Touched It

Summary : Harry and Sasuke met on a plane. They talked about their best friends, fiancee, girlfriend and senseis, eh teachers. Sasuke told Harry that Naruto was a sensitive dude who didn't like to be talked down about his strength. Meanwhile Harry related about that one time his best friend was so sensitive over Harry's closeness with their other female bff that he deserted them in the middle of a jungle. Sasuke thought, well if he thought that was sensitive, than Sasuke himself might also be a more sensitive bastard than Harry's bff, leaving his village for revenge.

Heathrow Airport International Departure

Harry Potter was sitting in his muggle clothes waiting for his departure in an hour. He wasn't feeling scared at all about flying, after all he had flown on a Hippogriff, flying cars and certainly his trusted broom during games of Quidditch. But he had not been on any of that for a year now when he decided to tour the world alone as part of his young adult plan to learn about the world. He had delayed it for a good year, only visiting around Britain because he had to help with an ongoing crisis at the Ministry of Magic. But right after everything was settled he packed his bag and bought a return ticket to Malaysia with three months duration between departure and arrival.

As Ron and Hermione started their second year working with the Ministry, Harry decided to start his journey. They never stopped him but because they had been together through thick and thin, Harry thought he owed them an explanation. He told them that he had chosen Malaysia as his first country to visit since his great grandmother on his paternal side had a few relatives there. The surviving relatives had reunited via the grand realm known as the Internet. Harry flipped his phone on to read the latest chatters of his relatives in their group text message. The oldest relative Aunt Jamilah Ahmad Potter was talking about someone recording an Ostrich running in the middle of Malaysia's capital city. Harry wondered what Kuala Lumpur was like as a city, that to them a giant bird running around them was weird. But Harry couldn't even compare it to London either since he had not spend enough time there to call himself a citizen either.

Two seats behind Harry, facing the other way was Sasuke Uchiha who was also waiting for his flight to Malaysia. His fiancee was already in Malaysia and was on her last few weeks of training for her Diploma in Homeopathy. Sasuke knew he was a lousy fiance, but Sakura was patient. Sometimes Sasuke wondered where Sakura had gotten the strength to be so patient when it came to him. He knew Sakura was always pummeling Naruto for his dimwitted antics, but Sasuke was spared. As a survivor of a clan massacre, sometimes he felt like he was still stuck to his past where his dead family and brother still haunted his dreams. But Sakura never complained nor grouse about it. Sasuke also realized that Sakura wasn't gentle either when it came to treating him either. He was thankful for that, and gradually they had become the loving couple in their own way.

Two years ago Naruto and Sai, had discovered a portal to the Modern World and Sasuke had quickly volunteered to check it out. Sakura and Naruto had wanted to follow him but Kakashi decided that Naruto was already of age to start his Hokage training so only Sakura went with Sasuke. A month later they came back with positive findings. In another six months, Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto made several trips there. Then Sakura decided to pursue medical courses in the Modern World, with encouragement from Tsunade-hime and Kakashi-sama, the Sixth Hokage. When time came for Sakura to depart, Sasuke had proposed to her and spent the next five months missing her presence.

Then a missing nin trespassed into the Hokage compound and found the door to the Modern World, and escaped into it. Sasuke and Naruto was missioned to tail after him and after several days caught with the perpetrator and returned him to Konoha. Naruto had guilt tripped Sasuke into staying at the modern world and had forced Sasuke into going after Sakura.

Sasuke was still ashamed deep inside at what he did to Sakura and that alone had made him think a hundred times over about following her at first, but he decided to give himself a chance at last. Sasuke smirked at the in flight magazine he was holding, but actually he was really thinking about his headstrong fiancee. Sasuke thought he if he could do this, he might go further with their wedding earlier than his own expectation. He was making slow progress, but at least he made some. Sasuke wanted to change his fiancee's notion that she was the last thing he considered in his life. He hoped to tell her that she was wrong.

Harry looked at his mobile phone, he had only owned the muggle gadget for the past six months and had thought that it was cumbersome. But after a bit of brainstorming with Hermione and Ron's father they decided that he needed it. Harry thought that though it was necessary, it was a bit intrusive of his lifestyle having to check for messages and some apps needing updating. At last he decided to put the phone on silent mode and check it every few hours. And of course he had installed a magic app in it, which was developed by George W. for communicating with his best friends and the foster families he had acquired in Hogwarts.

Half an hour passed and the passengers were called to board the plane. Harry began queuing as soon as the elderly and women with kids boarded. When he was finally on board, Harry discovered that not many people were on the plane. In fact there were about five people seated in the back. It was low season anyway since the ticket was very cheap too, Hermione had told him that. Harry located his seat and decided to sit at the window seat because there was virtually no one. He didn't wait until time to buckle up before moving to the window seat.

Sasuke was the last one to board, he looked at the other black haired man sitting on the other window seat and checked his ticket. A stewardess happened to walk across the aisle and showed him his seat. Sasuke's seat was the window seat so he moved along the narrow leg space and sat down. Apart from him and the bespectacled man, there were four other people a few rows back. The rest were seated together six rows to the front. He was thankful to be quite alone on his maiden flying trip.

After everyone was seated, tables folded and doors closed, the stewardess began the safety video. Harry and Sasuke listened intently.

Sasuke had decided to buy business class since he was sure he wouldn't be asleep even if he was seated in the first class. No, Sasuke had no fear of flying and he was just having too many thoughts right now. He was having doubts of which he never told anyone, instead he just Naruto's advice to duck all his qualms and go through with it. Sasuke was surprised that Naruto could easily read him.

After Sasuke and Naruto had settled their assignment and bought the flight ticket to London, Naruto had stayed back for a night. The two best friends spent the night strolling around London and as they parted, Naruto wished him well and to enjoy his honeymoon. Of course Sasuke had knocked affectionately with force, his best friend's head for that comment. He didn't need to repeat that it was a trip to study the other world and not for sexy times alone. Naruto had sported an impressive egg on his head when he returned to Konoha but Sasuke wasn't worried, Tsunade would repair him anyway.

The song playing on Harry's audio player was 'Photograph' by Ed Sheeran, and it made him snicker when he thought about how muggle pictures were so boring when compared to the wizarding world's. He was happy that he managed to get a picture with his late Godfather, Sirius Black. In that picture currently residing in an album in his carry on bag, the long haired man was laughing while Harry was watching his Godfather with awe. Although the moment was short, he was thankful for having the chance to feel a fatherly presence in his life.

Hermione had pushed her MP3 player into his bag's pocket so he could spend time listening to muggle songs. There was also an audio recording about Malaysia in it, describing the weather, food and culture. Harry wasn't worried at all, he thought that as long as he practiced general politeness and was within boundaries, he was safe. But he wasn't about to just keep to himself when he arrived later. Harry had made it a mission to mingle with his extended families and the people in Malaysia. Hermione had given him a card to contact the magical community in Kuala Lumpur where his relatives lived. He made another mental note to have a look into that.

Sasuke only brought his thin carry bag onto the plane where he kept a thin wallet and a few books. He saw that everyone was sleeping and had closed his eyes and listened to the drone of the plane, whirring engine, the feeling of being stationary despite the forward surge of the aeroplane against cloud and wind. There was a slight shake and the drawl of the captain's voice over the PA system came on to address the passengers. Sasuke tried to focus on meditating, he wished he had learned a basic Sage jutsu so he could sense the people around him.

Harry had slept for the first two hours but was soon awake. He saw the cabin crews asking the passengers whether they wanted to have any food and Harry decided to try Nasi Lemak a delicacy Aunt Lisa Potter from Malaysia had told him to try. It was almost midnight but he was hungry. When the stewardess placed the food container on his table, he quickly waited for her to move away before opening the cover. The rice was rich and the chicken was exquisite, and then he spooned the sambal (chilli paste) without thinking. Right after he had a mouthful of chilli he quickly scrambled for water. Somehow in his moment of scrambling for water his bottle had fallen away. His coughings caught Sasuke's attention and the man quickly came over to offer his opened bottled water.

When all 'storm' had calmed down, Sasuke sat back on his seat and remarked to Harry, "Your English tongue couldn't comprehend chilli?"

Harry could only offer a nod and gulped down the water.

"But the rice was tasty," Harry managed to speak in a hoarse voice. He then gulped the rest of the water down.

"I'll try later," Sasuke replied.

They sat silence while Harry recovered from his tastebud trauma and then finished his food. Meanwhile, Sasuke had opened a book on travelling to Malaysia and was about to start reading when he felt Harry looking at him.

"Yes?" Sasuke asked Harry. He half glanced back at his book and then turned to look at Harry.

Tsunade had smacked Sasuke's head a great deal when he had been rude at his elders when she was present. After all Sasuke had only a few elders which he looked up to all his life, while the rest were only using him like Danzo and Orochimaru. No wonder Sasuke was wary and rude to everyone, so Tsunade had to school him on how to be a more mature and stable member of society. Now Sasuke understood why Naruto looked up to his brash Hokage, she cares deeply for her fellow youngsters in her own way. And because of those lessons he had learned to be much more polite especially in the Modern World where politeness was celebrated.

Unable to sleep at all, Sasuke thought back when he first came to the modern world. He was surprised to discover that he could use chakra in the modern world too like in Konoha. He wondered whether the element which powered all the alternate worlds were basically the same energy, named differently according to its occupants understanding. He had voiced his concern at Naruto who had thought that it was great that they can still defend themselves with chakra instead of the metal weapons they called guns and rifles in the Modern World.

Sasuke put down his book, closed his eyes and then cleared his thoughts. He was not a sensor like Karin who had massive chakra control that she can easily detect armies miles away. Karin had taught him one time that the secret to detect chakra was by focusing on the subject he wanted to detect. Sasuke thought if he could sense chakra around him, then it was easier for him to find people with abilities like him. The dark haired boy started to meditate and he thought that he should be specific about his target and thought people his age and female, but after a few minutes still couldn't feel anything. Then he concentrated on people, same aged as him and male. A prickle of red and orange heat radiated from a source not far from Sasuke, he was breathing nervously as the tingling sensation was very near him. Opening his eyes, Sasuke found himself staring at a bespectacled young man with dark hairs sitting beside him.

"My name's Harry, here's a keychain from London. I had a spare one in my bag."

Sasuke received the keychain automatically as he took in the English boy's appearance. Like Naruto, this Harry looked average.

They sat awkwardly next to each other as Harry busied his hands with zipping back his carry on bag. Sasuke couldn't easily continue with his sensory activity without proper meditation but he could see that Harry didn't appear suspicious at all.

"Thanks for this."

"Are you from Malaysia?" Harry asked.

"No, I am from Japan." For Sasuke that was the safest answer.

Sasuke and Naruto were strolling one day during their six months research period in the Modern World and came upon a chatty shopkeeper. She said that Sasuke looked Japanese and wondered whether he could speak Japanese. Sasuke tried speaking his own language and to the shopkeeper's delight began conversing with him. Meanwhile Naruto spoke too but the shopkeeper said he sounded Japanese but looked caucasian. The shopkeeper told Naruto it was because of his blond hair, and told Sasuke that his brunette spiky hair looked great.

"So, where are you heading?" Harry spoke to Sasuke.

Sasuke saw that Harry, in spite of his curious chakra quality was just a normal boy. So he went with a safe answer. "I am going to Kuala Lumpur, my fiancee is living there."

The label fiancee made Harry say, "Ahh." As if it answered all his questions why someone would travel alone to Malaysia. He corrected himself though, it wasn't something odd since he himself had some family in Malaysia too, despite never meeting them.

"Is your fiancee Malaysian?"

"No. She's from Japan."

Again there was pause.

Sasuke at first decided to shut up and pretend sleeping but he then decided that this was his first opportunity to connect with the Modern World. He sat browsing on his book for a mere ten minutes when he saw Harry standing up.

"Well, I see that you have a book to read. Excuse me."

And then Sasuke saw the solemn eyes on Harry which he had seen multiple times on Naruto and promptly said, "No, please have a seat. I was just finishing this page abou famous places to visit in Malaysia."

Harry smiled when he was invited to continue talking to Sasuke. This was a complete stranger who did not know anything about him and had appeared aloof at my first, but then had welcomed him.

"I noticed that you looked a little unsettled. Maybe this could ease you, it's a balm which you can use as aromatherapy and make you relax." Harry passed Sasuke a small pot of balm. He notice that Sasuke spoke with a neutral accent without any hints of Japanese.

"Thank you. This is my first time flying on a plane, not that I am afraid of flying." Sasuke blinked for not mentioning all the other times that he had flown on his summoned Hawk, it would be too frightening a story to tell. Especially to an unknown figure like Harry.

"I am visiting my relatives in Malaysia. My parents were long dead before I was born and an uncle took me in."

Sasuke listened on, he was wondering why Harry was being so open with him. He wondered if Harry was a ninja but the young man didn't appear fit or athletic like him or Naruto. He looked nerdy like Kabuto, Sasuke thought. But he shook that thought away as quickly as it appeared, looks can be deceiving but right now Harry had no malicious aura so he decided to respond.

Harry continued, "My best friend often told me that I was not sensitive at all when people knew that I was an orphan. Well, I am well past feeling hurt. I cherish all my memories with my parents, which were told to me by my late parents close friends… but at the same time I want to collect new memories with new people." Harry himself was surprised at his talkative side. He had not been sharing thoughts like this with Ron at all, and with Hermione only at her insistence. He had healed much when it came to his parents' loss and was still healing.

"That makes us two," Sasuke smiled. He could sense the truth in Harry's words. "I am an orphan too, and I am cherishing all the memories with them."

"Glad to hear that. May they rest in peace," Harry replied. He did not see the need to ask what happened to Sasuke's parents.

Harry laughed, "Talking to you reminded me of my two best friends. They were opposites of each other, but they fully supported me going to Malaysia."

"Where are they, your friends?"

"They work with the government so they can't take days off indefinitely like me."

Sasuke's brows were raised slightly at that statement. He thought that Harry was some indoor bookish nerd with immense power, but he was wrong about the indoor part.

"My girlfriend she loved Kuala Lumpur, are your family there?" Sasuke asked.

"The ones I am acquainted with lived in Kuala Lumpur and around Selangor but they said some lived out of states and some had moved to Singapore and Indonesia."

"I miss Ron and Hermione."

"I miss Naruto and Sakura too." Sasuke sighed.

"So you do miss your friends but had not told them any of your feelings?"

"In the past I was not the cleverest of a boy, I was foolish," Sasuke admitted. He thought with just the two of them in the middle of the plane there was no harm in sharing.

"I could understand that. Hermione kept me and Ron intact. But she was closer to me than him. They are engaged anyway, not that I have any romantic feelings for her."

"The foolishness of youth," Sasuke said and smirked. "My friend, my best friend Naruto was extra sensitive when it came to talk about his strengths."

"So you were ace student and him the last in class?" Harry guessed.

"Something like that. When we were around fifteen he had surpassed me in some aspects and I felt challenged. Anyway it was an old story. Something changed and I had to move away." Sasuke had left the part where Naruto followed him around broken hearted. Sasuke had changed so much since he came back to Konoha. He used to be so revengeful that he could destroy everything in his path. But, now that he was older, he wouldn't even injure an ant, like a saying in Malaysia go. Sasuke had read enough to know about Malaysia.

"That was sad. Ron, my bff, he once left us over my close friendship with Hermione, my other female bff. He was very heart broken and he deserted us in the middle of a jungle." Harry paused at that unhappy memory when Ron had been affected by Voldemort's horcrux and left him and Hermione in the middle of their search for Hocruxes.

Sasuke thought, well if this Ron was that sensitive, then Sasuke was himself a much more sensitive bastard when he left Konoha all because he was sensitive over the fact that Naruto had developed in leaps and bounds over him.

Sasuke was feeling comfortable telling things to Harry as he was a very good listener, even billion times better than Naruto. Naruto wasn't much of a listener but was very loyal and always stick to his words. His two qualities which won over Sasuke no matter how many times the dark haired boy had tried to slam a chidori into the blond's heart.

Sasuke squirmed visibly at the thought and Harry was quick to catch the expression. Harry then offered his thoughts regarding his own bff.

"My best friend was a moron too, Ron. He had red hair which you can see from miles away," Harry paused at the thought. He was really missing Ron. Then Harry continued, "but him and me were both morons, except for Hermione. She was what kept us balanced, the trio as our proff…. Teachers called us."

Sasuke confided in Harry about his simple but complex relationship with Naruto. "My own friend, he was sensitive about being weaker than me. I knew he wasn't weak, but long ago I wish he was weaker than me. But he grew alongside me, and even when I was away he continued to grow. When I came back we had this huge fight and things finy fell into places."

"He sounded like a good friend." Harry didn't say out loud about this Naruto being flighty like his Ron.

"Yeah, I have to buy him loads of Malaysians noodles when I get back."

Harry laughed. He had heard of those two minute noodles but had yet to eat them. Harry suddenly yawned. "Hey Sasuke, stay in touch when in Malaysia. Do you have email?"

"N, no."

"Well, here's mine. When you and your fiance are settled down, holler me." Harry passed a call card to Sasuke. Hermione told him it was a must when he attended one of his family reunions later.

"Will do." Sasuke nodded at the paper.

"My two best friends are engaged to each other. I am so happy for them."

Sasuke decided being nosy was ok by now, "You aren't yet?"

"Haha, I am kissing my best friend's sister, I should wait for them to settle down first. Ginny had just started work at the Ministry."

"A government job, that sounded cool. I work for the government too, but on a freelance basis." Sharing stories with Harry felt so comfortable, almost like they were long lost friends. Sasuke decided that them meeting must be fate like Neji had often said.

"I am staying at an apartment owned by my relative near the main hub of KL."

"KL Central?"

"Yes that. You sure know a lot about Kuala Lumpur huh? Harry commented.

"Well, Sakura rented a car for the weeks I am there."

"Good," Harry smiled as he yawned again.

"I should be returning to my seat now. Don't be offended by my yawnings, I had a pleasant conversation with you." Harry said.

"Catch up on your sleep, we have plenty more hours." Sasuke was sure that they'd be contacting each other soon, even after they left the plane. "Well, see you later," he sounded awkward because Sasuke was so new at making this friends thing. He looked at the window and the sky was very dark, but he was glad that his future didn't appear as dark as this sky.

AN - Despite the complete label, I plan to continue this on a later date. But maybe after half of my stories are settled. I have 9!