Author: Shimzu Asuka
Title: Never Forget Me
Chapter Three: Denial
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Previously
"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."
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"You make it sound so easy," Naruto said staring at the hypnotic water.
"It is easy. It's a matter of who you love more. That's all," Sasuke said taking Naruto's hand.
Naruto pulled his hand away. "Are you sure its still me you want? I'm different then you. And I'm a lawyer. I live in the outside world." Naruto looked into Sasuke's eyes. "You wouldn't like it. Its loud and dirty."
"If I was with you it wouldn't matter, I'd leave and go to the outside world for you."
"Why didn't you leave before to find me?"
"I only learned a few weeks later that you had been banished and by then I thought you'd be long gone. I thought you left me at first. I didn't want you to hate me anymore by thinking I was a creepy stalker."
Naruto didn't know what to say. So he leaned in towards Sasuke. His heart pounding. He was scared Sasuke would hear it.
Sasuke waited for the inevidable moment when their lips would collide. And when they did it was like pure extacy. Sasuke and Naruto moaned into the kiss. The most personal and loving kiss that either had ever shared. No, Sakura would never make him feel this way, but he still loved her.
"I need to go. I'm sorry," Naruto blushed. "I didn't mean to. I can't do this with you. I can't get involved again. It hurts too much."
Naruto got up and walked away, but once he was out of sight of Sasuke he ran. He was crying, but he didn't realize it until he was out of the woods. He felt hotness slipping down his cheeks and fell to his knees, letting the sobs wrack his body over and over again. He didn't want to bear this pain again. It was hard enough the first time. When those people had thrown him out of the village. And he thought he could never see Sasuke again. He thought it might be for the best, so he trudged along. It was only when he saw Sakura a few years later that he fell in love with her. He didn't love her, not nearly as much as he had loved Sasuke.
Naruto didn't return to the hotel room, not that night. He strolled around Konoha and the woods around it all night. He was exhausted by morning. But he kept walking, he just wanted to keep his mind occupied.
The sun was rising and Naruto was starting to fall asleep. So he walked back to the hotel room to find Sakura sleeping in a chair. The bed hadn't been slept in. He could tell because the bed was made just as it had been the day before. That and Sakura was sleeping in a chair. She never slept in the bed if Naruto was gone, said it was too empty.
Naruto pulled down the blankets and then picked up Sakura, he laid her on the bed and pulled the blankets up to cover her. Then he went to the chair that she had been occupying and fell asleep.
-
There was a loud knock on the door and Sakura stirred. She sat up in the bed and pulled off the covers. Wait. Bed? She looked over to the chair and saw Naruto sleeping peacefully. She smiled and went to answer the door.
"Sasuke?" Sakura said in surprise.
"Tell Naruto that I'm busy, he invited me to your wedding. But I'm busy," Sasuke said shrugging.
"You can't come? Can't you move it to a different day?" Sakura asked sadly.
"No, its the day I get sworn in as Hokage. It has been planned for months."
"Oh, well, we would come if we weren't getting married," Sakura said placing a reassuring hand on Sasuke's arm.
"I'm happy for you two. You know exactly what you want for the rest of your lives."
"Thank-you Sasuke," Sakura said, she wanted him to go now before Naruto woke up. "I'll tell Naruto you came by, see you later." She didn't want Sasuke to take Naruto's heart again. Not after she had worked so hard to make Naruto love her. All the nights he cried himself to sleep. All the nights he screamed for Sasuke during the night. She closed the door on the one thing that caused Naruto the most pain.
Naruto was still asleep. How long had he been asleep? She opened the door to see Sasuke walking down the corridor.
"Wait, Sasuke..." she said closing the door quietly behind her. She walked up to him. "Were you with Naruto last night?"
"For a little while, why?"
"He didn't come home last night, I just thought he might be with you."
"I saw him walking around, he might've just gone walking to clear his head..."
"Maybe," she said. She was worried about Naruto already... and they still had five more days.
"I'm sure its nothing," Sasuke said to ease her worry.
"Yeah," Sakura was already formulating a plan. "Thanks Sasuke." She walked back to the room smiling.
"Naruto wake up." She poked him.
The man moaned. "Five more minutes..."
"Naruto, I love you," Sakura said in his ear.
Naruto smiled. "I love you too... Sasuke." Sakura's smile faded. Sasuke? No. Thats not what she wanted.
"Naruto wake up," Sakura said urgently.
"What is it?"
"I want to get married tomorrow."
"What?" Naruto asked with his eyes half closed. All he wanted was a little sleep. "Why?"
"Because I love you," Sakura said batting her lashes.
"I love you too... but tomorrow?"
"Don't you want to get married?"
"Of course I do, but not tomorrow."
"But..." she said pouting a lip and her eyes looked like they were watering.
"Fine. Tomorrow."
"Really?" she asked him worriedly.
"If it means that much to you."
"Thank-you Naruto," she said wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him.
"Sleep."
"Of course."
-
Naruto woke up and saw everything packed. 'What? It hasn't been a week yet. What is going on?'
As if timed Sakura burst through the door.
"Oh, you're finally wake I see. We are leaving shortly so that we can check into the hotel for tomorrow. This isn't going to be as good as the other one was going to be. But I just can't wait."
"What on earth are you talking about Sakura?"
"The wedding," she said exasperated.
"Its tomorrow? I thought it was in two weeks," Naruto said scratching his head. He stood up and stretched, showing a sliver of his stomach. Sakura stared at it hungrily.
"We disscused it this morning. And all the plans are made so you can't say no."
"I could say no if I wanted to."
"But all the work I've done. It's been hell trying to get this wedding together."
"Calm down. I'm not saying I don't want to get married. I'm just saying that it doesn't matter if its planned, I could say no if I wanted."
"Okay," she said sighing. She hugged him. "You won't regret this Naruto."
'You have no idea how wrong you are.' Naruto thought. 'Oh Sasuke.'
"I have to go get my dress so could I have the keys please?" Naruto threw her the keys. "I'll see you tonight Naruto," she said kissing him long and hard.
"Bye, Sakura." And then she was gone. So proud of her plan. This way only she could have Naruto's heart. He was a man of his word after all. And she loved him, with her whole heart. Deeply.
-
Naruto ran through the woods to that sacred place. He found Sasuke sitting there in silence. It looked like he was sleeping. But he was still awake.
"Have you heard?"
"Yeah."
"I was really tired. I wouldn't have agreed to get married tomorrow, not under normal circumstances," Naruto said taking Sasuke's hand. "To tell you the truth, I didn't think I would actually marry Sakura, I mean, she asked me."
"Whatever, it doesn't matter now," Sasuke said. He hadn't looked at Naruto once the whole time he had been there.
"It does matter. It matters to me, so you should stop being a prick and listen to me."
"I'm a prick? How dare you say that. I wasn't the one rejecting me. And I know that I didn't run away last night."
"I'm sorry for breathing okay?" Naruto said sighing.
"No, its not okay," Sasuke said, for the first time, looking at Naruto. "For twelve years I've been praying you'd come back to me. And you would love me, love me and you wouldn't see anyone else. Imagine my surprise when I see you in the Hokage office with no warning and you're engaged."
"It was hard for me to see you too..."
"Let me finish," Sasuke said holding up a hand, "I said that I loved you. And you said you loved me back. And then you say that you loved Sakura and you're going to marry her. So that meant to me that you loved her more. But still I tried to turn your head. Make you look at me again. Make you yearn for me. But it never worked. And then last night you kiss me? Talk about mixed signals," Sasuke said taking a breath. "Don't you remember the last thing you said to me before you left?"
"I remember Sasuke."
--
It was dark and windy. A young boy stole into the small apartment's window. He shook the person under the blanket till they woke. "Naruto," the dark figure whispered. "Wake up Dobe." "Don't call me Dobe." "Dobe, Dobe, Dobe." He felt his shirt being pulled by the hand that had snuck out from under the covers. His lips landed on the others and time stopped for both of them. "I love you," they both said at the same time and blushed in the dark. Sasuke took off his shoes and crawled under the covers to hold Naruto. "You know I love you more then I could even describe." "Yeah." "If you want we could be together forever. Would you like that?" "I would. Promise me something Sasuke." "Anything." "Promise you'll never forget me." "I'll never forget you, ever." The promise sealed with a kiss.
--
"I'll always remember what I said to you." Naruto wanted to hold Sasuke again comfort him. But he knew if he did that it would end up in something his pride wouldn't allow. His passion for Sasuke was too strong.
"Naruto, why do you deny me. Worse. You deny the thing you want most. And it eats you up inside."
"Shut up."
"Come over here and make me."
"Shut up," Naruto said louder holding his ears. "I don't want to hear you anymore. I... I love you too much. Its not fair."
He felt an arm around his shoulders and he let himself be led to the edge of the river. He sat with his feet almost touching the water.
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To Be Continued
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