Stormy Nights
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, all characters, settings, etc belong to Masashi Kishimoto. If I did own Naruto, NaruSasu would be canon and Orochimaru would die in the most horrific way possible.
A/N: Alright, this took a little longer than I expected it to but it's done! I have another one-shot (though I'm not sure this can be considered one considering the length...) on the way before I'm posting my personal favorite of the stories I'm making. It's going to be around 15 chapters I believe but I'm really excited about it so I hope you'll be looking for it (It's going to be a NaruSasu too). Now, onto the story! Reviews are very much appreciated.
Inspiration: Stormy by Hedley
He cursed under his breath as rain drops fell, wetting his raven black hair. Picking up the pace, he glanced at the unfamiliar buildings.
He had been walking around aimlessly, originally planning to only go for an early morning walk but soon found himself thinking of a certain blond teammate.
He had been acting weird the last two days. He wasn't as hungry and was uncharacteristically quiet during training. He hadn't even asked Sakura out once. Today they all had the day off in honor of those that had perished in the attack thirteen years ago and in honor of the fourth hokage who gave his life to save the village.
He had decided to go on a walk since the streets would most likely be quieter and it would give him some time to think over what was wrong with the blond. Not that he was worried. Not at all. He just didn't want Naruto's problems to get in the way during missions.
Yeah, that was it.
However, during his walk he paid less and less attention and found himself on a side of town he wasn't familiar with. Sure he had seen it several times but, as a kid, he was always told to avoid it.
He looked around the floor which was decorated with shattered bottles and cigarette stubs while buildings splayed with graffiti loomed over the street, casting a dark shadow.
Because of his absentmindedness, he hadn't realized how dark it had gotten and was now lost in a bad part of town. To top it all off, rain that had started off as a drizzle was now pouring, completely soaking his clothes.
Cursing under my breath yet again, I ran towards the alleyway to my right. It was in between two buildings, both seemingly apartment complexes, with two dumpsters and a door that led into the building to the left of me. I sighed, gathering up the bottom of my shirt and ringing out whatever water I could. I leaned against the wall and stared out into the street.
'Now what am I going to do? I can't stay here the whole night but I have no idea how to get back home and by the looks of it, this rain isn't going to let up anytime soon...'
So caught up in my thoughts, I was completely oblivious to the door opening behind me and the boy that stepped out of said door. That is, until his surprised voice reached my ears.
"Teme?" The voice asked and I turned around, eyes widened slightly in surprise only to find Naruto. He was dressed in a white t-shirt with his trademark red swirl going over his stomach and black sweats, a green gem hanging off his neck by a simple string. He wasn't wearing his hitai-ate for once, allowing blond hair to fall slightly into his face where I noticed bandages covered an area on his forehead and his right cheek. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same question." I said back, regaining my composure. He snorted as he opened the top of the dumpster next to the door and tossed the trash bag he was carrying inside before letting the lid fall closed.
"I live here, dumbass." He said crossing his arms and leaning his side against the wall. "But I know for a fact that you don't so what brings the great Uchiha to this side of town?"
I crossed my arms and turned to the road again, slightly embarrassed. "I... lost track of where I was going and it started to rain."
He was silent for a moment and I turned back to him, curious as to why he hadn't said anything only to find him covering his mouth.
"S-So, you got lost?" He said, trying and failing to not laugh.
Blushing slightly, I glared at him but that only seemed to make him laugh more. It took a few minutes but he sobered up, unable to keep a few extra laughs from escaping.
His smile dropped after a few seconds though, and he looked me over seriously before looking out at the rain.
Sighing, he ran a hand through his blond hair and closed his eyes before opening them once more and looking at me again.
"C'mon." He said tiredly, turning back to the door he had emerged from.
"What?"
"You're staying at my place until this rain lets up." He said and I huffed incredulously.
"And why in hell would I do that?" I asked stubbornly to which he turned to me with an annoyed look.
"Firstly, you're lost and have no idea how to get back to your house and even if you did you wouldn't be able to. Secondly, if you stay in those clothes too long you'll catch a cold, and thirdly," He said stepping towards me and grabbing my wrist to pull me closer to the door. I stumbled slightly, surprised by the action, and glared at him only to find his gaze somewhere else. I turned my head to the alleyway across the street and found a group of at least eighteen scruffy looking men. All were clearly high while smoking something that seemed less than legal and were staring... right at me.
"It's dangerous. Like hell I'm going to leave you out here." Naruto finished and tugged on my wrist again and I let him.
'I hadn't even noticed them...' I thought worriedly and wondered what might have happened if Naruto hadn't showed up. Sure, I could take out a few guys easily but I only had a few kunai with me and I couldn't exactly kill villagers. Not to mention I was still recovering from our last mission and they had an advantage in numbers and age.
We walked through the door which Naruto promptly shut and locked behind him before moving past me and walking up the staircase in front of us.
"My apartment's on the third floor." He told me and I nodded, following him. After walking up the stairs we passed through a hallway on the outside of the building. A railing was the only thing separating us from the rain as we passed by door after door.
Eventually we stopped in front of the one that was three doors from the end and my eyes widened in surprise at the graffiti on his door. Hateful and indecent words were splayed over it and wall calling him a monster and telling him to die. I looked at Naruto expecting some sort of reaction but was even more surprised when he said nothing. It was like Naruto hadn't even noticed.
The blond took out his keys and unlocked his door before stepping inside, switching on a light and taking off his shoes.
"Are you coming in or what?" Naruto asked and I blinked before walking inside and taking off my shoes like he had.
"Could you close the door?" Naruto called disappearing from behind a corner. "I'll be right back so make yourself at home."
I closed the door like he asked and stepped further into the apartment, awkwardly standing.
It was warm unlike the outside where I was freezing and gave of a quaint sort of feel. It wasn't too big but not exactly small either. I was currently standing in what seemed to be a living room. There was a bookshelf along the left wall, an older-looking heater, and the short hall which Naruto had gone down a second ago. There were two doors down the hall from what I could see, one was open revealing a bathroom and the other was presumably a bedroom. In the middle of the living room was a couch and a dining table with a chair on both ends of it behind the sofa. Along the right wall was a kitchenette and a closet which was cracked open revealing a broom and a few boxes on the top shelf.
'It's pretty tidy.' I thought and walked over to the window on the far side of the room.
I blinked in surprise at the small garden growing in pots on the sill. 'Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Cherry Tomatoes… Did he grow all of these?' He had pots of each growing healthily as well as many other plants and flowers I couldn't identify.
"Oi, teme!" My blond teammate called and I jumped slightly before turning towards him and-
"Umph!" I yelped in surprise as I suddenly found my face covered in cloth. I grabbed the article of clothing he had just thrown at me and examined it before looking up to Naruto curiously.
"You can borrow my clothes for now, go get changed in the bathroom. It's down the hall to the left." He said with a smirk. I felt my stomach flutter and my heart skipped a beat. Blushing lightly, I walked into the hall and located the bathroom I had spotted earlier.
Once I closed the door I frowned. 'What was that?' I asked myself, a bit confused about my reaction. The way he had smiled had my heart rate picking up and my stomach doing flips. I guess this wasn't the first time, it had been happening more and more frequently but it hadn't been this bad.
Remembering why I had come in here in the first place, I sighed and pulled my wet clothes off deciding to worry about it later. After I had finished I looked at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a loose, black, long-sleeved T-shirt that fell slightly past my waist and gripped around my wrists. It had an open V-neck, exposing my shoulders and a bit of my chest which felt odd since I normally had my neck and shoulders covered. The swirl that was on almost all of his clothing was white this time and at the bottom of the sweater on the right side. Slightly long and faded orange sweats were given to substitute my shorts and lastly a white towel to dry off.
I rubbed my hair dry and dried my face, stopping when the smell of it caught my nose. It was a combination of dew, lemons, and honey and I found myself burying my face in it without thinking.
The sound of pots and pans snapped me out of my thoughts and I blushed again, realising what I was doing. After checking myself over and deeming myself presentable, I walked out and into the living room to find Naruto in the kitchenette. He turned at the sound of my footsteps and smiled.
"Oh, they fit! I was a little worried but it looks fine on you." I nodded, thanking him before walking a little closer.
"Hey teme, you hungry? I'm guessing you haven't eaten." I nodded, blushing slightly as my stomach growled. He laughed and turned back to the pan in front of him, pouring some oil in it. "I had already started making Gon Lo Mein before you came, I hope that's okay."
I nodded.
"I don't have many things to entertain guests but you can read something if you'd like."
"Sorry for imposing." I said feeling a bit guilty for causing him trouble.
He chuckled lightly. "Did you seriously just apologize to me?" He asked amused. I glared at him about to make a snide comment before he cut me off, his face softening. "Don't worry about it, after all, what kind of team mate would I be if I left you out in a storm?"
My stomach fluttered as he smiled and I nodded, feeling heat rise to my cheeks a bit. 'Kami, what has gotten into me today?'
Walking over to the shelf, I skimmed the book titles. There were several jutsu scrolls on the top shelf but none of them seemed too interesting to me. On the other shelves I found several books on ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, gardening, cooking and... art?
Curiosity getting the best of me, I pulled out a few and flipped through them. One went through the basics of poses and anatomy while another went into shading and lighting. Looking back at the shelf I placed the books back where I found them and noticed two books that weren't labeled on the spine.
Pulling them out, I was surprised to find that they were sketchbooks. Opening them, I inhaled sharply. There was a charcoal portrait of a tree in the academy school yard, a simple rope swing swaying lightly in the breeze as people walked by, out of sight. The only evidence of their presence were the shadows that cut off at the bottom of the picture. It was beautiful. I looked at the bottom right corner where Naruto's name sat, a small swirl next to it.
Flipping through the book I found several more, all in charcoal, and each one breathtaking but, for some reason, eerie. Maybe it was the lack of people or the quietness each picture conveyed.
After looking through it some more I found populated pictures and I blinked. There stood a light haired boy on the edge of a building over the streets of Konoha. A crowd of people looked up, staring up at the boy with blank expressions. The sun seemed to be behind the boy and shown against his back, casting a shadow over the populated street.
The picture made me uneasy.
"The food's ready!" Naruto called pulling down two bowls. I jumped and closed the book.
Walking over to him, I grabbed my bowl and he motioned for me to join him at the table. Grabbing the chopsticks by the side of my plate, I thanked him for cooking and ate some of it.
"This is delicious, dobe." I said, surprised for the umpteenth time today.
"I'm glad to hear it. I don't cook for people too often."
We ate in silence after that. Not an awkward one but a comforting one.
"So, when did you start to draw?" I asked a few minutes later and he choked slightly in surprise.
"W-what?"
"When did you start drawing?" I asked again and he seemed confused before I nodded over to the bookshelf.
"Oh. OH. Um, well, shit, I guess it's been eight years? That sounds about right." He said before looking to me somewhat anxiously. "How many pictures did you see?"
"I stopped at the one of the boy on the building in the older looking book." He seemed to relax.
Suddenly, lightning illuminated the apartment and thunder roared. I jumped slightly and looked out the window only to find I could barely see past the rain and that the sky was as dark as night.
"Damn." Naruto said in surprise looking out the window before turning to me. "It looks like you'll have to stay the night. I doubt this storm's gonna let up soon."
I nodded, slightly reluctant. I've never been to his house before and I only slept remotely close to him for mission purposes. I've never really hung out at someone's house before let alone a teammate/rival/friend's. I furrowed my eyebrow's. I could never figure out what we were. We always seemed to jump from hating each other's guts to hanging out like friends.
After we had finished eating, he took my bowl from me. "I can wash the dishes if you want."
"No, it's alright." He assured before he walked over to the sink, flicking on his radio on the way, and began to wash the dishes. I watched him from where I was as he hummed to the song and scrubbed the bowls.
I found myself looking him over. His normal jump-suit-esque outfit that implied baby fat hid a healthy and slightly muscled frame which I only found mildly surprising. Being a ninja had it's advantages. His blond hair was mussed and his bangs fell slightly past his eyes but the part that really shocked me were his clothes. There wasn't one inch of orange! It's just not natural! I looked down at the sweater I was wearing.
It was actually quite nice, I found myself admitting as I played with the end of it. It was so different from what he normally wears that if it weren't for the fact that he told me it was his or the small swirl, I would have denied it belonging to him.
I looked back at him, it was so weird seeing him in something other than his jump suit but he looked pretty handsome in lighter clothing that didn't make him look like an orange blob.
. . .
Wait.
'Did I seriously just think that!? Was I seriously just checking him out!? Holy shit, get a grip on yourself! He's just your friend/rival! Plus he's a guy!' I shouted in my head as I blushed and looked away. 'No.' I thought, trying to calm myself. 'I was just... appreciating his figure. Yeah. Guys do that, right?' I nodded to myself before noticing the sketchbook I had placed down earlier.
Momentarily forgetting my sexuality crisis, I flipped it back open to the picture of the boy on the building. After giving it one last wary look, I turned the page.
The next had a picture of the same boy but he was in an open field. Beautiful wild flowers popped up from the grass and the sky was clear but the boy didn't seem to notice. He had a kunai out even though there was clearly nothing to throw it at and was holding it oddly. He held it with his palm facing upward in his right hand so the tip of the blade was facing inward.
I scrunched my eyebrows and flipped the page again. Once again, it was the same boy but he was underwater this time. His eyes were closed and his mouth was open, bubbles of air slipping past his lips.
A heavy feeling sitting in my chest but as I was about to turn the page again a hand grabbed the book. I jumped and looked up to find Naruto.
"Sorry, I'm just a little... self-conscious when it comes to my art." He said as he took the book from me and closed it.
"You shouldn't be, it's beautiful."abd I said before I could stop the compliment from leaving my lips. He stopped for a second and blushed a bit before thanking me as he put the book back on the shelf...
...and that's when I noticed the bandages peeking out from his sleeve.
I blinked and looked at his arm to see bruises I had failed to notice before. The two bandages on his face that I had passed off as nothing earlier now worried me as I spotted the bandages on his feet and left wrist. But what really got me were the faint imprints of hands around his neck.
"What happened to you?" I breathed out as I glanced at his injuries and he looked at me confused for a second before realizing I was staring at his bandages.
"I-It was a training accident..." He muttered, looking away and I stood up before poking his neck where the faint imprint of a hand could be seen.
"You choke yourself during training?" I asked and he stepped back a bit.
"I don't see how it's any of your business." He snapped and I flinched slightly at the coldness. His face softened and he looked away again.
"Sorry, I just... I don't like talking about it."
"So you admit it wasn't training." I stated and he gave me a look that said not to push it before he turned away and sat down. "You know…" I started and he glanced toward me. "I wouldn't mind listening if you wanted to talk." I stated looking away while blushing lightly, knowing full well it was out of character for me to offer something like that. It just… concerned me, seeing him so beat up.
It was silent for a moment and I turned back toward only to find him smiling softly at me. "Who knows? Maybe I'll take you up on that offer sometime." He got up and walked over to the closet next to the kitchenette, grabbing a box from the top shelf.
He pulled it down and took a blanket out of it before tossing the light cloth to me. "If tonight's gonna be like the last few it's gonna get even colder than this."
I nodded and sat down on the couch, pulling the orange and blue swirled blanket over me. He walked over to the radio and turned it up a bit, filling the room with the soft melody.
Naruto hummed as he walked over to the couch and sat down. We sat there in a comfortable silence as the song went on in the background until Naruto broke the silence. "Okay... so, maybe, I wasn't training."
I blinked in surprise, not expecting him to open up so quickly, and turned toward him, waiting for him to continue. "I was walking back from the store when these guys jumped me."
"What? Why?" I asked confused and alarmed at the same time. He was silent and looked down as he played with the cloth over his stomach.
"I'm not sure if you noticed but people in the village don't exactly like me." He said sighing. "You saw what they wrote on my door, right? They do that all the time. I'm not sure it's even worth cleaning anymore." He sighed again, leaning back and closing his eyes. "I guess they just like ruining my day."
I blinked incredulously and the music was drowned out as anger started to build. He said it like he was talking about the weather. "Why haven't you told anyone if it's happened so often!?"
He looked at me for a moment. "I tried to once but they just brushed me off and beat me too."
I threw him a shocked look. "Then go to the hokage or tell some shinobi!"
"Even if I did, it wouldn't stop. In fact the ones who jumped me today were shinobi..."
"What!?" I shouted and glared at the door. 'When I get out of here I'm gonna-'
"Teme." Naruto called and I turned toward him, still peeved. "It's fine."
I gave him an incredulous look. "No, it's not you idiot! I can't believe you're so calm!" I shouted. "This" I pointed to the bandages on his head. "is abuse! They're beating you for no reason! They're-"
"I didn't say that." He stated calmly and I stopped mid-rant.
"What?" I asked, deflating slightly.
"I didn't say they were beating me for no reason." He stated and I blinked in confusion.
He studied me for a second, as if debating about something before taking a deep breath. "How much do you trust me?"
I was a bit taken aback by the question and was silent for a moment. 'How much do I trust him? I… I've always fought with him and thought of him as an equal. Though we're rivals I've always trusted him in battle and whenever we're in trouble he does everything in his power to help his comrades.'
"More than I trust most people." I responded truthfully and he looked at me.
"Thirteen years ago, on this day, the fourth hokage fought the kyuubi and stopped it's attack on the village by sacrificing himself. I'm sure you know that much." I nodded, wondering what this had to do with the conversation but didn't say anything. "What most people don't know is how he got rid of it."
"He killed it, didn't he?" I asked, remembering when I had been told the story but was surprised when Naruto laughed and shook his head.
"You can't kill a demon. At least not by simple means."
"So...what happened then?"
He paused before playing with his shirt again. "He sealed it into a newborn baby who's chakra coils weren't fully developed so it could take on the massive transfer of chakra."
I blinked, processing this information when realization hit. I looked at him blankly and my throat felt dry. "Who was the baby?" I asked though I was almost certain I knew the answer.
He sat up a bit more and lifted his shirt so his stomach was showing before he called on his chakra. I watched on in shock as a black swirl surrounded by symbols appeared. "This was the seal he used. I'm sure you know who the baby was by now."
He leaned back and let his shirt fall back into place while I just sat there, my mind reeling.
He shifted nervously for a moment, worried when I hadn't said anything before he spoke up though his voice wasn't as strong as before as if… frightened. "The villagers don't see me as a person who was forced to carry a burden but as a… a monster. A threat. Something the world would be better without." He stated curling in on himself a bit and I blinked, snapping back to reality.
"Then they're all idiots!" I shouted causing him to jump but I didn't care, I was so angry at everyone who hurt him for being so dense. "It wasn't your fault! Hell, if you weren't born that day they would be dead!"
He looked at me for a second before smiling and laughing but his voice had a watery quality to it as a few tears escaped his eyes. "I'm really glad you think that." He said, wiping at his eyes furiously, smile still in place. "I've wanted to tell someone for a long time but I was worried about how they'd react. It took me a while to make any friends so I didn't want to lose any..."
I crossed my arms, still angry about the whole situation and huffed. "If they can't understand then they're bad friends and can go f*ck themselves."
He laughed and leaned back in the seat next to me. "I guess..."
We fell into silence again and the radio continued to play in the background. "So…" I started. "What's it like?"
"Hm?"
"Being the kyuubi's host, I mean."
"Oh! It was… hard, at first." He started quietly and I turned toward him. "I actually didn't find out why I was treated so badly until the day before we were placed on our teams."
I blinked in surprise. "Why didn't anyone tell you?" I asked and he shrugged.
"Iruka-sensei said it was because the fourth hokage thought that if our generation didn't know that I would be able to live a normal life. He wanted me to be a hero. So much for that idea, ne?" He said and blew some hair out of his face. "I was so… confused and angry for most of my life but I tried to not think about it and I kept telling myself that it would get better. I gave up on that thought for a while when I was kicked out of the orphanage when I was six. I had to sleep outside for a few years and scavenge for food."
"You were kicked out of the orphanage?" I asked surprise and he nodded, looking a bit nervous about sharing this with me but I grabbed his hand, squeezing it in a comforting way. He seemed a bit surprised by the action but squeezed my hand back a second later.
"I-it was so cold, Sasuke…" He stated shivering. "I got beaten often and I honestly have no idea what kept me going. Maybe I was afraid of dying? Either way I continued, barely surviving. I lost a lot of weight and my health wasn't doing well despite kyuubi's healing power." My heart panged with sadness as I looked at the pain on his face. He was so strong normally but he looked so… broken.
"I met Iruka when I was sleeping behind the academy one day. He had originally come to scare me off but he saw I was injured and helped me out for a while. He bought me books and showed me how to take care of myself. He was the one who introduced me to gardening and art." He said smiling but suddenly quieted down and stared at the window behind us. "Then one day the abuse went... too far... and something snapped. I couldn't take it anymore and I fell into depression. Iruka noticed and kept an eye on me. Though it annoyed me at the time, I'm glad he did. No matter what I tried, he wouldn't let me do what I wanted… so, instead, I drew what I wanted."
He let that sit with me for a second and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion until it suddenly clicked. The reason the drawings had given me this sinking feeling in my stomach. The boy was going to jump. He was going to bleed. He was going to drown. But he was calm about it. There was no hesitation in his stance or face… he wanted it.
I covered my mouth, feeling sick. "Holy shit."
"Ah, so you realized?" He asked and I looked at him worriedly. Was that why he had been acting so weird lately? Was he going to…
"Don't worry, teme. I'm… doing better now." He assured me when he caught my look.
"Then what changed?" He smiled.
"I met someone." He stated and I blinked.
"Sakura?"
He shook his head. "I never really liked Sakura. I think she's more of a sister to me..."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Then why act like you like her?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "To keep the person I like and everyone else from finding out who I really like, I guess."
"Is it someone embarrassing?"
"If you mean ugly, no. In fact they're quite beautiful. They're smart and strong and an overall amazing friend but that's the problem. I don't want to jeopardize our friendship because of this... they mean too much."
My heart panged and for a second, I could have sworn I felt jealous but I quickly shook the feeling. "How do you know she doesn't like you?"
He paused for a second before just shaking his head. "I just know."
Sensing I should change the subject, I flopped back to the previous conversation. "How did she change you then?"
"...It was a little odd at first. I had always been so good at being controlled, at not causing a scene but one conversation later and I acted like, well, how I act now. I hated them for a long time but after a while, I started to notice how our relationship had changed. We would distract each other when we got depressed by arguing and would do subtle things to cheer each other up." He looked over at the sketchbook sitting on the shelf. "Before I knew what happened, something changed and I started to draw what I wanted again. Though, this time it was something different."
I looked down in thought. Even if he seemed better now it was horrible to imagine being that young having to fend for yourself with people who hated your guts lurking around every corner.
He seemed to realize what I was thinking because he apologized a second later. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have dumped all that on you."
"I was the one who asked." Feeling a little guilty but he shook his head.
"Still, that wasn't fair of me. It's my problem so I shouldn't be bothering you with it. Besides, I'm doing a lot better now, so don't worry about it, okay?" I nodded but still felt stressed about it.
"Next up is 'In my head' by Jason Derulo"
"Ah! I love this song." Naruto stated smiling, changing the subject as he swayed slightly with the music.
I blinked, snapping out of it, and listened to the lyrics, completely missing the mischievous look Naruto suddenly gained.
Everybody's looking for love. Oh. Oh.
Ain't that the reason you're at this club. Oh. Oh.
You ain't gonna find a dance with him. No. Oh.
Got a better solution for you girl. Oh. Oh.
Naruto suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me to my feet. My eyes widened in surprise and I stumbled as he put a hand on my waist, pulling me into a dance.
Just leave with me now. Say the word and we'll go.
I'll be your teacher. I'll show you the ropes.
You'll see a side of love you've never known.
I can see it going down, going down.
In my head, I see you all over me.
In my head, you fulfill my fantasy.
You'll be screaming more.
In my head, it's going down.
In my head, it's going down.
In my head.
I blushed when the lyrics reached my ears and Naruto sang along.
"Wh-what are you doing?" I stuttered and cursed myself for sounding so surprised. He smiled.
"Lightening the mood. You act like you've never done this before." I blushed again and looked away. He suddenly stopped. "You have danced before, haven't you?"
"Uchihas don't dance." I muttered, embarrassed and he laughed.
"Everyone dances! It's easy. Here, follow my lead." He pulled me a bit closer and moved so we were in time with the music.
Some dudes know all the right things to say.
When it comes down to it, it's all just game.
Instead of talking let me demonstrate. Yeah.
Get down to business lets skip foreplay.
He suddenly let go of my hip and twirled me out, still holding my hand.
Just leave with me now. Say the word and we'll go.
I'll be your teacher. I'll show you the ropes.
You'll see a side of love you've never known.
I can see it going down, going down.
He pulled me back in, making me spin in the process and I glared which only made him smile more as we continued to dance. He moved us into a sort of playful pattern, our feet jumping up every now and then as we bounced with the music and danced across the floor.
In my head, I see you all over me.
In my head, you fulfill my fantasy.
You'll be screaming more.
In my head, it's going down.
In my head, it's going down.
In my head.
Naruto had started to sing along again and I had to admit, his singing wasn't all that bad. The lyrics kept a constant blush on my cheeks and though it was embarrassing, I couldn't deny that I was having fun.
Break it down. Ay-oh. Come on. Ay-oh. Ay-oh.
You're singing to me baby in my head right now. Ay-oh. Ay-oh. Come on.
She'll be screaming out when it all goes down.
I swayed with him now, getting into the rhythm and a small smile made it's way onto my face. Soon, I found myself humming along, though I was a bit softer than Naruto but he seemed ecstatic anyway.
Just leave with me now. Say the word and we'll go. We can go.
I'll be your teacher. I'll show you the ropes.
You'll see a side of love you've never known.
I can see it going down, going down.
In my head, I see you all over me.
In my head, you fulfill my fantasy.
You'll be screaming more.
In my head, it's going down.
In my head, it's going down.
He spun me again though this time I went along with it a small laugh escaping my lips. I felt so carefree. I rolled my eyes at the goofy grin on his face and we continued to move, completely in sync. It was refreshing to just forget everything else and dance.
In my head, I see you all over me.
In my head, you fulfill my fantasy.
You'll be screaming more.
In my head, it's going down.
In my head, it's going down.
In my head.
We slowed to a stop as the music faded. My cheeks were slightly sore from smiling but I didn't care and we locked eyes, small laughs still escaping his lips every now and then.
"And that, oh great Uchiha, is how you dance." He stated and I glared playfully at him, moving away. "C'mon, you have to admit it was fun."
I sighed and looked away. "Okay, maybe it was a little fun."
The radio went onto the next song and Naruto smiled plopping down on the couch again. He looked at the clock in the kitchenette and whistled. "It's already three-o-clock."
I blinked in surprise and Naruto got up again, walking over to the bookshelf, grabbing the sketchbook I was looking at earlier and a small box I hadn't noticed earlier. He walked back over and sat down, opening the book and I saw him flip to a new page.
"So you draw what you want?" I asked and he nodded.
"Most of the time." I looked back at the sketchbook curiously but he leaned back against one arm of the couch, bringing his feet onto the couch and using his legs as support for his sketchbook so I couldn't see it. He popped open the box and pulled a piece of charcoal out. He glanced at me once before looking back down and sketched lightly.
I looked around for something to do and ended up flipping through an actual book. It was about this girl who was completely oblivious to this guy-friend who had a crush on her. She ended up having to spend the night at his place because she got stuck in a storm and started to see some things about him she never noticed before. The situation seemed oddly familiar but I shrugged it off. Where I was in the book, the guy just confessed but she doesn't know how she feels about him.
My eyes eagerly skimmed the page, wondering what happens next when Naruto's voice brought me back to reality.
"You like that book?" Naruto asked, apparently having finished what he was drawing. "You've been reading it for the last two hours."
I nodded, closing the book after marking my spot with a bookmark that was in the back. "It's pretty good."
He nodded agreeing. "I'm actually not that keen on romances but it's still one of my favorites."
He walked toward the hall. "I'm gonna put this away, I'll be right back."
"Doesn't it go on the shelf out here?"
"Nah, I just filled the last page so it's going with the others in my room." He responded without looking back and I cursed in my head. I wanted to see what he was drawing. "What do you want for dinner?"
I shrugged and he looked up in thought. Seemingly getting an idea, he moved into the kitchen before grabbing a pan, cutting board and knife.
"Would you mind picking some of the basil and a few of the cherry tomatoes from the plants over on the window sill?" He asked without turning around, retrieving garlic cloves, cheese and an onion from the fridge.
"Ah, sure." I walked over to the plants and got what he asked for and brought them back to him.
"Thanks." He said before washing the freshly picked ingredients. "You like tomatoes, right?"
I nodded, slightly surprised that he knew.
"I figured soup would be good since it's gotten so cold." He told me, focused on roasting the tomatoes and garlic. "Would you mind cutting the onion too?" He asked and I shook my head.
Moving to the cutting board, I grabbed the onion and peeled off the brown outer skin. "How do you want it cut?"
"Diced is good." He responded and I nodded before cutting, my eyes watering slightly.
I watched him grab vinegar, olive oil and chicken broth from the fridge before grabbing another pan from a cabinet above the sink. My vision was beginning to get misty and I cursed, wiping my eyes with my sleeve before trying to cut the onion again only to slice my finger. "Shit!" I cursed, the water building up in my eyes spilling over slightly.
Naruto turned to me as I nursed my finger. "Ah! Are you okay?" He asked coming over and grabbing my hand gently. I blushed as he inspected my finger before looking up. "You're crying." He stated and I scoffed.
"It's just the onion, idiot. And my finger's fine." He wiped the tears that had escaped away with his thumb and I stiffened at the light touch but said nothing.
Once he was done, he looked down at his hand that was holding my still bleeding one. "It looks deep…" He murmured and I gasped as his hand lit with red chakra. It was warm and swirled around my cut before disappearing into it.
I watched in awe as my cut went numb before healing in under a minute. Smiling contently, Naruto released my hand and finished cutting up the onion before pouring it into the pan with the tomato and garlic.
I looked over the skin again. There wasn't even a scar, it was almost like it hadn't happened at all.
"Have you always been able to do that?" I asked and he looked toward me.
"That was Kyuu's chakra, not mine." He stated. "I can use his chakra to heal myself but I've never seen him heal anyone else before."
"So… that was…" I trailed off in shock and he nodded. "Why?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe the old fox has taken a liking to you." He was silent for a second, tilting his head as if listening before laughing.
"Can… can you talk to it?" I asked in surprise as he pureed the soup in a blender he had gotten out.
"Yeah, and he prefers to be called a he not an it." He stated and I blinked.
"He can hear us?" I asked and he smiled as he poured the soup into two bowls and pulled out some bread.
"Yeah, he can." He cut up the bread and brought the food to the table before sitting down. I mimicked his actions and sat across from him, waiting for an explanation.
"I learned how to develop a simple two-way connection between us so he can see what I see and hear what I hear." He smiled, laughing at something the kyuubi said, I assumed. "He can be annoying at times but isn't that bad of a guy once you get to know him."
I stared at him before laughing. "Only you would say something like that about a demon that was sealed inside you."
"Actually, Gaara's okay with Shukaku too."
"Shukaku?" I asked and Naruto nodded.
"Yeah, he's Gaara's demon." I blinked in surprise.
"There are others like you?" He nodded.
"Gaara's the only one I know but I'm sure there are others." I mulled over this thought as I began to eat and hummed as the tangy soup warmed me to my core.
"How do you cook like this?" I asked, amazed as I dipped some of the bread into the soup and ate it, barely managing to suppress a very un-Uchiha like moan. He smiled at my reaction.
"I knew you'd like this recipe. I actually changed it slightly to suit your tastes a bit better." I blushed slightly and thanked him. He smiled yet again before turning to the window.
"It's still raining out there." Naruto pointed out and I looked out into the dark sky that lit up every once in a while with lightning. "Bet you're glad I didn't leave you out there now, huh teme?"
I glared at him upon hearing the nickname but nodded nonetheless. "Honestly, I'm kind of glad, too." He murmured and I looked up, giving him a questioning look. "It's just that… normally I'm alone on this day or I'm being beaten in some alleyway. It's nice to relax on 'my' day, you know?"
'His day...?' I thought before trying to figure out what he meant. I nearly slapped myself for being so dumb. 'He sealed it into a newborn baby who's chakra coils weren't fully developed so he could take on the massive transfer of chakra.'
"It's your birthday, isn't it?" I said, feeling like a complete idiot. He laughed and nodded.
"Don't worry about it, though. It's enough to not be by myself. Besides, I didn't tell you so there was no way to know." He said and I sighed but nodded, feeling a bit bad anyway.
In a few more minutes we were done and he was about to take the plate away when I grabbed it. "No way, I'm washing the dishes this time." I told him. Like hell I'm letting him do dishes on his birthday.
He laughed, "Okay, teme, whatever you want." I glared at him and he smiled again but he had a thankful look on his face as well causing me to blush lightly . I walked over to the sink and he followed me, sitting on the counter next to it.
"So do you want the couch or the bed?" He asked me and I blinked in surprise.
"I figured I would just take the couch. I'm not going to kick you out of your bed just to be comfortable." I stated and he shrugged.
"I wouldn't mind if you wanted to though. I end up crashing on the couch most of the time anyway." I shook my head, still standing by what I said and he smiled. "Then I guess I'll get you a pillow. The blanket I handed you earlier is fine, right?"
I nodded and he leapt off the counter before walking toward his bedroom leaving me to finish washing the plates.
Once I had finished, I dried my hands off and turned to find Naruto returning with a pillow.
"I think I'm going to turn in for the night." I stated looking at the time to see it was almost ten-o-clock.
He nodded and walked toward his bedroom. " 'night Sasuke."
"Goodnight." I responded as he left the room before laying down and sighing.
I stared at the ceiling for a few moments, contemplating everything that happened. I felt more relaxed than I had in a long time. When was the last time I had eaten with someone else? The last time I had just talked with someone? The last time I let loose and had fun?
I couldn't remember but I knew tonight had been a nice change in pace.
Sighing, I shifted to lay on my side and closed my eyes.
I blinked tiredly to find the room still dark. Groaning in exhaustion, I glanced at the clock and saw it was almost 1 in the morning. I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to figure out what had woken me only to shiver a second later, the cold suddenly catching up with me.
Sitting up and sighing, I wrapped Naruto's blanket around me before padding down the hall to see if I could get more blankets from Naruto.
Knocking softly on the door, I cracked it open before stepping in to find Naruto reading on his bed. He looked up when I entered and marked his place before putting the book on the side.
"Hey, teme. What's up?" He asked and I huffed at the nickname.
"Why are you still up? It's nearly one in the morning." He shrugged.
"Didn't feel like sleeping yet."
I rolled my eyes. "Do you have any spare blankets I could use? It's freezing."
"No, these are the only two I have, sorry." I sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed.
"What were you reading?" I asked bringing my knees to my chest.
"Just some jutsu scriptures. Nothing special." I nodded but ended up shivering a second later and curled in on myself a bit.
Naruto was silent for a second before pulling me further onto the bed causing me to lay down from the force. I gasped when a second blanket was thrown over me, encasing me in warmth.
"What a-are you d-doing?" I asked, teeth chattering as I was about to sit up but Naruto stopped me and laid down after fluffing his pillow a bit.
"If you're cold you can sleep here. There's plenty of room and I don't mind." He stated and I was suddenly glad he had blown out the lamp he was using to read so he couldn't see the blush on my face.
"Thanks…" I murmured and sunk into the warm mattress, snuggling into the blanket as Naruto's breathing evened out and he fell asleep.
Looking around the room I saw a closet that was cracked open a bit and a dresser next to it. Other than that, the room was pretty bare other than the two bedside tables and a door that presumably led to a balcony. The familiar smell of honey, lemon and dew had me closing my eyes for a second as it relaxed my senses. I felt so safe…
Opening my eyes to look around again, I glanced at the table on my side of the bed only to freeze when my eyes landed on his sketchbook. Looking to make sure Naruto was asleep, I reached out and grabbed the book.
Activating sharingan so I could see, I flipped it open to find it wasn't the same one I had been looking at earlier but the newer one I hadn't gotten a chance to look at yet.
It started off with other scenic pictures and the occasional picture of Naruto sitting somewhere alone. It made my heart ache.
Then there was a picture of him crying. There was no background, only him sitting in the emptiness crying.
But what drew my attention was the single shadow of someone out of sight.
The next picture had Naruto in the same place only the other form could be partially seen. The one after had the form even closer and Naruto looking up at it to see the form was holding a hand out and Naruto took it, standing up.
'I wonder who it is...' I thought to myself before turning the page only for my eyes to widen in surprise.
There, was a charcoal picture of myself, sitting under a tree with my eyes closed as I seemed to pant, looking exhausted as if I had been training.
I turned the page again to find me sitting on team 7's bridge this time, leaning back with my eyes closed as my feet grazed the water causing ripples to erupt from the contact.
Another page had me sitting in front of a campfire, the light dancing across my peacefully sleeping face while I leaned my head against my knees and the next had me standing in a stream attempting to catch a fish as it splashed water into the air, my hair glistening in the sun due to it's damp state, creating a breathtaking scene. I don't know how many pictures of myself I had gone through until I came to one that had my breath catching and my heartbeat picking up.
There I sat in a black, long-sleeved shirt with a wide v-neck, curled up on a couch with an orange and blue blanket falling off my form slightly. A small smile sat on my lips while I read a book and rested my head in my hand, the fingers on said hand playing with the shimmering black hair within it's reach.
'This was what he was drawing?' I asked myself astonished when I remembered what he had said. 'I met someone… I hated this person for a long time but then something changed and I started to draw what I wanted again. Though, this time it was something different.'
I blushed crimson and looked at the the picture again only to nearly jump out of my skin when I heard another voice.
"You just couldn't leave it alone, could you?" Naruto asked, yawning.
I stuttered, racking my brain for excuses but Naruto simply held up a hand. "It's fine, Teme." He sighed and we fell into silence.
"S-so, um, you l-like me like t-that?" I asked, cursing myself for my awkwardness when it came to this kind of thing.
He laughed lightly. "Yeah, you could say that."
"You're gay then?" I asked and he glanced toward me looking slightly amused.
"I'm bi, actually." He stated and I looked down a little flustered and unsure of what to do. "It's okay, Teme, I'm not mad or anything. I'm okay to talk about this if you have any questions. I just don't want this to change anything between us if you don't feel the same way which, I'm guessing, is the case."
"...Why didn't you say anything?" I asked quietly, ignoring his comment and avoiding his eyes.
"I've already told you I have problems with people beating me because I'm different. Imagine what it would be like if they caught wind of my preferences." He rolled onto his back. "I was already having problems dealing with life in general when I started questioning it so I just ignored it. Self-denial can be a wondrous thing."
He laughed and I turned toward him but he was looking out the window. "It worked for a while and then… I met you." I blushed as he turned toward me and tilted his head. "You could make me so angry or happy in just a matter of seconds and I couldn't understand why. Once I finally figured out what was going on… I freaked. I was already so messed up but I had started to accept it. To get used to it and then you came and f*cked everything up.
"I tried so hard to hate you and I purposely tried to get you to hate me. Even acted stupid and took a couple beatings to make it convincing while I tried to develop something between me and Sakura despite knowing in the back of my head that I could never like her as anything more than a sister."
"What changed?" I asked, still a bit embarrassed but interested at the same time and happy he wasn't playing dumb. I had known he was hiding his true intelligence for a while now. Maybe he wasn't as smart as Shikamaru but he was at least on par with me and could keep a conversation going.
He looked at me for a moment and my heart stuttered at the look in his eyes. "We kissed."
I blushed and he looked at the roof. "In spite of my self-denial, I had realised a long time ago that I never really judged based on gender or looks for that matter but I just thought it was natural so when we kissed, it threw me for a bit of a loop because I didn't really care about it. I knew that I didn't care about gender when it came to friends or teammates but something like that was completely different. So I pretended to hate it and took the beating from your fan girls." I looked over at him as he continued. "It took me a long time to become as comfortable as I am now to talk about this kind of thing."
I looked at the page, playing with the corner of it as I thought. Did I like him that way? Sure I'd never really liked a girl before but that could be because none of them were the right one, right? The thought of being with a guy didn't seem bad though, just… odd? How were you supposed to tell this kind of thing?
I looked toward Naruto. "A-ano… how did you, um, figure it out?"
He looked toward me. "You mean how did I figure out I was bi?" I nodded and blushed lightly. "I had a few crushes here and there but it wasn't definite until I kissed you, like I said."
I was silent for a moment before I gathered up the courage and closed my eyes. "Could we test it out?" I asked softly and peeked an eye open to see his surprised face before it softened in understanding and he nodded, smiling comfortingly.
He sat up slightly and I followed him, heart beating rapidly as he turned toward me. He reached out and moved some hair out of my face causing me to tense under the feather light touch. Our eyes met for a moment before he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.
I froze at the feeling of his lips before closing my eyes, trying to only focus on the feel of it. I could've sworn I felt the electricity they always talk about and the butterflies in the pit of my stomach. It was like a warmth was spreading through my body from where our lips touched and… I couldn't get enough of it. It was so addicting and I loved it.
I pressed back and moved my lips against his, wanting more. He seemed to get the message and pulled me onto his lap by my waist, my legs on either side of him while I gripped his shirt loosely, unsure of what to do with my hands.
His tongue darted out of his mouth to lick my bottom lip and I gasped, accidentally allowing him entrance to my mouth. I blushed deep red at the feeling, my inexperience with this sort of thing clearly showing, and I shifted nervously. Naruto simply smiled against my lips and rubbed circles in my back, somehow sensing my nervousness and expelling it while continuing his attack on my mouth.
After a few moments, I relaxed and my eyes fluttered before closing as I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me. His kiss was so warm and loving, like every inch of his attention was focused on me and I could feel something build in my chest. 'Is this what it's like to be in love?' It was so intense and it made me so happy I wanted to cry.
When the need for air arose, Naruto pulled away and pressed his forehead to mine, a thin string of saliva connecting us. He smiled softly and opened his eyes so they were only partly open and looked at me.
I knew I must have been as red as a tomato as I panted, my mind hazy while warmth flooded my system.
"So did you get your answer?" He asked and I nodded.
He smiled, guessing my answer, before seemingly deciding to tease me. "So, all-mighty Uchiha, do you like something other than a stick up your ass?"
I spluttered and blushed at the question before punching him. He grumbled as he rubbed his cheek but laughed a second later making my blush deepen when my heart quickened at the sound. I looked at him for a moment.
'Maybe...'
I leaned down and kissed his cheek, letting my lips linger for a moment before pulling back and turning away to hide my blush. "Bi-curious." I muttered and he laughed lightly, a bright grin on his face.
I gasped as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me toward him so my back was against his chest before he nuzzled his head in the crook of my neck. He kissed my curse mark and I shivered at the shock the action sent up and down my spine.
After shifting my head to expose more of my neck when his hot breath ghosted over my cold skin, he whispered against my neck.
"How about I get rid of your curiosity, then?"
I blushed at the implication before punching him again, playfully. "Oh, shut up…" I countered weakly and he laughed again.
"But seriously, what do you think?" I looked at him as he shifted nervously and looked away and out the window.
'Maybe...'
"It was… okay…" I said, raising my hand to lightly brush my fingers over my lips as I blushed and he rolled his eyes.
"Only okay? I'm insulted!" He exclaimed as he pouted and I gave him a half-hearted scowl but said nothing. His expression softened once more and he smiled in understanding. "You don't have to decide now if you don't want to. I understand how hard this kind of thing can be."
I nodded and smiled in appreciation. He tugged on my arm lightly and pulled me to lay down next to him. I was tense for a moment before I snuggled into the warm chest and he pulled the covers over us.
The room fell silent and I listened to the sound of rain outside before soft and even breaths caught my attention. I looked up at my teammates whiskered face as my mind went over everything I had learned about him in the short time I was here.
I couldn't help thinking I wanted to know more... but did I really feel that way about him?
After one more look at his peaceful face, I couldn't help but lean in and place a chaste kiss on his lips.
"Maybe… I might love you…" I whispered to the sleeping boy, blushing lightly, before curling back up and falling asleep myself, oblivious to the small smile that made it's way onto the blonde's face. He pulled me closer by my waist before burying his face in my hair, whispering softly before falling asleep.
"It's about time, Teme… I love you too."