Note: I'll keep this short and sweet. I've had this lying around. Decided to post it. My computer, my beautiful Alienware laptop, *sob* is in need of fixing now, which explains my inherent sluggishness. My apologies.

Disclaimer: Naruto is © Kishimoto Masashi. I simply fuel my obsession with the stories.

Things Left Unsaid

~Sometimes it's the very thing in front of our eyes

that is given the least bit of attention.~

"That's all we ever do," Sasuke said as he used his thumb to wipe the thin trail of blood from his chin. He brought the appendage to his lips and licked the scarlet drops away, tongue flicking to his battered and bruised lower lip. I love that Naruto never holds back.

"What's all we ever do?" The blond had to ask, although his thoughts had been heading down that trail for quite some time.

"What else?" A shrug. So casual. "Beat the shit out of each other."

"It wouldn't be that way if you'd come back, bastard." Don't you miss me at all?

"Yes, it would, Naruto. You know as well as I do, that even before I left all we ever did was fight. We'll always be rivals, nothing more." Nothing more...

Naruto's voice was quiet, "That's not true. If you weren't such an icy bastard... If...It's always been- God! I don't even know how to fight you anymore! What the hell am I supposed to say that I haven't said before? Tell me, Sasuke, why do we even bother to talk anymore?" Why can't I say what I really want to say?

Their words were punctuated with a kunai slashing against a katana, a screeching metal scrape resounding through the dim forest, light having left the horizon long ago.

"Probably because we go for long periods of time with speaking to each other." Because we miss the sound of each other's voice.

"That or we just like to hear the sound of our own voice too much," Naruto laughed out bitterly.

"I wouldn't put it past you, dobe."

Naruto's eyes downcast. They had yet to move away from each other, blades still locked with neither making a show of submitting, "Sasuke..."

Sasuke looked a little perplexed at the blonde's sudden change in tone. He had been expecting his insult to draw the usual response out of him, pushing them to start up the fight again. Standing still with that clear blue gaze darting up to look at him every so often was starting to unnerve him. He wanted to move again. Anything but stare at that pain... Anything but see my action's repercussions.

"Naruto?" Sasuke made it a question because for all the world he didn't know how to fight with Naruto if he wouldn't get angry. It was usually so easy to set him off.

"I- I wish I could- Ever since- Even before- You were always..." He said the words slowly, quickly picking up a new thread and running with it, but his disjointed sentences were getting harder to follow.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows, "I was always what?"

Naruto sidestepped the question altogether and asked one of his own, albeit mostly to himself, "Why is this so hard to say?"

"Just spit it out, idiot, so we can get on with our lives." Maybe...we could linger just a little longer...

Naruto's eyes flipped back up violently, intensity within their stormy depths that Sasuke had never seen before. He was barely able to repress a sudden shudder, but he was nothing if not steadfast in holding the gaze.

Unfortunately, this gave Naruto the chance he needed to hurl Sasuke against a nearby tree, his weight falling heavily on the brunet bringing a pained grunt from him.

"Why are you such an ass?" Sasuke couldn't stop the words from coming from his mouth with familiarity any more than he could stop the thought that wished it could have been spoken aloud. Why have you buried yourself under my skin? Why you? There was contempt, even in his own mind. "A persistent pest. An annoyance that just keeps buzzing in my mind."

Naruto gasped. Sasuke's eyes widened horrified. Oh god, he hadn't meant to say that. He'd meant to say 'ear' not 'mind'. Naruto's surprise confirmed that even he wasn't stupid enough to not get the unspoken meaning that pointed to Sasuke thinking about him.

Me, Naruto thought. Sasuke? Do you still think of me? His face was softening, he couldn't help it anymore. So, he spoke words that reflected what he was feeling and at the same time mimicked what Sasuke's slipup meant.

"It's the things that go unsaid," the blond started – Sasuke looked very uncomfortable – but ultimately hesitated, "It's all the little thoughts that fill the blanks and silences that we really mean." Naruto scoffed, "After all this time we still can't say a goddamn word that actually means anything. To anyone. But by all rights, we should at least be able to say them to each other and our stupid asses can't." He bit back a laugh that sounded like a choked sob.

"When the hell did you get wise? And who taught you that many big words?" Sometimes.....sometimes Sasuke could just be a dick.

"There aren't really any big words in there, dumbass," Naruto sighed, "Sometimes you can be such a bastard."

Sasuke gave him raised eyebrows and that look that clearly stated I have no fucking idea what you're talking about. Hadn't someone somewhere said something about Sasuke supposedly being a genius? Or some such nonsense as that? Because Naruto wasn't really feeling it right now.

Sasuke started to fidget against the tree a bit, uncomfortable with Naruto's penetrating gaze on him. He realized what he was doing and immediately stopped, berating himself for letting it bother him. "That doesn't change the fact that you're rambling. And I have no fucking idea what your point is supposed to be," Sasuke sighed, as well. It was just that sort of day.

"Why are you out here, Sasuke? Why haven't you come back yet?" Why haven't you come back to me?

Sasuke growled...actually let out an honest-to-god growl, low and deep rumbling in his throat, "Because if I do it's highly likely that I'll kill half if not all of the village. Outright murder. Cold blood." I would come back....I would for you, but only you.....But now, not after what Madara said....not now. I just can't.

Naruto looked thrown for a loop. "What would possess you to do something as crazy as that? You may be out there....but seriously, Sasuke, you're not that bad."

Sasuke's head just drooped, eyes focused unseeing on the ground. He looked so...so haunted.

Naruto lowered his voice and softened his expression. What in the world could make Sasuke look like he's in such pain? "...Sasuke?" Naruto tried tentatively, "What's wrong, Sasuke?"

"How could you ever understand? I used to think your pain was close enough to mine that somehow you could understand what I'd been through but now-"

"Now?" Naruto prompted him, feeling a little bit more than hurt. How could Sasuke say that?

Sasuke had long ago stopped caring what pointed object was piercing into his neck and chest. It didn't matter because he'd long since forgotten about it, too, which was well, because a moment later he just couldn't bring his body to keep himself up anymore. One of the few things an Uchiha just couldn't get past pulled him down to his knees in the dirt. Gravity.

Naruto eeped in a rather undignified manner, pulling his kunai back and trying to flail Kusanagi away desperately, unwilling to let his dazed friend be pierced by either.

It was so quiet, so faint, that Sasuke almost didn't catch the barely audible words drifting on the breeze, "You don't have to explain if it's just going to cause more pain. That's the last thing I want to do to you...but, please," it was almost pleading, "know that I've always been here....always will be here. For you."

Naruto couldn't help his actions anymore, just wanting something to comfort his still companion, and so Sasuke was a bit taken aback when Naruto nuzzled his face into Sasuke's hair from where he was kneeling above him. The words that followed were far more shocking though, "It'll always be for you. No one else. There's no one else I'd rather spend all my time chasing. No one I ever would have cared enough about to chase." Sasuke's eyes widened as he felt a warm wetness fall down his forehead, a familiar saltiness when it reached cracked lips. How could that idiot be crying for him?

Still the words came freely flowing almost as fast as the tears, as Naruto rid himself of unbidden feelings, happy that no more would be left unsaid, "Damn you...(hiccup)...you'll always be the most fucking...(sniff)...important person to me." Sobs and sniffles were the only thing interrupting Naruto now; Sasuke was too far gone and intent on what the blond was saying now to break the stream of watery confessions. "How? How have y-you...(shaky laugh)...h-how have you gotten so far under my skin?" Naruto whispered, "When did you crawl so deeply into my heart that I couldn't get you out?"

The hell? The brunet stiffened...what was he supposed to say to that? Nothing helpful was coming to mind and so he did the only logical thing he could. He looked up and before Naruto could so much as open his eyes Sasuke was there, dry and cracked lips planted firmly over plump pink ones. What? It was the best Sasuke could do on short notice...and he was pretty sure that was the only (sort-of) love confession that had ever made his chest hurt and his heart beat wildly, and he'd heard quite a few of them.

The kiss was gentle, his lips ghosting softly over Naruto's, who for the most part was still completely stunned. It made Sasuke falter, for just a moment, and then gave him new resolve to swipe a tongue to those unresponsive lips. Still....nothing.

Sasuke broke away and looked down. He'd been so sure that, that was what his friend had wanted...how could he have been so wrong? How was he going to fix the even bigger mess he had created by doing such a foolish thing and just what the fuck had possessed him to do something so stupid anyway? Oh yeah...the blond had been in pain...

"Naruto..." Sasuke began cautiously...

He was halted, though, as Naruto gripped his chin and tilted his head back up, thumb absently tracing the brunet's bottom lip. His mouth parted, a thoroughly confused look coming to light on his face. Naruto captured him, his mouth open, and immediately seized the chance to invade that partially agape mouth. He swiped his tongue through that warm, wet cavern almost licking the very taste and feel of Sasuke. He wanted more, so much more, as much as he could humanly have, as his hunger began to get the better of him and he was opening and closing their mouths, tongues dancing only to be closed and lips meeting to connect momentarily to be found open and waited to be plundered again. It was wholly amazing – amazing the way Sasuke was now actively sucking on his tongue and clashing their teeth together accidentally in his haste. They were clumsy. They had never kissed anyone before...and it showed. But nothing – nothing – anywhere, ever, was as perfect as this was or tasted nearly as good.

Oddly, one thought was shared nearly equally by both of them. How did we miss this? Not notice this attraction? Although, anyone who knew them both would probably tell them how very obvious it had been. That was just the nature of the beast though; we overlook the things that are right in front of us, the things that really matter.