A Voice Above The Waves
Naruto leaned out over the railing bordering the edge of the boat. The air was getting warmer, the farther they sailed away from the Land Of Snow, and he had discarded his orange and blue coat for the comfort of the cool night air. He leaned on the railing, his head in his hands.
He'd really almost died this time. That damned chakra device thing limiting his jutsus. And he'd been knocked unconscious and fallen in the water. He should have drowned, frozen to death. But instead . . .
He'd called upon the fox. What had compelled him to do that? And this time, just like when he'd first summoned Gamabunta, he'd done it voluntarily. He hated doing that, no matter what the circumstances.
And yet, more importantly, what had caused him to gain consciousness enough to even think of the idea? He'd been out cold, down for the count. And then . . .
Naruto fisted a his hair in his hands in frustration. He couldn't figure it out. What had snapped him out of it? What? He closed his eyes, trying to remember the sensation of the water all around him. And complete darkness in his mind.
It was so cold, and he couldn't move. He couldn't even twitch his fingers. It hurt. Everything hurt, and he felt as though his entire body was frozen. And then he'd heard . . . Yeah, that was it, he'd heard something.
His name. it had been his name, screamed by someone above the water. And he'd forced his eyes open, forced himself to borrow the fox's power. Because someone had called his name . . . but who?
Naruto ruffled his hands in his hair and stood up, "raarrggghhhh!!!! I'm not getting anywhere with this! What's the point anyways!? I kicked that guy's ass, and that's that!" He sat down on the railing, his eyes narrowing in confusion. "Wait . . . How did it work that time though? Before I was just repelled by his armor."
He wracked his brain, trying to remember if there had been anything different. He snapped his fingers as realization hit him, "oh! That crystal on his armor! It was fractured! Someone broke the barrier around the armor!" He paused, "but the only one there was . . ."
He leaned his elbows on his knees, his hands clenching into his hair again, "if he was the one who broke the armor . . . That means he was the one who . . ."
"Who what?"
Naruto jumped and tumbled backwards over the edge of the railing. He yelped as someone's strong hands grabbed him around his back before he'd even fallen two feet.
"Argh . . . You dobe! How are you a ninja if just someone's voice sends you flying?!"
"S-Sasuke?" Naruto stammered, still in shock from his fall.
"Of course usuratonkachi! Who else is gonna save your butt?" He hefted the blond back over the edge of the boat, and promptly fell backwards from the other boy's weight, Naruto landing safely on his lap.
Sasuke groaned, " ugh . . . Sometimes you're more trouble than you're
worth . . ." he rolled over, tucking the still confused Naruto under his arm. "What were you doing up there anyways? It looked like you were trying to pull all your hair out."
Naruto glared at him from where he lay on his side on the wood floor of the boat, tucked under the taller boy's arm. "None of your business."
Sasuke smirked and shifted over onto his back, raising one arm under his head , the other he slipped under Naruto's back. "It is my business when you were sitting there mumbling about me."
"I wasn't saying anything about you at all!" Naruto objected loudly.
"Yes you were, dobe. You didn't say my name though. You just muttered to yourself about the person who broke that guy's chakra armor." He tilted his head towards the blond, who still hadn't moved from his earlier position, "and who do you think that was, hmmm?"
"You . . ." Naruto muttered dejectedly. Then his eyes widened, "h-hey! Does that mean you were the one who called my name when I was under water?"
Sasuke blinked, "huh? That's what you were going on about? Usuratonkachi, of course it was me. Who else was there. And don't say you mistook my voice for the princess's, or I'll toss you over the edge of the boat."
Naruto mumbled something under his breath before shifting away from Sasuke and standing up. "Then you really did all that . . . Just to save me?!!?" he whirled on the Uchiha, "stop doing that! I don't want you to do that anymore!"
Sasuke stood up, his eyes narrowed in confusion, "what the hell? Do what?"
"Saving me! Stop trying to save me! You just keep getting yourself hurt!" His hand shot out and he pulled up the lavender sleeve of the other boy's shirt to reveal the burn marks left by the chidori's recoil. His eyes scrunched up as he noticed the scars underlying them. The tiny round ones, coupled with the shallow gash marks long gone. "And these too . . . These are from the last time you tried to save me . . ."
Sasuke just stared at the blond. He was really upset? Over something that . . . No, it actually wasn't that stupid for once . . . He reached out his hand and curled it around Naruto's back as he saw tears begin to well up in the other boy's eyes. "Hey. Cut that out. Shinobi aren't supposed to cry, moron."
"Don't do it again. Don't try and save me again . . ." Naruto choked out, rubbing a fist across his eyes.
"I wont," Sasuke said finally. He watched as Naruto looked up at him in surprise, "I wont 'try' and save you. I will save you. Even if you hate me for it. And if you get strong enough . . ." he smirked, "maybe you'll save my butt someday too."
Naruto glared at him, "yeah right. Like I'd want to save your butt."
Sasuke snickered, "oh yeah?"
"Yeah!" Naruto huffed.
"That's a lie. Kakashi told me that you completely flipped when you thought I was dead back in the Land Of The Waves." Sasuke glanced at the side of the boat, where the water sloshed against the side, reflecting the memories of that time, nearly a year ago. "Is that what you were thinking of? That I was going to 'die' again?" He pulled his teammate towards him, " god, you really are a usuratonkachi. Something as stupid as that's not gonna kill me."
"Shut up," Naruto sniffed, burring his face in the front of Sasuke's shirt.
RANDOM AUTHOR RAMBLE
So um . . . Yeah. This takes place during the first Naruto movie, Ninja Clash In The Land Of Snow. It was a silly movie, but it's the only one with Sasuke in it. So I watched it. Anime movies, just like filler eps, tend to highlight fluff more than the original stuff. Like the Inuyasha movies. (specially 2) and the fillers where Lee and Shino and Sakura and Naruto were on a mission w/ Gaara before Shippuden. The GaaLee fluffer-nutter stuff. Hahaha.
Anywho . . . Even tho Sasuke was actually hardly in it at all (arrgh…) he had two great fluff scenes w/ Naruto. The first being when he attacked the final boos man and then passed out, saying, "Naruto, I leave the rest to you . . ." and then it cuts out and we see Naru-chan under water, passed out. And then, you hear Sasuke scream, "NNNAARRRUUUUUTOOOOOOOO!!!!" and then he wakes up! Yay!
And the other fluff was after the credits. When Sasuke gives Naruto the autograph. Awwwww . . . A gift for his love! And he looked kinda embarrassed when he held it up for him, in that awsumly gay looking envelope. (the one we all use for the "sorry girls I'm gay" thing.) and Sakura's face when he said he'd gotten one for Naruto and not for her. HA!
Kay, I'm done now. Hope u liked. This is the first Sasunaru thing I've ever written.
Oh yeah, and if u know any good huge chapter long fics of this pair, like Diplomatic Relations. Please share.