Well IT'S FINALLY HERE! I have successfully updated Strip, Baby, Strip with this chapter, so ya'll should be proud of me.
Disclaimer: Naruto Is still not mine.
I'm so sorry it took me so long just to update this. I've been so busy with school and such plus my intense writers block that I've just had little to no motivation into writing. But hopefully I'll start picking it up again for you all =D
Enjoy my latest and don't forget to review. It'll make me happy knowing if I've gotten better at writing… or worse….
R-A-M-E-N
Uzumaki Naruto sat at his kitchen table with his boyfriend, Uchiha Sasuke. It had been months since the strip poker incident, and although they had never planned on it occurring, stayed together ever since.
They ate in silence; Naruto slurping on ramen and Sasuke picking at a salad containing extra tomatoes. The raven watched with disgust as his lover basically inhaled the soup and noodles without a breath. The grease splashed onto the blonde's scarred cheeks, completely oblivious to his actions. Although the thought sickened him more, he got up from his chair and walked over to Naruto's side.
"Hn, dobe, you have soup on your face." The older teen leaned in and gave a swift lick to the blonde's cheek and watched a dark blush spread across the smooth tan face.
"Teme, I could have gotten it myself. I don't need your help."
"Hn." Without another word, Sasuke moved back to his seat, picked up his dishes and watched them out in the kitchen sink before drying and putting them away in their rightful homes. Silently, he shuffled back to Naruto's bedroom.
The blonde boy just sat at the table, staring at his empty ramen up and chopsticks. He picked up the napkin that sat to his right and wiped the rest of the grease off his face. He gazed at the empty cup in front of him. There was nothing different or unusual about the ramen holder than every other time he had eaten that brand, but he felt as though he could not tear his eyes away. 'Ramen' was written clearly around the Styrofoam cup in large bubbly lettering. Then underneath the name, were the nutrition facts, and directions on how to prepare the noodles. Again, nothing odd. Still Naruto sat and just threw the word back and forth through his head.
'Ramen… Rahmen…Rayman…Raven…Sasuke… Kami, Sasuke hates ramen so much he avoideds it like the plague. It's like he can't give it a rest; always telling me how unhealthy it is for me and that it's just gross. But I love it anyways.'
And no matter what, it would always be Naruto's favorite meal of the morning, afternoon, and night. It sickened his lover, but next to him, ramen was what filled Naruto's void. His parents died and was raised by Iruka-sensei. Although the demon that had killed his own parents lived inside that same boy, Iruka always treated Naruto as though he was his own flesh and blood. Naruto had never known his parents or even how they died, but he knew he always had Iruka with his by his side.
Still, as his guardian, Iruka was unsure of how to comfort Naruto when he could no longer take the confusion and the mystery of his parent's bereavement. So to get him calm, he would bring Naruto to Ichiraku's Ramen stand and let him drown his sorrows in bowls upon bowls of delicious noodles.
After the incident with the Sacred Scrolls of Sealing, Naruto had learned the truth about his parent's death, and his life spiraled downward. Ramen was the only thing he could go to. It didn't judge him, despise him, or exclude him like the village had done. No matter what happened, he felt as though he needed to show everyone that he was better than the demon sealed inside his body. He trained himself to become superior than of what people believed.
His team was loving, almost like a second family to him (Iruka as the first), but it couldn't fill the void. Ramen was the only thing that made him feel better about himself and achieving his goal. Slowly, but surely, Naruto was on his way to Hokage until Sasuke went missing. He left and never said goodbye to him. Now that there was no more Sasuke, Naruto realized how much he cared about his raven-haired teammate-how strong his love for him had been. It took him weeks to realize the truth behind his feelings for Sasuke. But every night, after bowls upon bowls of ramen, he would stand at the Konoha entrance waiting for Sasuke to come back.
The more he ate ramen, the more he realized that he ate it less and less while Sasuke was around, unless, of course, Sasuke offered to treat; which wasn't very often. Happily, Naruto would agree and go with Sasuke to the stand. The blonde boy's happiness radiated through his smile, Sasuke; unable to do anything except smile coyly to himself, which he always thought went unnoticed by his dumb teammate.
Every time Sasuke treated, he never ate anything, but stared blankly into a full bowl of noodles. He never touched it and let it sit a while before pushing it towards Naruto. Naruto would grin with glee and dig right in without another thought. Sasuke would turn away and smile shyly again, hoping it would be unseen by Naruto. Sasuke never knew that Naruto saw every single smile that graced Sasuke's thin yet full lips.
Every night while Naruto stood at the entrance, waiting, is when he realized that all he ever wanted was to see Sasuke smile one more time. Without Sasuke, he was all alone, wishing for him to return home. No matter what he did, Sasuke was always there in his head. Some days he would remember their last fight at the Valley of The End. Never could he understand Sasuke's need for power. standing on the rock of statues together, Naruto couldn't help but whisper out, "Please don't go. Don't leave me here without you" but it went unheard by the raven. He felt like a fool just trying to change Sasuke's mind. And then it hit him. That's all he ever be in anyone's eyes. A fool; nothing more. Looking back at Sasuke's intense glare trained on him, he could feel the burn on his skin. Not a fire jutsu, just Sasuke's defiant stare.
Their fight ensued and Sasuke walked away-from his life, his home, and his best friend. When Naruto was found, and returned, he was emitted to the hospital immediately where all his remaining friends came to see him. After a particularly upsetting visit from Sakura, the only thing she could say before leaving was, "Smile." He knew why, too. It was his job to raise everyone's hope and turn sadness into laughter, but he just couldn't do it with a piece of his heart missing. He still tried, but he felt as though he failed. Day after day, he'd go back to the ramen stand, most times more than once a day. Then he'd just stop going back to entrance, except for missions when it was necessary.
Naruto had made it his new goal to find, rescue, and bring back Sasuke, pushing aside his previous aspiration to become Hokage. Finding Sasuke was more important to him; his top priority. It was selfless and selfish at the same time. Sure, he was temporarily forgetting his dream to become the best to find his friend, but he wanted Sasuke as his own. To claim him. He trained, but never felt like he was getting closer to success.
Days, months, years flew by and Sasuke never left his head. He worked harder and pushed himself to the brink; beyond his limits. He'd keep fighting to the end, to death. It was his ninja way to never go back on his word. Promising Sakura he'd bring Sasuke back was a commitment he could never break. He labored for it and then the news came.
Orochimaru was dead.
The murderer?
None other than Uchiha Sasuke.
Naruto was dumbfounded by this. Why would Sasuke kill the man who had given him the power he desired most?
Another year later, the Akatsuki had been destroyed so Sasuke returned. Naruto was overwhelmed by the emotions that hit him.
Happy: to see the man he loves most returned to the village.
Sad and upset: he hadn't achieved his goal; rather Sasuke came back on his own accord.
Angry: that Sasuke had put him through that hell for years without any explanation.
He heard the news while downing his sixth bowl of ramen. It was a normal day like any other, until, that is, the message was relayed to him. His stomach dropped and he could no longer keep his food down. He stopped eating, threw some money down on the bar and sprinted over roof tops towards Hokage Tower, the only place Sasuke would go to. Bursting through the doors, he was met face-to-face with his best friend. Tsunade was the first to speak.
"Right on time, Naruto. I'll spare you the details before you jump down my throat with your own two cents. Sasuke's here to stay, but he has been sentenced to six months of house arrest in the Uchiha Estates where he will be under strict surveillance. You will be making house checks every other hour except during the night because you will be spending your sleeping time in a separate room of Estates. Do not complain or I will send you back to level D-rank missions during Uchiha's entire sentence. Do you understand? Good." She turned her chair towards the large windows providing her with a view of her village then barked out without waiting for a reply, "Dismissed!"
Without another word, they left in the direction of Sasuke's old home.
Since that day, Sasuke never treated him to ramen again, but it never stopped Naruto from buying some himself. While he spent so much time checking in on the raven, the blonde usually only had time to prepare instant ramen from a cup. Good, but never as good as the fresh ramen from scratch.
Those six months went by slowly, but before he knew it, Naruto was moving back into his old apartment. The two had bonded once again, and become great friends, yet they still had some trust issues. Sasuke continued to refuse sharing his past experiences, however; things had become increasingly 'normal' between the two shinobi.
True, Sasuke had left Konoha, but instead of utter hatred for each other, they were closer, more like brothers than enemies. They were just about inseparable except for the distance between their homes. It didn't matter that Sasuke was home again, but their distance still hurt Naruto, missing Sasuke more and more. So whenever the raven went on extensive missions, the pain came back full force. The blonde would go back to Ichiraku's ramen and just forget. Everything.
There was always the worry that Sasuke just would go out on a mission and just decide to never come back. It freaked out Naruto to the point where if a mission ran late he'd eat his weight in ramen then run to the entrance and just wait for his return. The blue-eyed boy would sit there, on the ground and patiently remain in that one spot for Sasuke's return through Konoha's gates.
When Sasuke would reenter late, he never gave an explanation as to why or what was going on, just walk right to Tsunade's office, give the mission report, and head back home without another word. It confused Naruto deeply, but he knew better than to question Sasuke on his antics.
Naruto snapped out of his flashback when he heard Sasuke shuffle back into the kitchen, hair disheveled as though he had just woken up. The raven eyed Naruto, the mess in front of him, and then the time, and then spoke.
"Hn, dobe, you've been sitting there for an hour. Are you going to clean this mess up or what? I'm not your maid."
Naruto barely heard his words, but got up, dumped his trash and walked back into the living room without a word or a glance to Sasuke. Suspicious, he followed his lover into the next room where Naruto had flopped on his stomach on the couch, eyes closed.
"Dobe."
Naruto weakly opened his eyes to see his lover's intense onyx eyes focused on him.
"What's going on?" The statement was clear, but it made little sense to Naruto, who was evidently unfocused.
"Huh?"
"You're way too quiet today, so obviously something's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong, teme. I was just kind of thinking, is all."
"There's the problem. You think and end up hurting yourself in the process." Sasuke smirked.
"Shut up, asshole!" Naruto yelled angered by Sasuke's reply. "I was thinking about you!" The blonde blushed then abruptly shut his mouth, hiding his face in the pillows of the couch.
"Oh? And just what about me were you thinking of?" Sasuke questioned nonchalantly, sitting down at the other end of the couch, opposite to end where Naruto lay hidden by throw cushions.
He lifted his head before answering, "Just about how you left and when you came back and how much has changed since then." When he finished speaking, he pushed his round face back into the pillow to avoid Sasuke's gaze.
"And what exactly triggered these memories?"
Naruto was quiet for a minute, knowing that Sasuke wasn't going to like his answer, before mumbling into the warm pillow, "Rahmehn."
"Oh you've got to be kidding me. You seriously associated me with that disgusting shit?" Sasuke all but yelled disbelievingly.
A part of Naruto snapped. He didn't care when people called it unhealthy, gross, junk or unappetizing, but for Sasuke to call it 'disgusting shit' was a low blow. Ramen was the one thing that was always there, no matter what. He felt the void fill even when he felt the emptiness could swallow him whole. It was his cure and it killed Naruto to hear the most meaningful person in his life call it 'disgusting shit'.
He suddenly snapped; flinging the pillow in his grasp straight into Sasuke's face, shot off the couch, and ran into their shared bedroom, locking the door in one swift motion. He then proceeded to run around the room, sealing off any other possible way for Sasuke to enter.
Suddenly, the door knob shook violently, making Naruto jump slightly.
"NARUTO! Open the door!" Sasuke screamed.
"Fuck off! You insult ramen and you insult me like never before!" Naruto yelled back. "You know everything about me, but you'll never actually understand what I've been through. I know you witnessed you own brother murder your parents right before your eyes." He paused blow his nose with a tissue and wipe away some of the free falling tears from his face. "But you've achieved your goal. Orochimaru is dead and so is Itachi along with the rest of the Akatsuki. Now you're the ANBU captain and living YOUR dre-" Sasuke cut him off.
"Naruto, let me in so we can talk about this." Hesitantly, Naruto flipped the lock back and opened the door, head down, refusing the meet Sasuke's eyes. Instantly, Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist, pulling him into his muscled chest, his shirt absorbing the tears dripping down the blonde boy's cheeks. "Calm down." He gently murmured into his lover's ear, softly stroking blonde locks in a soothing motion, listening to his blonde's sniffles.
Eventually they subsided and Naruto was able to calm down enough to realize he had given in and let Sasuke into their bedroom.
"I don't want to talk to you. You don't understand me." Naruto muttered before pushing Sasuke away and throwing himself onto their shared bed, rolling onto his stomach. He then felt the closest side of the bed sag as Sasuke sat down at his side.
"Then explain it to me. Make me understand."
Naruto sat up, rubbing at his eyes, childishly. "I never knew my parent. Iruka raised me since the day I was born. The whole town despised me and I in no way could comprehend why until I had stolen the scroll. It hurt to never know my parents-to feel their love, to be a family, to be complete. Iruka always took me to Ichiraku's ramen stand to make me feel better. And it did for a while. My dream to be Hokage overshadowed everyone's opinion of me, whether they saw me as a demon, foolish, moronic, or even a lost case. I wasn't going to stop trying to achieve my goal. Ramen filled my empty space. But slowly I stopped depending on it to make me feel better. I usually only ate it when you treated me so I could see you smile."
At this, Sasuke turned his head away and let a slight blush display across his porcelain cheeks. Naruto laughed lightly at Sasuke's antics. "Like now. You never smile for anyone else. It made me feel special that I was the only one who could get that kind of reaction from you: of all people. But when you left I couldn't control myself anymore. The pain of losing you was too much to bear. You filled my void. I felt like we had grown close and then you just ripped yourself from my heart. I feared that forever. So my new goal was to bring you back. I knew I loved you more than any of my other friends. You're more important to me than them."
"I couldn't be Hokage if I wasn't strong enough to bring you back home. It was my test to see if I had what it takes, but not only that, because I just can't stand to live without you, Sasuke. Someone who can't even bring back the one that matters most to them doesn't deserve to be Hokage. When you were finally gone, I ate ramen like my life depended on it. When you came back, I thought I'd stop eating ramen all together, but I kept going because I still fear you're just gonna get up and walk away again. Ramen's like my life raft; something that's always there for me when I need it. You're important to me too and I'd do anything for you, but when you called ramen 'disgusting shit' it hit me just as hard as you leaving the village."
Naruto was quiet while he waited for a response from Sasuke who sat still at the edge of the bed staring at his folded hands resting in his lap. "Understand now?" Naruto questioned meekly.
"I think so. You eat ramen because you have no control over your life. Right?"
"Yeah-wait! Shut the fuck up you asshole! I'm not in the mood for your stupid sarcasm!"
"Naruto, look, I'm not leaving ever again. Like you said, I've achieved my goal. I have no reason to leave again. I'm here to stay. And even if I wanted to leave, I'd take you with me." Sasuke answered calmly.
"Good."
"Naruto." When said blonde made no move to acknowledge Sasuke's voice, the raven sighed. "I didn't know I meant so much to you. Naru, look at me." The blonde slowly raised his head trying to avoid meeting the other's intense gaze, but Sasuke's eyes had already locked onto his sapphire blue ones. "I'm here to stay and I'm not leaving. Not for power and not to repopulate my clan. I'm staying for you. But I want you to stop eating ramen. It's no longer necessary."
Naruto's jaw dropped. "What?! Why do I have to give something completely up? If I give up ramen, then you have to give up sex!" Naruto shot back. "It's not necessary, but you want it. Just like me and ramen."
"Not quite, dobe. You're my necessity. Sex is just a bonus." Sasuke teased.
"Well…then…then…then…uhm…SHUT UP!" Naruto screeched.
"See? You want it too." Sasuke then took the opportunity to tackle and pin Naruto to the bed. The blonde's eyes widened in surprise and laughed at Sasuke's playfulness.
"Hm, frisky." Naruto giggled out. "Kinda kinky. Me like…" He wiggled his arms free of Sasuke's grasp and wrapped them around the raven's neck, pulling him into a kiss in one swift motion. Sasuke tongue quickly pushed its way passed Naruto's plump lips, meeting the blonde boy's own tongue in a heated battle for dominance. But before their kiss could get any hotter, Naruto pushed Sasuke off and sat up.
"Let's play, Sasu-chan." Naruto murmured innocently. Those three words went straight to the raven's groin. He chuckled lightly before asking, "What do you mean?"
"Well since you won't give up sex and I won't give up ramen, then you should learn to like ramen too."
"Not going to happen, dobe."
"Fine, teme, then I'm gonna go take a nice ice cold shower." Then quickly added, "Without you." Naruto slowly got off the bed and began walking towards the bathroom. When Sasuke made no attempt to stop him, Naruto turned then ran and jumped back onto the bed, tackling Sasuke in the process. "Fine, jerk, then don't' go after me."
"I'm just showing you that I don't need sex. I can say no when I want. You should do the same with ramen."
Naruto groaned. "You're no fun anymore, teme. Just accept it! I love ramen! You should just be happy I love you more."
"That's not the point. Ramen's unhealthy. If you didn't train so much, you'd probably be dead from a heart attack."
"Not true! All this sex burns the calories."
"Oh? So you're saying that sex isbeneficial to you too? Well then it seems as though it's not as 'unnecessary' as you say it is." Sasuke gloated.
Naruto groaned in response and flopped onto the bed, laying on his stomach, then returning to his previous antics of burying his head in the pillows. Sasuke murmured a quiet 'dobe' under his breath before straddling Naruto on the bed, knees resting on either side of Naruto's thighs. The blonde knew he was there once he felt the bed dip from the movement of Sasuke's weight, but didn't make any attempt to move him.
Instead, he allowed Sasuke to gently kiss at the back of his neck while gradually gliding up his shirt, the raven's hands beginning to pressing into Naruto's back and shoulders. Naruto relaxed into Sasuke's touches and allowed him to put more pressure on his back before silently asking Naruto to aid him in pulling the shirt all the way off. Sasuke continued the massage until he noticed Naruto's breathing become more even and long. He frowned and leant down to the juncture of the blonde's neck and shoulder, biting down. Hard. Instantly the blonde underneath him yelped and jumped up into a sitting position on the bed, sheets pooling at his feet, and Sasuke glaring in annoyance seeing as he had been thrown off Naruto's back.
"Don't give me that look, teme. You're the one who bit me, stupid vampire…" he mumbled out quickly.
Sasuke smirked before moving in closer to his lover, pressing his hands into the blonde's shoulders to make him lay down once more, but this time on his back. As Naruto looked up at Sasuke with big blue eyes, the raven couldn't help but to lean down and kiss his lover on his full pink lips.
"Now what did you want to play, Naru?" Sasuke meekly questioned, vaguely afraid of the younger one's response. Naruto sat up, thinking for a moment before remembering what he had wanted to do.
"Right! Teme, you're gonna love ramen after this! So open your mouth, and close your eyes." Naruto explained with a smile.
"No way in hell." Sasuke snapped back, smile falling from Naruto's lips.
"Why the fuck not?" Sasuke drew back slightly at the venom in Naruto's voice, but quickly recovered.
"Because you're probably going to put some in my mouth and try to make me eat by forcing it down my throat! ." Sasuke growled.
"No I'm not, teme. On my word, I won't. You should know better than anyone that I won't go back on my word. Just trust me."
"Fine, just get on with it." Sasuke grumbled before closing his eyes, but not opening his mouth.
"Teme! Open or no sex when we're done!" Naruto threatened.
"I'll hold you to that, dobe," Sasuke mumbled before letting out another growl and reluctantly opening his mouth. The blonde leant forward, letting his own tongue slip past his lips towards Sasuke's mouth. He let his tongue just barely touch Sasuke's immobile tongue. Sasuke's eyes snapped open, confused by Naruto's actions.
"Dobe, what are you trying to do?"
Naruto roared gently in the back of his throat before answering. "You gotta figure out what I'm trying to spell. And it's obviously going to be about ramen."
Sasuke gave Naruto a skeptical look before closing his eyes once more then reopening his mouth.
The blonde moved forward once more towards Sasuke's awaiting mouth. Once he made contact with Sasuke, he began to trace a capital 'M'.
'Up…diagonally down…diagonally up…down.' He paused as he completed the letter and moved on to the 'I'.
'Across the top…down the middle…across the bottom.' Once it was completed, he continued on to make a squiggle for the 'S' and quick circle for the 'O'. He pulled away and looked at his flushed lover.
"Sasuke? You can open your eyes and close your mouth now." Instantly, the raven's eyes flew open, mouth clamped shut, and blush became slightly more pronounced.
"What did I spell?" questioned Naruto naively.
Oh, uh… w-was it 'Miso?' Sasuke stammered out.
"Damn! I thought I had you one that one!" Naruto exclaimed completely unaware of Sasuke's stuttering. "We'll just have to try again. Shut your eyes and open your mouth again." Sasuke complied eagerly, the taste of his lover still tingling his taste buds.
'Okay, this one should be more challenging! Start with a loop and end it with a tail. 'U'. make a circle and put a line down the right side. 'd' .Another circle 'o' and an upside down 'u' for an 'n'. Finished!' He pulled away and questioned what he had spelled.
"'Udon'?" Sasuke answered with a smirk.
"What?" Naruto cried in shock. "How'd you get that so easily?"
"Too simple, dobe."
"Fine, then we'll keep going 'til you lose."
Their game continued on, Sasuke deciphering all of Naruto's ramen related words. They went through words like: chicken, beef, fish, noodles, rice, but now Naruto was all out of possibilities. An idea struck suddenly, just as Sasuke guessed his previous attempt of winning.
"Alright, Sasuke, this is the last one." Naruto moved in just as Sasuke stopped him.
"Why don't we make this interesting? With just a little bet?" Naruto's eyes narrowed. He knew Sasuke never lost bets, but right now he felt overly confident; so sure that he'd be able to stump Sasuke that he couldn't help but agree to the bet.
"Sure, teme. What's the bet?"
"If I guess this last word correctly you have to wear any outfits of my choosing, indoors and outdoors and give up ramen for three months, including instant." Naruto's jaw dropped and scowled. "Or you can forfeit now and we'll play punishment games again…" Sasuke trailed off. Naruto shuddered uncomfortably at the memories before replying.
"Fine, bastard." He growled. "But If I win, I get to top, every time we have sex for the next three months and you treat me to ramen for the next year." The raven raised a fine eyebrow before giving off another signature smirk.
"Deal." They shook hands on it, finalizing their bet.
The blonde moved in again to initiate as Sasuke resumed the position. Their tongues made contact and Naruto began.
'Straight up, diagonal down to the right, straight up. Next a circle with a tail on the right. Now a straight line and an arch at the top. Nar… Another upside down 'n'. Now a-.' Suddenly Sasuke pulled Naruto from his thoughts by shoving the blonde off him and down onto the bed before Naruto could protest. The raven straddled the blonde, preventing the small boy from getting up.
Naruto began to struggle against Sasuke's weight, trying to escape. "Sasuke! Let me go! If you don't get off of me right now, you lose and you'll have to buy me ramen for two years instead if just one! And you'll never top me ever again or play punishment games! No outfits, toys or anything! Now let me-"
"Naruto."
The blonde ceased all movement and made eye contact with his lover, his own eyes wide in surprise. 'Well, that's different. He never uses my real name unless we're having sex or when he knows he's upset me…'
"What?" Naruto questioned, confused.
"I win." Sasuke smirked, wider.
"What the hell are you talking about? How could you have-" it finally clicked in Naruto's head.
"You were spelling 'Naruto', right? It's the pink and white fish paste. You lose, dobe."
To say the blonde was stunned would be an understatement. He had no inkling as to how Sasuke had been able to figure it out, even without having the entire word spelled out. Sure it was his name, but it should have been so easy to the point where Sasuke should have debated whether or not Naruto would be dumb enough to make the last word so uncomplicated.
"You-you cheated!" Naruto shrieked, attempting to back away from his lover, fruitlessly as seeing how he was still trapped underneath him. The look on the raven's aristocratic features began to change, the smirk fading only to gain a lecherous grin, his mind obviously filling with many different ways he could torture his lover with painfully teasing seduction.
"Now, now, Naru. How in the world could I have cheated?" he questioned as innocently as possible. "I can't read minds."
TBC!!!!
Sorry everybody. This is where it stops for now. I'm still trying to figure out how to make this story end. Any helpful ideas would be niiiiiice =] and of course whomever I pick will get a nice shout out, and maybe if I'm feeling generous an entire story dedicated to them ^_^ So let's see who has to best idea for me to end this story…..
Love you all =D don't forget to comment and review. It'll help me update faster!
BTW: I'm looking for a bet'a please and thank you. I'm terrible at editing and I'd really enjoy if someone could help me out. So I apologize for anything in my current stories that don't make any sense or have a lot of errors. A bet'a would be incredibly helpful. So if anyone's interested, send me a message from my profile and I'll answer as soon as possible.