It Can't Be Helped
Author: Mask of Mirage
Rating: M
Comments: I hope no one hates me after the last chapter. I know everyone is anxious to see more Naruto and Sasuke but please wait a while.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto except for this plot line. I also do not own Honky-Tonk Badonkadonk.
Mood Song: World So Cold by Mudvayne
Chapter 7: Pride-filled Laments
It had been a week since the night Sasuke bolted from the house. Naruto had seen him once since then and the silence was so awkward that Sasuke left the room before Naruto could get a word out. Since the incident, Naruto replayed the scene a million times in his head. Did he do something wrong? But then again Sasuke had made the first move.
These troublesome thoughts bounced around in his head as he walked back home from his meeting with the Hokage. He was being sent on a mission, an A-ranked one. There had been some assassination attempts over in Suna and Naruto had been appointed as a personal bodyguard to the Kazekage. Psh, like Gaara couldn't take care of himself.
He was to leave later that day and not return till the assassins were arrested or killed. If it was up to him, he would just let Gaara-sama annihilate the pricks and get it over with. But seeing as Gaara was trying to prove to everyone that he, in fact, can control himself, going around and destroying everyone would not prove well for his newly-found reputation.
The Uchiha mansion was dead quiet as he made his way to his room to pack. He sighed, "Looks like Sasuke's still avoiding me," he said to Horo-Horo who had taken the advantage to sprawl his fat self on the bed.
He quickly packed his things, petted the cat one last time and left, leaving his key on the counter. His steps were slow and dejected as he made his way to the village gates. He paused when he noticed a lone figure sitting on the pier, gazing out over the lake. His back was turned but the spiky, black hair gave it away to be none other than Sasuke.
He looked so sad and forlorn sitting there all vulnerable-like. Sasuke had lost his family when he was very young and Naruto was certain there were still scars on his heart. The one thing they had in common was that they were both orphans though Sasuke probably had the worst of it. He knew his parents. Naruto did not, so he never got to experience a loving family and then the pain of them being taken away so suddenly. Sure there was a hollow void in his heart where that love should be but it's like with the nightmares little children have. If you never believed in monsters, you'd never have nightmares about them.
"Hey," he said, approaching the avenger. He sat down beside him, swinging his legs out over the edge of the pier. He noticed that Sasuke held his left arm in his lap, clutching his empty armband in his other hand. Naruto stared at the raven's arm, shocked to see the angry red welts that showed and then the light grey ones that lay underneath. He stayed silent as the boy grabbed a shiny, metal object from his lap and slowly ran it over his arm, little rivulets of blood flowing in its wake.
Wordlessly, Sasuke stared at the knife then tossed it into the water, letting it sink into the dark, quiet depths below. Naruto stayed silent but simply grasped Sasuke's wrist, applying pressure, in an attempt to stop the bleeding. "I got assigned a mission today," Naruto said, changing the subject.
" Oh." Sasuke's voice sounded uncharacteristically pained and distant.
"I'm going to be gone for a while," Naruto continued.
It was then that Sasuke raised his eyes to meet Naruto's. They were dark and quiet with what might have been pain.
"Tsunade also mentioned that they found me a new apartment. I bet you're pretty hyped about me getting out of your hair."
Sasuke gazed quickly back out over the lake, biting his lip.
"So...yea...um I got to get going. See you around, Sasuke," Naruto said, standing and brushing the seat of his pants off.
Sasuke watched him leave, his orange-and-black-clad figure fading into the distance. Although his body refused to move, his mind screamed, 'No...Naruto, come back...Don't leave. Don't leave me.'
But he stayed rooted to his spot. For pride is a terrible, terrible thing.
" GET THE HELL OUT OF MY OFFICE! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! " a raspy voice yelled from inside the room.
Naruto debated on entering. Clearly the Kazekage was in a pissy mood. But then again what's new about that? The door suddenly swung open and two old men came rushing out, hands raised and screaming like little girls. Tendrils of sand trailed behind them, close on their heels. Naruto knocked tentatively on the frame.
The redhead shot up from his paperwork, a glare set on his features. His face immediately softened when he saw who it was.
"Oh, Naruto, come in," he said, gesturing toward the seat, that didn't also have paperwork, opposite his desk.
"Looks like you've got your work cut out for you," Naruto said, glancing over the stack of papers at Gaara who was in the middle of banging his head on his desk.
"If my advisors didn't have shit for brains, then I wouldn't have nearly this much."
"I'm sure you know why I'm here, right," Naruto asked.
Gaara looked up. "Oh yes, my secret "assassin", he said sarcastically, doing air quotes. "I know who it is. They just won't let me kill the bastard!" he whined, resuming the banging of his head upon his desk.
"I think you really need to get out of this stuffy office and go get a drink," Naruto replied, raising his eyebrow.
"Drink? Yes! Drinks are good! Let's go out and get a drink," the redhead exclaimed, jumping to his feet. Gaara led them down a hall till he stopped at a door that read Temari. He turned the knob and walked in.
Rule number 1: Always knock first. Always.
Gaara quickly came running back out. "Mmpther ucker," came the muffled reply, for Gaara had his hands clamped over his face.
Naruto was going to ask what was wrong but Temari showed up at that moment, tying her bathrobe in the process.
"Didn't anyone teach you to knock first," she whispered violently.
"You don't do that in the middle of the day," he whispered back just as fiercely.
Naruto was beyond confused until a person showed up behind Temari. Shikamaru held a pillow in front of him, other than that he was butt-naked! Naruto quickly put two and two together and guess what he concluded; you got four!
"DRINK! I NEED A DRINK! SOMEONE PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SHOW ME TO THE DAMN ALCOHOL!," Gaara yelled, continuing down the hallway, muttering obscenities under his breath.
Naruto gave a quick thumbs-up to Shikamaru, who in turn returned the favor until Temari popped him upside the head, and ran to catch up with the fuming red down the hall. Oh yes, this would be quite a fun night.
Meanwhile, back at the Uchiha house, Sasuke lay in bed, his knees drawn up to his chest and his face buried in the pillows. Everything felt so cold to him. Everything seemed to be falling apart and he was too damn stubborn to stop it.
It was night at Suna. All was quiet and peaceful until someone's drunken singing broke through the crisp air.
"HONKY-TONK BADONKADONK, KEEPING PERFECT RHYTHM MAKE YOU WANNA SWING ALONG. GOT IT GOING ON LIKE DONKEY KONG."
Naruto stumbled under the weight of the delirious kid hanging on his shoulder. Of all the nights to bring his gourd! "Gaara, I think you've had too much to drink," Naruto said, yanking the redhead away from a hole that he was about to step in.
"No, I think I've had tooo much to drink. That's with three O's," he yelled loudly, holding up two fingers.
Naruto blinked. "Riiight, let's get you home."
"What was wrong with you tonight?"
"What do you mean what's wrong?"
"All night you've been off in your own little sphere-earthy-thingamabob and you didn't even drink," Gaara explained, temporarily forgetting what a world was.
Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. I've been thinking about some stuff."
"What "stuff"?"
Naruto debated on telling Gaara about Sasuke but then again Gaara was his friend and he was so wasted he probably wouldn't remember in the morning anyway. "I'm in love with someone and I'm not sure if they love me back. At least they never said they did," Naruto blurted out.
"Who?"
" Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto replied quietly.
"Isn't that the kid I fought in the finals?" the redhead questioned, slurring his words slightly.
"Yeah and I don't know what to do."
"You're asking the wrong person on the whole love thing. The least I can tell you is be honest with him."
Naruto stared at the ground. Off in the distance, a coyote howled a mournful song. 'Easier said than done.'
