Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto, Wicked Game © Chris Isaak, covered by Giant Drag.
Author's Note: You know the drill: post pilot chapter but incorporating canon elements. Don't like it? Read my profile on flames. Or…you know where you can go or what you can eat or do to yourself.
And I changed ROOT to TAMA. TAMA refers to the Hoshi no Tama that Inari's messengers were said to carry and which represented their intangible souls. Since ROOT refers to being the "root" of the village of Leaves, TAMA would refer to being the intangible "soul" of Oinari, which is just another name for Inari.
The world was on fire and no one could save me but you
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do
I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you
I never dreamed that I'd love somebody
And I don't wanna fall in love
No, I don't wanna fall in love
—from Giant Drag's cover
Wicked Game
To Make Me Feel This Way
From his position atop the dewy grass, Naruto, knuckleheaded pariah extraordinaire, looked up to see the clouds parting way to display those fireflies stuck in the big bluish-black thing. Just then, there was a brief streak across the bluish-blackness.
"A shooting star. Guess one of those fireflies managed to free himself," the young kitsune observed with a slight chuckle before thoughts of a more contemplative nature entered his cranium.
"Sasuke…"
"Come to think of it, isn't becoming Houshukage one of your dreams?"
Naruto couldn't help but notice the breath caressing his ear…and the almost sultry voice uttering it.
"If you have time to chase me around, you would have been better off training. Don't you think…Naruto?"
One thing three years didn't change: Sasuke's ability to go for the throat.
"And that's why this time—(here, a piercing sound of metal unsheathing filled the air)—you'll end up losing your life, all at a whim."
But Naruto refused to be overdone:
"Like someone who couldn't save a friend could become Houshukage. Don't you think…Sasuke?"
"Hn." With that, the Uchiha's blade descended, ready to pierce tan flesh…
Naruto screamed, pulling himself out of the horrible flashback as he forced himself to remember his latest and greatest failure. But before he could wallow in such any longer:
"Naruto-kun?" a familiar voice asked.
"Ah!" Sitting up, the Kyuubi vessel soon found himself looking into orbs of obsidian and let out a relieved yet frustrated sigh.
"Dammit, Sai. Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Sorry," made the seemingly hurt response of the former TAMA nin. "If you want me to leave, I will," he continued, figuring Naruto was just not feeling up to snuff due his Uchiha-related impotence.
"No, no. You can stay." As annoying as the guy could be, Naruto was in need of any distraction from his emasculating anti-victory. However, considering the other male's slight resemblance to said Uchiha (and his Freudian occupation with size), the blonde was starting to regret that.
"What are you doing here anyway?" It wasn't like many people knew that the grassy knoll in proximity of the lake was Naruto's thinking spot.
"I…I just wanted to say sorry you couldn't bring Sasuke-kun back." Leave it to Sai to bring that up, Naruto thought wryly as his face scrunched at this unpleasantry.
"Still need to work on that tact, Sai," was his equally dry response.
"It's not a question of tact, Naruto-kun. I honestly want to know how you're taking it." This time, the artist's voice held a tone of testing the waters that didn't go unnoticed by the jinchuuriki.
"Isn't it obvious? In fact, hasn't it been obvious since that damn mission?" The tetchy response made Sai recoil ever so slightly, but he wouldn't be deterred.
A resolute sigh escaped the other's lips. He didn't know how to phrase what he was about to say next. Maybe bluntness would work.
"I know you've said that Sasuke-kun's your closest bond, and that's why you're so driven to save him, correct?"
"Yeah. So what?" Didn't this guy get the memo already?
"Well…do you think there'll be anyone else you'll feel so strongly about?"
Naruto turned back to his companion, a look of serious weirded out upon his vulpine features. "Where're you going with this, Sai?"
Sai opened his mouth to say something, but it died on his lips. Not that it went unnoticed by Naruto.
"This again?" he snarled, rounding on Sai. "I'd thought I'd gotten it through to you: Sasuke is the first true friend I've ever had. He's the most important thing in my life, and no one is going to take that place!"
"Not even me?"
Naruto turned at the uncharacteristic huskiness, only to find himself and the other boy nose-to-nose…and then, lip-to-lip.
About a minute elapsed and the next thing Sai knew, he was thrown off violently and his back met the terra below before the blonde wordlessly stalked away.
Sai had been getting a crash course in emotions over the past few weeks; pain from Sakura, fear from Sasuke…and from Naruto, an emotion that blurred his vision and tightened his throat as he recalled Naruto looming above him, a snarl of absolute disgust marring his vulpine features.
