Introduction: Is it really that surprising I updated? Hah hah… it's to be expected. Before I start chapter two though, I'd like to thank my reviewers from chapter one.Thanks!: Loony Luna The Emo Prep, Fire-Ember-Leigh, wolf anima.Without your reviews, I wouldn't have continued… (Grave look) And on with the story!
It was the strangest of times for team 7. It was morning, and everyone was on time except for… " Have you seen Naruto?" Sakura asked the team's teacher Kakashi. Kakashi was a man of many secrets and a man of outstanding tardy records, so it was only natural to worry about Naruto's absence when Kakashi showed up on time that morning. " Hmm?" Kakashi sounded off in suprise, " You don't know?" Sakura felt uneasy at the shocked tone in her teacher's voice. " Should- should I know?" She asked, not sure if it was something she wanted to hear. " Well… I don't know if I'd be stepping some kind of boundary by telling you this but-" Kakashi's voice drabbled on into some fantastical tall tale in the background. All the while, Sasuke was standing still, looking out toward the village of Konoha. Didn't Naruto say he would see him tomorrow? ' What's going on, Naruto?'
" That's all lies!" Sakura fumed. " Not all of it." Kakashi admitted with an amused look on his face. " But seriously," Kakashi suddenly changed his demeanor. " Iruka told me Naruto wasn't feeling well today." Sasuke's mind suddenly snapped back into reality.
" But by the sound of it, he'll be back in no time." Kakashi gave his two students a genuine look that was meant to reassure them, but it only worried Sasuke more.
Sasuke hadn't always been so caring; actually, Sasuke had been the antonym of caring. Sasuke was cold hearted, self-centered, and every other negative word that the dictionary held between it's bindings. But somehow, all of those negative feelings floated away when he met a boy who should have been like himself. Naruto should have been quiet, he should have been depressed, he should have been a lot of things that he isn't. 'And maybe," Sasuke thought, " If he can find a light in this darkness, than so can I.'
It was drastic change for Sasuke. Sasuke had never felt the light of day beating down on his soul, and perhaps that's what embarrassed him the most. Sasuke couldn't bring himself to sound concerned or friendly as easily as the majority could. Instead, Sasuke tried his best to cover up his feelings. Every sour word Sasuke knew was continuously pitted against the source of his feelings, as if to prove Naruto hadn't bested him.
Training was over for the day, and the kids were happy to find that they could spend the rest of it doing whatever they pleased. For Sasuke, it felt as if the whole day was playing all over again. The day just wouldn't end. He wanted it to fast forward into morning already so he could get over this sick feeling. 'Tomorrow,' Sasuke told himself, 'Naruto will meet up with us for training as usual.' The pep talk didn't do much for lessening his tension, and so stuck with having to suffer the last few hours of daylight he decided he'd take a walk. That was when he found himself at the little bridge above the koi pound. It was a secluded little thing, forgotten about somewhere in the forest. ' How did I end up here?' Sasuke thought in confusion. When he had started out on his walk there hadn't been a destination in mind.
For a brief moment, Sasuke's heart jumped at the thought of Naruto standing there on the bridge looking down into the pond with a tranquil look upon his features. Sasuke lifted a hand and cupped it over his chest. What was that fleeting moment? It came so abruptly that it could have been a mistake. The sheer thought of a male loving a male sexually was taboo. And yet, here it was, that feeling of enticement Sasuke got every time Naruto was around.
Sasuke made his way onto the bridge. He let his hand drift across the rail as he crossed it. Just knowing Naruto and he had stood in this exact spot, together… it made him burst with excitement. A smile graced his normally cool features, and for the first time in so long, he felt good about it. But once it started, it was hard to stop. He couldn't help but imagine the boy's face close to his, as it had been that day when Naruto had unexpectedly turned to leave. With the sun so close to setting, everything that evening looked a shade of scarlet, and so that sudden tint of red across Sasuke's face had been overlooked.
Before he knew it, Sasuke was standing in that same crimson evening. Everything was how it had been that day, except the most important piece was missing, "Naruto." The ghost from yesterday appeared before him, head dropped low with an air of solitude around him. It wasn't an image he wanted to picture. Pulling away from the bridge railing, he decided it was time to wander back home. As he turned to leave, the image of Naruto bumping into him suddenly came up. For a moment Sasuke stood there, looking in all directions, half expecting to see the blonde. It was no use though; Naruto wasn't coming like he promised the pond. "The world is full of what ifs," Sasuke stiffly told himself, and finally he headed homeward.
To be continued…?
Thanks for reading! This is really turning out different from what I'd imagined… (whips, torches, strange cone shaped object) maybe it's for the best.
