Fandom: Naruto

Title: Staking A Claim
Pairings: A little gregarious Naruto loving, leading to SasuNaru
Rating: R
Warnings: Future yaoi

Notes: AU

Word Count: 2,549

Status: Incomplete
Disclaimer: When pigs fly.

Summary: Pushed into a corner, Naruto makes a choice, and Sasuke decides to make one of his own.

Author's Notes: Peeks out from the hallowed halls of FMA Fandom, wondering if she dare try her luck in this arena.

Staking A Claim

Chapter 1

Naruto's face was red. How did this topic of conversation ever come up, and why was it now focused on him? It had started out as a simply competitively friendly conversation after their sparring matches, and had continued into the locker room, where it had switched over to sexual conquests. The others bragged about this one or that one; everyone but himself and Sasuke adding anything. Naruto had nothing to say, and Sasuke… well, he was Sasuke. Hell with his looks and popularity, he probably had more sexual experience than anyone there, save maybe Sai.

Naruto was having a difficult time of it. It was difficult to be pinned down conversationally this way, standing in nothing but his boxers, surrounded by his friends and peers, equally half naked. And everyone, except Sasuke was watching him expectantly.

"Well, Naruto?" Gaara asked, watching the blond expectantly. "Everyone else had something to say, now it's your turn." The others nodded eagerly.

"I… well… I…. You see…" Naruto stammered, realizing with a sickening feeling in his stomach that he was about to be humiliated. Sixteen years old, and he had nothing to say in the romantic department.

"Come on, Naruto," Sai coaxed softly touching the boy's arm gently. "You can tell us. It wont leave this locker room." The others nodded slowly.

Naruto's mouth worked soundlessly. His desperate eyes darted around looked for any escape route he could find.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sasuke's voice was cool and scathing. "Look at the idiot. He's such a dobe. Have you ever seen anything more virginal in your life? I'll bet he's never even been kissed." Naturally his and Naruto's accidental kiss couldn't be counted.

Naruto's furious blush told the story, his sky blue eyes dropping to the floor in embarrassment.

There was a moment of surprised silence, then almost everyone broke out in exclamations at once. "No way!" "Never been kissed?" "Is Sasuke right?" "How could Naruto not have been kissed?"

Feeling more than a little hollow, it did not soothe his ruffled feathers that they were more stunned that he had never been kissed than the fact that he was still a virgin. Somehow everyone knowing he'd never been kissed was even more humiliating. After all, how can someone get laid, when they can't even get a kiss? Listening to his friends chattering disbelievingly about his loveless state, he thought things couldn't get worse.

Dimly, he was aware of Sai tugging on his hand, trying to get him to look at him, and then Sasuke's cold voice penetrated his frantic consciousness.

"Of course he's never been kissed. Who would want to kiss, much less fuck him?"

"Okay!" He shouted, his voice strangely thick, eyes swimming. "I've never been kissed. You're right. I'm such a fucking, pathetic loser. Are you happy now?" Naruto gave a choked gasp, shot Sasuke a crushed look, and grabbed his clothes and ran out of the locker room.

The others fell silent, appalled at Sasuke's cruelty.

"Geeze, Sasuke. I thought you were his friend," Sai said softly.

"You… you made Naruto cry…" Neji said in shock. "I've never seen Naruto cry. Over anything."

"Having your best friend tell everyone that no one could possibly want to love you might do that." Gaara gave Sasuke a disgusted look and grabbed his own clothes.

Sai had already put his clothes on. "Well," he shot to Sasuke. "You're wrong. He is worth loving." And Sai went out the same door Naruto had. The others, after giving Sasuke a last head-shaking look, followed suit.

Sasuke, now alone, stared at the floor, his pale cheeks flushing. Then he gave a vicious oath and slammed his locker shut so hard he bent the door.

Naruto almost did not show up for practice the next day. Scorn and distrust and out right hatred was something he was familiar with. After all, he was the Kyuubi's vessel. But in the last few years, he'd managed to find a place for himself in this village, among these people. He'd found friendship, and secret desire. Despite his and Sasuke's constant bickering and fighting, even their deadly battles, there had been an underlying tension humming between the two of them. And for the last two years, Sasuke, though he was still ever cool and distant, and he and Naruto still bickered and fought, had treated the younger boy with an almost imperceptible affection. He and Sasuke had become friends, as amazing as that had seemed. To have Sasuke turn on him like that had been very painful. Obviously all the friendship, despite the things they'd done together for fun, had all been one sided. Sasuke obviously had been tolerating him for whatever reason, and now that tolerance was over. And to have Sasuke turn on him like that in front of all his other friends, over such a sensitive topic, had really hurt. And if Sasuke felt that way about him, what about the others? Did Gaara really like him, or was he too just following the Uchiha's lead? What about Kiba and Lee and Neji and Sai? Did any of them really like him at all? Or was he still just a vessel of the Kyuubi, always feared, always scorned, always loathed? Forever looking inside at warmth and love and affection while standing out in the cold and loneliness.

Naruto arrived at the very last moment, and stood off to the side, blue eyes on the ground, and tried to avoid everyone. He wouldn't even look in Sasuke's direction as they waited for their Sensei to arrive.

A moment later, Hinata and Sakura arrived, and breathlessly told them Kakashi had been detained, and that they were to practice among themselves today. There was a moment of milling conversation for a moment, but then Chubi announced that he was leaving, and several others left with them. Sakura looked eagerly around for Sasuke, but he was already gone. Dejectedly, she left with Hinata and Ino. That left Naruto, Sai, Neji, and Gaara.

Naruto looked about for a moment, then began to trudge away, and Sai was diabolically inspired. He ran over and caught Naruto's arm.

"Don't go, Naru-kun," he said with an engaging smile. "Sasuke's an ass. We like you, and we don't think you're worthless. Stay. I have an idea."

Naruto looked up at Sai uneasily, his face pink. His ego was squirming madly. "Like?"

"Listen," Sai went on, the others gathering around. "It's not right that you've never been kissed." He ignored Naruto's stiffening, and refused to let him jerk away. "It's because you're always training. You've been too busy for romance, haven't you? You've always been so focused on your goals, and that's a good thing. But after today, no one will ever twit you about having never been kissed."

Naruto looked around, his ruffled masculine pride easing at Sai's generous explanation for his loveless state. He felt a rush of gratitude for the other boy for this face saving. "How are you going to do that?" He asked cautiously. He felt warmed by the universal acceptance from the boys around him. He did have friends, no matter how much Sasuke may claim otherwise.

"One of us will kiss you."

"WHAT?" Naruto shrieked, tugging on his arm.

"No, Naruto, listen. We're friends. It's a friendship thing. And so you wont get uncomfortable later, we'll blindfold you. That way, you'll never know which of us it was that kissed you, and there will be no awkwardness. See?" Sai's fingers relaxed when he felt Naruto stop struggling, his fingers stroking the boy's orange sleeve encouragingly.

"I… I don't know…" Naruto was unsure. It was still horrifyingly embarrassing to have to have one of his friends kiss him, no matter how glibly Sai explained it away.

"Why not, Naruto?" Gaara said softly, something flickering in his green, kohl lined eyes. "It would be no big thing. Let's do it!"

Naruto looked around again, saw his friends smiling and nodding, and gave a shaky breath. "Um… alright, I guess…"

Smiling triumphantly, Sai whipped off his black headband, and bound Naruto's eyes carefully, making sure that the boy couldn't see around it. Then he made a great show of cutting a slip of bamboo into several equal lengths. Then he took one of those, and made it shorter. Ruffling the long sticks in his hands, he finally held up his fist, three sticks showing over his knuckle.

Each of the other two boys took one, and Gaara looked disappointed when he pulled the long one, as did Neji.

"I guess this means it's you," Gaara whispered to Sai softly, resentment evident in his voice.

Sai merely shrugged, then turned to walk over to where Naruto stood, blind and uneasy.

Sasuke, who'd watched the entire thing from the branches of a tree overhead, suddenly leapt down into their midst. This startled the other boys only mildly. Sasuke was always doing such things.

Sasuke grabbed Sai's hand, and forced the fingers open. There, on his palm, was a stick as long as all the others.

Gaara's eyes widened. He snatched Sai's other hand open, and there was the short stick. Sai had never put it into his fist.

Sai flushed. He wanted to be the one to kiss Naruto so badly that he'd cheated. And Gaara was pissed, that pale face flushing with anger. Before a fight could break out between them, Neji gave a gasp, and jerked on the boys' arms.

Sasuke had taken Naruto into his arms, one hand on the blond's waist, the other buried in his thick bright hair. And he was kissing him! And what a kiss!

Naruto had stiffened when he felt arms go around him, and a mouth suddenly covered his. In truth, he'd expected a peck on the lips at worst, a lingering, closed mouth kiss at best. But these lips were warm and soft and weren't going anywhere any time soon. A hot, wet tongue slowly pried his lips open, and began to leisurely explore the slick confines of his mouth. The hand at his waist held him tighter, pressing him harder against the body of the boy who was kissing him, and the hand in his hair tightened slightly, angling his head for a deeper, wetter kiss. The fingers at his waist shifted, slipping under the band of his pants to massage the base of his spine slowly, rhythmically pressing his hips against the mystery boy's hips, where he found a hard long bulge pressing against his groin insistently. When the lips finally released his, he gave a soft, gasping moan, feeling his body turn to butter.

He expected to be let go, but then the lips were back, urgently demanding entrance into his mouth again. Naruto's legs gave way, and he slid down into the grass, the boy falling with him, covering his body, squirming until Naruto's legs spread and the boy on top of him settled firmly between them. A hard firm thrust against his own erection made Naruto moan into the kiss yet again. If whomever it was that was kissing him didn't stop, he would embarrass himself by coming in his pants. Damn, but whoever was on top of him was so hard, thrust so sensually into the cradle of his hips, and was sucking his tongue firmly. Naruto began to whimper softly, helplessly bucking up against the undeniable skill of one of his friends. The lips left his, but the body didn't. The mouth was trailing across his cheek, nipped his earlobe, and began to suck the side of his neck hard. Spangles appeared behind Naruto's blindfolded eyes, his mouth open, lips wet and swollen and panting and moaning. He was clinging helplessly to the boy pinning him to the ground.

The mouth released his flesh with a moist sound, and then the lips, wet and hot, were at his ear. "I love you." The voice was low, a thread of a possessive growl, and Naruto could not tell who it belonged to. But then the mouth was on his once more, with another hot urgent, possessive kiss, another hard thrust into his groin. Then the mouth, and the pressure of the body were gone.

Naruto laid there, sprawled in the grass, stunned and excited. Then he sat up, tore his blindfold off, his cheeks hot with arousal and embarrassment. One of his friends had practically made love to him in front of the others, and had told him he loved him.

But the three boys stood several feet away, staring at him with open mouths, shock evident in their eyes.

Naruto scrambled to his feet, and staggered. His body still hummed with pleasure and excitement. "Who… which…." His face was painfully hot. It was obvious it wasn't any of them. They were still staring at him.

"Who kissed me?!" Naruto tried to shout, but it came out as a squeak.

Sai recovered first, rage flickering in his eyes and making his body tremble. "It was Sasuke," he said flatly.

"Sasuke??" This time Naruto did manage a shout. "Are you crazy? Sasuke would never kiss me, much less like that!"

But Sai wasn't even paying attention. He stood there, fists clenched at his sides, seething eyes staring off into the distance. "That Uchihan bastard! I was supposed to kiss him! Naruto's first kiss was supposed to be mine! That fucking bastard!"

Naruto took a step back in surprise. "What?"

The other three boys were just as astonished. "He… cheated," Neji said faintly.

"Huh?" Naruto looked sharply at him.

Gaara nodded, eyes still hot with resentment towards Sai. "He sure did. We were supposed to draw sticks, but he palmed the short one, never put it in with the rest. We never had the chance with you. He cheated!"

Naruto was taken aback at Gaara's obvious anger. Why would he care? It was supposed to be a friendly kiss… wasn't it?

The blond boy was understandably bewildered. He'd gone from being unworthy of kisses to three boys wanting to kiss him. There was Sasuke, of all people, stealing his first kiss, Sai, who cheated to get it, and Gaara, who was pissed off because he never got the chance. All this, on top of the lingering aftershocks of Sasuke's… SASUKE'S …unexpected lovemaking left Naruto feeling dizzy.

"Fuck him!" Sai snapped, finally jerking out of his furious daze. He fixed Naruto with a burning dark regard. "Sasuke may have stolen your first kiss, but I'll make you mine… now!" And he began to advance on the confused boy.

Before Sai could even touch Naruto, Sasuke dropped from the tree above in his usual startling style, fell into a crouch, and slammed his stiff armed, open handed blow into the dead center of the other boy's chest, sending Sai flying back into a heap.

"I think not," Sasuke snarled. "Naruto is mine!" He grabbed the blond by the back of his shirt and jerked the boy into the tree with him.

Three boys stared up into the leafy canopy with shock; a few fluttering leaves were all that remained of Naruto and Sasuke's passage.

Sai leapt up with a furious scream, then wailed Naruto's name. He gave a vicious oath, turned on his back and stamped away muttering imprecations.