They struck camp and set off a few hours after sunrise the next morning. Surprisingly, the client didn't complain at the early start, simply shouldering his pack and setting off with Kakashi-sensei at his side. Naruto was running left guard while Sakura took the right, which left Sasuke all alone in front and barely capable of walking straight, much less keeping an eye out for lurking enemies.
He had woken up in a good mood for once in his life, but it had vanished when he had remembered the cause. What the hell was I thinking? His head had been full of the client's words about cowardice, about being in love. When he'd re-entered their tent to wake Naruto for his watch, the freed emotions had shined so brightly in his mind that they had blinded him temporarily. When he could see again, he was kissing Naruto.
That morning, in the clear, logical light of day, spilling his feelings had seemed like the worst idea of all time. It wasn't cowardice, this not wanting to throw a monkey wrench into the team dynamic in the middle of a mission. It was just plain good sense.
It was midmorning before he managed to convince himself he wasn't being a spineless weakling, and he consoled himself with the promise that he would talk to Naruto the minute the mission ended. The poor moron must be so confused.
After all, what could Naruto be thinking, being awakened like some fairy-tale princess by a teammate whom he had every reason to believe barely tolerated him? It hadn't been very fair of him to do it, which he'd be the first one to admit, but he'd had no control over his body. The emotions that had been steadily growing over the past few months had taken over completely. He couldn't even remember what the kiss had actually felt like.
Okay, so that was a huge lie. If he thought back on it, every moment was crystal clear, as if encased in glass. He saw himself marching into the tent, curling fingers into Naruto's sleep shirt, felt again the flexing of his arm muscles as he yanked his teammate upright. He hadn't bothered checking the depth of Naruto's slumber; even a knuckle-headed ninja like Naruto couldn't fail to be awakened by something as violent as surprise mouth-rape.
It was all there, inside his head, but he had no memory of consciously deciding to act; it was as if he were watching an incredibly pertinent show on television. Either way, when he had come back to himself, had felt Naruto's dream-state pop like a soap bubble, he had definitely taken the sane (cowardly) way out, passing the watch and pretending to go to sleep.
Thinking back on it, he wondered at Naruto's normal morning behavior. He himself would have been in a towering rage had anyone taken advantage of him in his sleep. Anyone besides Naruto, you mean, whispered the insidious voice he usually tried desperately to ignore. He'd filled his trunk with as much of the emotions and dreams as he could, but there were way too many to fit them all in; besides, he had had no time to do a proper morning ritual. He'd had to shove everything in haphazardly while he packed up their tent, praying to a god he wasn't sure he believed in that no one noticed his embarrassing morning wood.
It seemed as if his prayers had been answered, because no one said a word as they broke camp, besides "Good morning"s all 'round and a "Delicious breakfast, Sakura-chan!" from Naruto. Then they had set off, automatically rotating positions again, leaving him, their most distracted person, in the position that demanded the most focus.
To make matters worse, the memories of his actions the night before, as well as the client's words on love, bounced around inside his skull until he could barely stand it. It was therefore a huge relief when he sensed four presences in the woods ahead, two on each side of the path. Glancing over his shoulder, he waved to get his sensei's attention.
Kakashi-sensei glanced up from what looked to be a deeply engrossing conversation with the client. Sasuke waved two fingers, gesturing to either side of the path, then flashed his estimate of how far ahead of them the ambush was set. Kakashi-sensei concentrated, and then nodded. He seemed about to turn to give the signal to his other teammates when Sasuke gestured again, indicating himself. Their team leader shrugged, made a small shooing motion, and returned to his conversation with Hayakawa-san though Sasuke could tell he was keeping closer tabs on their surroundings in the absence of a point runner.
Satisfied, Sasuke darted off the path to the left. He could feel the eyes of his teammates following him curiously, but they stayed in their positions at Kakashi-sensei's lack of response.
By leaping from tree to tree, wind whistling past his ears, he pulled away from the rest of the group. About five minutes later, he came upon the first of the ambushers. They were crouched behind some bushes a short distance from the road, peering between the screening bushes. Sasuke studied them from his perch halfway up a tall tree,
They wore fairly nice clothing, indicating either a high success rate or an alternative day job that was considerably more lucrative. Sasuke decided to go with the second option as one of the figures shifted, snapping a branch underfoot. These guys were clearly only doing this as some kind of twisted hobby.
Even though he knew, knew, that Naruto was more than capable of taking care of all four of the ambushers single-handedly, the remnants of his emotions were inflamed by the idea that these men meant him harm, would kill him if they could.
But this time, instead of his body moving by itself, he thought over the situation, created a plan of attack that took into account the other attackers across the path as well as the increasing proximity of the client, whom he was being paid to protect. Only after this did he move, in full agreement with his body.
Sasuke darted down the tree trunk and across the grass that separated them, sending chakra into his feet to muffle their pounding. His kunai took the nearest man across the throat from behind and the second man through the kidneys. As they fell, Sasuke sliced the front man across the throat as well, for good measure, and then he was gone before the bodies hit the ground. There had been no noise.
Faster than any eye could follow, Sasuke flashed across the path, sensing his team approaching. He burst through the screen of bushes and nailed the front man through the eye with a senbon. He aimed for the last man's wrist as the arm was raised in defense, but as the detached hand fell, spilling blood, he felt a tearing pain in his left arm.
Glancing down as he automatically slashed open the man's stomach, he observed that his arm had been cut open. More annoyed at his dangerous overconfidence than anything else, Sasuke realized the empty hand had been a mere diversion as the man aimed for a vital point. Unfortunately for him, however, Sasuke had caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and moved to block it with his non-dominant hand. His reaction most likely stemmed from sparring with Naruto, when the idiot had still flailed fists from every direction on the off-chance one of his punches might land. It had come as a shock to discover a knife instead.
He realized he'd been standing stupidly over the still bodies while blood escaped from a gash on his forearm and dripped off his fingers to join the rapidly spreading puddle at his feet. He shook himself, then shifted and tightened the bandages already wrapped around his arm to stem the blood flow. With his preoccupation that morning, he'd neglected to tie them properly; if he had done so in the first place, he would have come through the whole affair without a scratch on him.
Naruto's fault again, he thought wryly, his irritation at himself tempered by . . . affection? Is that what this would be called? Retrieving his weapons and wiping them and his bloody hand clean on one of the dead men's tunics, he stepped back onto the path at exactly the right time to resume his position at the head of the group. His arm throbbed in time with his footsteps.
* * * * *
Naruto was beginning to wonder when they would stop for a mid-morning break when they crested a hill and a sprawling city opened up below them. His steps faltered for a half-second, but after Sasuke's mysterious disappearance and reappearance an hour earlier he'd been particularly focused on his surroundings, so he wasn't completely taken by surprise.
The client, however, exclaimed with joy. "Home!" he cried, picking up his pace a little as they started down the hill into the village. Sasuke, as the front man, adjusted his pace accordingly with barely a glance over his shoulder at them, so that despite their increased speed his back was as far away as ever.
Metaphor for my life, thought Naruto with a wry twist of his lips. He'd been trying to catch up to Sasuke his entire life, particularly today. He still wasn't sure where Sasuke had gone when he'd vanished into the forest, and since his return Naruto had been trying to catch his eye, to send some kind of signal, but Sasuke hadn't turned around. Naruto had shared worried glances with Sakura, but eventually they both had shrugged and returned to their ceaseless scanning of the surrounding forest.
Now, however, they were entering a town. They would have to close ranks to keep the client protected. Any second now, he thought as the group walked through gates in the tall wooden palisade that surrounded the city, Kakashi-sensei will-
"Team, fall in," their sensei called. Naruto and Sakura moved up, but instead of falling back Sasuke simply stopped where he was and waited for their walking pace to catch up to him. Kakashi-sensei seemed mildly concerned, but he gave no indication that anything was against procedure in front of the client.
As the gathered group moved forward through crowded streets, the client gave directions, steering them past market stalls, brothels, flower shops, all the things one finds in small villages. Naruto caught a fragment of the conversation the client was having with Kakashi-sensei.
"So you'll stay, then? My father-" and the rest was lost as a shop owner tossed some garbage into a bin outside her door.
Stay? Weren't they headed home immediately after ditching this client's pompous ass? Ears straining to catch Kakashi-sensei's response, Naruto almost ran into the client before he realized they had stopped walking.
"This is it," said the client proudly. "My father's home when he is not at court with the daimyo." Naruto gazed at the house, larger than his entire apartment building. He was opening his mouth to ask Kakashi-sensei what the whole "staying" thing had been about when his teacher spoke first, visible eye happily arched.
"Hayakawa-san has invited us to stay for lunch so we" here he looked pointedly at Sakura, "can meet his father. I have told him that we'd be delighted." Naruto glanced at Sakura, expecting a scowl of displeasure, and was surprised to see a blush pinkening her cheeks instead.
He shifted his gaze to their third teammate, who was surveying them with arms folded, his face a blank. Naruto shrugged in acknowledgement of Kakashi-sensei's questioning gaze but he did not take his eyes off of Sasuke as he also shrugged, then led the team up the stonework path to the front door. Close up, there was an unfamiliar strain visible in the set of Sasuke's shoulders.
Sasuke stepped aside as they reached the front door, allowing the client to slide it open and yell, "Tadaima!" They followed him in, removing their shoes. In seconds, a horde of maids descended on them, cooing and exclaiming how good it was to see the young master again. The client was in his element, issuing orders for them to be taken to guest rooms.
"Formal dress is not required, but you might want to freshen up a bit. I have to speak to my father and set the cooks going. Lunch will be served in an hour. Please feel free to explore. My family has beautiful gardens, excellent for private conversations." He slid a glance at Sakura, who blushed again. Naruto grinned evilly to himself; he'd be able to tease her about this for ages.
He followed a cute little maid up a staircase and down a plushly carpeted hallway. She bowed him through another sliding door and then vanished back up the hallway. Sliding the door closed behind him, he gazed around his new surroundings. The decorations were tasteful and understated, indicating a comfortable level of wealth but not opulence. He faced another sliding door that was open onto the gardens, letting in a soft grass-scented breeze. There was a door connecting him to the room next to his, or, as he discovered on further exploration, a connecting bathroom with a warm shower-fountain and a hot soaking tub. He thought he spotted movement by the door that led out of the bathroom to the next room, but when he turned his head there was nothing there.
Dropping his pack to the tiled floor, he stripped out of his dirty clothes and jumped under the stream of warm water. He washed himself and lathered and rinsed his hair with soap and shampoo from an overhead shelf.
When he was satisfied that he no longer smelled as if he hadn't showered in two days, he hurriedly dried off and dressed in his spare set of clothes. Then he gathered his things and went through the connecting door back to his room. There, he found a pair of outdoor slippers, which he put on, and then he went out into the garden to find Sasuke. The mission was over, and he was out of excuses. That bastard had some explaining to do.
* * * * *
Sasuke stood in the shadows of his assigned room and watched Naruto plunge into the maze of hedges outside his door. Not that he was hiding or anything, it was just a test to see if Naruto was using his powers of observation. But Naruto didn't turn around, no matter how loudly half of Sasuke's brain shouted his name, and in seconds he had vanished.
Sasuke allowed himself to relax for the first time since yesterday morning, when this godforsaken fiasco of a mission had started. His arm was still throbbing rather painfully, and he had been planning on soaking in a hot bath, but Naruto had once again thrown a monkey wrench into his plans.
He had gone into the bath, only to discover it was already occupied by that blonde-haired bane of his existence. He stealthily withdrew, but only because the headache he was developing probably wouldn't go well with the echoes off marble and tile that would arise from the yell Naruto would let out if startled by him. Not because he was afraid. Not.
This didn't prevent him from watching through the crack of the door as Naruto stripped naked and hopped in the shower. Sasuke found himself mesmerized by the reality of acres of bare tan skin, glistening as rivulets of water traced paths his tongue had followed in his dreams. It was only by digging his fingers into the bandage over his fresh knife wound that he was able to keep his head and not go rushing in to help his teammate wash that luxurious golden hair that clung to his neck and sent more rivulets coursing down that broad back.
When the hedges had swallowed his teammate, Sasuke took his turn in the shower, absurdly grateful for the alone time he had so desperately needed that morning to sort through all the revelations of the previous evening. Once clean, he rewrapped his slash wound – which was still bleeding sluggishly – in clean bandages, cast a longing look at the tub, which steamed invitingly, then returned to his room. He, too, made the discovery of outdoor slippers, but he was not nearly as glad to see them as Naruto had been.
Now you are being a coward, he told himself sternly. His mental chibi sighed resignedly and started shoveling emotions into the trunk, but he stopped it. Taking stock of his metal state, it did seem to be a hopeless task to attempt to lock it all away. No longer was his mind filled with the icy silence of his hatred and rage at his nii-san. Now, they were dark shadows that contrasted sharply with the sunny memories of the sound of Naruto's laugh, his determination to become Hokage, the way he had tasted those few times he had stolen kisses.
The chibi stood in the midst of all this as if it were in the middle of a sun-lit meadow on a summer day. Telegraphing it his decision, the chibi started herding the angry shadows of his brother's legacy into the now-empty trunk. If he were truly going to confront Naruto, they both deserved the freedom from unrelated complications.
When the birds were singing and the crickets were going zee in the sunny meadow in his head, when the chibi draped a towel over the closed trunk and lay on it to sunbathe, only then did he allow himself to step out into the garden.
He was astonished at how different he felt. He was . . . happy, he supposed, for the first time in years. He felt like the typical insecure hormonal teenager he could have been in another life; his only concerns at the moment were the nervous butterflies in his stomach at the uncertainty of Naruto's reaction.
Even the sunlight on his shoulders felt different and new, as if he'd removed a dark veil that he had been wearing between himself and the world. As he entered the maze of hedges and located Naruto's chakra signature – which felt focused and was moving steadily in a search pattern – he realized there was a smile on his face. He left it there.
He emerged into an enclosed space with a fountain in the center. Moving closer over lush green grass, he blinked in surprise as a fish broke the surface of the pool, snatching a fly out of the air before resubmerging with a small splash. The ripples spread outward and the surface calmed, leaving him facing his own reflection backed by a blue sky full of puffy white clouds.
Transfixed, he reached up and touched his own cheek. With the smile in place, he almost looked eight years old again, open and friendly, as if the world was a good place where nothing could hurt him. Naruto always looks like this, he realized as he let his hand fall to his side again, even though he knows better than anyone how untrue that is.
His reflection's smile dimmed at the memory of Naruto lying battered and defeated on night-dark pavement. No, not defeated. Never defeated. And his smile returned.
It was still in place when a voice said, "How long are you going to stare at your own reflection, you narcissistic ba-"
Here he turned to face Naruto, and the smile was probably the reason why Naruto stopped talking and gaped at him.
He waited a few seconds for that famous Uzumaki mouth to rise to the occasion. He wasn't disappointed, though there was confusion behind the usual brash cheerfulness. "Wow, does looking at yourself always make you this happy, or is it just today because Sakura-chan has someone else to obsess over?"
Naruto walked toward him across the grass, looking wary and unsure, and the noon-high sun gave him a completely appropriate halo. The butterflies in Sasuke's stomach went Mandelbrot, causing storms in other regions of his body.
His mouth, by force of habit as an emotional defense mechanism, tried to slide into a smirk, but he caught it and forced his face to 'serious.' Naruto suddenly looked as if someone had turned off the sun and his wary steps faltered even more, until he halted almost ten feet from where Sasuke stood next to the wide marble rim of the fountain.
This is it, he thought, I have no excuses left. "Naruto-"
Naruto jolted as if he'd been given an electric shock, and then started babbling, face stricken. "I know what you're going to say, and I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear about how you did it unwillingly or you thought I was dream-Sakura or it was all a joke. I know you've got your goals – and I have mine-ttebayo! – so just shut up and let's not mention it again."
"Naruto," said Sasuke again, and the blue eyes frantically searched the open area for anything else to look at. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Naruto's face scrunched in confusion, and he said, "The kiss! Last night, when you passed the watch! I've been dreading this moment all day," Sasuke's stomach turned to lead, "because I couldn't decide whether or not to tell you to shove your excuses because I liked it."
Sasuke's heart thudded painfully in his chest, and he hoped his face didn't show the wild rush of emotions he suddenly felt. Naruto cocked his head to the side, eying him carefully, before his eyes widened and he clapped both hands over his mouth. "Oh, shit, is that not what you were going to talk about?" His words were mumbled through his fingers as his hands slid up to hide his whole face.
"Damn, and I'd decided not to tell you that anyway! Damn!"
Sasuke couldn't help it: he laughed. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd laughed, but here in this sunny garden on this beautiful day with his hatred and anger locked away and Naruto saying he had liked being kissed, it seemed like the right reaction. Two cornflower eyes peeked from between tanned fingers as his laughter doubled him over, then were revealed as the hands dropped away altogether and Naruto stepped closer, concerned.
"Sasuke? Did they leave sake in your room or something? 'Cuz there wasn't any in mine, and that's totally not fair . . ."
Still grinning, Sasuke straightened to face his teammate. "Just a little light-headed from blood loss," he said, gesturing with his bandaged arm. Naruto's eyes followed it, widening in concern, hand automatically reaching to grab it and examine it, but Sasuke intercepted, seizing the questing forearm.
"Anyway, what I wanted to talk about was," and he yanked Naruto closer, bandaged arm grabbing hold of Naruto's neck as he finally, finally, in full consciousness and in complete control of his actions, kissed Naruto.
Naruto's stunned immobility didn't faze him for a second; he kept up his unrelenting attack and after a few frozen seconds, the lips beneath his began to move in return.
That was all the warning he got before Naruto lunged at him, freeing his trapped wrist and wrapping both arms around Sasuke, pulling them flush against each other.
Sasuke let both of his hands sink into Naruto's golden spikes, gripping tightly for some purchase as their teeth clashed rather painfully and they constantly shifted angles as noses got in the way.
He could easily ignore the burning in his lungs that signaled a need for air, but what he couldn't ignore was the quiet giggling coming from one of the pathways leading into the open space. He had drawn a kunai and was halfway into his throwing motion before it occurred to him that it might just be a maid. He channeled some of his forward momentum into angular so that the kunai sank into the soft grass at the intruder's feet as he separated from a dazed-looking Naruto with an audible pop.
The giggling only increased in volume, and he looked around Naruto's head to see Sakura and the client holding each other up as laughter robbed the strength from their knees. Naruto turned around, not seeming surprised. He'd probably detected them when Sasuke had, but had allowed Sasuke to deal with the potential threat. Even in the middle of this strange situation it gave Sasuke a warm feeling inside to know that Naruto trusted him so completely to watch his back.
"What's so funny?" Naruto demanded, but that only made them laugh harder, and Sasuke could see their point; Naruto's righteous indignation was somewhat diminished by his mussed hair and kiss-swollen lips. Sasuke found himself laughing again as well. It was clear to him what must have happened, but of course the moron would need it explained.
Naruto glanced back at him, confused again and starting to look a little hurt, as if there was a big joke at his expense that he wasn't in on. Sasuke stopped laughing at once, and, moved by the desire to never see that look in Naruto's eyes ever again, wrapped his arms around Naruto from behind as they both faced the source of the interruption.
"Moron, it's really quite simple," he said, letting his breath brush the shell of Naruto's ear. He was pleased with the result: a shiver and the red tide of a blush creeping up the tan neck. "Sakura, you explain." He kept half an ear on the following conversation and went to work marking that neck as his property while Naruto trembled under his hands.
Sakura got herself enough under control to choke out, "Gin-kun came to find me, said he knew a perfect spot in the garden for-" and she dissolved into giggles again.
The client – well, ex-client now, thought Sasuke as Naruto made an alluring mewling noise and dug blunt fingernails into the arm Sasuke had wrapped around him – took up where Sakura had left off, still sputtering with laughter. "Perfect spot for private conversations in body language. But you were already -" and he was gone again.
"Maybe there was sake in their rooms," Naruto muttered, attempting to be peeved, but then he yelped as Sasuke sank his teeth into his earlobe.
"They're wrong, anyway. No one would ever call this private." Sasuke was about to suggest they retire to one of their rooms when a gong rang out in the still summer air, causing the cicadas to fall temporarily silent.
"Ahem," said Hayakawa-san, clearing his throat and pulling himself together with obvious effort, though his shoulders still shook occasionally with repressed laughter. "That'll be lunch."
