a life. Feeling his lips pressed to mine, breathing life into me, I'll never forget that.
With a smile he realized that I was going to live. His expression immediately relaxed as he explained to me that I had fallen into a river and that he had jumped in to save me.
"Who are you? " I gasped, looking up into his sodden, dripping face. "What's your name?"
"Naruto," he replied, water quivering on his lips. "Uzumaki Naruto."
Before I could answer, he had swept me up into his arms and began to walk. This frail boy, who couldn't be any older than I was, and who definitely weighed less, was carrying me without any visible strain.
"Uchiha Sasuke..." he mused with a soft laugh. "The last heir of the prestiged Uchiha clan."
He was talking to himself rather than to me.
"How do you know who I am?"
"Your shirt." He laughed almost inaudibly again.
I was bothered beyond reason. I was weak, and vulnerable, something I detested being at the hands of another. But this boy- Naruto, he exuded such a sense of peace that I felt safe with him... almost trusted him, even.
"Naruto, I... thank you."
He said nothing at first, but blushed slightly. "I couldn't leave you there."
"Of course not," I said, in a sultry tone. "But thank you."
XXX
My appearance was quite a surprise to Naruto's village. Seeing their star shinobi plodding through the streets with a "handsome boy" in his arms was not something of the everyday. Deciding to patch me up on his own, he took me back to his home. He lived by himself, and I was smart enough not to ask why.
"My father was the Hokage," he said, reading my face as he set a steaming bowl of ramen in front of me. I was being treated with his utmost care, having been set up like a king on his futon. "He sacrificed his life to save our village from a demon."
I didn't know what to say.
"Eat up!" he said with a forgetting smile. But the truth was, I'd never had a thing for ramen. Much to my annoyance, he seemed to think I'd forgotten how to eat, and attempted to feed me. With a sigh, I let him, watching his cheeks darken with each movement of the chopsticks from the bowl to my mouth.
"Naruto, why are you doing this?" I asked with a mouthful of noodles.
"Oh!" he exclaimed, letting the chopsticks fall. "I'm sorry!"
"No, why are you caring for me like this?"
"Well," he said. "I guess I just want to make sure you're okay."
"I'm fine."
"Do you want to leave?" he asked, his blue eyes saddening. "It seems kinda mean to throw you out."
"No, I'll stay," I said with a smile. "I like you."
He blushed again, deciding hastily that I needed to rest. As I closed my eyes, I heard him sit beside me on the futon. Minutes later, he was dozing with his elbow on his knee, his head tipping precariously. I couldn't help but watch him. He was young, and he was beautiful, I wasn't afraid to admit. His flawless skin complemented his pale cornflower hair, and he had a smile to kill for.
I was beautiful enough myself, but I was lonely. No, not lonely, solitary. I had but one purpose in life: kill my brother. Nothing else could come close to being as important to me as that, and I had found relationships to be tedious.
Perhaps it was this loneliness that led me to find a companion in Naruto. I don't know.
I let him fall across my lap, still sleeping peacefully. Deprivation of contact made me realize how soft his skin was, and my hand stroked his face. My fingers traced his lip, and suddenly I stopped. Would this or would this not be considered "taking advantage" of him? He was asleep, after all, and I was as good as fondling him. I decided I didn't care.
I laid my head on his chest, praying to Kami that I could stay this way. When I felt his hand pull at my hair, I knew he was awake. I sat up quickly, and hurt touched his open eyes.
"Sasuke, what are you doing?" he asked. "Didn't you like that?"
I could do nothing but stare at him, seeing the reflection of my charcoal black eyes in his. His cheeks were tinged pink again, and I was reminded of a schoolboy. I realized what he was to me now: an innocent boy that I loved.
Love was an faint emotion for me. I felt remorse and animosity more than love. I had nothing and no one to love, and the feeling itself had evaded me for a long time.
And yet Naruto was now sending wave after wave of this new emotion through me, simply by looking at me with his soulful, pleading eyes. Would it be wrong for me to do what I was longing to?
"Naruto, sit very still."
I leaned my head in towards him, never taking my eyes off his once, and let our lips touch again.
Only this time it was different.
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T.B.C...
Okay, I will write another chapter tomorrow! Yes, there will be a new chapter tomorrow! I promise! I'm not putting this story off for later!
Review and follow teh Sasunaruness! It will get lemony next chapter.