HEY GUYS!! I just had a HUGE plot bunny, thanks to my cousin's awesome taste in music, so I thought I'd just start typing now. I am (was) currently in my grandma's car, coming home from a little trip. Then my cousin, Katie, turned on Traveling Soldier by the Dixie Chicks, and I got a HUGE burst of inspiration.
Now, POTF, if you're reading this, I kinda stole your idea with this… *laughs* … Sorry, Pay-chan! Love you! *shot*
There are usually two implications to how this song ends: The soldier comes home, or he dies. But considering this is Sasuke and Naruto, there's no way I could kill off Sasuke. I just love SasuNaru too much make Naruto cry and have him be upset. So I chose the happy ending!
Warning: For those of you who do not agree with the war or support our soldiers please leave this story. I really don't care to hear your complaining because my grandpa, uncle, family friend, and cousin were in wars at one point in their life. The family friend died in Iraq about 3 years ago, but I was so proud of him and cried and I didn't even really know him that well.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sasuke or Naruto and their obvious yaoi-ness. Oh how Kishi-san tourtures us so...
ENJOY!!
'Ding ding'
A bell sounded throughout the small diner as a handsome young man walked in, fully clad in army greens and boot, bags and supplies in his arms and shoulders. He shook the rain out of his raven hair, but couldn't help it when if fell into his eyes a bit, after giving up on trying to pull it out of his face. The young man looked around the small restaurant before finding a booth in the back of the restaurant. He only had 4 hours before his bus would arrive.
After making himself comfortable on the smooth vinyl, he took another look around. Records adorned the walls, stools at the bar, a colorful jukebox on the far wall. The restaurant had an old time diner air to it, giving him a very homey feeling. Of course it wouldn't last long…
Rain was pouring outside of the windows.
"Excuse me, sir."
The raven looked up to be met with sparkling blue and the warm smile of a young man. "Would'ya like something to drink?"
The young soldier was momentarily stunned before blinking and looking back down at the table.
"I'll take a coffee, please," he mumbled.
The blonde looked at him quizzically before brushing it off and jotting it down. "Will there be anything else?" he asked softly.
The raven shook his head. But just before the other man was out of reach, he grabbed onto his elbow.
"Umm… Actually..." he started nervously. He gulped and continued. "Do you think you could sit down with me for a little bit? I-I'm feeling a bit lonely right now…"
The other man looked down at him, blushing, a sight in which the raven found fascinating, confused and stunned, before he finally took in the greens and suitcases and understood. He looked around for a little bit at the clock before looking back. "I get off in about an hour. And how 'bout we go somewhere else? I know a really nice place around here where we can go."
"Of course," the other said and before the blonde walked of, he asked "What's your name?"
"Naruto; Naruto Uzumaki," he said with a smile.
"Sasuke Uchiha."
The thunder rumbled one last time.
As the hour passed, Sasuke watched Naruto bustle around the small diner. He felt strange, looking at the blonde. Like, whenever Naruto would look at him, he'd quickly turn away, heat rising to his cheeks, something that he rarely ever felt, before peeking out of the corner of his eye. After a while, they started teasing each other with it, laughing when each person caught the other staring.
All the while, Sasuke was noticing more and more about Naruto. How his eyes sparkled with light and gentle happiness, how his hair was a bright yellow gold that put the sun to shame, his slightly sun kissed tan skin. Sasuke started feel, whenever he saw Naruto smile, a strange and slow chill run up his spine. He was marveled by how white and gleaming his teeth were, how beautiful it was.
His mind was racing with sudden confusion, yet understanding and realization that he didn't notice that the hour had passed him by. He was broken from his ravine when a hand wove in front of his face and he looked up to see a smiling Naruto, dressed in distressed jeans, t-shirt with a black jacket and chucks. Sasuke blinked and sniffed.
"So… ready?" He asked smiling gently.
Sasuke nodded. While picking up his bags, Naruto was saying his goodbyes to fellow workers. When he was finished, he saw the blonde blushing and glaring playfully at an older woman and a young girl around their age, who was smirking slightly at him.
"What was that about?" Sasuke asked, bringing Naruto back to reality.
"Huh? Oh, uh, just Tsunade and Sakura being… yeah…" He quickly walked past the raven and stopped at the door. "You coming?"
Sasuke followed him out the door, dropping his bags off at his car before walking down the empty road with Naruto.
"So who were those women?" He asked.
Naruto laughed and his eyes sparkled brightly. Beautiful, Sasuke thought.
"Tsunade… How do I describe her? Well, simply put, she's like a mother to me. I, uh… lost my parents when I was a baby…"
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. He, himself, had lost his parents when he was very young. All he had left was his older brother, Itachi, before he had passed away from a very rare disease, leaving Sasuke distraught and alone. He was now the last of his family.
"Anyway, she's always been there for me for as long as I can remember. In fact, I can't really remember what my parents looked like … Well, aside from this picture." Naruto reached into his wallet and pulled out a piece of paper that looked very worn and folded and unfolded many a time. Naruto handed him the paper and revealed a picture of a man, a woman, and a very blonde baby. They looked very happy; a beautiful family.
"She looks very beautiful," Sasuke said.
"She was," Naruto said. Sasuke looked to see Naruto laughing, but his eyes told a very different story.
"And your father looks just like you."
"Ha! Nah, I look like him." Sasuke noticed his eyes held a soft look to them, almost heartbroken. He looked back at the picture.
"You were a very beautiful baby," he said without hesitation.
Naruto blushed bright red and playfully punched him in the shoulder before walking on, not knowing what to say. What Naruto didn't know was that Sasuke meant every word of what he had said.
They walked on, most of the time in silence. But it wasn't really awkward; in fact, it was very comforting. They peeked at each other again, but they were in a much more serious atmosphere now. Eventually, Sasuke refused to look away and every time Naruto turned his way, the blonde would quickly turn and blush.
"Um, where here," Naruto stuttered.
Sasuke looked away from Naruto and was stunned at the sight he was greeted with.
In front of them was a wide lake surrounded by trees with an old wooden dock, but still looked very sturdy. The water was dark and black, hiding whatever secrets it had from the two and the world beneath its shadowy surface. Stars shined brightly, as they were far from the city, revealing every mystery Sasuke had never known, splashing the sky with beautiful pinks and purples, sparkles everywhere. The moon was full and reflected perfectly off the still, watery mirror. All in all, it was the most amazing sight he had ever seen, until he looked to his right to see Naruto in that metaphorical painting as well.
Naruto ran forward onto the dock and took off shoes and socks, rolled up his jeans, and stuck his feet in the water. Sasuke stood rooted in his spot. Seeing the smaller boy at the edge of the small pier almost brought tears to Sasuke's eyes, it was so stunning, but he blinked them away and followed Naruto's idea.
The two men sat and talked for a long time about their lives, their pasts, and their aspirations. He found out that the whisker-like marks were from a very strange biking accident, and he thought they were "kinda cool". Sasuke didn't argue. He loved the feline look they gave him.
Eventually the two fell into silence again, but a much more comfortable song than before. Sasuke took in the scenery around them before looking back at the man on his right. He sat, shocked.
If he thought Naruto was beautiful before, he was absolutely stunning now. Naruto's eyes stood out in a much brighter blue than before, making Sasuke completely incapable of looking away. His hair looked almost silver and it blew around beautifully with the slight wind.
"Now's about as good a time as ever…"
"Naruto…" Sasuke started.
"Yes?"
"That Sakura girl… Was she your girlfriend?"
What Naruto did was the exact opposite of what he expected. The blonde stared for a second or two before bursting out into a fit of laughter.
"HA HA HA! Sakura? My girlfriend?! Ha ha!" After Naruto settled down, he continued. "No, she's practically my sister. I've known her forever, she's my best friend. But no, she's not my girlfriend… I-I don't have one actually…" Naruto blushed and looked away, but not before peeking at Sasuke, an action that wasn't missed by him.
Without hesitation, Sasuke reached over and grabbed his chin, turning his face towards his. Naruto's face, even in the dark, was warm and beat red.
Naruto's eyes widened as Sasuke's hands ran over his cheeks. He felt his warm, calloused hand slide over his "whiskers" and shuddered under the touch.
"Naruto… I-I don't have anyone to send a letter back home to…" Naruto simply stared at the raven, tears prickling the corners of his eyes. "Would you mind if I sent one back here to you?" Sasuke asked.
Shaking his head franticly, Naruto dove into Sasuke's arms, where he wrapped his arms around the small blonde. Naruto lifted his head up and looked into Sasuke's obsidian eyes. Suddenly, on his own free will, the blonde closed the small space between the two.
Sasuke simply sat there, too stunned to do anything but stay still. Naruto, feeling he had done something wrong, started to pull back, a strong sense of rejection taking over. But before he could get very far, Sasuke reached his hand behind the blonde and pulled him closer, reveling in the newfound warmth.
When they finally pulled apart, the two just sat together, just looking out over the lake, suddenly feeling an awkward silence come over them. What would happen now?
*shot*
Dear Lord, that was cheesy!! Cute, but very cheesy!!
And by the way, if the ending sounded a bit confusing, I'm sorry. My laptop almost died on the way home and when I finally got home… I just kinda winged it… It didn't turn out too bad, but I it could've turned out much better. But anyway, I left it on that bit of a cliff-hanger because this is going to be a 2 or 3-shot. If I put the whole thing in one chapter, it would've taken too long, not to mention it would've been even cheesier than this.
So yesh, reviews make my day!! They are my encouragement and my brain-food!!
-TGOMO