Ya-hello! Sorry for this being reeeeaaalllly late! :c I was sick with the flu, then I was working on my art and comic pages for a webcomic I'm doing. I'm also trying to get into some Artist Alley for Cons. Trying to get out there and stuff.
But still, really sorry.
Anyway, this also took me a while because I was really trying to get the feel for this chapter and see what direction I wanted this chapter to go. I think I got it and I hope that you guys like it too because I am not lying when I say this took me forever to write. *While being sick*
ALSO! Thank you for everyone who left a review and to all the new favorites and follows. You guys give me life and you are the reason I keep going in this cruel world.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the wonderful Kishimoto does
Warnings: This is a BL story meaning there is love between two males involved. There is also cursing so…yah! C:
P.S Sorry for any bad grammar that appears, I uploaded this at 4:55 in the morning after proof readin so I'm not sure if I caught everything… But anyway,
Please enjoy the 4th chapter of Knight in Shining Armor.
"That's right. I came here to bring him back to Konoha," Sasuke stated with a firm tone. "Good. Cause I want to help you," Hosei said with a determined look in his eyes. Sasuke looked at him shocked at what he said, of course being the stoic man that he was he didn't let it show it on his face. "Why do you want to help Naruto?" Sasuke said as he crossed his arms and looked at the boy.
Hosei turned around and silently opened the door to peek outside. He saw that Naruto was leaning on the window seal still talking on the phone. Deeming that he was nowhere near done with his conversation he closed the door and headed back to Sasuke. "I'm sure you already know that Gaara doesn't really like it when someone gets close to Naruto," Hosei started, Sasuke giving the man a nod in acknowledgement. "He didn't come to the art club for a whole month because Gaara had burned his hand. And another time he saw me and him hugging and he broke his arm. The only reason he is allowed to come to this club now is because he doesn't see me or Ami as a threat," Hosei continued.
"Burned his hand?" Sasuke repeated with a deathly tone. "…Yea… He tried to hide it but when he was washing his hand one day I caught a glimpse. I didn't say anything because I knew he would come up with some stupid excuse, but I knew better," Hosei explained. "He can't feel anything with his left hand…"
'Unfuckingbelievable," Sasuke hissed underneath his breath as he stared at the floor as if he was going to kill it. He knew that Gaara had probably done some despicable things over the time, but he would never had guessed that he would abuse the blonde to that extent. "And you just let it go?! You didn't do anything about it?!" Sasuke roared as he grabbed onto the collar of Hosei, lifting him a few feet off the ground. "I couldn't! You should know how Naruto is more than anyone. Every time I bring up something that has to do with Gaara being a total jerk he shuts it down! And I can't do anything to the man himself, he's our leader for gods sake!" Hosei pried himself away from Sasuke.
"And you can't as much as do anything to him either! If you were to go up against him a war would break out!" Hosei reprimanded. "Son of a bitch," Sasuke snapped. "I just…I don't know what to do anymore. I really do care for Naruto but I hate that there's nothing I can do," Hosei silently spoke, but loud enough for Sasuke to hear.
"Well I'm going to change that. I'm going to do everything it takes to make that stupid blonde realize his mistakes," Sasuke said with nothing but determination.
Naruto had walked out of the room as he put the phone to his ear, his feet taking him to the window. "Hi Gaara," Naruto smiled. "Good, you answered this time. How are you?" the mans soft voice spoke. "'I'm alright. Were you able to finish those papers?" Naruto asked as he leaned on the windowsill. "Yes. The meeting was long and boring as usual, but these are the things I must deal with if a treaty between the people of Sunagakure and Kirigakure want to be made," Gaara sighed into the phone. "Well, keep up the good work," Naruto chuckled.
"Where are you now?" Gaara asked, Naruto hearing some ruffling of papers. "Hm?" Naruto looked up to see that Mimi ran out of the room and waved goodbye to him, the man waving back. "I'm in school, you know that exchange kid I told you about. I have to show him around the town today. I still don't really know what to do," Naruto sighed. "I still don't like the idea of you walking around with someone I don't know," Gaara grunted. "It's only for a week. They'll be gone by the time you get back so no worries. I'm just showing him the good sites of Sunagakure, we need to promote the town so what better way than to start small right?" Naruto nervously chuckled. "Still don't like it," Gaara continued.
"Aaah, everything will be fine, love. Trust me okay?" Naruto smiled. Gaara stayed silent for a bit then let out a long breathy sigh. "Fine, but if he so much as touches you, he's dead," Gaara finalized. "I should be getting back now. Plus it sounds like you have a lot of paper work to do," Naruto said as he looked out the window. "Love you. Talk to you later," Gaara said in a soft tone. "Love you too. Bye," Naruto said as he hung up the phone. He let out a long breath.
He doesn't seem as angry…that's good, Naruto said to himself as he put the phone back in his pocket. He was about to head off back into the art room when he heard someone call his name.
"Yo, Uzumaki!" the loud voice boomed. The blonde turned around and looked at the person from which his name left their lips, a small smile forming when he saw who it was. "Kankuro," Naruto smiled towards Gaaras older brother. "It's been a while. How's it going?" the man said as he stopped in front of Naruto. "It's going well. What brings you here? Shouldn't you be in the office taking care of the duties as temporary leader?" Naruto crossed his arms as he teased the man in front of him. "Ah, well, I needed a breather, plus it's not like I'm not here on business," the older man chuckled, eliciting one from Naruto as well.
"Well, it was nice seeing you, but I have some things to take care off so," Naruto started as he turned around but Kankuro grabbed onto his wrist before he could leave. "Hold on," Kankuro whispered, making the blonde turn back around to look at him as he quickly removed his wrist from Kankuros grasp. The man put up his hands to show he meant no harm. "Sorry I forgot…" Kankuro apologized. "It's fine. Did you need something?" Naruto asked quietly as he rubbed at his wrist.
"Yea. How are you doing?" Kankuro asked as he stared at the man in front of him, concern clear in his tone. Naruto huffed at the man, not helping the smile that creeped onto his lips. "I'm fine. Nothing to worry about," the blonde answered. "Are you sure?" Kankuro pestered. "Yea. Everything is fine. Having a week to myself is nice. But I still catch myself missing him," Naruto explained. "Why not use this week to get away? Your grades are good enough right? You should go on a mini vacation," Kankuro suggested. The blonde sighing in defeat, thinking about how that's exactly what he wanted to do but couldn't because Gaara was keeping tabs on him. "I wish I could, but I can't," Naruto started. "You see I've been chosen to look after the exchange student for the week so even if I wanted to leave I can't," Naruto continued, thinking if Mr. Masutani was able to find someone else to take his place. The fact that I'm still here means no… Naruto thought to himself. "Well that sucks," Kankuro sighed. "Yea," the blonde sighed. The two of them stood in silence for a while before Naruto broke it.
"I actually have some things to take care of so," He started. "Ah yea! Go ahead!" Kankuro smiled at the man, Naruto bowing in goodbye as he turned and headed back to the art room. Kankuro watched as he walked in, the man thinking about the time he witnessed Naruto getting hurt by Gaaras hand, Kankuro turning his back on him as if he saw, heard nothing. He felt guilty, but he was truly afraid of his younger brother. The younger man never giving a warning when he was in one of his moods, and when he was it was beyond frightening. He partly blamed himself and his older sister Temari for Gaara being the way he was, but he especially blamed his father. If he had just left Gaara alone and didn't threaten him, or tried to hurt him every chance he got, maybe, just maybe Gaara would have turned out a bit better. Maybe he could have grown up, knowing what real love was, but it was lost. There was no helping him.
Kankuro sighed to himself as he walked down the hallway, silently hoping that everything will in fact, be alright.
Naruto walked into the art room, looking up to see Hosei and Sasuke both looking at him, Sasuke clearly angry about something and Hosei with a face of concern. Naruto met Sasukes eyes, Ocean blue staring into ebony, the two trying to figure the other out. Hosei looked between the two and believed that they were having some weird psychic battle. Naruto sighed and walked over to his bag, the raven following his movement every step of the way. Naruto dug into his bag and took out Sasuke's clothes of the night before. He held them up to the man as he diverted his eyes elsewhere. "Here. Your clothes," Naruto pouted, quickly moving his hand back when Sasuke grabbed them from him. "The clothes you lent me are in my locker so you can come get them when you want," Sasuke said, trying his hardest not to sound as angry as he was.
"Since they were actually Hoseis' clothes, he can go with you to get them," Naruto looked over to said man apologetically. "Wait what?" Hosei sputtered. "I may have gotten some paint on Sasuke yesterday and lent him the extra clothes you keep in the back," Naruto said as he twined his fingers together. "Oh, that's fine then. I'll grab them later," Hosei smiled at the blonde. Sasuke was rummaging through the pockets of the pants Naruto had given back to him, noting that the letter that Kiba gave him was missing. "Dobe, when you washed my pants was there a letter in the back pocket?" Sasuke asked, the blonde noting that there was and went back to reach in his bag, slowly realizing that it wasn't in there.
"I must have left it next to the washer. Was it important?" Naruto said as he gave up trying to look for it and turned to look at the man. "Not to me. It was a letter for you," Sasuke shrugged. "A letter for me? Who would write me a letter?" Naruto said as he stood up and looked at the raven quizzically. "The mutt," Was all Sasuke said before he turned to his bag to drop his clothes in. Naruto tilted his head in confusion, realization hitting him when he thought it over for a few more seconds. "Kiba sent me a letter? Why?" He asked truly confused at the gesture.
"Oh, I don't know. If only he had a different way to reach you. Maybe something like a type of cellular device where someone can easily text or call to see how one is doing," Sasuke deadpanned. Naruto glared at him, getting the message and crossed his arms in defiance, not liking Sasukes tone of voice. " Ahhh, we're all done with classes now right? How about we go get some food? I can go for some ramen! How about you Naruto? Want to eat some Ramen?" Hosei chimed in wanting to defuse the fire that he was afraid was about to start. Naruto looked over to him, his blue eyes gleaming in obvious pleasure. "I guess we can go get Ramen…But I'll be mad the whole way there," Naruto grunted as he grabbed his bag and made his way towards the door.
"We are trying to help him not destroy him," whispered Hosei to the Raven when Naruto left the room. "You have your ways of dealing with him and I have mine," Sasuke said as he threw his bag over his shoulder and followed the blonde. Hosei sighed deeply to himself, wondering if Sasuke was really what Naruto needed. He followed them, telling Sasuke that before they went off to the restaurant to give him back his clothes.
::+::
Naruto was slurping the broth of his second bowl of Ramen, Sasuke looking at him in distaste like he did every time they would go out for Ramen. Hosei was still eating his, chiming in when he thought the two were going to get into an argument. "Ahh, it's been so long since I've had a good bowl of Ramen. Gaara said it's too fattening so he cut it out of my diet! It's so good to finally have some. But this compares not to Ichiraku's Ramen. How is he by the way? How's everyone doing?" Naruto said putting the bowl down after finishing the broth.
"Do you really think I care about the others so much that I would know how they are doing?" Sasuke sighed. "You don't see them?" Naruto questioned. "No, I see them almost every day," Sasuke started. "Then how do you not know how they're doing?" Naruto asked displeased at the man in front of him. "I'm sure they tell me how they're doing but I'm too busy thinking of more important things," Sasuke shrugged. "That's so like you," Naruto shook is head. "Can you at least lie and tell me then? That's what you did before," Naruto smiled when another bowl of Ramen was placed in front of him. "So, you knew I was lying? Why did you ask?" Sasuke questioned, keeping his tone uninterested. "Everything that came out of your mouth was funny. We've been friends since we were kids, Sasuke. I think I would know when you're lying." Naruto explained as he started to eat his new bowl of Ramen. "Plus, there's this thing you do that tells me when you are. And no, I won't tell you," Naruto teased.
"You're an open book yourself. You say you're fine but your obviously not," Sasuke squinted at the blonde. Naruto looking up from his bowl and staring at the man confused. "What are you trying to say, Teme?" Naruto put his chopsticks down giving Sasuke all of his attention. "Naruto, I came here to talk. And that's exactly what we are going to do. Tell me what that bastard has done to you over the past few years. Why did you marry him knowing full well the type of person he is?"
"My Husband hasn't done anything. I married him because I love him. That's all," Naruto hissed. "Naruto, don't' lie to me. Just like you said I have a lying twitch. You have one, too. You don't love him and he doesn't love you. A person who loves you wouldn't break your arm. A person who loves you wouldn't burn you hand!" Sasuke yelled but not loud enough for others to hear. Hosei gave himself a facepalm not believing Sasuke could be so stupid. Naruto stared at the man wide-eyed. "How did you…?" Naruto started but stopped, staring at the man in front of him, bewildered by what just left his mouth. "It doesn't matter how I know. The problem is that you're still with someone who would treat you like that. Naruto, you are so much better than that! You've never let anyone walk over you and now this guy comes, says he loves you and you'll do anything for him? You're not in love. You're reliant of him. You left, and you had no one. The only person you had was him and the only person he has is you, and instead of coming back and showing everyone you were wrong you stayed here and tried to make the best of it. I don't know what you see in that asshole but it's not love," Sasuke explained.
The table was quiet Naruto and Sasuke staring at each other, anger clear in both of their eyes, Hosei not knowing what to do just stayed silent. "Is that what you think?" Naruto started. "Is that what you've thought for the last 3 years? That I just went with the first person to tell me they love me? That I married them because they were all I had? I'll have you know that I left with Gaara because I loved him too. I left with him because he listened to me, he showed me he cared. Yea, he might not be the person I met that night at the club. But he's still Gaara and I do love him. Because unlike my first love, which fun fact, it was you, this love came true. I didn't have to wait for anyone to like me back. I didn't have to wait for the person I like to show me that they felt the same way. I didn't have to pretend to not like him…just because I was scared that maybe if I told you how I felt, you would look at me differently. Gaara was there when I needed someone…and I was there when he needed a shoulder to cry on. I'm not going to lie, I didn't want to marry Gaara. I thought it was a terrible idea. But I wanted to see him happy because happiness is something that he's never really experienced until he met me. And yes, it is a good feeling knowing that you are someones happiness. And if marrying him showed him that someone cared, that I cared for him then fine. Yea, he did break my arm, he did burn my hand, can't feel anything now," Naruto said as he lifted his left hand and put it back down.
"But those were all my fault. He gave me simple rules to follow. Simple rules that I went and broke so I deserved it. He only does what he does because he loves me so much and he's afraid of losing me. So yes, Gaara can be a total asshole, but the only ass I see here is you," Naruto said as he stood up, grabbing his bag and leaving the table. "Naruto wait!" Hosei yelled at the blonde, watching him leave the restaurant. He sat back down and stared at Sasuke.
"Are you happy? I might not be the smartest person out there, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't the way this was supposed to go down," Hosei sighed as he grabbed Narutos bowl of Ramen, refusing to let his money go to waste. "I think this went well," Sasuke said as he leaned back in his seat. Hosei slurped on the rejected noodles as he looked at Sasuke utterly confused. " "Went well?" I think that was everything but," Hosei spoke around his chopsticks. Sasuke let out a sigh, hating having to explain to the simple man in front of him. "Naruto is a very gullible person. Always has been ever since we were kids. It's even worse when visuals are involved. Granted sooner or later he would find out the truth, or we would just be tired of playing and tell him the truth, but regardless he's naïve," Sasuke Started.
"I don't get it. What does Naruto being gullible have to do with the situation?" Hosei said finishing the bowl of Ramen. Sasuke looked at Hosei, his eyes squinted at the man in disapproval. "How are your grades in school?"
"I mean they aren't the greatest but I'm passing," Hosei answered like that was a normal question for the situation. "Hm. Naruto being gullible is important information because that means that asshole is feeding Naruto obvious lies. And Naruto being the naïve idiot that he is believes everything that comes out of his mouth," Sasuke finished explaining. "Oh! So he's using Narutos gullibleness against him…," Hosei understood as he took the bill that the waitress snuck in at some point. "Took you a while," Sasuke deadpanned disappointed in Naruto's choice of friends. The two of them got up after Hosei payed the bill, the two of them grabbing their bags and heading out the restaurant. "Well then, what are we to do? Gaaras been warping Naruto's mind for three plus years. Undoing the damage is going to take time," Hosei started as the two of them began to walk back toward the university.
"That I will have to say will be hard. Once Naruto believes something it's really hard to stray him from that thought," Sasuke shoved his hands in his pocket as they waited for the street light to give them the sign. "Well it's a good thing Gaara is out of town for the week on business. It'll be easier getting close to Naruto without someone breathing down his neck every minute of the day. But by the looks of it he still has a hold on him even when he's away," Hosei said as he began to cross the street when the light said walk. "Gaaras gone? For the week?" Sasuke said as he glanced over to Hosei. "Yea, won't be back till Thursday I think," Hosei continued.
"Interesting. That means that I have a week to work my hardest to get Naruto to see the bullshit he's going through isn't worth it," Sasuke explained. "After what you pulled you should cross the weekend off those plans because he looks like he has no intentions of seeing you tomorrow or the day after. School seems like the only place you'll be able to see him since there he's force to hang out with you," Hosei explained with a shake of his head in disappointment.
"I highly doubt that, but as long as nothing gets in my way then it's fine," Sasuke said as he stopped walking. "My place is this way, so we part here," the raven spoke. "Oh. Okay. Ah! But before you go," Hosei pulled out his cell phone. "We should exchange numbers. If we are working together then we need to keep in contact, right?" Hosei smiled, pleased when Sasuke took out his phone, but not after the man looked at him in distaste and huffed in acceptance. "Awesome! Well, I'll see you in school Monday! If Naruto ignores you don't be afraid to text me if you get lonely!" Hosei waved as he walked away after grabbing his phone from Sasuke and giving his back to him. Sasuke sighed and headed back to his apartment, thinking of ways he could help Naruto see that he was the one who loved him and not Gaara.
::+::
After storming out of the restaurant Naruto headed back to the university, wanting to get the steam off, he thought what better way than to paint. It always calmed him down when he was angry so why would it be any different now. It took him a good few minutes to get there since they decided to walk and not take a car to the restaurant.
He stepped into the University, his feet quickly taking him down the hall and up the stairs. A quick turn of the corner making him bump into someone, the two falling back but catching themselves before they fell to the floor. "Ah, sorry about that!" Naruto quickly apologized. "Naruto?" The voice said as he stood upright to look at the blonde. Naruto's blue eyes looked up at the man to see that it was someone he has not seen for a while. "Sora…" he looked at him in shock. "Good. You remember me," He smiled.
"Where have you been? It's been-" "Almost two years," the man cut him off. "It has been a while. You're boyfriend is a crazy man," Sora laughed. "Did he do something to you? Is that why you suddenly disappeared? When did you get back?" Naruto bombarded the man with questions, but still keeping his distance, not knowing who was watching. "Calm down. I got back at the beginning of this month," Sora answered. "Then how come I haven't seen you at all until now?" the short blonde asked.
"I didn't think you would want to see me again since your boyfriend kind of forbade you from doing so," Sora rubbed the back of his head in awkwardness. Naruto stayed silent at that, the man being right in Gaara telling him never to see him again. "Still, I thought maybe I would see you around the school or something. But you just...vanished," Naruto sighed. "Ah well… I don't know if your man was behind it but a group of guys came and threatened me to stay away from you. It kind of all worked out because there was a school I wanted to check out in the neighboring city so I thought I would temporarily transfer over there until things died down. There were classes that I needed to take and they didn't have them so I thought better now, before I couldn't transfer back," Sora said as he crossed his arms. "Hope I came back at a good time,"
"Well…Gaaras gone for a bit and he won't be back till sometime next week…" Naruto replied feeling guilty, thinking if Gaara was really the type of person to send someone just to get rid of Sora. "And if Gaara was behind those people then I'm sorry," Naruto bowed. "Hey, don't worry about it. That was my fault. I heard the rumors, but I still wanted to be your friend anyway. So, you don't have to apologize," Sora explained. Sora didn't know whether Naruto heard him, the man in front of him looking elsewhere as if he had something going on through his mind.
"So, what have you been up to? Did you just come from somewhere?" Sora spoke loud enough hoping that would bring Naruto back from his thoughts. "Huh? Oh. I was with some friends. One of them was the exchange student so we went to take him to the best ramen shop here," Naruto grunted, remembering the reason why he was here. "Exchange student? You mean the Uchiha?" Sora questioned, the blonde turning towards him when he spoke the ravens name. "You know Sasuke?"
"He's in some of my classes. I met him yesterday in class. He said something about looking for someone, so I offered my help. But I didn't see him today, so I don't know if he ever found them," Sora explained as he crossed his arms in thought. "Ah... You don't have to worry about that anymore…," Naruto said knowing who it was he was looking for. Sora looked at him in question but decided not to ask. "So why are you here? All the lectures are over," Sora started. "Oh…Uh…I got pissed from something someone said and was going to paint in the art room…but I don't feel that mad anymore…" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Did talking to me help?" Sora chuckled at the blonde. "Psh, yea right," Naruto chuckled as he crossed his arms and looked somewhere else. They laughed for a bit more, silence hitting them fast.
"It was nice seeing you. Glad you're okay," Naruto said as he looked back at him. "It was great seeing you too. If it's okay with you can we still be friends?" Sora asked with a huge smile on his face. Naruto stared at him in thought, his eyes slowly falling when he remembered what happened to his hand, as if he could possibly forget. "I…I don't think that's a good idea…" Naruto started. "If Gaara really was behind you leaving, that's one thing. But I don't want to put you in danger in the small chance Gaara finds out you were trying to get close to me again. I couldn't live with myself if I knew you got hurt because of me. So, I think it's best if we just keep our distance. But I'll make sure to say hi if we do cross paths…" Naruto explained with a soft smile on his face.
"I guess that's reasonable…I wouldn't want to cause you any problems either…" Sora sighed in agreement. "Well then I guess I'll see you around?" Sora smiled softly. "Yea, Sorry again," Naruto softly smiled towards the man. "It's not your fault. I'll head off first. See you Uzumaki," Sora waved as he walked passed the man, turning the corner. Naruto listened to his footsteps disappear, the man feeling more down than angry.
This little encounter made him realized that he didn't have a lot of friends. The only two being Hosei and Ami, but that was only because Gaara approved of them. Naruto looked out the window, wondering when it was that he started pushing people away, whether consciously or unconsciously. He shook his head not wanting to think about it. He knew why he kept people away. He was afraid Gaara would do something to them, so he kept his distance. Naruto let out a sigh and decided that he would just go home instead, the thought of what Sasuke said sinking into his mind more than he wanted.
::+::
Naruto walked into his house, everything silent and in place since he was the only one there. He was about to call out for Gaara but was reminded he wasn't there when he looked down and saw that the shoes he wore to work were gone. He sighed to himself, kicking off his sneakers as he trudged towards his bedroom. He opened the door and dropped his bag, his coat falling onto the floor after he removed it as he walked towards the bed. He reached the bed and fell forward onto it, the man breathing in heavily and breathing out just the same.
Stupid Sasuke and his stupid words. Who the hell does he think he is? Naruto pouted as he closed his eyes. Does he not realize that everything that has happened was his fault? If he didn't do what he did that night, then none of this would have happened. I would still be in Konoha, I would be with my friends. I could see my mom whenever I wanted… Naruto lifted up his hand to touch his lips, a defeated sigh leaving them. Who am I kidding. This is all my fault. If I had just stopped Sasuke from kissing me…If I had just shut it all down right there and then before Gaara had caught us…. Naruto got up and made himself more comfortable on the bed, grabbing onto Gaaras pillow and holding onto it tightly. Everything is always my fault… But now that I think about it… Naruto let out a yawn, the events repeating into his mind, sleep slowly taking him away. How did Gaara know we were there….? The thought slowly disappearing into the back of his mind as he succumbs to the slumber that was awaiting him.
::+::
Saturday morning crept up on Naruto, the man waking up at some point during the middle of the night to change into something more comfortable to sleep in. He turned onto his side, looking at the clock on his drawer to see that it was a quarter pass noon. "I've slept through the rest of yesterday?" He whispered to himself in a very raspy voice. "I must have been really tired…" Naruto Yawned. At least I have today and tomorrow to myself. No Sasuke or Gaara to bother me. Just some alone time to myself… Naruto turned over again to look at the window that was letting in the afternoon light. Naruto closed his eyes, content with the situation. An angry looked was suddenly placed on Naruto's face, the man opening his eyes and staring at the window like it insulted him. I have a paper due first class Monday… Naruto groaned loudly, the blonde getting out of bed to start his day by taking a shower.
::+::
Sasuke was up around 11, the man going for a jog around the block. When he got back home, it was a quarter past noon, the raven going to take a shower, and once done decided to make himself some breakfast with the food that was already inside the fridge. A few minutes passed, and he was finished with his breakfast, focusing more on his homework that he was doing on his laptop throughout the meal. He saw a little icon on the corner of his laptop, indicating that he had gotten a message from someone. He pressed on the tab to see that it was a message from his brother, asking him if now was a good time to talk. Instead of answering the man back through a message, he clicked on the phone icon and waited for the man to pick up. One ring went by and he watched as the black call screen showed his older brother drinking a cup, of what Sasuke believed was coffee.
"Little brother," Itachi greeted. "Shouldn't you be at work?" Sasuke greeted in his own way. "I own the company Sasuke. I can go to work whenever I want," Itachi placed the cup down and sighed at his younger brothers rude greeting. "That mentality will be the end of you," Sasuke smirked. "No worries. I have Shisui looking over the company until I head there this evening. I told him if he does a good job I'll reward him later," Sasuke saw the small smirk placed on his lips, to anyone else it would still look like Itachi was frowning. "But enough of that. How was your first two days of school? Everything went okay?"
"Eventful," was all Sasuke said as he grabbed for the cup a few inches away from him and gulped down what was left of it. "I'm going to assume that you have met up with Naruto?" Sasuke giving the man a sigh in return. "Is it much worse than what you thought?"
"How do you make someone see how terrible their significant other is? How can you stay with someone who hurts you and tells you they do it because they "Love you"? Naruto is in deep and getting him out is going to be hard because he truly believes that he Gaara loves him, but he doesn't understand that he's just obsessed with Naruto. And Naruto being the type of man he is, doesn't see that. I've never been so frustrated in my life," Sasuke grunted as he leaned his arm on the table and placed his head on his hands. Itachi let out a sigh and looked at his younger brother, the raven understanding the look as he began to relay everything that has happened between him and Naruto in the last two days.
By the end of the story Itachi was rubbing the bridge of his nose, wondering if he raised his younger brother to be this blind and idiotic. "Sasuke…Maybe you should take a different approach when it comes to showing Naruto you care," Itachi sighed. "What do you mean?" The raven asked. "Well, Naruto has been away from his family and friends for a very long time. So instead of barging into his life the way you did, why not carefully show him that you still care for him. The way that we all know he cares for you. I understand that you want to hurry up and make him better again, but remember that at this time, all Naruto needs is a close friend, someone who can listen to his problems. I'm sure that those two who he talks to are close, but from what you told me, he doesn't tell them everything. I think that you need to revert to how is was three years ago and let Naruto come to you. Granted it will take some time, but like you said, you have no intentions of coming back unless Naruto is with you so I'm sure you'll have all the time in the world," Itachi genuinely smiled.
Sasuke sighed, his fingers tapping away on wooded table, silently telling his brother that he was right. He hated the thought that with each passing time Naruto was getting worse, not realizing that Gaara didn't appreciate him and only kept him around because he had no one. He remembered the things that Naruto told him and it was clear that Gaara held onto him because he was the only person who treated him like a human being, who accepted him for who he was. He hated that Naruto was kind to everyone, but that was also one of the many things Sasuke loved about him.
Sasuke let out another sigh, as he leaned up and crossed his arms. "I have no choice then,"
"I'm glad I could help, little brother. But I must now say my farewells. I told I Shisui I will be in the office by 2, and it seems to be 30 minutes into 1," Itachi said as he looked at his watch. "Don't let me keep you then. I'm sure Shisui is looking forward to his reward as well," Sasuke smirked at his older brother. "Yes of course. Keep me updated. And tell Naruto I said hi," Itachi smiled. "Hn," Sasuke answered. "Goodbye little brother, try not to get into too much trouble," Itachi said as he grabbed his phone when it started to vibrate. "I can't keep any promises,"
Itachi smiled at the comment and dropped the call, Sasuke leaning back in his chair once more as he stared at the black screen in front of him. He grabbed his phone and searched for Naruto's number, contemplating on whether he should contact him first. He opened up the text messages and sent him a quick text asking if he would be willing to meet him today. There's something I have to do first if I want this to work…, Sasuke said to himself as he finished up his homework, quickly grabbing his phone when it vibrated.
Naruto: I should say no, but since it's my job to babysit you, I can't.
Sasuke knew that the babysitting was just an excuse, but he took the reason anyway. He looked down when he saw he had received another text from the blonde.
Naruto: Meet me in front of the school in an hour.
Sasuke, on a rare occasion, smiled to himself as he stood up and grabbed his dishes as he headed to the sink to go watch them, hoping that an hour will go by fast.
::+::
Naruto wasn't shocked, but he'd be lying if he said he was expecting a text from Sasuke. He thought that he would still be angry with how things ended, Naruto still being a bit livid of how their interaction went down. Granted, he couldn't hold him against it because some of the things he said were true but he did love Gaara. But after last night, and that nightmare that refuses to leave his mind, Naruto can't say for sure what he's feeling.
So, when he texted Sasuke to meet him at school in an hour, he was wondering if what he was doing was a good decision. He knew it probably wasn't, but it was hard for him to say no to Sasuke, since he was the first person he ever loved and he is his best friend since childhood. Naruto's face turned crimson red when he realized that he basically told Sasuke that he had loved him yesterday. He was thanking that gods that Gaara wasn't here right now, because he knew that there will be nothing but hurt if he saw that another man made him like this.
His thoughts strayed to Gaara, the man not calling him since the day before. He must be really busy if he hasn't called me. I would call him but he's probably working or in a meeting…, Naruto thought. He looked at his laptop, the paper he was writing coming along nicely. I only need a few more page, so it's okay to take a break, Naruto leaned back on the couch. He turned to look at the clock. I said in an hour but maybe I should have done it earlier? And hour goes by really slowly…, Naruto got up and went to his bedroom, changing into something he can be seen with outside. He grabbed his book bag and one of the hats that was sitting on his drawer.
He headed downstairs and closed the laptop, putting it in his bookbag and throwing it over his shoulder after closing the bag. He headed for the door and grabbed his sweater and his car keys which also had his house keys on it. He walked out of the house, not locking the door since it was an autolock and headed to his car. He got in the driver's seat, pressing the button as he felt his car come to life. Maybe Ami or Hosei are in the art room today…, Naruto thought to himself as he pulled out of the driveway and made his way to school, using his friends as an excuse to go there an hour early.
Naruto made his way inside the school, stopping by the cafeteria to see if he could purchase some snacks before heading to the art room.
He headed up the stairs munching on some chips, he turned the corner to see that the same group of guys that were in the locker room were walking in his direction. He had his hat on so hopefully they didn't recognize him, now knowing that those are the people keeping tabs on him. He's been lucky that they haven't seen him with Sasuke except for that locker incident, but he's hoping it will continue this way until Sasuke leaves. The group passed him without giving him a second glance and Naruto walked faster towards the art room.
He opened the door to hear some bickering, Ami and Hosei trapped in a heated conversation in the corner near a canvas. "I thought we weren't supposed to meet up for another few minutes," Sasuke smirked from behind Naruto, the blonde jumping in fright as he moved forward and quickly turned around to stare into ebony eyes. "I, I had to come early because I needed to ask Ami a question!" Naruto lied. "What's your excuse?" Naruto squinted at the man in question. "I needed to talk to Hosei," Sasuke deadpanned as he strode inside, Naruto watching him walk towards the arguing mess. Liar, Naruto thought as he made his way over to his friends.
"Naruto! Just the person I wanted to see. Can you please tell this monster that you should always wash the brush after you use it. I don't understand how I've never noticed you treating the brushes so terribly," Ami put her hand over her forehead in despair. "Like I said, what's the point of continuing to watch it after every stroke if I'm just going to use it again? Besides the way I paint, I like to have a little bit of the color I used beforehand," Hosei explained.
"Gross! Nothing but grossness. How can you live with yourself?!" Ami yelled.
"Now now, aren't you the one that says everyone has their own technique and methods when it comes to creating a masterpiece of art? All that matters is that he can create art right? How he does it is up to him," Naruto negotiated. "But those poor brushes," Ami cried. "If they get bad we could always buy new ones with the club funds. And if we don't have enough, I'm sure Gaara would be a sweetheart and lend us some to go buy the supplies. It's not a big deal," Naruto tapped Ami on the back to reassure her. Ami sighed and went back to her canvas, plopping herself down in defeat.
"So, what brings you two here? After yesterday I didn't think you would want to see each other for a while," Hosei quietly said to them. "Ah, well…," Naruto started as he rubbed the back of his neck. "We have some business to tend to," Sasuke finished.
"I thought you needed to talk to Hosei," Naruto grunted as he added the air quotes for emphasis. "Well, I thought you had to ask the chick over there a question," Sasuke grunted back as he crossed his arms. "I actually answered my own question in the span of this conversation so there was no need for me to ask her anymore," Naruto folded his arms with a "Hmph!". "And I already talked to Hosei, so I'm done here too," Sasuke answered back. Hosei realized what was going on and sighed at the idiots in front of him. "Alright, since you both have accomplished what you came here to do, leave if you have no reason to be here. Ami will just force you two to paint and I'm sure Sasuke has never picked up a brush in his life," Hosei said as he pushed them both towards the door.
"You both have my number so if something happens give me a call," Hosei said as he pushed them out the door and closed it behind them. They stayed silent for a second, Naruto pivoting on his foot as he started to head down the hall, Sasuke getting the point and following after.
::+::
The raven and the blonde were sitting in a café, Sasuke drinking a cup of coffee and Naruto sipping on a chocolate chip frappe. They took Naruto's car, neither of them in the mood to walk, and both silent the whole way. Sasuke decided to break the silence by asking the blonde a question. "What's with the getup?"
Naruto moved his hat up to look at Sasuke, wondering if he should answer him truthfully. "….I didn't want to be recognized by the people, since I'm fairly known being Gaaras Husband and all…," Naruto half lied. "But that's beside the point…Why did you want to see me. I'm still mad from what you said yesterday…" Naruto started silently. "You have every right to be mad," Sasuke said as he took a sip of his coffee. "But it was nice to know that I was your first love," Sasuke continued as he smirked around his cup, enjoying the blondes face as it turned red under his hat, his hands going up to hide his face in embarrassment. "Please disregard that statement. It was in the past so it's irrelevant now," Naruto continued to blush.
"No I think I'll hold onto it. Also, Itachi says hi," Sasuke added the last part to change the topic swiftly. "Big brother Itachi? You spoke to him today?" Naruto asked as he looked at Sasuke excitedly. "This morning before I left the house,"
"I hope he is doing well. Is he and Shisui still a thing?" Naruto smiled at the lovebirds. "I didn't think they can be more in love, but they always find a way to prove me wrong, Sasuke sipped on his coffee.
Naruto smiled at that, a comfortable silence being placed in the air between them. "A, Anyway. Why did you want to meet?" Naruto asked as he picked up his frappe and took a sip. Sasuke put his cup of coffee down and looked at Naruto, the blonde looking up to stare into ebony eyes. The two stared at each other, Naruto becoming nervous and shifting his eyes to look out the window.
"I'm sorry,"
Naruto shifted his eyes back to Sasukes, the man looking apologetic. "What?"
"What I said yesterday was uncalled for. I had no right to say that…So I'm sorry," Sasuke started. "It's just… the thought of him treating you so badly gets me angry and I can't stand it," Sasuke continued as he leaned onto his hand and continued to stare at Naruto. Naruto sighed, knowing that Sasuke always hated Gaara but dealt with it for his sake. "But that's just one of the things I wanted to tell you," Sasuke started up again. Naruto looked at the man quizzically wondering what else he had to say.
"I love you," Sasuke said as he stared into those ocean blue eyes he admired so much. "Wh-What?!" Naruto silently yelled at the man across from him. "Since When? Why now?!" Naruto continued, extremely confused. "Aren't you going out with Sakura?!"
"Sakura and I were never going out. And you were an idiot for thinking that. Not once have I ever seen her in that way, and honestly all of our problems would have been solved if you had just stopped being a wimp and asked," Sasuke immediately shut him down, Naruto opening his mouth to retort but Sasuke continued to speak, stopping the man from his action. "And to answer your question, I've liked you since that night you met Gaara, but I was too late in realizing my feelings," Sasuke averted his eyes to look out the window, not being used to talking about his feelings. "I see," was all Naruto could say as he looked down at his cup. "I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't telling you this so that you'd come to me. But the main reason for me telling you is because this is the only way I could think of to show you that I care," Sasuke turned back to look at Naruto.
"I'm sure that it was hard for you these past 3 years, you having to move here being my fault. And I can understand why you keep people at a distance, but I just want to help you. I want to see you happy, Naruto. And if me having to stand on the side like I used to will get you there then fine. I'd be lying if I said it wouldn't hurt or frustrate me but I'm here for you so if you ever need to talk… I'll listen," Sasuke continued. "Because not once have I ever stopped caring about you," the raven finished as he stared into the beautiful ocean that were Naruto's eyes.
Naruto looked at him quietly, staring into his ebony eyes, so many things going through his head, but he didn't know what to say. All he knew was he was happy Gaara wasn't here right now, all the emotions that were swirling inside of him were ones that he hasn't felt for a really long time. And he was afraid that if Gaara had seen how he looked now, all hell would break loose. He sighed deeply, not knowing he was holding his breath as he leaned over on the table.
"Can we… can we really go back to the way things were? Will you really listen to me?" Naruto shifted his eyes up to see Sasuke nod his head.
"Then…is it okay if I start now?"
Sasuke showed a small smirk, eliciting a smile from the blonde. "I'm all ears Dobe,"
AND there you have it. Chapter 4 of this crazy but Lovely? Story. I hope that you guys enjoyed it and again, so sorry for taking so long. I was also trying to meet my quota of words, not realizing that the past chapters were about 10k words. So if it feels a little shorter I apologize again, but I felt that this was a good way to end this chapter, next chapter maybe being a little easier to write…maybe.
Please do leave a review and I apologize in advance if this story becomes a monthly update. Of course, I will try for that not to happen, but with all the things I have to do, and my two other stories I have to also update it might take a while.
I just personally hope that you enjoyed this chapter.
Until next time, be safe and find some more wonderful fanfics to read! Go check out my faves, I'm sure there will be something to your licking c;
Ciaosu~~!