Title: Cat and Mouse
Rating: T for small amounts of blood and a suggested relationship between two guys.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. :(
The forest flashed by as he ran at breakneck speed. The dying sunlight filtered through the trees, casting bizarre shadows across his haphazard path. Now and again he stumbled, but he hardly noticed, heaving himself up again and plowing forward.
He was almost there; he could sense it. Drilled into his memory, was his image. He would not forget… no. He could not forget. This memory was akin to looking into the heart of a flame and shutting one's eyes. He was imprinted into his retinas, stuck, unmoving, and unforgettable. The memory would not, could not, fade; it stayed, burning, until he was forced again and again to pursue, to hunt for him.
Animals alerted by heavy breathing and uncaring movements scurried away from his path. More than thrice now he had blindly collided with a protruding branch. Souvenirs from these encounters were bits of leaves and twig remaining in his hair, his clothing torn.
Suddenly, as if some imperceptible signal was given, he began to slow down. Running, jogging, fast walking. Breathing raggedly, he brought a hand to his temple. He didn't realize it shook until he smacked himself in the face with trembling fingers.
He stood now, still. The air smelled of evening. Nostrils flaring, he tested the air for foreign scents.
Shifting through smells of the forest, he came upon the scent of… smoke? That must be it.
At a slower pace this time, he began to walk again. A slight breeze cooled his overheated skin, and brought the smell of a campfire closer. He followed the scent, hardly daring to hope. Maybe tonight he would find him.
He walked at a brisker pace; this thought spurred him on. Was that the light of a campfire just beyond the trees?
He slid behind a tree trunk surrounding the clearing. There was no time for carelessness now. Chances to find him, to play this game, were few and far between.
Peeking from behind the trunk, he gripped the bark as he noticed his query. Did he finally find him? Was that the same black head he knew so well, from so long ago? Somehow, this all seemed too easy.
Too long he had been evaded. Too many times he had been tricked. Too often he had fallen into a trap. Too many times he lost this game they played. Too many times he had been… broken.
He sensed movement ahead. The evening was still, so still now, that this slight rustling of leaves pounded in his eardrums.
Something seemed off to him. The true owner of that black head never made the slightest noise. Doubt clouded the forefront of his mind.
A string of unconnected thoughts: a flash. A sound. Cold steel against his throat. Panic and overwhelming… relief. These were simultaneously strange thoughts, yet familiar all the same.
He leaned back against his captor, steadying his breathing. "Sas—"
"Naruto."
Naruto shivered. Memories flooded his consciousness. The voice was so familiarly foreign. It calmed him with its edge, with its untouchability, with its warnings of danger. The game between them always started with this voice.
Warmth ran down the front of Naruto's neck, soaking into his shirt. He lifted his hand to touch it, but a pale hand stopped its progress.
"Leave," the untouchable voice commanded.
"Leave with me," was the reply.
"How many times have I told you 'no'? I'm getting tired of this game." A lie.
"If you said 'yes,' I wouldn't have to keep asking."
"Never," the voice spat, throwing Naruto's hand down and removing the sword.
Naruto stumbled, regaining balance. He whipped around quickly, to get a glimpse of him.
Surprisingly, Sasuke had not left. He stood, looking haggard but still haughty. Just a glance had Naruto reeling. The fire imprinted into his eyes made his vision blurry and spots appeared before his eyes.
He's here. He's here. I'm not dreaming nor having a nightmare. He's actually here. I can reach out and–
Naruto fell heavily onto Sasuke. Sasuke did not move. Taking this as a good sign, Naruto grasped the front of Sasuke's shirt tightly, resting his head on Sasuke's shoulder and took a deep breath. Sasuke smelled of smoke, dirt, and… blood.
Naruto felt cold steel again. This time it pressed into the back of his neck. Naruto sighed.
"If you wanted to kill me, you would have done so long ago," Naruto informed him.
The sword pressed harder. "Did it ever occur to you," liquid ran down Naruto's neck, "that I am sparing your life because it is convenient for me?"
Naruto smiled slyly into Sasuke's shirt. 'Convenient,' huh? It was convenient for Naruto, too. If he wasn't alive, he could not play this game with Sasuke anymore.
The very essence of his being relied on Sasuke. The journey to find him, the game, and the loss… Everything connected to this "game" made Naruto what he was.
But what would happen if Naruto just disappeared one day? Sasuke probably believed he would be rid of a burden. But he also would no longer be "Sasuke."
This game was one of cat and mouse, of pursue and run, of hunter and prey. This game is Naruto's life. It is their life. Naruto chuckled to himself. My life is a game… and I'm losing it.
Naruto also knew the game could never be settled. If somehow the mouse made a truce with the cat, or the hunter gave up the pursuit, what would one be without the other? What would "Naruto" be without "Sasuke"?
The cat always needs a mouse to chase. The hunter always needs prey. Naruto always needs Sasuke. No matter how futile the chase is, Naruto will pursue.
This is Naruto's life and Naruto knows this is Sasuke's life too. Why else would he be so easy to find?
Pressure left his neck. The sound of a sword hitting the dead leaves.
Author's Note: Yay my first story! I don't know where this story came from... But I tried my best to convey what I feel is Naruto and Sasuke's relationship. Hopefully it wasn't too confusing! ^_^"
Secret: I like reviews. :)