Though Naruto wanted very much to sleep, it never came.
On the other hand, Sasuke slept rather soundly as drool dribbled out the corner of his mouth. Naruto, making sure not to arouse the other from his sleep, absentmindedly stroked the beautifully dark hair as he looked at the peaceful face in front of him. He smiled just a little, his happiness weighed down by the bittersweet ending of their night. Though he had said his piece and apologized to Sasuke, he felt that their relationship was mended, but not healed. It would certainly take some time until the elf would trust him as easily as he had before.
For a few more minutes, Naruto continued to let his mind wander as he lay next to Sasuke. When he realized that there was no hope for sleep any time soon, he got up from the futon and left the room.
The first thing he saw in the hallway was one of the elves, who looked as if he was sneaking about. Naruto raised his eyebrow before approaching him.
"Hi," Naruto began, "are you looking for something?"
The elf's hair, done up in a ponytail, barely moved as he spun around quickly. With his placid expression, however, it was hard to believe that Naruto may have startled him. Nervously, he rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the ground.
"I was wondering if Sasuke was doing all right."
The anxiousness in his voice raised Naruto's suspicions. He cocked his head and gave an inquisitive look. Naruto did not get a chance to ask what he meant by that because the elf completely froze when they heard a door down the hall slide open. Naruto turned and saw that Kakashi was heading down the hall towards them. When the blond turned back to the elf, he was already on his way back to Sasuke's bedroom.
Something about the elf's actions were quite strange. Naruto frowned, and his eyebrows furrowed. Kakashi approached him, and Naruto almost reluctantly turned his attention towards him.
"Ah, Naruto, there you are. I do apologize for interrupting you and Sasuke earlier-"
"It's fine," Naruto cut off somewhat irritably, suddenly annoyed that he couldn't figure out what was going on, "What did you want?"
Kakashi paused for a moment or two, staring at the aggravated blond before replying, "A messenger came for us a few hours ago. Apparently the Council has summoned the both of us to meet with them in the morning."
Of course, the Council had probably heard of their - no, Kakashi's - antics. Though Naruto had expected a meeting with them, he was almost disturbed by how quickly they found out.
Sighing, the blond ruffled his hair as he replied, "All right. We'll head out in the morning."
oooOOooo
The sun was only beginning to rise when they headed out of the house. Naruto remained deadly quiet as his companion chatted lightly about how beautiful the morning was.
"I have to say, the flora here is much more fragrant in the morning than back home The natural perfume of your town is wonderful, Naruto."
How the other man could remain so nonchalant about this meeting was beyond Naruto.
Once they entered town hall, the few people who were in the main lobby glanced over and then began whispering to one another. Naruto felt his growing unease, while Kakashi seemed to not mind the eyes that were following them.
They made their way towards Tsunade's office, and as if on cue, she rounded the corner and crossed her arms as soon as she spotted them. Coming over to the pair, she had furrowed her eyebrows and frowned so heavily that Naruto was almost certain that the older woman was going to get her first wrinkle right then and there.
"Whose genius idea was it to call a spec op without conferring with the Council? You realize that I am getting in as much trouble as the both of you, right? Come- they want to speak to the three of us."
They quietly walked towards the large conference room, with Tsunade stepping in first, followed by Kakashi, then Naruto. Lining up side by side, the three of them stood on the other side of the Council, all of whom were sitting and staring with distaste.
Naruto never feared the Council, but that was because he was hardly on their radar. He was mischievous from time to time, causing ruckus around town, but he had never done anything to be remotely close to a threat to their authority...until now.
Glancing out the corner of his eye, he could see that Kakashi was just as calm as ever. The other male stood, with his hands clasped behind his back, as if provoking them to even try reprimanding him for proceeding without their order. Naruto almost found himself in awe towards Kakashi, until he remembered that this man had put Sasuke at huge risk during his rogue spec op.
"Mr. Hatake," one of the Elders began, "the entire Council had congregated for the purpose of strategically planning the best course of action. We were more than accommodating when you showed up at Tsunade's call. However, your blatant disobedience - to do whatever you feel - that, we cannot ignore. You moved without our knowledge, and above all else, you, a member of the Lightning Country, killed within the borders of Fire Country."
Naruto turned his head quickly as he stared incredulously at the other male. This man had taken lives, and he seemed to show no remorse. Even when Naruto himself took another life on missions, he would pray for their souls at the temple. The blond was quickly realizing in that moment just how much he and Kakashi had changed from their younger days.
Kakashi raised his eyebrows at the Council, then put his hands on his hips and leaned on one leg. His posture was almost ludicrous, as if he cared very little for the distinguished men and women sitting in front of him.
"With all due respect, I had no intention of following your orders to the tee. You talk about strategic planning as if this was some grand old war like you had all experienced in your day. This is a far darker and graver situation than any of you can imagine. When you can, you act with efficiency and purpose. I wasn't going to sit around with my thumb up my ass waiting for you to make a decision."
By the end of his monologue, the Council looked somewhat stupefied, as if they had never, in all their years of serving, encountered such a resolute individual. Naruto himself could scarcely wrap his mind around it.
One member of the Council finally piped up, "And? What of the perpetrator?"
Tsunade stepped forward and crossed her arms in front of her chest as she replied, "We have captured Orochimaru, who is in questioning now. We're attempting to find out who his contacts are in Water Country and whether he has contacts anywhere else. Believe me when I say that Kakashi is more than able-bodied to complete his task."
The entirety of the Council looked at one another in a brief moment of silence, as if speaking telepathically. One of the female Elders spoke, "Tsunade, Naruto - we will meet tomorrow morning after we deliberate on the matter. As for now, we would like to speak with Mr. Hatake privately."
Tsunade bowed. "Of course."
The blonds left the room, but not before Naruto stole one last glance at Kakashi. The man was as still and as quiet as ever.
oooOOooo
When Sasuke woke up, the space next to him was, once again, empty. Rubbing his eye with the back of his hand, he yawned, then scooted off the futon to put it away. As the seconds ticked on, Sasuke began to recall the events of the night before.
Sasuke couldn't shake that inexplicable feeling he got when, with his back against the floor, he looked up at Naruto. He remembered the way his stomach lurched when he saw his master in that feral state - though it was uncertain whether it was due to anxiety or something entirely different.
The elf got up, refusing to think more on the matter, and bundled the futon in his arms before stashing it away in the hidden alcove. After heading to the bathroom and getting freshened up, Sasuke peeked his head into his own bedroom. To his surprise, however, none of the elves were in there. Asuma, who apparently had been assigned to watch over them, was cradling a cigarette between his fore- and middle finger while staring idly out the window.
"Good morning," Sasuke said as he slid the door open.
Asuma turned his head, then gave a lopsided smile in recognition. "Ah, good morning, Sasuke. There's already breakfast in the kitchen if you'd like-"
"Where are the others?"
The way the burly man before him gave him that smile told Sasuke that something wasn't quite right. The entirety of his bedroom was spotless, and no one would have been able to guess that five elves had occupied the room. When Sasuke saw Asuma's head bow, he already knew.
"Where are they being taken? Asuma, I need to know."
Sasuke knew he was starting to become panicked - his entire being, his voice. And though he had not had the time to get to know every single elf on a personal level, he still felt as if their well-being was his responsibility. The fact that they were completely out of his sight, and perhaps out of his life entirely, was somewhat frightening. Where would they end up? What would become of them?
The first instinct was to search for them. The elf did not know why it seemed a plausible idea, but he rushed for the front door, barely taking the time to slip on his geta before wrenching the door open. He could scarcely hear the shuffling from behind him, of Asuma attempting to catch up with him.
However, he paused in his tracks when he saw Naruto's looming figure standing in the doorway, his arm outstretched with a key in his hand. Sasuke barely even blinked before he pushed past his master and ran down the familiar road to town, his kimono fluttering in the wind.
When he finally got to town hall, Sasuke was breathing heavily and he was sure his kimono was filthy from all the dry dirt he traversed over. Bursting into the building, he ignored all the stares he was getting and ran through the halls, searching and searching for his kin.
Some primitive instinct within him drove him to rash acting - that much he knew. Perhaps that was the humans' "one-up" against elves, why they were the ones pushed into slavery. But there was no point in dwelling on that point, neither was there a point in refusing his nature.
Sasuke stopped when he spotted Shikamaru's ponytail disappear into a room. He followed into the room, only to stop short as he came face-to-face with the most intimidating group of elders. To his relief, however, he saw all five of the other elves in the room as well. But they all looked somewhat fear-stricken, and it wrenched Sasuke's heart when he realized that their fate was most likely to be decided by the wrinkled humans sitting on the other side of the table situated in the middle of the room.
"What are you doing here?" Kakashi hissed.
Defiant, the elf stood with his hands on his hips and demanded to the Council, "What do you plan to do with them? Tell me now, or else I'll-"
Lurching backward, Sasuke forgot to breathe for a moment. He felt Naruto's familiar warmth constrict him into an unbreakable hold. In an attempt to free himself, the elf began to squirm, this way and that, to loosen himself.
"Let go of me!"
Naruto grunted, "No way. I'm getting you out of here."
Sasuke couldn't believe that Naruto was stopping him, especially when the situation balanced delicately between lifetime freedom and imprisonment. When he found an opening and wrenched himself free from Naruto, Sasuke ran up to the table and slammed his hands onto the wooden surface.
Before he could do or say anything, however, the elders were in a panic. Perhaps they had never seen an elf act so outlandishly, besides from the docile herd they were probably normally used to.
"Someone get him away!"
"He's gone rabid!"
"Put him down! His brain is diseased!"
Sasuke barely registered that a group of humans had come into the room and were approaching him from behind. Had he turned around, he would have seen them all clad in medical garb, with one holding a relatively long, skinny needle. But before any of them could touch the elf and stick the needle of god-knows-what into his pale flesh, Kakashi stepped in and forced the elf to look directly into his eyes.
"Yasume, Sasuke!" (A/N: Yasume is the military call for a soldier to stand at ease)
The effect was almost immediate. The wild look in Sasuke's eyes quelled, and his body became lax.
The entirety of the room remained very still and quiet - the Council, mainly because they feared for their lives; the medical group, because they were utterly confused; Naruto, because he was stunned beyond belief; and Kakashi, because he knew he was the cause of the awkward pause.
Clearing his throat, Kakashi gently pushed Sasuke towards Naruto and said, "I would like if we could proceed, Council. And Naruto, if you would be so kind as to take your elf home."
Still bewildered at what had just happened, Naruto could only obediently follow Kakashi's orders, just as Sasuke had done. He quietly escorted Sasuke out of the room and closed the door gently behind them.
"Sasuke," Naruto began calmly, "if you would care to explain what just happened in there, I would love to hear it."
The elf, still mute from his moment of taming, stared at the floor, refusing to look up at Naruto. Realizing he was not going to get an answer anytime soon, Naruto sighed and put an arm around Sasuke's shoulder as they headed home.
The entire way back, Sasuke fought with himself. He felt the urge to run back to that room to demand those elves' freedom, and yet he could not make his body move anymore than it needed to.
He vaguely recalled when Kakashi had employed the very same taming tactic when he was younger. That had been a dark time, when Sasuke was most defiant and refused to listen to his master. He wasn't even sure how he had been tamed to become so docile with so simple a command, but perhaps those were the memories that his mind had plastered a wall over. Perhaps it was better not to remember...
oooOOooo
Kakashi wrung his hands as he walked the now-familiar path from the town back to Naruto's home. It had taken him hours to convince the Council that the elves had someplace to return to, and that putting them back "into the market" would do no one any good. They eventually saw reason and allowed for the elves to return home, contingent that Kakashi would be the one to escort them all back. Of course, he would have it no other way.
Until then, however, the elves would be under the care of Tsunade, who reassured them that makeshift lodgings in the building would allow her to assign them security.
As he came to the front door of the house, the sun had already sunk below the horizon, and a warm glow lit up the sky with a strange orange, purplish hue. Kakashi reluctantly rapped his knuckles on the wooden door.
When the door slid open, Kakashi gulped. He was immediately greeted by the even expression of Naruto Uzumaki, whose uncharacteristically unsmiling face could send fear chilling up and down anyone's spine.
"You're just in time to join me for some sake, Kakashi. I just finished heating up some."
Naruto bade him to sit down at the low table just a little ways from the entrance, and Kakashi did so without arguing. He watched silently as the blond kneeled down on the other side. Moving languidly, Naruto set down a small raku-style cup in front of Kakashi, then poured a fair amount of the warmed sake into it. He moved to pour his own cup, but Kakashi stopped him.
"Allow me."
Kakashi, with hands a little less sturdy than he would have liked, took a hold of the sake bottle and poured into Naruto's cup. To his dismay, as he tipped the bottle back to cease pouring, small splashes of sake made its way onto the wooden surface. He put the bottle down and sat back on his knees.
"I apologize for the mess."
During the whole process, Naruto had changed his sitting position and now had his arm resting on his right knee, the sole of his foot pressed onto the tatami. He shrugged nonchalantly, then, with his elbow still resting on his knee, reached for the small sake cup. Raising it up to Kakashi, he waited as the silver-haired man followed suit.
"To our lives, as we once knew them."
Not even daring to ask what the meaning of the toast was, Kakashi raised his cup a little higher, then proceeded to down the alcohol in one gulp. The warm liquid rolled past his tongue and down his throat. Kakashi set down his cup before him with a quiet clink and waited.
He knew why Naruto had asked him to have a drink with him. There were questions he wanted answers for - and as far as Kakashi could tell, Sasuke hadn't said a word since they left town hall.
The silence continued on for a few more minutes. If Naruto asked for an explanation about that afternoon, then Kakashi would have more likely than not given him an answer without question. But the fact was, Naruto was waiting to see if Kakashi would take the initiative. It was, perhaps unconsciously, a test that Naruto had conducted especially for Kakashi.
What would he ever want to test? Whether he was loyal to his old comrade? If that were the case, Naruto would be sorely disappointed. There was a reason why he had defected from Fire Country and into Lightning. If there was anything Naruto should expect, it's that Kakashi had cut that quasi-brotherly tie they had when he left.
But still. Kakashi could feel his conscience eat away at him, telling him that it was wrong to keep Naruto in the dark about Sasuke's past - their past.
He remained sitting in his spot, quiet as could be. It was only another minute or two before Kakashi got up abruptly.
"Thank you for the sake, Naruto. I should retire for the night; it's been a long day, and I've a need for some sleep."
Kakashi bowed his head, then retreated towards the hallway as quickly as he could. Just as he entered his room, he took one last look at the still silhouette that remained at the table, a fist now curled around the sake bottle.
oooOOooo
The next morning, Naruto and Kakashi headed out for their meeting with the Council. Neither of them had forgotten the round of sake that they had shared the night before, but neither of them indicated that he wanted to speak of the occasion. So they walked on in silence, avoiding the subject and any form of communication between them.
When they got to town hall, a too-familiar place for them now, Tsunade looked at them, one to the other, before crossing her arms under her chest. She seemed to know that something between them had happened, but made no indication that she wished to know the details.
They all walked into the conference room together, without a word spoken, stopping to stand under the scrutinizing eyes of the wizened Council before them.
"I will just get down to it," the one man sitting towards the middle stated, "as we have dwelled on the matter for far too long. After speaking with Mr. Hatake, we have decided it best to have him escort the rescued elves back to their homes. Mr. Hatake, we will deploy you within the next week, after Tsunade has completed all the proper paperwork.
"In the meantime, Mr. Hatake, we would like for you to extract any information that you can from Orochimaru. The interrogation team that was with him since yesterday failed to uncover anything useful to us. You are free to use any methods you see fit, as long as he is still alive by the end of it."
The old man then made some gesture to dismiss the lot of them. However, as Tsunade and Kakashi turned to leave the room, Naruto stepped forward.
"And what about me? I'm involved in this just as much as anyone else."
The Council looked at one another, then back at the blond male. Naruto was actually somewhat annoyed that they gave him nothing to do. Was he not important enough to carry out a task?
"We had heard of your recent injury from Tsunade," the female elder spoke, "and thought you could do for some rest until you make a full recovery."
Naruto felt dejected. Hurt that the Council thought him incapable - as it so seemed - he, almost sounding desperate, made a case for himself.
"One week's time is enough. I can escort those elves back. I'll definitely have recovered by then."
The men and women seated before them looked somewhat reluctant. However, when they permitted Naruto's involvement with the mission, he bowed in thanks and exited the room after Tsunade and Kakashi.
The silver-haired man ran off, down the halls, not even waiting up for Naruto. As he watched his old comrade leave, Tsunade explained for him, "Kakashi wants to make some headway with Orochimaru. He'll be in that room for some time, I'm afraid, until that man will even begin to speak."
Naruto said nothing, his eyes still lingering where Kakashi had turned the corner.
oooOOooo
In the backyard, Naruto was hard at training. He was anxious to get his full strength back so he could, without fail, escort those elves home. His shoulder was healing, but he had lost quite a substantial amount of muscle and coordination from days of inactivity. After going through his adjusted exercise regimen (to avoid overdoing it), Naruto paused for a few minutes to gather himself.
In the past two days, Naruto had barely seen his comrade in the house. Usually, by the time he had woken up in the morning, Kakashi was already out of the house, undoubtedly heading to town hall to get Orochimaru to speak. But he was sure that the other man was also trying his best to avoid him.
In addition to Kakashi avoiding him, Sasuke kept as little conversation going between them as possible. Though he would not deny Naruto's request for physical companionship, he would not engage much into speaking. Perhaps he was afraid that speaking would eventually rouse unwanted topics.
Overall, the house had been overly quiet. Naruto felt as if his house were completely empty, and that it was just like his lone bachelor days. He was tempted, on many occasions throughout the day, to head to the brothel that he used to frequent so often. But with the upcoming mission he had essentially assigned to himself, Naruto had to keep himself on track and focused.
Naruto, with two hands on his sword, thrust downward and stuck the tip into the dry earth. Letting go of it, he watched in a daze as the vertical metal quivered.
He was dressed in only his hakama during this particular training session, his upper body gleaming in the sunlight with sweat. Wiping at the sweat on his forehead, Naruto headed inside to the kitchen, where he opened the sink faucet and splashed some cool water on his face. When he heard footsteps behind him, he turned his head to look. Sasuke stood at the threshold, looking somewhat reluctant to enter. Those dark eyes were trained on him, and Naruto was sure that the elf wanted to speak but something was holding him back.
Ignoring the elf, Naruto went back to cooling off and took a drink of water before shutting off the faucet. If Sasuke was going to keep talking to a minimum, there was no point for Naruto to even try anymore. He took the towel sitting on the counter and wiped his face.
"Have you gotten dinner started yet?" Naruto asked Sasuke.
The elf had come all the way into the kitchen, though he remained by the entryway still. He shook his head, looking down at the ground as he did so.
"Okay, good. We're going out, then," Naruto said as he left the kitchen.
Naruto figured, despite his elf saying very little to him, that it was time he told Sasuke about his escorting the elves in a few days' time. He had the intention of telling Sasuke a little earlier, but his lack of want for conversation did not give Naruto much of a chance to talk about anything in length. Bringing him out would prohibit Sasuke from running off to another part of the house as he had done in the past two days.
He headed to his bedroom to change into a kimono, then went into Sasuke's room to call him out. When the elf did not answer after he knocked a few times, Naruto made to open the door. To his surprise, however, Sasuke jumped to the doorway and, looking rather flustered, shut the door in his face.
"Sasuke? What the hell are you playing at?"
With a breathless voice, Sasuke replied through the door, "Just- just give me a minute. I'll be finished soon."
The elf sounded in a hurry, as if something with utmost importance was occupying his attention. Naruto pressed his ear to the door and yelled back, "Finished with what? What are you doing in there-"
Naruto wrenched the door open again and found Sasuke sitting on his futon, the side of his body turned to him. As he stared in wonder, the blond realized that the elf had his right hand gripping what looked like his-
"Get out of here!" Sasuke nearly shrieked, with the entirety of his skin flushed with embarrassment, "I said I'll be finished soon!"
Feeling his body suddenly heat up, Naruto shut the door and stood there in shock.
oooOOooo
Sasuke did not dare to look in Naruto's eyes when he finally emerged from his room. The blond was standing at the front of the house, looking out the window in thought. When Naruto turned his way, Sasuke wanted to disappear into the wall.
"Let's go," Naruto said as he slipped on his geta.
As they headed into town, Naruto tried to engage him into some small talk - the beautiful weather, the upcoming cool season, etc. But Sasuke remained as mute as ever, not wanting to speak about anything, not about Kakashi nor the state in which Naruto had discovered him earlier.
When Naruto opened his door and caught him in the middle of masturbation, Sasuke didn't know what to think. But he wasn't able to help himself! He had let his imagination run all too wild when he saw his master's beautiful, naked torso in the kitchen. Imagine what would have happened if he had seen him in all his full glory!
Despite the amusing nature of the situation, Sasuke could also not help but think about how Kakashi had so easily quelled him in that conference room. He wouldn't be surprised if Naruto had already supposed his and Kakashi's previous relationship.
They walked into the ramen shop at the edge of town, and the both of them sat at the counter, side by side, as the shopkeeper approached them.
"Evening, Naruto," he greeted, "I haven't seen you in a while. And who's this? The one responsible for your cooking, I assume."
Naruto grinned as he sat down, "Hey, Teuchi. I'll have two orders of the usual. We're on a date."
Teuchi let out a booming, hearty laugh before shouting out the order to the back. He went on to take care of another customer, leaving the two of them sitting quietly.
The other patrons in the shop were staring at them from the other end of the counter. They were probably just as curious and, possibly, disgusted at Naruto's friendly manner towards his elf. Sasuke had blushed furiously when Naruto called their dinner, "a date". Though he was sure that his master was joking, he slouched in his seat and attempted to be as invisible as possible.
Within minutes, Teuchi emerged from the kitchens and placed two bowls of steaming ramen before them.
Without another word, Naruto gave one last glance over to Sasuke, then ripped his disposable wooden chopsticks apart and began to eat. The elf stared at the bowl before him, not touching it for quite some time.
When Teuchi came over after noticing Sasuke's lack of eating, he asked, "Hey, you don't like pork miso ramen?"
Sasuke, as if snapping out of it, grabbed his chopsticks and ate a small mouthful of ramen. He smiled at the warm taste, which seemed to be enough for Teuchi as he walked away. The elf continued to eat, focusing on his noodles and nothing else. When he finished, the chopsticks clattered into the empty bowl.
Not noticing that his master was staring at him (probably for some time), Sasuke began to fidget in his seat and sputtered, "Wh- what are you looking at?"
Looking off into another direction, as if ashamed that he had been called out on staring, Naruto replied innocently, "Nothing. Just wondering when you're going to tell me all the things you've been keeping from me. Like, you know, what's going on between you and Kakashi."
Sasuke looked off to the side. He knew that Naruto had an ulterior motive for bringing him out to dinner, and now he was trapped with nowhere to go. Fidgeting with his hands, he tried to ignore the conversation altogether.
The surprise came when Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hands, causing the elf to stare at his master with wide eyes.
"Sasuke, please. I think I deserve to know."
There was no argument for that. Sasuke felt his stomach wrench with guilt as he looked down at their hands. Naruto deserved to know, and yet here he was keeping him in the dark about it all. He looked into those pleading blue eyes and realized that he just couldn't keep quiet about it anymore.
"Kakashi was... my former master."
A/N: Oh, my! Sasuke finally told Naruto! I do wonder how Naruto will take the news. Perhaps he'll be mad? Or maybe even understanding, as the past is the past... right?
Also, I love the responses to Kakashi's character in the last chapter. I didn't mean to completely antagonize him, but his character is caliente, don't you think? That still doesn't change the fact that he's a bad, bad person though...
So many thanks to cynder81, Harco8059, roboguy45, KokoroNoIro, Rikuga, The-Mexican-Ninja, BadButt94, rura, narutolover15, oreoanime11, TheHiddenAngel, Dragon77, Emirri, and lil joker 1989 (extra cookies for those in italics) for really brightening up my days. For you guys especially, I try to write my soul into each chapter.
To all of my lovely readers, please continue to support me! Your readership is the most important thing to me, I swear!
P.S. If you want this story in its full glory and are of legal age (depending on your country), you can read the explicit material on AO3 that is a no-no here. Follow or send me fan mail! Or leave a review here! I'd love to hear your thoughts.