Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, its characters and/or ideas. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
Enchaining
en·chain: 1. To bind (with chains). 2. To hold fast or captivate (the attention of, etc). 3. To yoke; (keep someone close).
2.
Summer—June, July
Naruto wiped his sweaty forehead as he finished packing the last of his belongings, the boarding room's temperature mounting steadily. The scorching heat seeping in through the translucent windows was both humid and oppressive, and the moisture from the outside was causing the blond to fall into a state of exhaustion. After he zipped up the edge of his orange colored rolling luggage, Naruto let out a relieved sigh, slouching his body downward to the carpet below.
A surge of bittersweet sensations crept inside of his mind as he sat there in the middle of the room, his eyes distantly raking over the now bare walls. The room had been his quasi-home for the past nine months, and he would be leaving it behind for the next two and a half. He couldn't deny that he would miss this room; the only haven he had to an otherwise authoritarian and infuriating boarding school.
"What are you doing, sitting in the middle of the floor like that?" his friend Haruno Sakura questioned with a chuckle, a traveling bag flung over her shoulder. She and Tenten had apparently been standing near the room's doorway, long enough to witness the male teen collapse to the floor.
Naruto's lips tugged upward as he stared at the girls through his bangs. "Just thinking about how I'm going to miss this place."
"You're actually going to miss the boarding school?" Tenten inquired in disbelief.
Naruto snorted, languidly rising to his feet. "Hell no! I hate this school with a passion! I just mean I'm going to miss this room; it was like my own little sanctuary."
Grabbing onto the black handle of his wheeled luggage, the blue eyed teen took one last look around his vacant boarding room before ambling in the direction of the school's hallway. The girls followed suit, trailing behind the tanned teen as they held onto their own set of baggage. The corridor was nearly dimmed, the minimal light coming from the clear roofed ceiling. There weren't that many inhabitants around since most of the students had either already left or had been picked up.
Passing a number of classrooms in the hall, Naruto slowed his walking as he saw Sakura stroll beside him in the corner of his sapphire orbs. "I'm surprised that weirdo Sai's not around," she speculated almost derisively. "I haven't seen him all day. What do you think happened?"
"I don't know and I don't care. As far as I'm concerned, he and I aren't cool with each other anymore," uttered Naruto. Sakura's pink eyebrows lifted in surprise, but she didn't comment. Naruto was grateful for that; he didn't feel like telling her about what had happened between him and Sai the other night.
It had been the same old bullshit with the mentioned black haired male. Sai had wanted them to fuck, Naruto had told him no…again, and without warning Sai had gone off on him in a tirade, calling him a teasing whore with no conscience. And of course, Naruto wouldn't put up with that. In retaliation, the blond teen had practically shouted at him that he could go ahead and fuck himself since he was so desperate. Naruto will never forget the look of pure fury on the older's face; the expression comparable to a demon materializing from the shadows.
In what Naruto could describe as an inhumane howl, the Shimura had lunged at him, wanting to attack him. Naruto, thankfully, had dodged the intended assault and had pushed the other boy out of the room with his foot. Locking the door, he had then told Sai through the barrier that the two of them were done and that he didn't want to see his face for the remainder of the semester. Naruto, himself, hadn't heard from nor seen Sai ever since that night.
Reaching the school building's exit minutes later, the three friends sauntered out of the interior and headed to the asphalt that led to the 'student pick up/drop off' sector. Naruto stopped at the rim of the cement sidewalk, situating his luggage behind himself. A group of four senior males appeared from one of the other exits on the opposite side, eying the trio distastefully as they walked. Naruto proceeded to give them the finger, recognizing that the boys couldn't do anything with various staff and bystanders being in the locality.
"You shouldn't encourage them, Naruto," Sakura warned, hastily glancing at the retreating males as enraged expressions settled on their countenances.
"They can't do shit about it; they're too many witnesses."
"Sakura's right," interjected Tenten, tilting her brunette head to the side as she too watched the males. "You shouldn't entice them like that; that'll just make you as low as they are."
Naruto had an urge to sigh again, but held it in. "I know, I know. I shouldn't let them get to me. I just hate the way they look at us as though were dirt beneath their feet."
"That's why you have to be the bigger person," Sakura decreed. "To show people the good guy behind all your brashness." Tenten nodded in agreement, a half grin touching her lips.
"Have I ever told you guys how awesome you are?" Naruto asked with an affectionate smile.
"Yes, you have," the strawberry haired teen consented good-naturedly. "And you shall continue to do so throughout the following years." All three of them laughed at Haruno's silliness prior to a green Jeep honking its horn and cruising parallel to the curb to park.
"That's my Dad," said Tenten, hoisting her carrier bag underneath her right limb. "I gotta go." She gave a one armed hug to both Naruto and Sakura before making her way to the said Jeep. "I'll call you guys later," she called out, entering inside the vehicle afterwards as it pulled away into the public road.
Waving goodbye to their brown headed comrade, Naruto and Sakura then made themselves more comfortable; with Sakura sitting down on her baggage and Naruto leaning against his luggage. The afternoon weather was simmering down a bit, yet it was still too warm to determine whether the surrounding air would cool.
"I'm feeling kinda horny," Sakura unexpectedly declared after a long silence, a teasing light emerging in her jade eyes. "You think I'll have time to—"
"Your parents are going to be here any minute. I wouldn't recommend it," Naruto teased back, snickering underneath his breath.
Just as the words left his mouth, his mother's familiar vehicle pulled into the parking lot and rode in to stop right beside the sidewalk. Uzumaki Kushina leaned toward the passenger seat, rolling down the window to speak. "Hey, sweetheart. The trunk's unlocked so you can go ahead and put your stuff in there," she directed to Naruto before her eyes strayed to the pink haired girl. "Hello, Sakura-chan. How are you?"
"I'm fine, Uzumaki-san. It's good to see you again."
"Are you looking forward to the summer?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Kushina smiled warmly. "Naruto told me you were going to visit us at the cabin next month," she said while her blond son deposited his belongings prior to shutting the trunk. "You'll keep an eye out for him then, won't you?"
"I sure will," Sakura answered with a returning smile.
Naruto mentally rolled his eyes at his mother as he came to stand in front of his female friend. "You want me to stay with you until your parents get here? I'm sure my mom won't mind."
"Naw, I'll be fine," she told him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to hug him. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Okay," the golden boy responded, reciprocating the embrace.
Clutching onto each other for several more seconds, Naruto and Sakura eventually released the other, giving one another one final smile before the blond wandered back to his mother's car to climb into its fabric covered upholstery. He waved at the girl through the clear window as Kushina put the car in drive and zoomed in the direction of the three lane street.
As the vehicle merged gradually into the right lane, Naruto could have sworn he spotted Sai watching him amongst the people waiting outside of the school. He swiftly pushed the thought out of his head, not wanting to even think about the asshole. Adjusting himself in his seat, Naruto used his right hand to turn the air conditioner onto a higher velocity.
The redheaded Kushina peeked at the younger through her peripherals, a fond smile upturning her lips. "I had missed you, y'know."
"You saw me two months ago, Okasan," Naruto pointed out.
"That doesn't mean I couldn't have missed you during that time."
"If you say so."
Deciding to overlook her son's dismissive tone, Kushina asked. "Do you have your report card with you?"
"It's in my bag. Don't worry; it's not like I failed any of my classes or anything," the blond grumbled.
"How long are you going to do this to me, Naruto?" his mother asked with a sigh, becoming fed up with her child's disdain.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean this whole I'm-mad-at-the-world-so-I'm going-to-give-you-an-attitude phase. I would just like to know, that way I can tiptoe around you like I did last summer."
"I'm not mad at the world," Naruto grumbled once more.
"Oh, so I must be the lucky one right?" Kushina drawled sarcastically. Naruto refused to answer, revolving his head to the side to look out the window. "Naruto," she started again, softening her voice. "You're my son. I love you, no matter what. And you should know that I would do anything to protect you. I just wish you would stop resenting me for it."
The older of the Uzumakis thought the other wasn't going to reply. It came as an astonishment when Naruto said softly. "I don't want to resent you."
"And I don't want to grow to resent you, so how can we fix this?"
"…I don't know."
"How about starting with us not fighting over every little thing, hmm?"
Naruto peered at the redhead discreetly, trying to gauge how candid her words actually were. Truth of the matter was, he didn't want to have this animosity against her anymore either; yet in the back of his mind, a nagging feeling kept telling him to resume his distant. After all, she was the reason he had lost contact with Sasuke and had to attend a lame boarding school where the majority of the students didn't like him. How could any person possibly ignore that? Still, she was his mother, and despite everything, he loved her too…
With a resolve in his head, Naruto stated with conviction. "Okay, Ka-chan. I'll try…to not fight with you."
Kushina smiled to herself. It wasn't a sincere apology; but it was a start, and she would take what she could get. Riding in a contented quiet for an undetermined amount of time, the red haired woman broke it again, wanting to maintain a conversation. "Has your sister called you lately?"
It's like she wants me to resent her, he mused in annoyance. Why else would she ask me that just as we agreed we wouldn't fight? "She called me about a month ago actually," he said, not voicing his mental thoughts. "Told me she met some guy."
"Really? She didn't mention anything to me the last time I talked to her."
"I think the only reason she even told me was to rub it in my face."
Stopping the vehicle at an intersection, Kushina differed with, "I don't think she told you to rub it in your face. You know Ino isn't like that with you anymore."
"No, she's better with me. Still, I hate the card she plays with me, like she's an innocent victim and I'm such a horrible person, and—"
"Naruto…"
Hearing the weary warning in her voice, Naruto felt it was time to end the subject. "Can we please listen to the radio?"
Kushina nodded her head, keeping her eyes straight ahead as she turned the dial for the radio to a popular station. The K-pop music pouring in throughout the car was soothing for both parent and child, the melody warm and happy. As one song came after another, Kushina delved deep into her thoughts, her thinking treading onto precarious issues.
She hated that her family wasn't as united as it should've been. Both of her children were distant—Naruto was distant emotionally and Ino was distant physically. The dynamics of their bond was more than shot; it was crushed. Kushina felt that she and her kids were more in crisis now than they had been when Minato had been killed. And for Kushina, there was only one person to blame for their hardship.
Uchiha Sasuke.
That man; that despicable, good-for-nothing excuse of a man had been the one to divide her family. Kushina should've known that the Uchiha would lead to troubling consequences with the way he had handled himself the first time she had invited him into her home and the fact that he had come from a prestigious yet infamous clan. That male had been fed with a silver spoon all of his natural days; it was only a matter of time before he would do something as revolting as seducing her impressionable son. Not to say that she had anything against homosexuality, because she didn't. She just hated the fact that some mere…boy could fool her so callously.
Realistically, the overbearing mother knew that her son was just as much to blame for her daughter's betrayal as the Uchiha was. Nevertheless, she was going to stand with Naruto, guilty or not.
Entering another stretch of highway, the violet-blue eyed female reminisced back to the day she had picked Naruto up from his previous school for the last time. She had had so many emotions swirling inside of her then—anger, sadness, guilt, pity, confusion, and bitterness. She remembered hissing at her blond child before slapping him hard on his cheek. Naruto didn't know it, but Kushina had cried herself to sleep that night, feeling torn between siding with her daughter and feeling at fault for striking her son.
From then on, Kushina had tried to set things right, attempting to appease both Ino and Naruto. Unfortunately, there wasn't much she could amend, considering that the both of them resented her in some way. Kushina only hoped that this summer would bring about healing for all three of them. Ino had said she would try to visit before the month of September; the Uzumaki mother would pray that the younger woman would keep her word.
Looking at her son briefly, Kushina made a silent promise to herself and her children that things would be okay; that they would be okay.
Long, pallid fingers tapped continuously on a steering wheel as aristocratic features stared forward beyond the window shield impatiently; waiting for the jammed crossroad he was currently on to clear so that the said figure could drive onward to his anticipated destination.
It was the late afternoon of the weekend, and the upheaval of the roadway was verification to the unwanted traffic. Sasuke was just relieved that he hadn't been in such chaos during one of his work days; he would've surely been fired for coming in late for his job.
In the back seat of his vehicle were three separate corrugated fiberboard boxes, containing various possessions belonging to a certain nineteen-year-old. Earlier that morning, Sasuke had packed all of his essentials, emptying out every inch of his former dorm room. He had still been irked that he had to remove his things in advance, yet he endured the annoyance. He didn't need nor want the university's administration harassing him for leaving anything behind. It had taken him a good two hours to collect everything, and the raven male could admit that the whole occurrence had left him fatigued.
Gradually, the roadway became less congested, prompting Sasuke to travel at a faster speed. The warm summer vegetation surrounding the area blurred passed him as the traffic finally loosened. In a matter of twenty minutes, the raven male arrived in the affluent neighborhood where his brother's apartment was located.
Turning into a blacktop parking lot on the right hand side, Sasuke parked in one of the vacant spaces near the back, the kanji for 'guest' painted on the sign further ahead. Exiting from his car, the black haired man gazed around the vicinity, his unspoken approval of the quarters making itself known once again.
The luxury apartment buildings were made with what looked like dry-stone wall. The high-rise structures were painted a warm rust, sienna, and pearl color with the roofs built with a brown hued cement covering. The landscaping was impressive; the lawns were cut, the trees were strong with bark, and the bushes and flowers were multicolored. It was also appeasing that the region was quiet with not that many people bustling about; Sasuke definitely appreciated the peaceful setting.
Walking towards the automatic doors that led inside the apartment's main office, Sasuke came inside the room's lobby, still impressed with the marble flooring and the neutral colors layering the walls. He stopped in front of the clerk's desk, giving the man behind the counter a stoic nod.
"May I help you, sir?" the clerk asked him professionally.
"Yes; I would like for you to ring up Uchiha Itachi's number, and inform him that Sasuke has arrived."
"Right away, sir."
Within less than five minutes, the steel elevators on the left split opened to reveal Uchiha Itachi in his entire regal splendor. The mentioned man was dressed classically in a suit and tie, his long black mane cascading down behind his back in a ponytail. His emotionless red tinted irises peered at the younger from across the foyer, a pair of onyx gems staring right back with greatly concealed fondness. The two men stalked to one another majestically, both their heads bowing in a greet as they came to stand in front of the other.
"Good afternoon, otouto," Itachi's silky, baritone voice acknowledged. "You look well. I trust that your drive was a pleasant one?"
"Not at all," Sasuke opposed with outward indifference, figuring his older sibling was goading him.
"I figured," the older man confessed, a smirk appearing on his gorgeous countenance. "You arrived a half hour later than I expected. Shall we?" He motioned with his hand to sweep toward the outdoors.
Curtly nodding his head, Sasuke guided his brother to his parked vehicle to retrieve his boxes. The pair of ravens had to take two trips to recover all of the younger's belongings, the boxes being situated in Itachi's lone guest room. The said room was 800 square foot, complete with a connecting bathroom, tiled floors, a king-sized bed, walk-in closet, and a large window overlooking the city's horizon. His given space was twice as big as the dorms inside of the university.
As the afternoon luminosity morphed into an indigo streaked evening, Sasuke stayed in the guest room, organizing his extent to meet his needs. He was at first unaware as his brother came to stand in the entryway, looking at him intently. Only when the decipherable chill of someone watching him crept up his spine did he glance back at the other, his feet stalking on the floor as he went to sit on the bed.
"Was there something you needed?" Sasuke said, actually sounding inquisitive instead of haughty.
"Just checking on you," Itachi responded.
"I'm fine."
"You're a terrible liar, Sasuke."
"I said I'm fine," the younger murmured, his aggravation visible.
"You're not fine; otherwise, you wouldn't even be in this room."
The youngest Uchiha's head snapped upward, glaring at the other defiantly. He kept the narrowed stare for a few more seconds until he saw that it had zero effect on Itachi. "Maybe not," he lastly admitted. "But I will be."
Itachi couldn't help but a give a half smirk at his brother's mature remark. "Come then. I made dinner," he stated capriciously.
"You cook?" Sasuke's left eyebrow rose in surprise.
"Rarely," was Itachi's only response to the question.
Rising from the bed, Sasuke then followed the older into the kitchenette, the aroma of rice and vegetables filling his senses. The two men unhurriedly plated their meals before making their way to the formal dining table near the perimeter. As they sat down and began eating, a humbled tranquility overwhelmed the entirety of the area, the mellow atmosphere immediate but welcoming.
The relaxed stillness gave Sasuke a chance to wordlessly mull over the relationship that had progressively improved between himself and Itachi. When the males had been younger, there had been an unspoken rivalry among them, coupled with the fact that their father had seemed to favor Itachi over Sasuke. And as an adolescent striving to impress his family, Sasuke had grown jealous of his brother during that time, a certain dislike mending into his psyche.
Therefore, it was rather ironic that the one person he loathed above all else was the one whom supported him and stood by his side. Itachi had consoled him when no one else would, providing him with shelter and advice. Sasuke would forever be grateful for his brother's assistance, although he would probably never voice such a thought aloud.
"How's the job?" asked Itachi suddenly, breaking the silence.
The abrupt inquiry nearly caused Sasuke to flinch in his chair. Masking his face to appear as though the question hadn't startled him, the younger answered, "As I've stated before, a job's a job." This wasn't the first time Itachi had questioned Sasuke about his work, and Sasuke was sure it wouldn't be the last either. Still, he couldn't fathom why the older would incessantly ask the same question.
"So I take it that you still dislike it?"
"I haven't said whether I like it or dislike it. It's a job, and I'm fortunate enough to have it."
"Hn," the older of the men grunted, taking a delicate bite out of his food.
Looking at his brother across the table, Sasuke's eyes lowered warily. "You have something on your mind; something that has to do with me."
Itachi's eyes bored into Sasuke's, an almost dangerous crimson pouring in his irises. After what felt like a long time, the gleam disappeared and Itachi said, "Go ahead and finish your food."
"Aniki, does this have anything to do with me moving in earlier than—?"
"Don't worry about it, Sasuke," Itachi interrupted, waving his hand dismissively.
The younger of the ravens frowned in displeasure, not at all appreciating the other's secrecy. He couldn't interpret what that gleam in his brother's orbs had been about nor could he figure whether the twinkle had been a bad or a good thing. Whatever the case, Sasuke was bound to find out very soon.
The subsequent weeks carried on insipidly, as though time were standing still and moving forward simultaneously. The weather hadn't gotten any cooler; if anything, the climate had increased, the highs escalating into the hundreds, Fahrenheit. In the Uzumaki residence, the boring days of the summer had become a routine.
Kushina, whether unconsciously or not, had a tight hold on Naruto. She would monitor his activities, giving him a premature curfew any time he told her he was going to leave the house. He had to call the house phone or his mother's cell every four hours when he was out, otherwise she threatened to call the police, a threat Naruto took very seriously. What made it worse was the deposit for the annual cabin Kushina had rented for last year had fell through; it would be an extra couple of weeks before they could rent it again.
Naturally, the cerulean eyed teen knew exactly why his mother was acting so controlling—she didn't want to risk her son coming into contact with Sasuke. It wasn't as though Naruto hadn't thought about finding him, because he had, but he didn't want to awaken the wrath of Uzumaki Kushina. Still, some of the times he had gone out with his friends, Naruto would subtly look around for a familiar raven hair style. He had been discouraged each time; nonetheless, hope had blossomed in the blond's chest that he and Sasuke would see each other again.
On a particular sunny afternoon on the fourteenth of July, Naruto just couldn't take his mother's meddling ways anymore and a brief argument commenced…
"You're suffocating me!" he screamed at Kushina, the two of them standing in the foyer of their home. "Why do you have so many boundaries? I'm almost eighteen years old; I shouldn't have to feel like a prisoner every time I leave the house! All Kiba and I were planning on doing was chilling at the mall, and going over his house for the weekend."
"Don't you dare raise your voice at me, Uzumaki Naruto! I'm your mother, and I don't believe that's what you're planning on doing. For all I know you could be planning to spend the entire night doing Kami-knows-what! I thought we agreed you wouldn't fight with me?" the redheaded woman countered, her voice on the verge of yelling.
"I said I'd try, but you're making that difficult with the way you're treating me. Look, you can't all of a sudden being a strict parent just because you don't trust me. I want to hang out with my friend, that's it. What's so wrong with that?" Naruto replied, his tone lessening in severity.
Kushina opened her mouth to retort, but snapped it shut moments later once she took the time to think about what the other had said. What really was wrong with just letting her teenage son spend the night at a friend's house? It wasn't like he had done anything to rouse her suspicion thus far, he had even essentially listened to every rule she had said. I'm overreacting…
"There's…nothing wrong with that," Kushina carefully started. "You're right. I just overreacted, is all. I don't have a problem with you staying the weekend at Kiba's."
Naruto's once troubled expression changed into a huge grin. "So, you'll let me?"
"Yes," his mother confirmed, smiling when Naruto started a happy dance. "But," she dragged the word out, causing the blond to stop dancing and furrow his eyebrows. "I'll be calling Kiba's mother later on to make sure you're at his house, and I still expect you to call every four hours until you fall asleep."
"Is that all, Ka-chan, dear?" Naruto asked almost jokingly, a smile never leaving his lips.
"Yeah, I think that about covers it." Kushina felt good; it was nice to see her son teasing her like he used to.
"Okay, then I'm heading out now," the blond said, picking up his discarded overnight bag he had thrown on the floor. "I'll see you in two days."
"Alright, Naruto. Have fun."
"Thanks," the tanned male muttered, his hand reaching to open the front door before he thought of something. "…Oh, and Ka-chan? I'm sorry for yelling at you."
Kushina's heart swelled as she stared back at the teen. "I'm sorry too. I promise I'll be less suffocating from now on."
Naruto gave his mother one last smile prior to letting himself outside and closing the door. Kushina stood there for several more seconds, her eyes glued to the shut door. With a reassured grin to herself, the woman then spun on her feet and headed in the direction of the living room.
On the other side of the city twenty minutes before, one disgruntled black haired male was stalking his way across a parking lot after his older brother had basically kicked him out of the apartment. It was officially the first day of his summer break, and Sasuke wasn't due back to work until Monday morning. Sasuke hadn't intended to do anything all day, figuring he owed it to himself for having labored hard and often.
Itachi, on the other hand, hadn't felt the same. He reasoned that a young man Sasuke's age should be doing something productive with his time, like getting out in the world and socializing. He had told Sasuke afterward that he didn't want to see him for at least three hours. Sasuke gritted his teeth as he recalled that event, cursing his brother to the deepest levels of hell. Even with them getting along better, Itachi still had a tendency to torment the other.
Reaching his vehicle, the raven headed man took out his keys from his pocket and unlocked the car door. He slammed the door harshly as he clambered inside, deftly putting one of the keys into the ignition to start the engine. Putting on his seat belt, the Uchiha set the automobile in reverse and pulled out of the space. He was cruising on the highway within moments.
With no place he wanted to go in mind, Sasuke spent about fifteen minutes just driving around. The rocking motion of the vehicle's propel began to calm the usually stiff brunette as he drove. Alone with his thoughts, Sasuke contemplated his brother's words and actually considered calling either Shikamaru or Chouji. The two other brunettes were still decent acquaintances of his, although Chouji sometimes grew awkward around him since finding out Sasuke was gay. In spite of that, hanging around them would at least pass the time.
As fast as the idea had developed, it was just as hastily pushed aside. Shikamaru and Chouji were regularly the ones whom contacted or invited him. Questions would be asked about why Sasuke was getting in touch with them if he were the person to call. In the midst of that logic, the dark haired male's mind wandered some more, ultimately leading to a golden haired Adonis.
Naruto…how I miss you…how I long to kiss your lips…
Sasuke wondered, as he maneuvered his car forward, where the blond was at the exact moment and what he was doing. Was he happy? Was he healthy? Was he thinking about Sasuke as much as Sasuke was thinking about him? Did he find somebody else? Such a consideration made the raven gasp out loud, his anguish more than evident.
While the inner agony pulsed within, Sasuke reflexively drove down the recognizable street he knew by heart, the Uzumaki's two-story house appearing in his view. The lovely home was almost as he remembered, apart from the grass not being as trimmed. Why he chose to see the house after more than a year, he didn't know.
Stopping his vehicle diagonally from the house's walkway, Sasuke noticed a running taxi to the side of him, the driver obviously waiting for someone. The obsidian eyed man was confused in regards to the cab, but decided it had nothing to do with him. Looking through the passenger side window, Sasuke watched the home longingly, his hand then lowering to put the car back into drive when he presumed he had been there long enough.
Just as he was about to pull away from the curb, the front door to the Uzumaki abode inched opened, a glint of flaxen catching Sasuke's gray-black irises. The male's head snapped to the side as a teen body emerged. Sweet Kami-sama, he knew that face! He knew that hair, those eyes, even that smile as pearly whites graced the inside of that luscious mouth. Oh, goodness, it was him! It really was him!
His torture, his anger, his happiness, his lover, his heart, his obsession, his Naruto…
The said teen was skipping towards the taxi, oblivious to the pair of hungry eyes studying him. Entering into the yellow vehicle, Naruto and the driver conversed for an instant before the taxi carted away to travel through the modest neighborhood. Sasuke turned his steering wheel to make a U-turn, intent on following his new found lover.
Naruto arrived at the mall a quarter before four; he swiftly paid the taxi driver previous to ambling toward the main building's entrance. Because of the weekend, there were masses of people walking in and out of the diverse number of structures, chatter resounding from different consumers. Naruto had time to kill since Kiba wouldn't be meeting him for quite some time.
The brown haired teen had called Naruto an hour before they were expected to meet. His sister Hana, who was supposed to drop off him, apparently had bailed on him. Kiba now had to wait for his mother to get off of work, and she normally didn't get home until four thirty. Of course, Naruto could've asked his own mom to pick up Kiba and drop the both of them off, but he needed more breathing room from her.
Strolling through some of the aisles that made up the inside of the mall, the blond headed boy peered at any singular store that piqued his interest. He stalked from one direction to the next for ten minutes until he came across a tattoo/piercing shop. Waltzing inside, Naruto looked around the site, perceiving its dimness.
Behind a wooden counter a foot away from the opening sat a red headed man, a few years older than Naruto. He had pale skin, his hair was chin-length, and he had numerous piercings on his face. His contact colored eyes stared back at Naruto as the blond stepped closer.
"Appointment or walk-in?" the pierced male inquired coolly.
"Neither; I was just curious."
"Curious about piercings, tattoos, or both?"
"Tattoos, I guess."
"Did you have a question then?"
Naruto grimaced at the other's monotone voice. "I…think I might want a tattoo of a swirl on my stomach. Could you do that in one setting?"
The older finally showed a hint of emotion, his lips tilting into an almost smile. "Sure, kid. You're at least eighteen, right?"
"Shit no; not until October."
"Well, come back in three months, I'll do it for you. Just make sure you bring in an ID."
"Okay, thanks," Naruto said, turning his back on the guy and exiting from the shop. How could a person be cool and creepy at the same time?
Sasuke was on the precipice of pulling out his hair. He had been searching for the dope for the last fifteen minutes or so, and yet he hadn't find a clue of the younger's whereabouts. After he had trailed the taxi cab to the mall, the raven had parked as close to the entrance as he could get. He had then witnessed the blond coming into the shopping mall but had lost sight of him, the crowd of people obscuring his beloved's outline.
Stalking passed a kid-oriented store, the black headed Uchiha made his way to the public bathrooms, hoping miraculously that the boy he loved would somehow appear from the corner's hallway. Leaning against the edge of the wall near the lavatory's corridor, Sasuke kept his eyes peeled, ignoring everyone else around him. No one else mattered, anyway.
More time slipped by, and Sasuke could feel the peak of failure surfacing. Pushing off the wall, Sasuke rotated his body to the left, and nearly choked on his own spit. Naruto was merely four yards away from him, the golden boy walking at a leisure pace. The black haired man went toward him, wanting, needing, to touch him. Sasuke would've called out to the other male, but Naruto without warning entered inside an antique store.
Making a sound of irritation, Sasuke pursued the other vigilantly. Once he walked into the store, the raven's eyes zeroed in right onto Naruto. He's even more beautiful than I remember, he thought as he took a careful stride. He came right behind the blond, his arm lifting to grasp Naruto's right shoulder. Sasuke was about to open his mouth to whisper his lover's name when the most wonderful thing happened.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Naruto turned his head back, having sensed someone coming up behind him. As soon as their eyes connected, it was as though the Earth tilted on its axis, the telltale signal of a catastrophe occurring yet people being powerless to cease the disaster.
Naruto blinked once, twice, three times; his lips parting in what Sasuke believed was an adorable fashion. Moving forward, Sasuke at last got to touch the one person he had been craving for a total of two years, his hand clutching the hem of the younger's shirt.
Even with that simple touch, neither male was willing to break the precious eye contact.
Interesting Facts Relating to Chapter 2.
1. It took three drafts, two spell-checks, and five hours to complete.
2. Naruto's and Sasuke's lives are parallel to one another, leading up to their meeting.
3. My first draft I was actually going to have Sasuke encounter Naruto at his house, but decided against it.
4. A lot of this chapter consisted of people driving/riding in cars.
Take care, my glorious readers!
