"I'm coming with you!" Naruto declared strongly and Sasuke felt a heavy hand fall to his shoulder. He didn't turn around, though the words rang in his ears. Really, he should've expected this from Naruto by now, but it still surprised him.
Naruto jerked him around to face him when he remained still and Sasuke was met with determined eyes. He let out a deep breath and said resolutely, "If you're not ready to go back yet…I'll come with you…until you are."
Sasuke stared at him with wide eyes in disbelief. Naruto had never lied to him, but he just couldn't believe it. "You're just going to come with me? Leave the village?"
Naruto sighed frustrated. "It's not – we're not leaving the village. We're just…taking a break in a way? It's the end of the war. I don't think Tsunade would care if I left for a while. She did the same thing. I mean, you – we would come back, right, Sasuke?"
Sasuke looked away from him. He knew Naruto wouldn't be happy if he was away from the village for a long time. But Sasuke couldn't see himself going back any time soon. He still felt like the place was home, he could never shake that feeling. He'd gone mad with grief when he'd learned the truth about the massacre and blamed the village. But he'd come to terms with that it wasn't the villages fault, it was certain peoples' fault. Even so, if he were to go back now, it wouldn't have been enough time to process everything. He'd feel suffocated there. Everyone hated him and those opinions weren't going to calm down any time soon. He didn't really care what everyone thought, but it didn't make going back any easier.
"Two years," he settled for and met Naruto's eyes again. "I think…I need at least that much."
Naruto had obviously not expected it would be that long as his eyes widened and he frowned, looking down at the ground between them. Sasuke hadn't even got used to the idea that Naruto wanted to come with him, but he felt a sudden fear that he might back out. After a few minutes of silence, Naruto looked back up with steely eyes. "You promise?"
Sasuke let out a deep breath he didn't know he'd been holding and tried to not let his relief show. He gave Naruto a nod. "I promise, Naruto, after two years, we'll come back."
Naruto's shoulders slumped and he smiled widely. Sasuke tried to not think about the warmth that filled him when Naruto looked at him like that. He couldn't help but ask, "Why would you even want to come with me?"
Naruto looked at him incredulously and laughed. "Do you still not get it? I chased after you for more than three years, you think I would just let you walk away from me again?"
Sasuke smiled and shook his head. "I guess not."
Naruto grinned and closed the distance between them to throw his arms – well, arm – around him. His head fell to his shoulder and he admitted with a shaky voice, "I'm happy you're back."
Sasuke felt his chest tighten and he hugged him back, pulling him as close as he could. He didn't reply, but he was sure Naruto knew how he felt by the way his fingers gripped his mesh shirt. It was the first instance, he wished he still had two arms.
Naruto was grumbling angrily under his breath and Sasuke couldn't help but laugh as he watched him struggle with the chopsticks. Naruto glared at him in turn and complained, "Oh, shut up! You have your right arm!"
Sasuke didn't say anything and just watched as Naruto tried to bring more noodles to his mouth, then them falling back into the broth before they could reach his lips. Naruto pouted at the bowl and then looked at Sasuke with this smile and Sasuke just knew what he was about to ask. "Naruto, if you don't do it yourself, you'll never get used to it."
Naruto nudged him with his elbow. "Come on, Sasuke, I'm hungry. Just this one time."
Sasuke rolled his eyes and sighed. He turned his body and picked some ramen up from Naruto's bowl with his chop sticks. He debated teasing him with it, but decided against it seeing how hungry Naruto looked. Naruto practically moaned at the first bite and Sasuke almost dropped the chopsticks at the sound. Naruto grinned happily at him when he was done chewing. Sasuke didn't argue like he was going to and simply helped Naruto finish his bowl. It was the least he could do, he was the reason he had even lost his arm.
After they left the restaurant and got back on the road, Naruto looked over at Sasuke with a soft smile as he folded his arm behind his head as they walked. "Reminds me of the bell test."
Sasuke gave him a small smile and shrugged. "I guess some things never change."
Naruto laughed and Sasuke felt a warmth rush over him from the sound. He faced forward again with a quiet sigh. They really don't.
They travelled from village to village, towards anything that piqued their interest. Whether it be helping out a town from bandits or a fancy hot spring. They just went wherever they wanted, no rules and no map. It was nice. Sasuke knew his travels would be very different if Naruto hadn't joined him. He imagined there would be a lot more self-loathing and less laughter. No matter where they went, he was never cold. Not with Naruto next to him emitting warmth like he was the sun itself.
It'd been months since they first started their journey and Sasuke was surprised by how much he was learning about Naruto. He'd always thought he was the person that understood him the most, but as they talked he realized how little he knew about his best friend. It made him sad at the same time it terrified him. If he had felt so strongly towards him knowing him as little as he had, then how bad was it going to get when he knew all there was to?
Naruto was still insecure about how people saw him. He'd told Sasuke that he knew everyone loved him now, but what about in a few years? He said no matter how irrational he knew it was, he was always going to be waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sasuke tried to reassure him, but Naruto said it wasn't something he could be talked out of feeling. He would always have that anxiety.
He told him about Jiraiya. A sad story about finally having someone who was family, only for them to be taken away. Sasuke remembered a brief meeting with the sanin when he was younger, but he hadn't thought much of him at the time. The stories he'd heard about the Toad Sage were something he was familiar with though, and he knew how powerful he'd been. He was grateful Naruto had someone that strong in his life to train him. They way Naruto talked about the man, he could see how he had influenced him.
Naruto learned more about Sasuke, too. He tried to be open with him, but found it difficult to be after so long of bottling everything up. He felt like he didn't know how to, like he didn't even know how to talk to a friend. But Naruto was patient with him and never pushed for attention like Sasuke thought he would have if they were younger.
Something they shared in common was nightmares. Sasuke's made him wake up in panic attacks and it was hard for him to breathe. Sometimes Naruto didn't even wake up from his, but Sasuke had woken up to hear him crying and seeing him twist in his bedsheets.
Tonight, Naruto cried Sasuke's name in his sleep, waking Sasuke up. Sasuke looked over at him in the dark room, the only light coming through the small window from the moon. He felt his heart clench and tried not to think about what Naruto was dreaming about. It was obviously a nightmare and the possibilities were longer than Sasuke liked.
Sasuke sighed and his feet dropped to the cold floors of the inn they were in. They were in cold country and neither of them wanted to sleep outside if they didn't have to. He silently walked over to Naruto's bed and sat on the edge of it. He grabbed Naruto's shoulder and gave him a gentle shake.
Naruto jerked awake immediately and stared up at Sasuke with wide eyes. His breathing was uneven and he looked almost confused, "Sasuke?"
"I'm right here, Naruto," Sasuke told him, not knowing if it would be comforting or just add to whatever terror Naruto had experienced in his dream.
Tears streamed down Naruto's face and Sasuke fought to not look away from him. Naruto let out a deep breath before sitting up and wrapping his arm around Sasuke, then buried his face in the crook of Sasuke's neck. Sasuke held him and he could feel the way Naruto's fingers gripped at his shirt. His neck felt warm and he knew Naruto was still crying.
It was heartbreaking to see the man who lit up every day with his smiles cry in the darkness of the night. Sasuke hugged him closer and Naruto's breathing eventually evened out. When Naruto pulled away from him, he gave him a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. Then, leaned back against his pillows staring at Sasuke like he wanted to say something but wasn't sure, if he should.
Sasuke acted on instinct and nodded at him, ordering quietly, "Move over."
Naruto's eyebrows scrunched together but he did as Sasuke said. Sasuke slipped under the sheets beside him and Naruto looked at him hesitantly. Sasuke held out his arm to him and Naruto didn't waste a second before moving to lay against him, his head resting on his chest and his arm tightening around Sasuke's torso. Sasuke didn't know how to show affection anymore, but when he wrapped his arm around him and let his fingers comb through Naruto's hair it felt right.
Naruto relaxed against him and let out a sigh. Before he fell asleep, Sasuke heard him softly mumble, "Don't leave me again."
Sasuke's heart skipped a beat at the sentence and he held Naruto tighter. He fell asleep wondering when "Don't leave" had changed to "Don't leave me". But maybe it had always been the later…
Sasuke hadn't been paying attention. His attention had slowly been slipping a lot lately, something that was out of character for him. But he was distracted. The sun had tanned Naruto's skin with a nice golden hue. His hair had grown over the past year and he'd resorted to letting Sasuke trim it for him with a kunai. His smiles had always been bright since he was a kid, but there was something about the ones he had now. Some were soft and gentle, making Sasuke feel like he'd shatter under his gaze. Others were filled with laughter and stretched across his face in a wide smile. Sasuke was sure those would be the death of him. They did funny things to his heart and made his skin feel warm just from looking at him.
Naruto had been smiling at him when the kunai flew through the air and cut across Sasuke's arm. They'd taken the bandits out easily and quickly. They were more of a nuisance than a real threat. Sasuke's arm was bleeding though and Naruto was staring at it with more concern than Sasuke thought the small cut deemed.
They moved into the forest to build a small campfire and rest for the night. The light from the fire danced across Naruto's skin as he gently wrapped Sasuke's small wound. When he was finished, he gave Sasuke a small smile. "You know, when we get back home, I bet Tsunade and Sakura could probably do something about our arms. Maybe a prosthetic or something."
Sasuke nodded as Naruto moved to slump beside him against the fallen tree he was leaning against. Sasuke sighed as something he'd been reflecting on flashed through his mind again. "I've been cruel to Sakura."
Naruto frowned and he replied looking at the fire, "Work it out with her when we go back."
Sasuke didn't say anything back, so something he regretted didn't slip out of his mouth. He wondered if Naruto was still in love with Sakura. If his childhood crush had grown into something more while Sasuke was away. Sasuke threw the thoughts from his mind when a stabbing pain started to twist at his heart.
They were quiet for a while with just the sounds of the fire crackling and the small animals in the forest. Sasuke's eyes wandered to Naruto who was watching the flames flicker with a contemplative expression. He seemed like he was mulling something over in his head and Sasuke waited for him to share whatever it was like he usually did. When the night grew darker and Naruto still hadn't said anything, Sasuke felt an anxiety creeping up his neck.
He was about to ask him, when Naruto suddenly turned to him and spoke into the dead of the night, "Sasuke, I'm in love with you."
The words had thrown him off so much that Sasuke could only stare back at him in shock. Naruto sighed in frustration and faced the fire again, his hand raking through his hair nervously. "I don't care if you don't – well, I do. But I – dammit." Naruto closed his eyes and let out a deep breath before turning back to Sasuke with hard eyes. "My feelings aren't ever going to change."
Sasuke felt like his heart had stopped and not a single thought was passing through his head. He tore his eyes away from Naruto and as his eyes settled on a burning twig, memories flooded through him with a wave of emotions. Naruto's smile appeared more than once. Touches, some innocent, some not. Desperation and anguish. Fear and relief. Warmth and happiness. Burns and scars that would never heal right. Contentment and blue eyes. It had all rushed through his mind in a matter of seconds.
When he looked back to Naruto, he had a faint blush on his cheeks and was staring at the fire resolutely. All of his thoughts disappeared and Sasuke was left with nothing but the small flicker of light in front of him that had nothing to do with the fire. Sasuke reached out for him, his hand holding his face and turning him back to him. He watched as Naruto's eyes widened before he kissed him.
Naruto's lips were chapped, but when they moved against his, Sasuke felt a spark of warmth growing in his stomach and wrapping around his heart. Naruto's hand snaked to the back of Sasuke's head and his fingers tugged at his hair there, making Sasuke gasp into his mouth. The way Naruto kissed him was filled with love that he didn't think he deserved. There was a solid desire holding him there and when Naruto broke the kiss, he could still feel it vibrating in his chest.
Naruto kissed him again and Sasuke pulled him closer almost into his lap. They were both breathless when they parted and he opened his eyes to see Naruto staring at him with this soft affection in his eyes. "Sasuke –"
"I love you," Sasuke interrupted him, admitting his feelings before he lost his nerve. He leaned his head against Naruto's shoulder, his hand falling from Naruto's hair to grip at his shirt. He let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes shut. "I've always loved you."
Naruto laughed lightly and Sasuke knew him well enough to know he wasn't mocking him. It was a happy sound and rang in Sasuke's ears as Naruto leaned his head against his. He smiled against him, thinking about how well warm Naruto felt with him.
Some things change for the better.