God it was late. The blond strode quickly through the darkened streets of Konohagakure, his eyes warily flicking left and right. It was never a bright idea to wander within the southern area so late at night. He had to work late at the ramen shop, Ichiraku, and was left with no alternative though. Last thing he needed was to get his hard earned money stolen, especially with how little he made.
He hastily turned another corner and halted in his steps.
The scent of blood hit his nostrils as he gazed upon the dead man leaning against the wall of the alleyway. Heart hammering, he felt his arms quickly freeze at his sides. Should he turn back and pretend he didn't see what he had or risk being murdered by checking the guy and calling the cops?
He lightly "tsked" because he already knew his choice.
The blonde slowly trekked towards the corpse, tense with fear of the murderer possibly still being around. Finally standing before the bloodied man he let out of shaky breath of air as he gazed upon the atrocious sight. The man's hair was matted with a thick amount of red, so much so he couldn't even make out the color of his hair. The skin was covered as well, but a few slivers of pale skin could be seen passed the copious amount of blood. Blue eyes squeezed shut as he reclaimed control over himself. Vomit was not something he had to add to the dreadful seen.
Then he saw it, his blue eyes snapping in wonder at the small rise of the supposedly "dead" man's chest. He promptly dropped to his knees and checked the man's pulse.
A steady beat met his warm fingertips.
"How in the world?" he questioned softly.
Shaking off his amazement he quickly ran over his options. There wasn't a hospital within at least a three mile radius which left…
His gaze hardened as he placed the man on his back and ran towards his nearby apartment.
+/+
Coal-like eyes slowly flickered open, fixed upon a whitewashed ceiling.
"You know I'm bewildered you're awake already, let alone alive," a voice to his right spoke.
His head throbbed in twisted pain. Instinctively he placed a hand upon his forehead willing it away. The pain slowly receded into a dull ache. Releasing a pent up breath of air, he finally turned his head to look upon the tan face that was…
Way too close.
"Idiot, stop breathing my air. Are you trying to suffocate me?"
The blonde man reddened in agitation. "Bastard!" he retorted sharply. "I save your sorry ass! I give you my blood! And the first thing you do is call me an idiot?"
He couldn't help himself from rolling his eyes but he remained silent in answer.
The blonde noticeably relaxed his shoulders. "Look I'm not into getting off on the wrong foot here. You want to tell me what happened back there? Who attacked you? I was waiting for you to wake up before calling the cops and—"
"No cops," he snapped.
Sky blue eyes narrowed at him. "What do you mean 'no cops'?"
He grunted, but gave no reply.
"You're infuriating, you know that?" The blonde growled, turning away briskly and stomping towards the kitchen. The clatter of pots and pans was all he heard for a minute. It didn't take long before the blonde bellowed from the kitchen "hey bastard you got a name?"
The wounded man turned his head towards the window glaring at its repugnant brightness. "It's Sasuke," he murmured.
A blonde mop of hair appeared at the bedroom doorway. "What was that?" he inquired.
Sasuke huffed in annoyance. "My name, it's Sasuke."
The grin he received back was blinding. "Nice to meet yah, Sasuke. You can call me Naruto."
+/+
Naruto couldn't believe that he had saved this man, Sasuke. There was just way too much blood when he found him. Regardless, he had brought the dying man here even when the chances of saving him were so unimaginably slim. Naruto had dragged out the first aid and started stitching up the gash atop Sasuke's head as well as the large wound that ran from his left hip to his right shoulder.
Course then he ran into the problem of Sasuke losing too much blood. He had got out the IV kit quickly enough from the bathroom cabinet and set to work.
He did all he could for Sasuke that night, and only prayed the man didn't have a concussion or anything of the sort.
Naruto came home from work the next day and Sasuke was already awake. God it was insanity! He watched him so taken aback at first. It wasn't exactly normal by any means! Naruto thought he was a fast healer, but Sasuke's recovery just wasn't possible.
He had noted it as something to find out about this man later. On the subject of mental notes one stood out extremely.
Sasuke was fucking beautiful.
Naruto wasn't sugarcoating it either. After washing him off of dried blood, the smooth marble face and aristocratic features were difficult not to stare at. Pale skin and soft raven hair were a sharp contrast to his tan skin and spiky blond locks. The uncommon spike in the back was amusing for Naruto since it remind him of a duck's ass.
Of course the image of such a pretty looking boy was shattered as soon as Sasuke had opened his bastard mouth.
Naruto scoffed and focused back upon his task of making some warm soup for what should have been an unconscious patient. Clicking his tongue he turned the stove off and began pouring some of the content into two separate bowls. He carefully set both of the bowls onto the table and went to check on Sasuke.
"So bastard you ready to eat? I made some soup since you should still be taking it easy."
Sasuke sat up from the bed and placed his feet upon the floor. His coal eyes steadily gazed into sky blue. "You made soup for me?" he asked incredulously.
"Yeah, I did. I'll bring it here if you're able to ea—"
"That won't be necessary," Sasuke cut him off. He stood up and quietly walked passed Naruto to sit at the table.
Naruto was stricken with shock. "How in the bloody hell are you able to fucking walk?" he screeched. Sasuke winced but gave no answer as he sat down at the table. The bandaged man carefully picked up a spoon and brought the soup to his lips.
Naruto released a heavy sigh and quietly sat across from the raven. He idly fiddled with his soup, studying the man across from him with calculating eyes. Sasuke was different. It was beginning to freak him out a bit. Who healed that quickly?
"Are you trying to send me to hell with your eyes, loser? I can tell you it doesn't work that way," Sasuke chided with an arrogant smirk.
"Bastard! I was…I was…" Naruto struggled to grasp a good comeback, his fists tightened at his sides. "Staring at your stupid looking eyes!" he finally burst out.
"Oh is that so? I didn't know my eyes held your attention so much." With his eyes shut, Sasuke calmly took another sip from his soup.
Naruto fumbled with an excuse, his face a deep red. Fuming and embarrassed he shoveled the rest of his soup down. After he finished, he slowly placed his spoon into his now empty bowl. Naruto locked his eyes onto Sasuke who was still slowly eating his own soup.
"So," Naruto drawled, "you plan on going home soon since you're a walking miracle?" Sasuke's spoon halted halfway towards his mouth.
"Don't have one," he softly spoke. Sasuke calmly resumed eating, his eyes downcast.
Naruto's breath caught in his chest for a moment. Slowly releasing a sigh he leaned his head back and stared at ceiling in contemplation. He could let Sasuke stay here until he completely healed, but then what? He already did a good deed by saving the asshole, so was there a need to do more? Did he want to help more? Wasn't like he lived like a king, he could barely afford his current rent as it was. He couldn't put the guy out on the streets though, he's been homeless before himself and he would never wish such a fate upon another human being if it could be avoided.
Well shit.
"I'm too fucking nice," Naruto mumbled. Sasuke lifted his gaze from his soup to stare at the exhausted blonde. Naruto's gaze flicked to the side as he rattled off his thoughts. "Look, being homeless sucks and I don't know what your situation is…Heck! I don't even know if you're being targeted by the fucking mafia—"
"I wasn't attacked by anyone," Sasuke cut in.
Naruto paused. "Eh, that's good I guess. You're fine to stay here while you sort out your, er, stuff. I expect you to help out around here though, and maybe even get yourself a job after some time. I don't know your history and I'm fine with that, since I don't exactly plan on sharing mine either." Naruto's face uncharacteristically darkened before smiling and finally locking gazes with Sasuke. "Past is past, I prefer living in the present."
Sasuke silently went over what he said, before scoffing. "You're an idiot."
"What?" Naruto growled irately.
"I said you're an idiot. I could be someone who just murdered his fucking family and you open your arms and offer your home without knowing anything about me. You're. An. Idiot."
Naruto stood up and angrily slammed his fist onto the small table. "Here I am helping your ungrateful pale ass and all you do is insult me! You're such a bastard! Maybe that's why you're alone!"
Sasuke's eyes furiously narrowed into a heated glare. "And you aren't?"
It struck a chord. Naruto's tense posture visibly sunk and his head lowered. Silence reigned for seconds that felt much longer.
Naruto gradually made his way towards his bedroom pausing right before shutting the door behind him. "You can sleep on the couch tonight," he whispered coldly.
Click.
+/+
Naruto got ready for work early the next day, shutting the door quietly on his way out as to not wake up Sasuke who peacefully slept on his couch. Sasuke may be a real bastard, but all the disdain and rage he consistently held upon his visage was wiped clean while he slept. He appeared darkly angelic in a sense, as his characteristics were vaguely reminiscent of night.
Shaking himself out of his entranced stupor, Naruto had casually walked to work consistent to his life's daily schedule. When he was working it was as if nothing the previous days had occurred, he felt normal. He was too preoccupied with his tasks to think of the mysterious raven which now stayed within his own home.
"Naruto pick up the pace!" barked Teuchi from the counter.
Naruto's head snapped in direction of the shout. "You got it old man!" was the resounded reply.
Time flew by and soon enough his long shift was over. Naruto trotted out of the bar with a wave of his hand and a quick farewell, Ayame shouting her daily reminder about being careful on his way home.
Naruto stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and leisurely walked his way home. The night was a beautiful one, the air humid and full. The moon was covered by the smog of the city, but the radiant glow of a crescent was brighter than most nights he walked home.
He was about to make a right down a side street when he noticed three figures suspiciously whispering in hushed voices. The taller one held a cigarette to his mouth, and the one to his left fidgeted from one foot to the other as though anxious. White animal masks with vibrant red painted swirls and stripes hung on their hips. Naruto quickly realized they were ANBU.
ANBU is a notorious gang that sought to run the streets of south Konoha, although the plan was unsuccessful due to a split in their ranks which caused the formation of an opposing gang, Root.
It wouldn't be good to get into a scuffle with them, so Naruto promptly spun on his heel and made his way to the nearby alleyway. He didn't expect to run into two more ANBU members, and unlike the other three he had run into, these two were aware of his presence.
The lanky one of the two gave a sneering grin in his direction while leaning back on a garbage can. "Well if it ain't our lucky day, Ryuu. This boy may be of some fun, yeah?"
Naruto backed up and quickly reached for the soles of his boots. He was always prepared for this type of situation, walking the alleys on his way home at night carried its risks, and it was only a matter of time before this occurred. He had hoped, however, that it would be common beggars and muggers, not gangs like ANBU. The feeling of metal brushed his fingertips. He had kunai buckled unnoticeably beneath his boots, a clever trick. He liked to think he was a ninja, and being unpredictable was only part of it.
Naruto tightly held the two kunai in both of his hands, the sharp tips pointed outward. He grinned cheekily. "Bastards, I'm afraid you're messing with the wrong guy. You have run into the great Naruto Uzumaki, the best ninja of Konoha."
The larger of the two men, Ryuu, scoffed. "Kid, you're the one messing with the wrong people." Ryuu swiftly ran towards him, his fist pulled back.
Naruto dodged Ryuu's quick punch, the oversized fist missing his head by mere centimeters. Naruto used his momentum to swipe at Ryuu's stomach, effectively creating a hefty wound on the man's gut. Ryuu staggered backward yelling in anguish. "Fuck! God damn fucking shit!" He glared at the ANBU behind him. "Ugh! Kill this boy you moron!"
"I'll show you what happens to people who mess with the ANBU," his partner growled. He pulled out a knife and steadily advanced towards the blonde.
"You'll just end up like your friend," Naruto snarled, a red tint glinting in his cerulean eyes.
The lanky man hesitated at the threat, before shaking off his doubts. "You're just a fucking kid!" he hollered with a lunge.
Naruto parried the knife with one of his kunai, and landed a solid fist to the side of the man's face. The man fell to the ground. He quickly moved to get back up but was halted by the pointed kunai to his heart.
"Game over," Naruto spoke gruffly.
The click behind him made his heart abruptly stop.
"For you it is, boy."
"About time you got here Takashi," the guy beneath Naruto's pointed kunai barked.
"Idiots who fail to take down a simple child have no right to chastise me." Takashi snarled disdainfully. "Child, what is your name?"
"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto turned around and stared at the gun barrel aimed at his chest. His fists clenched. He felt his nails harshly dig into his skin so that the pain strangled his rising panic to bay. His eyes, however, remained solidly resolute and determined.
"I don't like when a kid messes up those which are under me. It looks bad on me, you see?" Takashi turned the gun on its side, still steadily aimed at Naruto's chest. "Of course," he continued, "that's not a problem if the word doesn't get out. Problem eliminated."
"You humans can be so boringly repetitive."
Naruto's head snapped upward towards the familiar voice, followed along by the ANBU surrounding him. There on the rooftop stood Sasuke, and yet oddly, not Sasuke. His eyes once coal colored, now stood out as blood red. Insanely enough, they appeared to almost be spinning. Naruto turned his attention back to Takashi who seemed fixated on the demonic looking eyes as well.
"Who are you?" Takashi finally questioned.
A cruel smirk replaced the once calm expression on Sasuke. "I am your eliminator."
Naruto stared at Sasuke in avid fascination and, slowly, Sasuke locked eyes with him. The turning of those pinwheel eyes, were not what captured his attention. Instead it was the raw sense of strength and confidence that was clear within Sasuke's gaze.
He knew he was saved.
"You are nothing but another petulant child!" Takashi barked, quickly taking aim at Sasuke with his handgun.
Naruto strangely did not fear for Sasuke, and in that same moment he finally caught sight of the black feathered wings that spanned more than a few feet from Sasuke's back. The solid black nearly blended with the city's starless sky completely.
"Always the same," Sasuke chided, "your fear renders you a fool."
With a flicker Sasuke was gone. A scream of agony to Naruto's right was elicited. Naruto's head snapped to his right quick enough to view a sword being drawn out of the Ryuu's heart. The patter of blood hitting the cemented street was sickening enough to make Naruto cringe.
"Oh fuck…Ryuu…" his partner whispered, slowly staggering backward and up against the alley wall.
Sasuke brought the bloodstained blade to his lips, and slowly took a long lick along the length of the blade. All the while he predatorily stared at Takashi who shook in newly found fear.
Sasuke spat the blood out to the side and wiped at his mouth with his arm. "Not even close to the taste of fine wine, so dirty with sin," he sneered.
Takashi shakingly pointed the gun at Sasuke and fired. The sharp bang echoed off the alley walls and yet Sasuke stood unflinchingly.
The bullet was caught between his fingertips.
"What are you?" Takashi's hands shook violently and the gun dropped out of his grasp. His legs slowly gave out, falling to his knees.
Sasuke let the bullet fall from his fingertips, slowly making his way towards the frightened man. His face was flawlessly emotionless, a rigid cold. Once he stood before Takashi he raised his sword ready to take the man's life.
Takashi crossed his arms before his face as though it would protect him. "Stay away Devil's spawn!"
"As insulting as I find it, I am no different from you. I am another one of God's creations. May your judgment fall to the Sixth," Sasuke declared. At once, his blade came down swiftly.
The sound of tearing flesh made Naruto close his eyes and look away, wincing in disgust. When he hesitantly turned back to the scene the sword was gone from Sasuke's hands and nowhere to be found. However, the black wings remained.
Sasuke lingered with his back turned to Naruto humming in thought as he gazed at the fresh corpse of Takashi. He looked relaxed, even after such a cold hearted murder like that. Naruto let go of a breath he didn't know he was even holding, Sasuke's red eyes snapped towards him in an instant. Naruto froze immediately.
"Hn, you alright loser?" Sasuke questioned playfully, a smirk on his lips.
Naruto simply sat there with his mouth open, unable to find words. After a moment he snapped his jaw shut. "Fine," he loudly chocked out.
Sasuke sighed before walking towards him, bringing his hand up towards his chest. Naruto studied Sasuke's face as he came to stand before him, noticing an almost concealed somber expression. Sasuke snapped his fingers. After a moment of nothing happening, evident frustration marred his face. He snapped his fingers a few more times. Still nothing happened.
"Tch, could this get any worse?" Naruto heard Sasuke mumble. Sasuke combed his raven hair back with a hand and then fixed his spinning gaze onto Naruto's cerulean eyes. "Sleep," he commanded.
Naruto obeyed.
+/+
The blond stirred, stretching his limbs and propping himself on his elbows. Groggily he blinked and looked around at the familiar environment.
What a strange dream he had.
He turned over and caught sight of Sasuke staring at him quizzically. He flinched in surprise, noting the large black wings tucked behind Sasuke.
Sasuke huffed. "Moron, wipe that stupid expression off your face."
Naruto shook off his shock and awe, sitting up from his bed. He stared at his own clenched hands thoughtfully. Softly, he spoke without lifting his gaze. "You killed those men."
Sasuke lifted an elegant eyebrow in response. "What are you talking about? Sounds like you bumped your head before going to bed."
"I saw you murder them and you made it look easy."
"You were dreaming obviously, idiot," Sasuke spoke flatly.
"Then explain the wings!" Naruto barked, turning his angry gaze to Sasuke. Sasuke's eyes widened and his expression was one of unconcealed shock.
"You can see them?"
"Well duh! They're fucking huge!" Naruto exclaimed, his arms flailing wildly to express the size of the additional appendages on Sasuke's back.
"That isn't what I meant, idiot!"
"Well then bastard, explain it to me!"
Sasuke scoffed and looked away from Naruto. His coal eyes expressed a deep contemplation. Naruto stared expectedly at Sasuke, waiting for him to speak.
"It's a really long story," Sasuke began.
"I have time."
Sasuke sat down on the bed, brushing a hand through his hair. He looked conflicted and silence reigned for a minute or so.
"I guess it couldn't make it anymore worse by telling you," he finally spoke. He placed his hands on the bed behind his back and leaned on them. "It's easiest to start off with fact. I am a Warrior of God, or was."
Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion. "Like an Angel?"
"Not quite." Sasuke looked at the ceiling forlornly. "We're called Uchiha, created with the same hand of God. In that sense we are all family, but my brother, Itachi, he was Heaven's favorite. Itachi and I were created under the same year of Heaven, so we are brothers but not in the same sense as here on Earth. Uchiha are Heaven's tools for judgment and justice against Satan's followers and spawns. Satan's power is near unstoppable for us though." Sasuke growled. "We still haven't defeated him even though he is merely one Uchiha," he spat.
"Satan is an Uchiha?" Naruto questioned inquisitively.
"He was the first. No longer is he an Uchiha though, he was called Madara before his rebellion against God. After he fell he became known as Lucifer or Satan." Sasuke took a deep breath, letting his hands relax. "Now I have fallen as well. My wings, they used to be white."
Naruto's gaze fell as he felt Sasuke surrender to his sadness and guilt.
"I had grown hateful after so many heavenly years," Sasuke continued somberly, "the frustration of not being able to defeat Satan fostering it. I became angry at God, angry he would not help with our plight. I gave into my hatred, and the way I fought so emotionally on the field did not go unnoticed by my family, especially Itachi. He warned me of my emotions, and my hate, but I didn't stop. It wasn't about justice anymore, it became about quenching my anger." Sasuke's hands clenched painfully. "I couldn't let go, and I found myself falling soon after."
A deafening silence took place. Naruto bit his lip, before deciding hastily on the first action that came to mind.
He hugged Sasuke. He had crawled towards him and hugged him from the back, soft feathers brushing his skin and face. Sasuke stiffened upon the contact.
"You're not the same," Naruto whispered. "At first I was shocked with the way you killed those men. I realized though, I'd be dead right now if you weren't there. You saved me, Satan would not….so thanks."
Sasuke relaxed and rested his hand on Naruto's arm which now encircled him.
"No Naruto, thank you."
+/+
It was the next morning. Naruto was in the kitchen making breakfast while Sasuke sat at the table reading the newspaper. Sasuke kept making noises of disgust as he read the contents of the articles.
When the noises continued Naruto turned around. "If you don't like the paper why do you continue reading it?"
Sasuke put the paper down and looked at Naruto. "It's interesting how the human world is, but all this sinful behavior is annoying," Sasuke's eyes narrowed, "and repulsive."
Naruto rolled his eyes and returned to making breakfast, he spoke as he continued frying the eggs. "So you never explained the wings thing last night. How come they are there now and hadn't been before?" Naruto questioned.
Sasuke shifted his wings a bit in thought before replying. "I didn't say anything because I honestly don't know why you can see them. Nobody else can, and on top of that, why you can now and couldn't before…" he trailed off.
"They're beautiful."
Sasuke's gaze flicked back towards him in surprise. His pale complexion turned a red hue and he quickly turned his face to the side. "Hn."
"Hey wait! Are you like immortal? Can you do magic and stuff?" Naruto wondered in awe. The blond grew a childish grin. "'Cause I got to say if you can like create tornadoes and shit that be fucking kick ass!"
"I can't create tornadoes. That's ridiculous." Naruto's face fell, but Sasuke smirked in reply. "I can create lightning storms though and I've lived for about a millennium in your time. I'm not immortal entirely though, God can wipe out my existence or strip me of my power."
"That's so cool! I wish I could like blow shit u-"
"The pancakes are burning," Sasuke deadpanned.
"-p and be all…wait what?"
"Pancakes. Burning," he punctuated.
"Shit!" Naruto yelled, turning around quickly and grabbing the handle to the second frying pan. He grabbed it too close to the pan, however, burning his finger in the process. Fuck did it hurt!
He let go of the pan and proceeded to suck on his painfully throbbing finger.
"Idiot." Sasuke chuckled slightly at the events.
"Hey! Bastard! My pain should not be the reason I get to hear you laugh for the first time!" Naruto shouted around the finger still in his mouth.
Sasuke only laughed again.
+/+
"Are you sure about this?"
"I am no sloth," Sasuke growled.
Naruto put his hands up defensively. "Okay, okay, if you're sure."
"Hn."
Sasuke was persistent about getting a job to help Naruto out very quickly. Perhaps the Uchiha was full of pride, or maybe he really just didn't want to be a sloth just that badly.
They continued towards Ichiraku. He caught Naruto fidgeting in his peripheral view, uncomfortably babbling small talk, and observing other people. He was probably expecting someone to shout "freak", point at Sasuke's wings, and the once peaceful scene to erupt in chaos.
Of course it never did.
The quaint shop came into view and already so early in the day it had a few customers. The chef, who he recognized as Teuchi Naruto had described, was smiling cheerily and laughing equally boisterous. His daughter had a smile plastered on her face as she took orders.
Naruto waved at them with a grin spreading to the very corners of his face as he approached. "Hey old man!"
"Naruto!" Teuchi yelled back. "Get over here we could use a hand with these orders!"
"Right!" he shouted back. He turned to face Sasuke again still grinning with excitement, "Come on!" Naruto grabbed his hand and led him to the back door of the little stand. His hand was slightly rough, Sasuke noticed. It wasn't bad though, and Naruto's hand was much warmer than his. Teuchi spotted Sasuke as they entered.
"You brought a friend to help out today?" Teuchi asked. "I'm not gonna' pay him unless I hire him you know."
Naruto scratched the back of his head and shifted his weight to one leg. "I know old man, just let him show you today what he's got and then maybe you'll want to hire him." He gave a thumbs up to the owner.
Teuchi's firm expression loosened into a smile. "Alright, Naruto. So young lad what's your name?"
"Sasuke." He answered monotonously.
"Okay Sasuke. Why don't you give my daughter a break and start taking some orders?"
Sasuke nodded and moved towards the counter. There were two girls sitting there currently, chatting and giggling to each other. One had bubblegum pink hair and the other bleach blond. The pink was rather unusual, he had to wonder what made her want to dye it such a vibrant color.
"Hello," he greeted without pleasantry, "what are you ordering?"
The pink one noticed his presence and she turned to look at him. Her eyes widened a good deal and her blond friend followed suit soon after.
"Hi," she responded with a shy blush on her cheeks. "What's your name?"
"Sasuke."
"I'm Sakura and this pig is Ino"
"Hey, watch it forehead!" Ino rebuked.
Sakura ignored her outburst. "So like, you work here now?" she asked Sasuke.
"Volunteering."
"Oh that's nice."
After a moment of awkward silence, Sasuke frowned impatiently. "Are you going to order?"
Ino slyly smirked, leaning forward invasively. "Can we order you?"
"Ino!" Saskura shouted embarrassedly.
Sasuke grimaced in disgust and his eyebrows furrowed. Women like these were so low on his scale. "Your vanity is sin and you are both going to hell for it." The girls' expressions fell immediately. Sakura was on the brink of tears and Ino looked furiously shocked.
"Sasuke!" Teuchi's voice angrily boomed from behind him.
Ah, fuck.
+/+
Naruto scratched the top of his head thoughtfully. "Okay so, you need a job that doesn't deal with people I guess."
Sasuke grunted. "Hn."
Sasuke had waited outside of the stand until Naruto finished his shift after being kicked out. It felt like a century sitting there and doing nothing for hours, though he did observe Naruto meanwhile. The blond never stopped grinning while he was working. It certainly felt like he enjoyed the presence of other people while Sasuke preferred to be more solitary.
"Ah, maybe we can try some other job later. Hey, why don't we hang out at the park or something?" Naruto supplied.
Sasuke shrugged. He really hadn't seen much of Konohagakure and a park shouldn't be too crowded.
Naruto grinned. "I take that as a yes."
He grabbed Sasuke's hand again and led him through the turns of Konoha. Apparently the park was near the city's center, so it took a good twenty minutes of getting dragged there by the blond. It wasn't like he didn't want to go, but Naruto was taking such long strides that he ended up getting dragged. The moronic blond didn't seem to notice the entire time and enthusiastically blabbered on about the city and some of its people.
His wings felt strange, maybe once they found a spot in the park he could spread them out a bit.
Naruto rattled on. "—and Ino's got this nice little flower shop. Even if you don't like her she's got great knowledge on flowers and their meanings and stuff."
He was only listening to half of what Naruto was saying honestly. He didn't particularly hate the constant chatter though. It was kind of comforting Naruto didn't mind his silence.
"Hey!" Naruto shouted to get his attention, pointing at a small wooden bench. "That looks like a nice spot. Less people for you to deal with, right bastard?"
Sasuke didn't say anything but started walking towards it in silent agreement. He didn't sit down though and instead took the moment to inspect his dark colored wings, spanning them out entirely.
Naruto stared at him, appearing entranced. It made Sasuke feel proud and even beautiful. Those thoughts though reminded him of Naruto's earlier comment and he flushed slightly. Although a slight blush was enough to be easily noticeable on his ivory cheeks.
"So you can fly with those?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke felt insulted. "No idiot, they're for decoration." Naruto felt embarrassed enough to blush.
"I knew you could I just wasn't thinking at the moment!" Naruto tried to defend himself.
"That's no different from the usual."
Naruto pouted and sat down on the bench behind him admitting defeat. "Bastard."
Sasuke continued examining his wings, fixated on the spots that tingled every so often with slight movement. He could feel Naruto's stare drilling into him from behind.
"What are you doing?" Naruto finally questioned.
Sasuke turned to look at the blond. "My wings feel strange."
"Eh! How?"
Sasuke struggled to find a way to describe it. "They just feel different somehow." He frowned. "I'm not sure if I'm imagining it or maybe something is wrong."
Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe it's because you're on Earth now?"
Sasuke didn't feel that was the answer, but it was possible. "Maybe."
+/+
He couldn't help it. Naruto felt an attraction to Sasuke and it only grew stronger with each day that passed. He would come home, and Sasuke would be there fiddling with his stuff or watching television. It was so different from coming home with only silence to greet him.
He felt happy.
Sasuke made him happy, and more so than any other point in his life. It really didn't help that Sasuke's body was a literal gift from heaven either. The bickering was constant, but he became fond of it quickly. The only problem was he was sexually attracted to a male, a male that proved the existence of heaven, hell and sin.
Wasn't homosexuality constantly declared as sin? Ah yes, yes it was. Now he would go to hell if he acted upon it, and Sasuke could possibly be his very deliverer.
Sometimes, life sucked.
Sasuke was lounging on his couch flicking through channels. It's been two weeks now since the fateful day Naruto had stumbled across Sasuke's mangled body. Sasuke seemed to like the information he got from not only the TV, but from books as well. Naruto has never checked out so many books in his life as he had for Sasuke in the past week alone. They were the boring nonfiction ones too, but Sasuke seemed to enjoy them a lot so he kept bringing him more.
Sasuke strangely broke out with a fever yesterday, so Naruto took it upon himself to take off work today to help him get better. Though it was strange that Sasuke had healed so rapidly that first day and now he was sick. Maybe Angels got sick too? Though Sasuke had told him he had never been sick before. A millennium is a long time not to get sick.
"Did you get me some fucking tomatoes?"
Sasuke was also a bitchy sick person.
Naruto growled. "Yes bastard, I got you your damn tomatoes."
He heard Sasuke muffled hum from the couch. At least he was pleased.
Sasuke had failed every job interview he managed to get, but he let Naruto know he would still try to get job so he didn't burden him. He couldn't tell if it was Sasuke's pride or his determination not to be a sloth.
Wait a minute. "Hey Sasuke, isn't pride a sin?" Naruto asked.
"Yes," Sasuke quickly replied.
"Then aren't you?"
"Aren't I what?"
Naruto paused. "Uh, sinful? Sinning? Whatever you people call it?"
"Loser, what are you talking about?"
Funny, he didn't even realize.
"Forget it bastard."
"Hn."
Dropping subjects with Sasuke was always easy.
+/+
Naruto went back to work the very next day. He couldn't take off too much since he had rent to pay. Sasuke's fever was down so he felt it be alright.
Ino and Sakura were there again, chatting adamantly about "dreamy looking Sasuke". Not that he disagreed, on the contrary, he agreed completely. However, he couldn't help but feel jealous.
At least they had a shot at Sasuke's love, regardless of how small.
"Hey Naruto, have you seen Sasuke?"
Sakura snapped him out of his daze. "Yeah, why?" Naruto questioned curiously.
She blushed bashfully. "Uh, no reason."
"She has the hots for him." Ino grinned beside her.
Sakura growled. "Ino!"
"What? I'm your competition," Ino said plainly, "you don't think I wouldn't want that fine specimen of man too?"
Sakura scoffed and crossed her arms. "Yeah well, he obviously wouldn't want a pig like you!"
"I doubt he would prefer your large forehead or trashy pink hair."
"Bitch!" Sakura decried.
The two girls continued to belittle each other harshly. The least God could do was save him from this. Now he knew why Sasuke lost his patience with them. "Are you going to order something yet?" he asked.
Their heated glares snapped towards him for interrupting their argument. "No!" they shouted at him in unison.
It was going to be a long day, and a long day it turned out to be.
+/+
It was dark out by the time he was walking home. Naruto avoided the street he had almost had gotten himself killed in last time. The day had worn him out mentally. Hopefully Sasuke was still awake to better his mood a bit. Then again, he was still sick so probably not.
Using his keys he opened up the door to his apartment, stepping through the threshold slowly. The lights were oddly turned off, the room was completely black.
"Sasuke?" he called out hesitantly, flicking on the lights simultaneously.
Black feathers littered the room, scattered variously on the floor. Some furniture had been knocked over as well as a lamp which lay shattered on the floor.
"Turn it off! Turn it off!" was the desperately chanted cry from the corner of the room.
His gaze snapped to the source, a weakly huddled figure in the corner. Bloodied bone protruded from its back vaguely similar to wings, wings that used to be covered with hundreds of black feathers.
Sasuke.
"Turn it off!" Sasuke screeched again.
Naruto jumped, moving quickly to turn off the lights. The room was flooded into pitch black again. He could hear Sasuke's heavy panting, full of pain and exhaustion.
"Sasuke?" he whispered, slowly moving towards where he had last seen him. He was mindful of misplaced furniture he could possibly trip on.
"It burns, it burns so much, Naruto."
"Sasuke I'm coming, okay? Just hang in there." He placed his hands in front of him, slowly reaching out to find him. His fingers brushed across the soft material of the shirt he had lent to Sasuke. He moved his hand up and felt Sasuke's soft raven hair. "Sasuke," he breathed.
"It hurts, please God make it stop," he begged.
Naruto's breath caught at the weak words. "Sasuke, tell me how I can help you." Sasuke didn't reply, but he seemed to be trying to even out his breathing. Naruto pet his hair, reminding him of his presence. He sat there for what felt like an hour, trying to help calm Sasuke.
"I don't…know…what you can do," Sasuke finally managed. His voice was weak, but steadier.
"Do you want me to take you to a hospital?"
"Can't."
"What if I went to go get some heavy painkillers?"
Naruto felt Sasuke shake his head. "Stay."
"Okay," Naruto softly replied. He wasn't sure what he could do to aid Sasuke. This wasn't normal and Sasuke wasn't human. His presence seemed to help the raven calm down so he would stay on Sasuke's request, but he had to wonder what happened. Was it sickness? Was this God's punishment to Sasuke?
Was he dying?
Naruto found it hard to breathe at the thought.
"Sasuke, what hurts?" he asked.
"My wings…and my eyes."
"Is that why you wanted the lights off?"
He received a nod.
"Can I see?" Naruto asked. He was able to dimly see now that his eyes have had time to adjust to only the minor lighting from the window. He noticed Sasuke starting to shift, so Naruto moved back a bit to give him room.
When Sasuke turned around to face him, he could finally glimpse Sasuke's crumpled expression and the tear tracks that led from his eyes to his chin, dripping onto the floor. Naruto reached out his hand to brush away a trailing tear and noticed it felt strangely warm. When it smeared on Sasuke's face, he recognized what it was.
Blood.
"Sasuke…your eyes…" he trailed off. Did angels really shed tears of blood? Weren't demons the ones that were rumored to do so?
"I know."
"Is that normal?"
"No," Sasuke replied shakily, "it isn't."
"Oh." Naruto shifted uncomfortably and averted Sasuke's bloodied gaze. "Is this really his doing?" he doubtfully whispered.
"Probably, I must be punished for my sin after all." His words sounded bitter, almost betrayed. Naruto frowned, moving his hands to grasp Sasuke's own firmly.
"If God's will is truly to hurt you, he's no God of mine."
Sasuke growled. "Don't say that."
Naruto shook his head negatively. "I don't want a God that hurts the people I care about." It was true; he always liked to view God as a merciful and accepting being. Pain was not a tool to cure, but to do harm. It was the very tool of hatred. He wanted a God that accepted and loved him. The fear of the hell, which he knew now definitely existed, stirred his inner worries. The comforting lies he blanketed himself with were disappearing rapidly.
"He's not like that." Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed, his faith appeared to waver.
Naruto hesitated. "I'm just saying if he is." Sasuke appeared satisfied and said no more, but the newly created doubt in God's good will marred his features with a new worry. Naruto felt guilty that he was only making Sasuke fret more. He was supposed to be comforting him not burdening him with extra worries. "Sorry," he said quickly.
"What for?"
"I am sorry," he began slowly, lifting his eyes to matter Sasuke's coal ones, "that I made you worry about more than you probably already had. If you need someone to believe in, you can place your faith in me."
Sasuke seemed to search his gaze closely, unblinking in his intense stare. Naruto challenged his gaze with a determined one of his own.
Eventually Sasuke nodded and Naruto's shoulders relaxed.
"Okay, do you think you can sleep now or is the pain still too much for that?" Naruto questioned.
Sasuke mulled it over. "It's not as severe, I think I can try."
Naruto stood up and extended out his hand to help the broken angel get up on his feet as well. "You can take the bed tonight, I'll take the couch."
Sasuke grabbed his hand and allowed himself to be pulled up by the blond. "Thank you."
"I'd sleep on your stomach, so you don't irritate your wings."
Sasuke genuinely smiled at him. "I will."
+/+
Naruto didn't get a single ounce of sleep during the night. Instead he spent the night worrying about Sasuke. Not only did his concern for Sasuke's health plague him, but the mounting feelings he held towards the Uchiha as well. He groaned softly into the couch as the intensifying sunlight began to flood the room, reminding him of his lack of proper rest.
Naruto eyes suddenly widened and he jumped to his feet in realization, rushing into the bedroom where Sasuke was sleeping. Sasuke's eyes needed to be shrouded in darkness and now the rising sun threatened that very thing.
Naruto halted with his hand still on the doorknob as he stared at the sight before him.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Idiot, can you at least knock?"
Sasuke was facing him completely naked. Naruto's eyes trailed from the toned chest down.
Oh wow. He was big.
God had a cruel sense of humor.
"Idiot," the raven chided, "I'm up here." Naruto snapped his gaze back up, embarrassed to have been caught checking out his package. Sasuke's 'knowing smirk' really didn't help, egotistical bastard.
Naruto growled, refusing to acknowledge the awkward situation and slammed the door irately. He sat on the couch and fumed while Sasuke got dressed. After a few minutes Sasuke emerged from the bedroom in casual dark attire.
"So what did you want?" Sasuke asked curiously.
Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly and looked up at the ceiling. "The sun was coming up, thought maybe your eyes might have a repeat episode of last night."
"Ah…"
"How are they?"
"Not bleeding, but I need to check something." Sasuke's once amused expression quickly morphed into one of discontented concern.
"And your wings?"
"I don't think they're really wings anymore…but they still are painful."
Naruto stared at the many cracks that now decorated the bones that protruded from Sasuke's back. "I'm sorry," he voiced apologetically.
Sasuke glowered. "Don't. It wasn't your doing, it was my own."
"I didn't mean it that way."
Sasuke winced before leaning against the wall and sighing heavily. "I know, forget it. You got a mirror? I didn't see one in the bathroom."
Naruto nodded and went to grab the small hand mirror in his room. He gave it to Sasuke, curious as to what the raven wanted to check.
It better not be his perfect hair.
Instead Sasuke simply stared intently at the small mirror, not moving. Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion. What was Sasuke trying to look at?
After a moment passed, Sasuke scowled and handed him back the mirror. "I can't do it." Naruto took back the mirror, but remained confused about Sasuke's statement.
"Can't do what?"
"I can't activate sharingan."
"Sharingan?"
Sasuke ran a hand through his hair. Naruto began to notice a pattern with that habit of Sasuke's. "Yes, sharingan." Sasuke replied in frustration. "It's a trait of the Uchiha. It allows us to facilitate much of our abilities and power."
"Like what?"
"Like putting you to sleep you dolt."
"I am not a—"
"I'm not sure what's happening to me."
The tone was so depressing Naruto's agitated face fell immediately. He felt so useless suddenly. "I don't know. You're better now though right? The worst might be over."
"I hope you're right Naruto."
+/+
Naruto had taken off the next few days to make sure Sasuke was recovering okay. Teuchi kindly offered him paid vacation leave and Naruto most definitely appreciated it.
Sasuke's wings, or what used to be, were slowly disintegrating over the days, only half was left now. Sasuke seemed to be miserable about the issue. It had been major source of identity for him. The blond felt strong empathy towards the Uchiha's situation but at the same time, at least he wasn't dying.
It was a plausible theory that Sasuke was becoming human. However he never voiced his thoughts because he had no idea how Sasuke would react. Would he welcome the change? Or feel abandoned by everything he had ever known?
At the same time he selfishly wished his theory proved true. It would mean that Sasuke would most likely stay, regardless of the fact they could never be as close as Naruto truly desired. He really did not want Sasuke to leave. Though if Sasuke was really turning human, then it was certain that Sasuke didn't have much of a place to leave to.
"Sasuke." Naruto spoke softly. Sasuke's head lifted from the book he had been reading. The book in his hand was titled Biological Factors: World from a Watching Glass. Naruto could never fathom how Sasuke enjoyed such boring literature.
"What?"
"What's Hell like?"
Sasuke noticed his serious tone and seemed to observe him carefully. "Why do you ask?"
"I was just curious."
Sasuke didn't appear to buy his explanation, staying silent. "It's not a pleasant place," the Uchiha began carefully, "as it is often full of hatred, corruption, and even further down torture and eternal unrest. It really depends on which level. Most humans are not damned to hell and even then most are present at only the top tier, First." Naruto shifted his weight uncertainly and stared at the whitewash ceiling. Sasuke's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why do you really ask, Naruto?"
"I was just wondering."
"Spare me the bullshit." The blond winced at the sharp reprimand. "Was it something you did?" Sasuke sternly asked, moving to stand up from his spot on the couch and leaving the book behind.
Naruto grabbed his own left arm and looked at the floor, doubting what he was about to do. His grip tightened, resolving himself. He needed this.
"No Sasuke." Naruto stepped towards Sasuke determinedly, staring at the coal eyes that flickered with confusion. "It's for what I'm about to do."
Naruto grabbed the back of Sasuke's head before he could protest and smashed his lips against the raven's. Sasuke was completely rigid, eyes wide. The blond dragged his lips against Sasuke's softer ones, nipping lightly. When Sasuke's unresponsiveness nagged him enough, Naruto pulled back reluctantly. He stepped back from Sasuke, averting his gaze in shame. "Sorry, I just had to know."
Sasuke snapped out of his dazed stupor, his face expressing realization. The raven shook his head, covering his eyes with his dark bangs. "You idiot."
Naruto cringed. His eyes brimmed with emotion but he refused to cry at the rejection. So distracted, he flinched when he unexpectedly felt Sasuke's cold, soft hands ghost across his check.
"Love is no sin."
Sasuke kissed him with surprising fervor.
COMMENTARY-
I'm new to this, and this is my first fanfic. I've been reading fanfictions for years and now I've decided to try and give to the community instead of simply taking. I figured I'd start off light.
I left out as to why Sasuke can see Naruto's wings. If you are curious you can go back and read when Naruto "noticed" them. You can get the general idea as to why from that.
I was born into a Catholic home. I went to catechism and successfully completed my communion. I grew more distant from my religion over the years, as did my parents. Eventually we stopped attending church because it was a hassle for my parents to take the whole family. I still like to believe in God, but I am not strict and I make my own beliefs in the end. That was the inspiration for this fic, as it was fueled by my own beliefs. My parents are homophobes though, so one can say I broke off from the general path.
Hopefully the message of this fanfic is strong, that's what I intended at the end. I placed some small ironies in the fic just for fun as well
There were three things I wanted to accomplish in this fic: Sasuke's fall, fortifying Naruto and Sasuke's relationship, and expressing a contradiction to standard societal religion.
The rest was to build and strengthen character and backgrounds, but leave it open enough to theorize as well as not entirely distract from the main plot. In the end, I left on a small rise just in case I wanted to write a squeal to tie loose ends. However, it was also enough so that I can leave it where it is as well.