Title: Venomous
Pairing: SasuNaru if you squint
Rating: G
Spoilers: This takes place during the timeskip, so if you haven't read up to it, there are spoilers in this fic.
Warnings: Nothing.
For: The sasunaru100 LJ comm, challenge #11. Theme - Memories.
Word Count: 341
Disclaimer: Naruto and Sasuke aren't mine. But I'd like to own Sasuke.
Author's Notes: Un-beta'ed. Short flash fic written in about half an hour. A very simple ficlet, really.
Venomous
He remembers...
Naruto holds Sasuke's headband close to him every night, his hand clasping the hard, cold metal and warming it up, until his own body heat seems to have all transferred into that piece of metal, and he feels cold, and it has nothing to do with the cool temperature at night. Naruto is lying to himself when he thinks that he smells Sasuke in the blue cloth. He has never even remembered what Sasuke smells like, so he wouldn't know. He doesn't pay attention to little details, because they never appear to matter. And, Naruto, being the not-very-intelligent person he is, doesn't even manage to see the big picture most of the time anyway. So why, why would he catch the smaller bits?
It's too late to curse his stupidity now, so Naruto just tries desperately to remember what he can. And maybe, maybe he'll eventually remember what Sasuke smells like.
---
He loves...
Sasuke is his best friend.
"Sasuke..." Naruto swallows uneasily. "I... Thanks for saving me back there."
"I didn't mean to do it, dobe." Sasuke glances at him. "But you're welcome."
Naruto smiles. "I owe you one."
"You owe me millions, actually." But Sasuke's smiling back, and Naruto notices that fact happily.
---
He hates...
Sasuke is his rival.
There is a clash of Rasengan and Chidori. Naruto's body is shaking, and the agony and hate snakes through him, shooting through his veins like venomous poison.
He knows that he will lose this fight, but he doesn't want to admit it. He's a fighter, and so he will carry on fighting, even though the outcome is decided, and he isn't strong enough to change it.
There is a moment when all the deadly rush of poison is suddenly drained from his body. Sasuke's standing there, in front of him, and they're not rivals. They're friends. Best friends.
But that moment isn't forever.
---
That moment isn't forever... Naruto closes his eyes, his hands tightening around the headband even more. Suddenly, he doesn't want to remember anymore.
The End