Sinful
"To him, Naruto's walking out on their friendship. Their relationship is too complicated for the small things not to matter."
October tenth: the day of the Kyuubi festival. It was the first time in years that Sasuke had people to plan to go with. Kakashi had suggested that the team meet for at least a small portion of the fair for some good old-fashioned team bonding. Secretly, Sasuke almost looked forward to it.
It was highly expected that every citizen of Konoha, ninja or civilian, attend the event. Going wasn't a question of yes or no, but rather when. Even after his clan had been murdered and he had slipped into his antisocial cocoon, he had still at least rounded up the energy to attend the festival. It was just something that no one even thought about missing. The idea just sounded disrespectful and, although Sasuke was called many things, insolent wasn't one of them.
He never enjoyed the festival after the murder of his clan. Walking the crowded streets alone was nothing to get excited about. Even the booths lining the streets seemed less bright when there was no one he cared to look at them with. But still, he went.
But this year was different. There would be three living beings waiting for him at the entrance to the fair. There were three very important people willing to share the precious time with him and the feeling of pleasant gratitude reached even him way up on his pedestal.
So when he reached the rendezvous point to see only two out of the expected three, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. And the fact that it was Naruto who was late rather than Kakashi was the last thing he anticipated. He figured this was the kind of thing Naruto couldn't get enough of. Naruto was childish by nature; he was easily entertained and content to be thrilled by even the smallest of things.
So the fact that he was late, later than Kakashi no less, was the last thing Sasuke expected.
"He's not coming," Kakashi stated, earning a slightly taken aback look from the raven who had to wonder if he had spoken his thoughts aloud, and a puzzled look from the pink haired kunoichi next to him.
"Who's not coming? You don't mean Naruto?" Sakura asked, her tone sounding disappointed.
"Just let it go," the silver haired man urged, resting a hand on Sasuke's tense shoulder, "Both of you. Naruto has a very good reason to stay home and I'd appreciate if you both respect his privacy by just dropping it now."
"Bullshit," the raven accused as he dipped out from under Kakashi's grasp on his shoulder. He had no idea why Naruto's absence was affecting him so much but it was. He couldn't help but feel a sort of personal vendetta over the situation. Naruto was all alone too. Wasn't he feeling the same kind of anticipation Sasuke was? There was no way Sasuke had misinterpreted the entire situation to this extent, "There's no possible excuse he could come up with to dodge out of this. Unless he's in the hospital I really just can't see what could be more important right now."
Just as Sasuke finished, a woman pushed a wheelchair carrying an injured shinobi toward the center of the village where the festival was in full swing.
"Excuse me, but can I ask how you got your injury?" Sasuke asked, earning two looks of disbelief from his pink haired teammate and his silver haired teacher; he was acting completely out of character.
"Oh this? I was impaled by a beam during a construction accident on a mission a few days ago," the injured shinobi answered happily.
"Impaled by a beam," the raven repeated for his team, his tone clearly sarcastic, "And he still found his way here."
"Sasuke, it's none of your business. Naruto's situation is incomparable to anything your thinking."
"Bullshit," he accused once again before turning away toward the direction of Naruto's apartment.
"Sasuke, where do you think you're going?" Kakashi interrupted, his hand grabbing the teen by the shoulder to pull him back.
"As a member of the same team, I don't see why I don't deserve an explanation," the raven stated angrily as he dipped out from under his teacher's grasp once again, throwing him an incredulous look.
"You're making a bigger deal out of this than is necessary."
"I'm not blowing this out of proportion. This is a big deal to me."
And before Kakashi or Sakura could get a word in, he took off to the rooftops, leaving a deafening silence in his wake.
"Kaka-sensei?" Sakura began, her voice filled with disappointment, "Why's this such a big deal to him?"
Kakashi seemed to take a moment of silence to gather his thoughts, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke.
"Naruto and Sasuke share a unique similarity and they both express the importance of the bond they've made from it differently. Naruto's never had a family or anything close to it. He doesn't understand the importance of tradition like Sasuke. Sasuke doesn't understand what it's like not to understand something. He just can't compute that Naruto doesn't feel any sort of nostalgia by missing the festival. To him, Naruto's walking out on their friendship. Their relationship is too complicated for the small things not to matter. And to Sasuke, this time, attending the festival with his team, with you and Naruto, was a big deal."
Sakura didn't respond as she let the words sink in.
It wasn't long before Sasuke was just outside the blonde's apartment complex, staring down through the window leading into his bedroom from the roof of the building across the street. In a swift feat of agility, he jumped from the edge of the roof, landing gracefully and noiselessly on the balcony under the window.
But when he looked in through the glass, it was to see an empty apartment, void of any kind of hint that there'd been human life inside it for days, possibly weeks.
"The hell?" Sasuke mumbled as he reached for the window, attempting to open it and swearing under his breath when it refused to even budge.
After admitting that the window wasn't opening without being broken, Sasuke jumped to the dirt road under the window sill before taking the stairs to the hallway where he would find Naruto's front door.
He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion when he read the note taped to the door, the words 'Eviction Notice' printed in red above a sheet of fine print, the yellowing of the paper and the date stamped near the bottom each signs that the 'eviction' dated back several months.
This doesn't add up, the young avenger thought to himself, his mind working a mile a minute to try to understand what was going on. Naruto never told them he was being evicted. Why would he keep quiet about something so important?
There was a loud crash from an apartment across the hall, followed by angry screams from the residents inside. Sasuke and turned toward the noise in a defensive stance out of habit, his sharingan spinning as they were subconsciously activated, but soon turned his attention back toward the door of his friend's apartment, reminding himself that what happened behind closed doors was none of his business.
That was when the door caught his eye, his sharingan picking up the presence of familiar chakra inside the room. Naruto was home; he was definitely home.
He looked closer at the door, noticing a thin layer of chakra coating the entire wall where Naruto's apartment was.
His jaw dropped open when he realized what he was seeing.
Since when could Naruto perform and maintain this kind of genjutsu? He doubted anyone outside of the Hyuuga clan besides himself and Kakashi – who both possessed the sharingan – would even suspect the illusion, not to mention, detect it and dispel it.
Sasuke grabbed a kunai as he reached for the door knob, knowing knocking would be pointless. He slid the kunai up through the space between the door and the frame, unlocking the deadbolt with such ease it was as if he were practiced at breaking into this very apartment.
He swung the door open, unsurprised to find the apartment the way he remembered it, with all of Naruto's belongings still littering it's small space, and Naruto himself sitting at the kitchen table, a look of complete shock written all over his features.
But the quiet moment only lasted for a instant before Naruto darted for the front door, the chair that was once beneath him now lying tipped over on the floor as he slammed the door shut, replacing the deadbolt before turning to glare at the raven now standing in his kitchen.
"What the hell?" they both yelled in unison, each set of eyes demanding answers.
"You first!" Naruto yelled immediately, pointing an accusing finger at the raven.
"No, you first! What the hell Naruto! What is so important that you not only ditched your team but went through such extreme measures to hide the fact that you were home? And when the hell did you learn…genjutsu – dobe? What–?" he trailed off as his eyes caught the sight of a deep purple bruise on the blonde's cheekbone and another around his neck.
"Stop staring, asshole," the blonde mumbled under his breath as he rubbed his bare arms insecurely which, when Sasuke looked, were also covered in dark bruises.
"What happened?" Sasuke asked, his tone just daring Naruto to lie.
"It's none of your business."
"It's absolutely my business."
"Why's today so damn important to you anyway?" Naruto interrupted, ignoring Sasuke's argument altogether.
"It's one of the most important days in Konoha's history. It should be celebrated."
"No, it's a terrible day in history and the last thing people should do is celebrate the memory of it."
Sasuke paused for a moment, internally applauding the blonde's quick wit. It was unexpected to say the least.
"Ok, celebrated was a bad choice in words, but that's beside the point. A lot of people died on this day thirteen years ago, and they died protecting people they love. I don't see why they shouldn't be honored with a day in commemoration."
"Then what are you doing here?"
"You know exactly what I'm doing here. I'm surprised you didn't expect me," the raven stated, his eyes narrowing when Naruto's did too.
There were several moments of silence where both boys spent a good amount of energy mustering up the dirtiest looks they could, detest piling into the air, making the atmosphere feel thick and uncomfortable.
"I don't owe you an explanation. I already talked to Kaka-sensei. Go away," the blonde demanded, breaking the silence.
"You do owe me and explanation. Kakashi isn't involved in this discussion. I'm not leaving."
"This isn't a discussion, discussions transpire between two civil parties – which we clearly aren't. This is a fist-less argument."
"That's opinion, not fact."
"So is the statement in which you think you deserve justification."
Sasuke had to fight the growl rising in his throat, his scowl deepening in the process. Since when was Naruto so quick to confute and since when was he intelligent enough to not be wrong in doing so?
"We're going," the raven stated in a finalizing tone as he grabbed a tan wrist, pulling slightly to get his point across.
"No, Sasuke stop," Naruto whined as he yanked his wrist free, liberating himself from Sasuke's grasp, "I really don't want to go so stop. Please."
"You're acting like a child. Everyone's already there. It's a tradition to our village and you're acting disrespectful by wanting to skip it," Sasuke stated, hoping to con Naruto into it by belittling him like he usually could.
But Naruto's downcast gaze just stayed where it was. He didn't raise defiant eyes that promised he'd beat the odds like he always did and he didn't bounce back and thrive on criticism like he always did.
His head was lowered in defeat and he was making no move to argue which made Sasuke feel slightly uneasy.
"Easy for you to say, have you ever even been on the receiving end of a hateful glare from someone who you didn't share mutual hatred with?"
"You mean from someone other than you?" Sasuke teased, earning a vaguely taken aback look that puzzled him slightly.
Naruto shook his head again before he turned to leave, mumbling a string of words that Sasuke had to strain to hear and that sounded along the lines of, "That's exactly what I mean."
Sasuke never really understood why but…Naruto's insecurity hurt. Naruto was supposed to be this untouchable being. No one could bring him down from the place he'd put himself. No amount of awful words could affect him before.
So why did they now?
"Wait, I'm sorry," Sasuke apologized, stopping Naruto in his tracks who turned back around to gaze at him expectantly, "Just–"
"I don't see how you can think this is any of your business. I don't want to go. You can't make me," he stated, speaking in a low tone.
Sasuke was about to argue back when he realized Naruto was having a difficult time standing, his weight being heavily supported by an arm using the backrest of the chair that hadn't been knocked over in the rush to shut the front door.
"Ok, festival aside, what happened?"
Naruto shifted his gaze away, a bitter smile slipping across his lips.
"I can't really answer when you say 'festival aside'," the blonde sighed, his hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck, "Ok how's this?" he began, an idea presenting itself, "We drop the subject, never talk about it again, and I won't kick you out and neither of us have to go to the festival."
"I wanted to go to the festival," the raven admitted, his unprotected tone catching Naruto off guard, "I thought you did too."
Naruto had to make sure to tighten his jaw, if he hadn't it would have been hanging open.
"I guess it's not something a kid would notice but, I've never once gone to the festival. It's almost literally the last thing I'd ever want to go to."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly at the wording. Why would that be something a kid wouldn't notice? Was it something adults had noticed before?
But before he could ask, Naruto coughed harshly, his hand clutching his chest and his features forming a grimace as pain swept through him. His hand slipped from the backrest of the chair and his knees hit the ground with a thud.
He expected for the ground to rise to meet him but tensed from the unfamiliarity of steadying arms holding him up instead.
"Just how badly are you hurt?" the raven asked, concern clear in his tone.
"It's not that bad," Naruto assured, his breathing quick and short. Sasuke guided him gently across the floor, resting his back against the cabinets.
"It seems bad," the dark haired teen stated, reaching for the hem of the blonde's shirt.
"Don't," the blonde protested weakly when Sasuke began lifting his shirt. Sasuke easily slapped Naruto's hands away as he continued pulling up the t-shirt until he could see the blonde's chest.
"Holy shit, Naruto," Sasuke breathed, his eyes roaming over the injuries littering his body, "Talk."
"It's not as bad as it looks."
"You're right, it's worse," the brunette stated, his sharingan spinning as they activated, the damaged circulatory system of chakra revealing the internal wounds beneath the bruises.
"Seriously, Naruto, who did this?"
"Just quit it!" the blonde weakly objected as he smacked Sasuke's hand away, his shirt dropping back over his tan skin, hiding the bruises from plain sight, "Tsunade already came to see me so just let it go."
"Someone beat the shit out of you! What did you do?" Sasuke asked in an accusing tone.
"Typical," Naruto bit back, "It's something I brought on myself, right? It couldn't possibly be anyone's fault but mine."
"No one hits another person like this for no reason."
"Maybe not in your perfect world. But in the real world, the one everyone's living in under that pedestal you're so high up on, people get beat up for nothing all the time."
"So then that's your story?"
"No, it's my explanation and it's as good as it's gonna get so–"
"I needed you today."
Naruto could tighten his jaw all he wanted, but this time his mouth fell open and there was no fighting it. There was no possible way he had heard that right. Those words just didn't exist to be said to him.
"You don't know what you're saying," the blonde mumbled, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with guilt.
"I do know what I'm saying. Aren't we friends?"
"Friends?" Naruto asked, his voice filled with disbelief, "Wait, what?"
"Do you not think we're friends?" Sasuke asked, almost sounding incredulous.
"Sasuke, what makes you think I would ever interpret any type of interaction we've shared as friendly? I don't know what's gotten into you, but you hate me, remember?"
"Why does it sound like that's just something you believe that you're trying to convince me of?"
Naruto raised a half-amused eyebrow, his look practically asking for Sasuke to get real. There were several tense moments of silence before Sasuke sighed, breaking the silence.
"Ok, maybe I don't express myself in an appropriate way, but it's not like you do either. You play a pretty good role of hating me too," Sasuke began, his voice sounding almost – just almost – nervous, "But I guess it's important and I have to say it," he continued on, sounding as if he were stalling for something, "Since you're such an idiot, I always have to spell it out," he complained, pausing as his features softened and he made sure to look Naruto straight in the eye, "You're my most important person," he admitted, a light blush tinting his cheeks when Naruto shot him a completely shocked look that told him Naruto really believed Sasuke hated him.
That was sad.
"What?" the blonde finally breathed, unable to decide if this was really happening.
"You heard me, dobe. I'm not repeating myself," Sasuke stubbornly insulted, his arms crossing over his chest in an attempt to expel his embarrassment.
Sasuke had expected several different reactions. He'd expected Naruto to return the words with that huge smile only he was capable of pulling off; he'd expected for Naruto to call him names in an attempt to hide his own embarrassment; he'd even almost expected for Naruto to take a swing at him for the hell of it.
What he didn't expect however was for Naruto's eyebrows to furrow in guilt as he looked away, a ringing silence his only answer.
"When you say it that way, I feel bad. You just have no idea what you're getting into," the blonde explained in a tone Sasuke had never heard him use before. It sounded so strange for Naruto to come off as so guilty over something that should have been good news.
"Well then explain to me what I'm 'getting into'."
Naruto shook his head slightly, his eyes shutting as he breathed in deeply.
"Nope," he breathed as he slowly got up, his legs shaking from his own weight as he pulled himself up with the countertop as support, "No. Get out."
"What?" the raven asked incredulously as he too stood from the floor.
"I said get out!"
"You're being ridiculous," Sasuke accused, his voice filled with agitation.
"No I'm not! It should be my choice what you hate me for. Hate me because I'm loud and annoying and not because of something I can't control!" Naruto yelled, his voice sounding slightly hoarse when raised in irritation.
"It sucks doesn't it, not being in control?" the raven agreed, earning an angry glare.
"Shut up Sasuke, it's so much different for you. You can dish out your vendetta. And it's not like anyone blames you for what your brother did. At least people don't hate you for what you can't control. You're lucky you're not your own problem."
"What does that mean?" Sasuke asked, his voice filled with genuine curiosity.
But before Naruto could respond, there was a soft thud on the door that both Naruto and Sasuke recognized immediately: they threw enough kunai into wooden objects to know someone on the other side of that door had done just that.
Naruto reacted immediately, jumping as far away from the door as he could before the explosion went off, sending a shockwave through the kitchen that sent him through the half-open door to his bedroom. Sasuke kicked the kitchen table over and hid behind it as the paper bomb went off, the shockwave causing both him and the table to skid across the floor several feet.
Before the smoke could even clear, kunai were flying through the air. Sasuke sheltered behind the table for several more moments until the thuds of the weapons stopped hitting the other side. He grabbed a kunai, his sharingan activated and ready, as he eased over to where he last saw Naruto, deflecting countless kunai along the way.
That was when he realized that Naruto was weaponless. He was wearing a casual t-shirt and jeans with no kunai holster or weapons pouch in sight.
"Stay down, dobe!" the raven yelled as he deflected one kunai after another while he inched his way across the still smoky room.
But when he finally was within eyesight of the blonde, he was unsurprised to find him getting up, albeit slowly.
"Damn it! Get down or take this!" Sasuke insisted as he tossed Naruto a kunai, watching as cloudy blue eyes looked at him as if trying to hear or understand what he was saying, not even making an attempt toward catching the weapon. He must have hit his head.
But it was too late. Naruto grunted in pain as a kunai dug itself deep into his left shoulder, the momentum causing him to spin slightly before landing harshly on the ground, the pain seeming to snap him out of whatever daze he'd been in from the blast. He quickly, while keeping low to the ground, slammed his bedroom door shut just after Sasuke darted in after him, the reverberation of what sounded like fifteen or twenty kunai embedding into the door resounding immediately after.
Naruto darted across the room, the sound of glass shattering as he jumped through the window reaching Sasuke's ears, causing him to turn abruptly to see blonde locks just before they disappeared under the windowsill. Naruto's feet hit the dirt road and he immediately took off toward the bordering forest, his adrenalin letting him forget his injuries for the moment.
"Naruto! Wait!" Sasuke yelled as he took off after the blonde, jumping through the broken window just as the door was broken down.
Sasuke couldn't believe how hard Naruto was to keep up with, especially in his state. He looked over his shoulder before they were out of eyesight of the house, glad to see that no one was pursuing. His eyes returned to the road, widening slightly when he noticed the trail of blood Naruto was leaving behind.
"Dobe stop!" he yelled, his voice desperate for the blonde to just stop running, "You're gonna kill yourself! Stop!"
But it was a good ten minutes of hard sprinting and a couple miles before Naruto even slowed down. His legs seemed to give out on him and he only just managed to spin enough to land on his side rather than face down which would have driven the kunai still embedded in his shoulder even further in. Sasuke landed next to him not even seconds later, his arms grabbing Naruto wherever he looked least in pain as he eased the blonde onto his back, his head resting in his lap.
"Stop it!" Sasuke scolded when Naruto attempted to get up and continue running.
"I can't stop! I have to get out of here! They'll find me; my chakra signature is too strong! I'm a sitting duck," the blonde explained between sharp intakes of air, his demeanor tense and anxious as his eyes darted around the small clearing of forest they were in.
"I already checked, no one followed us. No one's been following since we left the apartment. What the hell happened back there?" Sasuke asked, his tone demanding answers.
Naruto seemed to relax slightly at the news, figuring the villagers wouldn't attack him so openly around their precious Uchiha Sasuke.
"I'm really sorry. Did you get hurt?" the blonde asked, earning an incredulous look in exchange.
"No, I didn't. Don't avoid the subject."
Naruto shot Sasuke a pleading look that begged for him to just let it go but Sasuke just returned in with an unyielding and almost uncaring look.
"I think after that, I do deserve an explanation."
Naruto's eyes shifted away; he knew Sasuke was right. There was no way he could ask for him to just forget it after he was so physically involved just moments ago. Sasuke had the right to know why hanging around him might be dangerous.
"Just – Ok, I'll explain. But just don't tell Sakura," the blonde pleaded, his eyes shutting tightly in an attempt to block out the pain coursing through him, his voice sounding slightly strained. Sasuke smirked in triumph before remembering the kunai still embedded in Naruto's shoulder.
"That's in deep," the raven stated, sounding slightly nervous at how much more serious it looked now that he was giving it his full attention, "Should I take you to the hospital?"
"No, it's fine. It'll–" he began before yanking the weapon out roughly and groaning softly in discomfort, "It'll heal soon."
"Soon? You've got to be kidding me!" Sasuke exclaimed, feeling anxious at how much blood was pouring out of the wound, "Hospital. Let's go," he stated as he began to sit Naruto up.
"Just wait…" the blonde insisted softly, his voice sounding resolved to impending disaster as Sasuke propped him against the trunk of a tree for support.
Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed together when he watched the wound slowly stop bleeding, the broken skin now covered by healthily clotted blood.
And before he could stop himself, the words he knew he probably shouldn't ask slipped out of his mouth.
"What are you?"
The question seemed to crush what little life remained behind Naruto's downcast cerulean eyes.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to word it that way," Sasuke apologized, his tone sounding almost sheepish.
"Today's my birthday," the blonde began, catching Sasuke completely off guard.
He suddenly felt overwhelmed with guilt. Naruto didn't forget to ask when his birthday was. He also didn't forget to get him a gift. The same went for everyone else they knew. Did anyone know today was his birthday?
"Why didn't you tell me?"
The only reply he got was a wry smile.
"What story did you learn about this day thirteen years ago?" Naruto asked, ignoring Sasuke's question all together.
"The Kyuubi attacked the village; the Fourth killed it," he stated bluntly. Naruto almost grinned at the raven's mannerisms; he never did beat around the bush.
"That's half right," the blonde sighed as he wracked his mind for a good way to go about explaining what really happened, "Three generations ago, a Bijuu like Kyuubi attacked Sunagakure. The villagers did everything they could to kill it but nothing they did even seemed to affect it," he continued, his voice sounding cynical, "So many people died. Thousands of people died. As a last resort, the Kazekage sealed the Bijuu into a human baby. That baby did everyone a favor; he carried a terrible burden his whole life, and the village repaid its debt by killing him as they extracted his Bijuu in fear of losing its power should he die of natural causes. Immediately after, it was placed into a second human vessel, and the cycle continued. Gaara is the third-generation result of that cycle. He's what you would call a Jinchuuriki."
Sasuke felt numb. The pieces already put themselves together. He already knew what was coming; it was just a matter of hearing it.
"I'm what you would call a Jinchuuriki."
Suddenly, a lot of things made sense that weren't quite right before.
"I'm sorry," the blonde apologized softly, catching Sasuke slightly off guard with how sincere it sounded, "I didn't mean to make friends; I know it was selfish, but I tried to make you hate me. And I know companionship is practically mandatory for shinobi but I couldn't get any other kind of job. I–"
"Stop," Sasuke interrupted, surprised when Naruto immediately shut his mouth as if he'd expected to be told to shut up and was just waiting for the command, "What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, watching as Naruto's downcast gaze shifted further away in shame.
"What makes you think this changes anything?" the raven asked, watching as Naruto's eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if unsure of what to make of the question.
"It changes everything. I'm not like the other villagers. You can get away with so much knowing that. Practically every transgression against me is excusable. It really changes everything."
Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows through the explanation, a strange feeling similar to vengeance welling inside him from the new knowledge. It was clear who was responsible for Naruto's physical condition now, and it made him angry that his own village would do something like this to one of its shinobi.
"I'm not like the other villagers either. To me, this doesn't change anything."
Naruto shot the brunette a tired look before shifting his eyes away again.
"Well it should. I could kill you. Sometimes I can't control what I do; it's happened twice already. I don't remember anything but being angry. It's terrifying and surreal, like a bad dream. You should hate me," the blonde insisted, his tone sounding guarded – as if he would break down if he didn't hold himself back from it.
"But I don't," the raven stated in a finalizing tone that caught Naruto off guard, "I don't hate you and I'm not afraid of you," he continued, watching as Naruto shut his eyes, his head leaning back to rest against the trunk of the tree he was still sitting against and his eyebrows furrowing together as he bit his bottom lip as if he were fighting against speaking, "And if you fall victim to another nightmare, I'll wake you up."
And like a chain reaction of subtlety, a small smile slipped across Naruto's features, grateful tears pouring down his whiskered cheeks from under his still-closed eyes.
"Thanks Sasuke," he whispered as he wiped the tear tracks away before finally making eye contact with the older boy, shooting him a grateful look. Maybe this friend-type-thing was ok.
Maybe this one sin could be forgiven.
End.
Ok sooo it's whatever you want it to be! Friendship? Maybe more? Maybe not? Sequal? Up to you guys.