Title: Gentle
Word Count: 1196
Rating: T for mentions of sex...does that really require T? Just to be safe, then.
Beta: J T Elroy
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters herein contained. I only own the text.
Another 1sentence thing, though with a different pairing. Just can't stay away from them, I suppose. Titled for the slow progression of their relationship. So...yeah. Does anyone even read these notes, anyway?
1. Comfort: Comfort, to Naruto, is contact and smiles; comfort to Sasuke is mere presence.
2. Kiss: Naruto's first kiss is given to Hinata; his second is given to Kiba.
3. Soft: After Sasuke returns, there is something unspeakably soft about him—the sharp edges have been rounded and his anger is gone.
4. Pain: Sasuke has taught Naruto three kinds of pain: the pain of betrayal by leaving, and the pain of heartbreak in the Valley of the End, but the worst is the pain of unfamiliarity when he finally comes back.
5. Potatoes: Naruto tells Sasuke that he's like a potato: when people finally stop watching him and leave him in the dark, he grows; Sasuke's only response is to punch him.
6. Rain: It was raining when Sasuke left at the Valley of the End; it rains for three days after he returns and then doesn't rain for months.
7. Chocolate: Sakura likes white chocolate and Sasuke likes dark; luckily for them all, Naruto is in the middle and likes milk chocolate.
8. Happiness: Sadness is not knowing who Sasuke is when he returns; happiness is being allowed to find out.
9. Telephone: No matter what Sasuke calls him, Naruto always answers—that's what friends do.
10. Ears: Sasuke's ears are slightly too small for his head, but are still beautiful; the fact that Naruto has noticed is a sign of something he is too scared to name.
11. Name: Naruto has no idea how much power is in a name until Sasuke casually uses his given one instead of his nickname at lunch.
12. Sensual: Naruto is sure that Sasuke doesn't mean to be so sensual—regardless, his movement during training is causing blood to pool where Naruto least wants it.
13. Death: Naruto doesn't know why killing enemy shinobi upsets him so much; he's just glad that Sasuke is there to rub his back afterward.
14. Sex: Naruto manages to sleep his way through most of the Rookie Nine in his quest to forget his feelings for Sasuke.
15. Touch: The touches of his one-night stands are cold and all about sex; Sasuke's touch burns his skin and is about so much more.
16. Weakness: Naruto finally finds out Sasuke's weakness and uses it to beat him when they spar; the victory is less sweet than he's anticipated.
17. Tears: Naruto can deal with Sakura's tears when Kakashi dies—he can't deal with Sasuke's silence, no matter how he tries.
18. Speed: Team Seven falls apart without Kakashi: Sakura cries, Sasuke disappears for hours on end and Naruto feels as though they are moving further from him too quickly for him to catch up.
19. Wind: Sometimes Naruto thinks it would be better if the wind would just blow him away.
20. Freedom: Sasuke's freedom from the council has been hard-earned, but the minute it is granted, he and Naruto leave the village for an hour just because they can.
21. Life: Life is both more and less complicated than when they were twelve: Orochimaru and the Akatsuki are dead, but now there is pressure to marry and have children.
22. Jealousy: Naruto almost kills Neji out of jealousy when he sees him out with Sasuke at a bar; when they leave together, he destroys an entire wall of his apartment.
23. Hands: Unlike his ears, Sasuke's hands are perfect and Naruto would give anything to have them on him.
24. Taste: No matter how much bile Naruto tastes when he sees them together, Sasuke and Neji keep going steady.
25. Devotion: After he passes his jounin exam, Naruto devotes himself completely to his new team—he is lucky to have gotten Konohamaru.
26. Forever: Forever isn't quite as long as it was when they were children and promises are fading.
27. Blood: Naruto wonders when they got tired of life painted with blood, and he can only be glad he gets few such missions anymore.
28. Sickness: Sasuke gets sick one day and Sakura cannot heal him—Naruto is more scared than he's ever been.
29. Melody: Naruto hums Sakura to sleep at Sasuke's bedside, the melody is unfamiliar but still speaks to their fear and sadness.
30. Star: Naruto hears Sakura in the middle of the night, when she thinks he is asleep—she wishes on every star she can see for Sasuke to get better.
31. Home: After Sasuke wakes up, Naruto decides that he will never leave the brunet and that home is where the Uchiha is; Sasuke is less than pleased when Naruto moves into the Uchiha compound.
32. Confusion: Naruto kisses Sasuke a month after he and Neji break up; he sees the black eyes swirling with confusion as he walks away.
33. Fear: Naruto is more afraid than he can admit that Sasuke will reject him.
34. Lightning/Thunder: When Naruto trains with Sasuke again, it is of course storming; the kiss Naruto steals is filled with the rumble of thunder and the crackle of chidori.
35. Bonds: Naruto wonders what this strange bond they share is—neither friends, nor rivals nor lovers.
36. Market: Their first date is an excursion to the market—it is so mundane as to be almost boring, but casual and relaxed enough to satisfy them both.
37. Technology: The only technology Konoha welcomes is that used to kill other shinobi; some days Naruto wants to be sick because of this attitude.
38. Gift: When Sasuke's birthday comes around, Naruto has no idea what to give him; Sasuke tells him that all he wants is Naruto's promise to stay.
39. Smile: Sasuke's smile is soft and careful and rare, but it warms Naruto's heart up like nothing else can.
40. Innocence: The innocence of the children running around the village only serves to make Naruto feel the long-ago loss of his own naïveté more painfully; Sasuke, however, is always there to assure him of its continued existence.
41. Completion: The day Naruto decides not to be on active duty anymore, he feels nothing so much as a sense of relief and completion.
42. Clouds: Without the need to go on missions, Naruto finds his time to be incredibly free; for the first time in years, he watches the clouds with Shikamaru.
43. Sky: Sasuke hears someone describe Naruto's eyes as the same hue as the sky; he barely restrains a snort at the pitiful comparison: Naruto's eyes are so many more shades than the sky can possibly convey.
44. Heaven: Naruto doesn't know if he believes in heaven, but he does know that being with Sasuke is a kind of paradise; they are comfortable together, familiar, and it is perfect.
45. Hell: Naruto has many years of heaven with Sasuke before it all comes crashing down; he has several months of hell when they find out Sasuke is dying.
46. Sun: Sakura buries Sasuke under the light of the sun—its golden rays, she hopes, will remind Sasuke of Naruto's soul.
47. Moon: The moon that night is yellow—bright and soft, the perfect combination of sun and moon; looking at it, Sakura knows Naruto and Sasuke have found each other, wherever they are.
48. Waves: Naruto's life started the ripples, now the village has felt the waves of change and the shinobi population is dwindling as parents decide against that life for their children.
49. Hair: Sakura grows out her hair again to remember her teammates: when the others look at her, they are all reminded of their days as the Rookie Nine, at least twenty years ago.
50. Supernova: All of Konoha's shinobi die at once in a great battle—a supernova that nevertheless brings about the shattering change Naruto had hoped for more decisively than he dreamed.