Hey people!
Okay, this is NaruSasu, yes in that order but I will try to stop Sasuke from being all pathetic. All the characters might end up a bit OOC though so I apologise in advance but this is set in an AU.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, never have and never will. I don't even remember the name of the person who does (Oops! =S) and even if I did, all I have to try and buy it off him with is a HUGE pile of homework.
CHAPTER 1:
Being on long car journeys with nothing to do is always boring. Even the most un-boring, impossibly imaginative person with the greatest stretch of patience possible can't refute that. And not much is worse than being stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of summer with the sun pouring into the small metal box that becomes a greenhouse when heated. However, even less is worse than being stuck in a boiling hot car without air-conditioning in a stationary traffic jam with Uzumaki Naruto. At eighteen, Naruto was achingly slowly becoming less of an idiot than he had been at a younger age, but patience was definitely not a virtue he possessed, something that was becoming all too clear to his darker-haired companion.
"Come on you pile of useless, moronic bastards! Ugh! Why did the damn motorway have to be blocked today? We could run to Gaara's from here in about ten minutes and its going to take ages now." The blonde began to take out his frustration on the horn of his car; blaring it angrily at the surrounding vehicles. Uchiha Sasuke rubbed his temples in frustration, why, oh why did he agree to car share with Naruto? The object of the younger boy's frustration whooped loudly as the car was able to creep forward gaining a few inches of tarmac, the sound quickly turning into a groan as he was forced to brake again or hit the back of the luggage stuffed people carrier in front. Suddenly Naruto cheered again.
"Hey, Sasuke look! The sea!" Suddenly the blonde burst into song, "Oh! I see the sea, the sea sees me! I see the sea, the... Hey! What was that for, Sasuke-teme?" Burning coal-black eyes met ocean blue in a fierce glare.
"Don't – sing, dobe."
"There was no need to hit me." The blonde huffed before resorting to glaring out at the car in front. He groaned loudly in irritation, earning him another glare from the Uchiha.
"It's sooooo hot!" It was true as well, the car was like an oven; both boys' hair plastered to their faces with sweat and their t-shirts to sweaty bodies. Naruto glanced at the boy sitting next to him and grinned at the sight of the normally cool and collected boy in the passenger seat: Sasuke's skin, usually so vampiricly pale, was flushed pink and was damp with sweat that was sticking his chin-length bangs to his head. For some reason the spikes at the back had managed to remain in their usual position and unruffled by the merciless heat but the perfectionist's normally impeccably tidy clothing was in a state. He had of course taken off the hoody that was normally worn at all times and was now only wearing the shorts and t-shirt but the heat was still taking formidable effect if the slightly darker shade the t-shirt had taken and the way it was now looking a lot more clingy than it had been previously was anything to go by. The blonde sighed again. "I give up!" He shrugged off his seatbelt earning a curious glance from his friend.
"Errr... What are you...?" As the tanned boy peeled off his soaked shirt and threw it over his shoulder the words caught in Sasuke's throat. Naruto smiled and stretched.
"Oh that's better!" Unbeknownst to him, Sasuke swallowed and licked suddenly dry lips as his friends toned chest and abdomen were revealed. His own stomach clenched nervously and he fought to control a heart rate that was all of a sudden abnormally fast. Biting his lip, he turned to stare out of the window, breathing a sigh of relief as they finally reached the slip road they had been aiming for for the last two hours.
"Jeez! No one even wanted to go the same way as us." The now topless blonde was scowling in irritation as his only half-functional, second-hand car rattled its way along winding lanes at its top speed of 50 miles an hour.
"Hn."
"Well, only ten minutes left. Hey, Sasuke-teme, you can take off your shirt you know. It's so much cooler without." The ebony-haired boy's eyes widened as he tried to think of reasons as to why it was a bad idea. At least the stupid heat meant no one could see if he blushed. Not that he did...
"No, I can't... uh... I'll burn – and aren't Sakura and Ino coming? As much as I'm sure I would prefer them both in a comatose state, I'd rather not have to explain it to a hospital."
"Che! As if, Sasuke-teme! You're just jealous that you aren't as hot as me!"
"Whatever, dobe."
I don't know if you know what the engine of an old car sounds like but I can tell you that it is very different from that of a more recent model; basically old engines' are a lot louder and more irritating than their modern counterparts. Anyway this meant that as Naruto's car drew up outside the modern-styled house these characteristics instantly alerted the people inside that they were there.
"Hey there, Uzumaki! Your pile-of-junk-car break down or something? Why're you so late?" Kiba rushed up to slap his friend on the back. "Oh hey, ice princess! Didn't see you there; how're you doing? Daddy not let you bring the Porsche or the Bugatti? Shame." The dark haired male ground his teeth in frustration as Naruto laughed and greeted his friend.
"Dog breath! Can't say I missed you but... Who am I kidding? Your company's better than Sasuke-teme's any day!" The exuberant blonde obviously had a couple hours steam to blow off as he threw the suitcase in the boot out of the car along with a half empty holdall bag that wouldn't have looked out of place in a rubbish pit. "Hey Sasuke... I gave you a lift here so in return... you take my stuff into the house along with yours! Show me round Kiba?" With that the still topless form ran off laughing, leaving a frustrated Sasuke counting down from ten in his head.
"Killing morons is not worth going to prison for murder, killing morons is not worth going to prison for murder, killing morons is not worth going to prison for murder..." Suddenly there was a loud screech from inside the house.
"Oh my God! Sasuke-kun you're here!" The raven haired teen restarted the count back at one hundred, editing the muttered mantra just a little.
"Killing moronic bitches is not worth going to prison for murder, killing moronic bitches is not worth going to prison for murder, killing moronic bitches is definitely worth going to prison for murder... No, wait... Killing moronic bitches is not worth going to prison for murder." A second squeal was heard alongside the first and he gritted his teeth and took a deep breath, "But it is so very close."
Luckily for Sasuke, at that point Gaara and Temari had appeared and both were very much aware that being glared at does not mean that someone is pleased to see you, unlike Sakura and Ino apparently, and ushered the young Uchiha away from the over-eager girls. The raven-haired young man nodded at them both with a grateful half-smile and Gaara nodded in return, knowing that this was the closest thing they would get to a 'thank you'. Temari smiled brightly at the younger boy.
"Hey Sasuke! How're you? Come on, we'll show you your room!" Without waiting for a reply, the older girl began to walk in the direction of the house. Exchanging a glance, Gaara shrugged and Sasuke sighed, reaching down to lift both bags and following the siblings.
The interior of the house was very much like the outside, modern and rather plain with its white walls and only the basic amount of furniture. There were very few personal effects, a couple of photos here and there, but nothing to really show who lived in the space. To some people this might have seemed impersonal but to Sasuke it was a relief and though he realised that the three Sabaku siblings would most likely have tidied up, he guessed that the simple décor was most likely done on Gaara's insistence. The house was rather large and they passed through several rooms, first the kitchen and then a seemingly gigantic hall with Temari pointing out where the doors lining the walls led to. Heading upstairs Sasuke was faced with yet more doors leading to an apparently endless supply of bedrooms and guest bedrooms.
"...This is my room, this one is normally Kankuro's but he's not here at the moment, that one is where Ino, Sakura and Hinata are staying, that one's Kiba and Shikamaru, this one is Gaara's which Neji is sharing and finally, you and Naruto are sharing this one." The blonde pushed open the door at the end of the hall to reveal a spacious room with light streaming into it from a massive window on one wall. Sasuke's face had frozen into an unreadable mask as soon as the door had opened. The red-head standing beside him schooled his expression out of the smirk it had taken on and into a more innocent one.
"What's wrong Sasuke? Is there a problem?" Sasuke glared at the too-happy green eyes, his own coal ones taking on a frustrated and almost desperate appearance for a fraction of a second before it disappeared.
"Gaara, would you mind explaining why there is a double bed in this room?" Gaara had to fight even harder not to smirk at the obvious irritation in his friend's voice.
"Sorry Sasuke, there weren't enough single-bed rooms." If Gaara had had less self control he might have skipped off at that moment but he didn't, but he walked off he did finally allow the smirk to slip onto his features, he and Temari leaving Sasuke alone. As soon as they were out of sight and earshot Sasuke groaned, leaning against the wall before slipping down it and rubbing his hands over his eyes. Hell was this going to be a long week.
Meanwhile, Naruto was having a wonderful time. It turned out that Gaara's family owned not just the large garden attached to the house but also all the fields as far as the sea and he and Kiba were exploring every inch of it with Kiba's dog, Akamaru. Finally they had reached the edge of the fields and Naruto was forced to do a double take. In front of them was a massive stretch of fine sand, unmarred by rocks or seaweed. Suddenly he grinned and turned to Kiba to find an identical expression on his face.
"Last one in the sea is a pussy!"
Kiba, Akamaru and Naruto burst back into the house at eight o'clock soaking wet and out of breath, both boys barefoot but fully clothed; not having bothered to strip in their rush to get to the sea. Naruto crowed in triumph,
"Hah! I win, admit it dog-breath; I'm faster than you!" The brunette scowled, folding his arms.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night. Come on, I'm starving!" The two made a mad dash towards the kitchen, Kiba making it into the room without incident but of course Naruto would be less lucky. He collided with something hard and heard a cracking noise as he fell to the ground. Opening his eyes he found himself staring into shocked, endless obsidian. It took the blonde a couple of seconds to process what had happened and a few more to realise that he should probably move: He was lying flush on top of Sasuke, one leg between the smaller boys' with merely millimetres between their lips. Once this had been established Naruto was instantly pushing himself to his feet, an action the other boy copied after a fraction of a second. Naruto thought for a moment that there was a blush on his friends' face but that was impossible. The dazed expression that was surely to do with the fact that he had just hit his head on the stone floor was almost immediately replaced with one that screamed of pain for any and all who messed with him.
"What – the – fuck was that for? Why can't you watch where you're going, dobe? And why are you all wet?" Sasuke's face was now the picture of fury. "How is it even possible for anyone to be as stupid as you?" With that last parting remark Sasuke stormed out, leaving Naruto staring at the space where the other boy had been just seconds before, expression melting from shock to pain to anger before he turned and shouted in the direction of the stairs,
"I hate you Sasuke-teme! How is it possible for anyone to be as much of a bastard as you?" Then Naruto was gone too, the sound of the front door slamming echoing through the house. The people left in the room were stood stock still staring after them both. Suddenly the silence was broken by Temari's sigh and when she spoke her voice was grim,
"Gaara, go get Naruto before he gets lost, I'll go deal with the Uchiha..." Her brother nodded once before disappearing into the shadowy hallway. She followed soon after, only pausing to tell the others gathered in the room to help themselves to food and stay where they were.
Sabaku no Temari when angered is not a force you want to encounter. Even Gaara, someone you don't cross and come out unscathed, knew to avoid her when she was in such a state. There weren't many things that could set her off but hurting one of her friends was definitely one of them and Uchiha Sasuke was about to find out quite what she was like when she was mad. The door to his room was thrown open so hard that the door handle buried itself in the painted plaster of the wall. Sasuke turned, purely on instinct, to find himself face to face with a fearsome sight. Before he could even form a thought, a fist caught his jaw with enough force to make him stagger backward. The blonde girl flicked the light switch still on her guard; expecting a furious retaliation at any time. Temari was itching for a fight; to be able to take out her anger on the person who had insulted her friend, but as she turned to face the centre of her irritation the fury flickered and died. She had been ready to face an outraged Sasuke who would deny he had been wrong and continue to be a bastard so she could continue hating him. She was completely unprepared for Sasuke's response.
"Thank you." She had to double take. His voice was laced with sincerity but other than that it was empty. Sasuke's entire expression was empty – almost... dead. The older girl shivered at the look. "I deserved that. I'm – I'm – I'm... sorry. I'm the idiot – and he's right; I really am a bastard to him." Sasuke swayed, blinking as if struggling to remain conscious. "Ungh... Fuck." The boy raised a pale hand to the back of his head, pulling it back to find it coated in a layer of sticky red. He swayed again and Temari rushed forward in alarm. He chuckled dryly at her concern as she asked him if he was okay. "I've been worse trust me, but I meant what I said; I really did deserve that punch. Huh..." He chuckled again and she frowned.
"What is it?"
"Not exactly how I would've pictured my sixteenth birthday. Then again, if it goes better that my eighth..." The boy grimaced. Temari just looked on even more concerned; Sasuke wasn't sixteen, he couldn't be. Maybe the hits to his head had made him delirious? Sasuke seemed able to read her expression as he scowled in irritation. "I'm fine, Temari. Ungh... Fine enough anyway. Feels a bit like being drunk; you know, not being able to control your tongue and saying stuff you don't mean to; admitting stuff you wanted to keep secret and..." He swayed again, giving in to the pull of gravity and sitting down on the floor with a soft moan. "You know what? I think I'll go without supper and go to bed early." Temari nodded, still trying to gather her reactions and figure out what to do.
"Yeah, g'night Sasuke. See you in the morning." She paused a moment to watch him drag himself off the floor.
"Hn." She left the teen, quietly drawing the door to, and headed back to the others still a bit confused but her mind was made up, she wouldn't tell the others what had happened.
When she got back downstairs Temari found that Gaara had already retrieved Naruto and as soon as she walked in everyone went quiet. When she didn't say anything and settled for sitting down and beginning to pick at the array of nibbled set out on the table everyone was watching her expectantly. Eventually she sighed, turning to the questioning faces.
"He... I hit him again and... Well, it's possible that he was concussed seeing as, yeah..." The twenty-year-old gestured to the smear of blood previously unnoticed but certainly in the place where Naruto had landed on Sasuke half an hour before. "But anyway, he actually apologised and I really do think he is sorry Naruto." The whole group was silent and Kiba was shaking his head but Naruto nodded reluctantly.
"If – if he apologises to my face then, and only then will I forgive him. And, I'll apologise too." Temari nodded, that was probably fair.
It was late when Naruto went to bed. He had been in a bit of a bad mood when Gaara had broken it to him that he and Sasuke had to share a room but it had worn off and now he was just so tired he didn't care. Yawning he opened the door, letting the light from the hallway illuminate the room. Just inside the door there was a folded piece of paper with 'Naruto' printed on the front. He frowned and began to read it.
Naruto,
I'm sorry about earlier. I know you're not really stupid and I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. You might not believe me so I will apologise again in the morning.
I hope you can forgive me because you are my best friend and I don't want to lose that.
I don't say stuff like this a lot and maybe being whacked over the head has loosened my tongue.
Sorry again.
See you in the morning,
Sasuke
P.S. You can have the bed; I don't mind the floor just as long as you don't step on me.
Naruto looked up from the letter and over to the shape on the floor he could just about make out in the darkness that had to be where the other boy was sleeping. Now he could see what Temari meant when she said that she thought Sasuke had concussion; he was acting completely out of character. He sighed and wandered over to the bed, only pausing to pull off his clothes and drape the duvet cover over himself before he let himself fall asleep.
Right, that's chapter one. I don't know when I will get around to updating or how long this will be but if I get positive reviews then I'm more likely to write. (That's not a bribe; its the truth, honest! XD) I don't know how good this is though so if its crap, please leave a review to say so; I don't even need a reason. Okay, I'll shut up now but PLEASE review!