Never Forget Me Chapter 2: I Still Love You, a naruto fanfic

Author: Shimizu Asuka
Title: Never Forget Me
Chapter: Two: I Still Love You

It was quiet, there was only the gentle sound of the water running past in the river. Naruto smiled as he remembered that this was where he had been kissed by Sasuke the first time. It was awkward and clumsy, but it marked the beginning of a great love. Naruto sat on the rock that looked out across the water. It was a beautiful view with the sun setting.

"I thought I'd find you here," Sasuke said quietly. It didn't really startle Naruto that Sasuke had come up so suddenly. He was to be the next Hokage after all. Naruto looked over to him and saw him watching the sunset as Naruto had been. For all Naruto knew, Sasuke hadn't even glanced his way.

"Did you want to talk to me?" Naruto asked still looking at Sasuke. He had grown even more handsome in the years that had passed. He kept his hair the same length but no longer gelled it up, and his skin was still the same pale tone. He was wearing a vest and black pants, he had a thin black sweater under his vest that had swirls on the shoulders. Naruto could see that Sasuke had gathered his fair share of mental scars being on the ANBU squad. It showed in his eyes, something had changed in Sasuke.

"Why Sakura? You're not straight."

Naruto wasn't surprised by his bluntness. "I love Sakura. Has it never occured to you that maybe I'm straight, or maybe I'm bi."

"Yeah. But you're not the type."

"Says who?"

"Me," Sasuke said coming closer to Naruto.

"Look Sasuke, what we had, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. But I need to be practical, we need to be practical. I'm going to be leaving in a week and you and I will go on with our lives without a thought to the other. That's how its been for the past twelve years."

"Maybe for you. I thought about you every day. Not once did I look at another person. Not once. And I see you come back engaged. Do I mean so little to you?"

"No. Don't ever think that. You will always have a place in my heart. Always. But I can't do this right now. Sakura, she is worried about me. She thinks she's going to lose me. To you," Naruto looked back out to the water.

"But Naruto, I still love you. I've been waiting for you to come back. I never wanted to be Hokage, but everyone was pressuring me... so I took it. It was supposed to be you. And I was supposed to be by your side." Sasuke paused angrily. "Look at me you coward."

Naruto's head fell. His shoulders were shaking. "Sasuke..." came huskily from Naruto's throat. They were silent. "I still love you too."

He looked at Sasuke with tears in his eyes. "But I can't leave her. I don't even know you anymore."

Naruto sensed Sasuke's presence leaving the area.

"Stupid Naruto, always playing with my feelings," Sasuke murmured to the wind.

It was another few hours before Naruto got up and started trudging back to the hotel. He knew that Sakura would be worried sick about him. He had said that he was going to be there. Even though he had had no intention of going in the first place.

Naruto walked through the door to find that Sakura wasn't there. 'She must still be at Ino's'

He fell onto the bed without changing and quickly fell asleep.

Naruto woke up with the sunlight in his face. He was warm and there was an arm wrapped around his waist.

He turned his head to see who it was, even though he guessed it would be Sakura. And it was. He was comfortably under the covers but he had to pee.

He made a move to get up but Sakura held him down.

"But I need to go Sakura."

"Please stay Sasuke."

"What?"

"Sasuke don't go," she cried out in her sleep. "No, its not your fault. Stay with me. I love you."

There was pain in Naruto's eyes as he shook her awake.

"Naruto? Oh Naruto," she said hugging him tightly.

"Can I go pee now?"

"Umm.. of course."

Sasuke was at the Hokage office again. He had so much work to do now-a-days.

"Tsunade-sama, do you think that Sakura and Naruto are happy together?" Sasuke asked more to himself. But he wanted the answer anyways.

"Yes, I do. But I think that he would be happier with you. The two of you still have an unresolved relationship, explore it, see where it takes you. That's just an old woman's opinion though," she said winking at him. He smiled. So someone in this village had a brain.

"Thanks Tsunade-sama," Sasuke said still smiling.

"Anytime kiddo. Now there is a lot of paperwork to finish, lets get it done before I get old."

They chuckled and the room was plunged into silence once again.

Naruto walked down the streets of Konoha, looking at all the things around him. Things that hadn't changed, and occasionally things that had. It was almost fun to see his old village again, if only he could let go of some of his memories. If only he wasn't born with Kyuubi. Which actually had just been a disease he had had as a younger child and teen. He'd had an operation and no longer had a 'Kyuubi' in his body. No more seal and no more demon. No one had the right to call him a monster anymore.

He continued walking and saw Sasuke walking towards him. He wanted to dart away. Wanted to vanish, but he didn't know how anymore. It had been too long. Sasuke was looming closer and closer. And it looked like he was going to talk to him. But Sasuke quickly turned his face away from Naruto's vision.

Naruto then headed to a nearby bar. And drank.

He drank until his vision was just a little blurry. And then he left. To go back to the riverbank. He didn't care if Sakura was worried about him right now. He needed to sort out his own head.

Sitting down Naruto was hit with a vision of his past.

It was night. And the streets were dark. The city was silent. But Naruto and Sasuke weren't tired. They went to the riverbank hand in hand. They watched the water holding each other. But then their passion took over. Naruto and Sasuke were kissing in the dark. And ever so slowly did their clothes start disappearing off their bodies. They took one look at each other in the moonlight and then their bodies joined again. Joined as one. There were moans and gasps. And yells of 'Sasuke' or sometimes 'Naruto'.

It was the one and only time they had made love. There pride keeping them away from what their hearts had desired for so long.

"It was a memorable night wasn't it Sasuke?" Naruto asked as he felt the other there with him. Hidden in the shadows. "I never forgot what happened. Between you and me. And I never told anyone."

"I never told. But the people of the city knew," Sasuke whispered. It seemed the beauty of the night would shatter if there was a noise too loud.

"I never knew how they knew, but they ran me out of town for it," Naruto said. "I never wanted to leave you," Naruto said with tears forming in his eyes.

"It's okay Naruto, you're back right now, that's all that matters," Sasuke wanted to hold Naruto in his arms. Feel the warmth his body had been craving since the night Naruto had left. It had been so long ago. Sasuke slowly inched forward to touch Naruto. He didn't want him to be an illusion. Not this time. Not when he was so close to breaking.

"Naruto..." he whispered as he wrapped his arms around Naruto from behind. This time he didn't vanish this time he was real, and Sasuke hadn't been happier in twelve years.

"Sasuke, you know I can't do this with you. I have Sakura, she loves me and I love her. I can't cheat on her just because the man I loved wants me. I'm supposed to be giving myself to her. In mind, body and soul. And I can't do that if I'm still in love with you. I can't give in Sasuke," Naruto looked into Sasuke eyes. "Please don't throw yourself all over me. It just makes it harder for me."

"But Naruto, you love me and I love you, why can't we be together? Is it all Sakura?"

"No, I don't want to cheat. And I won't have a one night stand with a man I barely know anymore," Naruto said with cold in his words. "Please take your arms off me."

Sasuke slid his arms off of the tan body. "Why did you ask Sakura to marry you?" He asked just out of curiousity.

"Well, she was a childhood friend of mine, and then she was all I had when I was gone away," Naruto said shrugging. "I owe her, she deserves the best that I can give her... You know, it would mean a lot to us if you would come to the wedding."

"I'll think about."

"I know Sakura would love it if you came."

"I'll think about it."

"Okay," Naruto said looking at the moonlight reflecting on the water.

"I still come here often. Its beautiful. And it reminds me of you. It works better when your actually here though," Sasuke said chuckling a little.

"Something I've been meaning to ask you, why is it that you seem so much happier now Sasuke? You said that you were miserable those years I was gone, so why do you look so happy?"

"I took a leaf out of your book. Its called masking your emotions. No one ever thought that I might do that. I mean I was sad for a few months," more like years "But I made it through and then I started getting happy. No one ever suspected anything. I was safe until the day I saw you again. Which was yesterday. And now all I think about is you. I see you everywhere, I smell you, I hear you, I think about you. I can't get you off my mind. I just... love you... your what I live for, the thing that keeps me breathing."

"Sasuke... I already said that I can't. I can't change my mind right now, I made a promise to Sakura and I have to keep it. You wouldn't like it if I was engaged to you and then went and married Sakura."

"You wouldn't leave me for Sakura, you loved me more then you ever did Sakura. You have to think of what you want. It doesn't matter what I want or what Sakura wants. Its up to you to decide who you want to be with for the rest of your life. If its her. Fine. If its me. That's fine too."

To Be Continued.