I forgot to state this in the last section but if a large section is in italics it's a flashback! There's gonna be a LOT of flash backs.
Thank you for reading this and I hope you enjoy it!
Naruto woke up the next morning to see the sun illuminating the mysterious snow globe Naruto had received the day before on the dresser in front of him.
"Sasuke, if you are here why are you hiding? Why all the secrecy? I've been apart from you too much already, I want you back." Naruto muttered to himself and sluggishly rolled himself out of bed and into the shower. After washing off all the tiredness Naruto got dressed for school and headed out the door with a cup of instant ramen and some chopsticks after taking one good look around his house and making sure that the door was locked so that no one who didn't have a key could get in.
Naruto actually stayed for all of his classes today because he needed to talk to Sakura after class. He wasn't paying any attention going on in the classroom around him, he didn't want to be there in any way, shape, or form so he simply watched the birds fly outside, wondering why they hadn't left for the winter yet. Naruto could hear the teacher trying to explain how systems of equations worked. The teacher herself was fairly bright. She was wearing a white blouse and a long black skirt with a red belt around her waist to go with her piercing eyes that she had red contacts in.
Suddenly a tap on Naruto's shoulder brought him back into reality. Naruto looked to his right to see Saukra motioning to a folded paper on his desk. He opened the paper as quietly as he could--which wasn't very quiet.
"I didn't mean to offend you so much yesterday but I stand by what I said. You should be moving on."
Naruto made sure the teacher wasn't looking and wrote his reply quickly and quietly. It was only two simple words: Sasuke's back. Naruto slipped Sakura the paper and went back to looking out the window but it wasn't more than thirty seconds before Saukra caused a scene next to him.
"WHAT?! You have to be kidding me!" Sakura hollered interrupting class and causing the entire room to focus on her.
"Miss Haruno, I'm so happy you have volunteered to stay after class. Now if you wouldn't mind I would like to returned to todays scheduled events." The teacher glared at Sakura as she slowly sunk back in her seat after her display.
"Y-yes Kurani-sensi..." The teacher turned to face the board and continued with their lesson aimlessly, all of the students whispered and gossiped about Sakura's outburst for the res of the class period.
When the bell finally rang signaling the end of class all of the students clamored out of the room to spread the gossip about Sakura's mental breakdown.
"I'm sorry that you have to stay late, I'll wait for you across the street at the cafe`. Ok?" Naruto gave Sakura a friendly pat on the shoulder and grabbed his stuff to leave.
"Fine, but it's your fault that I'm stuck here so you had better be planning on treating me!" Sakura growled at the blonde boy.
"Fine, fine. Just hurry up and get started so you can get finished~" Naruto yelled as he dashed out the door leaving Sakura with an even more alloyed Kurani.
Naruto waited for twenty minutes, rejecting every waitress who attempted to serve him because he wanted to wait for Sakura. Sakura finally showed up but a little worse for the wear. Her hair was mussed up and her uniform was covered in dust. She was panting, probably ran away from Kurani's painful glare. She collapsed in the chair across from Naruto and let out a huge sigh of annoyance.
"My god Sakura! You look like you fell into a grave. What happened?" Naruto said reaching across the table to straighten several stray hairs that she seemed to miss.
"Kurani had me clean the old Science closet that no one uses anymore." Sakura sighed, slouching in her chair and running her hand through her hair with a little difficulty.
"Are you finally ready to order?" The waitress returned with her pad and pen at the ready, smiling at the two of them.
"Yeah, thanks for being so patient." Naruto gave the waitress a beaming smile and ordered a chocolate shake, while Sakura ordered a strawberry one. The two teens made small talk until their shakes arrived, not wanting anyone to drop in on their conversation in the middle. Once their shakes arived and the waitress was gone they got down to bussiness.
"What did you mean by Sasuke being back?"
"I mean that he's back. Here. In Konoha." Naruto said simply and slowly, taking a sip from his shake.
"How do you know though Naruto? Have you seen him? Talked to him? Is he staying with you like before?" Sakura questioned, raising her voice a little out of annoyance.
"No, it's none of that it's a little...strange. I...I just know it's him and I know he's here!." Naruto whined. He wasn't one hundred percent sure it was Sasuke but he needed this sliver of hope that was lingering in his heart.
"How do you know it's him if you don't have any proof!? Give me evidence he's back here!" Sakura said very loudly and consequently several heads turned to face the two.
"Sakura, hush up!" Naruto hissed at the pink haired girl and took another large sip of his shake. "I came home yesterday after talking to you and there was a gift for me. just sitting on my bed. Nothing else was different. I opened it and...there was a snow globe inside. It was a snow globe of Konoha and it said...it said 'come back some day.'" Naruto got really quiet suddenly.
"How can you know that's him though and not just someone that lives in your building or goes to school with you?" Sakua asked. It wasn't that she didn't' want Sasuke to be back but this was just too strange and miricalistic for her taste.
"only Sasuke could have sent this...it was the last thing he said to me before he was taken away. I remember it so well, it still hurts like I'm hearing it for the first time." Naruto started tearing up but trying his hardest to hold it back. "It has to be him Sakura, it just has to be." Sakura sighed and stood up.
"Naruto, I hope for your sake that it is. You know I miss him too but don't get too hopeful I don't want to see you hurt again. Thank you for the treat. I'll see you tomorrow at school." Sakura grabbed her bag and left, waving goodbye to Naruto from outside. Naruto put down the money and tip he owed and started trekking home before it got dark out.
Naruto made it to his apartment building just before it became too dark to see in front of him. He walked through his door and headed to his bedroom, part of him hoping there would be another present waiting for him on the bed. But, after hanging up his coat and turning to the bed Naruto saw there wasn't a present there today, only his blankets. Naruto's heart sank an inch when he saw this. He sat on down on his bead and picked up the snow globe.
"It was you wasn't it?" Naruto said to the globe and put it back down. He sighed and changed into his orange and black attire for lounging around the house. Still full from the shake Naruto by passed the kitchen an headed straight for the television. Naruto jumped onto the old couch that was covered in holes but fell uncomfortably on something that didn't feel very familiar. Naruto reached under himself to pull it out and nearly did a double-take when he saw what it was. In his hand Naruto held an old and worn stuffed fox. It was a dirty orange with an almost grey tail and ears. Obviously it had been the recipient of a lot of attention in the past--Naruto's attention. It had a black bow tied around its neck and an orange tag attached to the ribbon.
To my kyuubii. Your whiskers were always so soft.
"This....this proves it! This is from Sasuke! This can't be from anyone else!" Naruto spat out, expatriated. He was so filled with joy he could hardly hold it in. Tears spilled out of Naruto's eyes and over the three thin black whisker tattoos on each cheek.
"Naru, are you sure you want to do this? These hurt a lot you know." The two teens were stationed outside of a dirty looking tattoo parlor in Sasuke's black Audi. Naruto was intent on getting a tattoo and Sasuke was intent on keeping his little blond ink free.
"Please Sasuke! You said I could get whatever I wanted for my birthday! You promised!" Narutp whined holding onto his old stuffed fox. Sasuke finally caved and game in with a sigh. He just couldn't say no to Naruto when he was acting so cute.
"Fine, but nothing huge ok?" Sasuke looked at Naruto sternly, he was serious about this one.
"Ok, thank you Sasu! I love you!" Naruto Hugged the other boy tightly and kissed him softly before jumping out of the car and heading in.
"This is not going to end well." Sasuke sighed and followed Naruto in. When sasuke walked in Naruto was looking at all of the tattoos on the walls and trying to decide on one.
"Remember dobe, Small. Got it?"
"Yeah yeah~" Naruto hummed and sprang forward at a tattoo "That one Sasu! I want that one!" Naruto pointed enthusiastically at a pair of three short lines that looked like whiskers.
"Naruto, those go on your face! They hurt even more than normal tattoos!" Sasuke growled in disapproval.
"We can give him an anesthetic to numb his cheeks for it. He won't feel a thing. you can trust me. My name is Kabuto, I know this may seem like a sleazy joint but we really won't give you any harmful bug. What do you say?" The man with the needle asked the two boys. Sasuke looked at NAruto who looked like he was going to cry if Sasuke didn't let his go through with this choice. Sasuke sighed, he had lost again.
"Fine, he can get the tattoo." Sasuke pushed Naruto toward the chair and Kabuto.
"Ok, now you're going to feel a poke but it will all be gone soon." Kabuto said injecting naruto's right cheek then his left one and then grabbing a new needle he started. Naruto had one hand held by Sasuke and the other held onto his stuffed fox that he had brought with him for finished the right cheek in about fifteen minutes and then moved onto the left. Sasuke looked at Naruto's face. the whiskers looked so natural on him as if they were meant to be there.
"Ok, he's all done." Kabuto said, standing up and grabbing some bandages. "Tell the boy when he wakes up to not overdose on pain meds and change these bandages at least three times a day for a week. After that you're home free. They look good on him." Kabuto put on the two large bandages and Sasuke paid him for his work.
"Naru, Naru-chan." Sasuke moved Naruto around for a minute but then decided that it was a hopeless idea and decided to pick up the other boy on his back not noticing the small fox he was leaving behind. It wasn't until the two got home and Naruto woke up in his bed that either noticed the fox was gone. Sasuke apologized on end for days but Naruto stayed up set with him for a week. But when the bandages came off and Naruto saw the tattoos Sasuke bought for him he entirely forgot about the fox and forgave Sasuke.
"I lost this...that night." Naruto touched his cheek where his tattoos laid. "Only Sasuke ever knew that I brought this with me. I was so scared that even Sasuke wasn't enough to calm me at that time." Naruto hugged the fox as tightly as he could and sat there on the couch for the rest of the evening with it. Sasuke was back it was just a small matter of time before Naruto knew where.
