Chapter 10! A quiet laugh,
A blistered face,
A deep cough,
A soft touch.
By the time Sasuke and Naruto finished eating and cleaning up the kitchen, Sasuke had decided what he wanted to take Naruto out to do today. It would involve skills they learned through training, but it would be mostly fun for Naruto. He wanted to see the happiness Naruto used to exude so easily. He respected that Naruto wanted to protect and help him. But what he wanted most was the friend he'd left behind before. He wasn't going to let Naruto die this time and he knew that Naruto wouldn't let him die either.
"I'm going to check on Anko." Naruto told him as he set the last of the dishes in the cupboard. As he walked by Sasuke, he reached out and patted him on the shoulder.
Sasuke smirked at him slightly, comforted by the simple touch. "Alright. I'll make her something to snack on when she gets up. We're going out soon." Naruto nodded and headed down the hallways as Sasuke opened the fridge for some quick-heat dango. He knew that was Anko's favorite food. When it was finished, he wrote a quick note to Anko, letting her know when she woke up that she could stay in the house until they returned if she wanted to talk to them and set the dish and note on the desk by the bed they'd put her in.
Naruto followed him out of the room and smiled faintly when they were bending down to get their shoes on. "She's pretty bad at pretending to be asleep."
Sasuke chuckled quietly and nodded. "She probably didn't think we would notice."
Naruto laughed as he shut the door behind him and strolled along behind Sasuke who headed deeper into the Uchiha compound. "Everyone always underestimates children."
A quiet laugh, "They don't think we pay attention."
"Everyone always underestimates you, Naruto." Sasuke teased and pushed open the gate to the Uchiha gardens. It was overrun with wild green foliage but he thought it was beautiful anyway. Large hydrangea bushes held large bouquets of color; lotus plants shone bright white around them. He pressed on through the green, mentally noting that he needed to get out here to clear up some of the paths; if he wanted to make a life here, he should start making it the beautiful place it used to be.
"So, where are we going, Sasuke?" Naruto asked trailing along behind him, studying his surroundings with interest.
"Here." Sasuke replied his voice full of pleasure. He turned to watch Naruto's face as Naruto looked up to see the lake surrounded by willow and sakura trees. Naruto's eyes lit up in joy at the clear water and the gentle breeze that stirred the trees around them. "I figure we earned a day off." Sasuke told him smiling slightly at Naruto's gob-smacked expression.
Naruto whooped in joy and quickly shimmied out of his clothes. Sasuke fought off a blush and stripped as well. He looked up just as Naruto, now clad only in his boxers, ran and took a flying leap into the water. A large splash surged up from his impact spot and came close to hitting Sasuke. Sasuke felt the smile on his lips trying to spread wider. His memories of this lake were sparse and not always filled with joy. It had been a training ground or a hiding place more often than it had been a place to play. But he did remember Itachi taking him out here once or twice and he'd learned to swim here.
A blistered face, 'I can do it!'
He tossed aside the last of his clothing and walked into the lake to join his friend. Naruto was floating around on his back when Sasuke reached him and looked over in time to be dunked. He yelped as his face disappeared under water and Sasuke laughed quietly, swimming backwards to avoid the flailing limbs. He felt hands wrap around his ankle and closed his eyes as he was pulled under as well. He twisted so that he was facing his assailant and poked Naruto in the forehead before launching himself away. Naruto chased after him and splashed him as they both came up for air.
The Great Splash War thus begun.
After a while Naruto was laughing too hard to be a serious threat to Sasuke and the two of them relaxed and began to float, their eyes taking in the blue sky above them. "So Sasuke, what are your plans now?"
Sasuke rolled his head slightly so that he could see Naruto in his view and frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, we've done a lot of training; tonight the ninja's from Sand arrive; the exams are almost here. What next?" Naruto's voice was quiet but Sasuke heard a bit of trepidation underlying his words.
Sasuke frowned, so much for keeping Naruto carefree today. "It doesn't matter. By coming here, I should be changing the past. I shouldn't get cursed, Itachi will be home, the Hokage shouldn't die, and Orochimaru should. After that…nothing can be the same. I don't know what will come after." Sasuke confessed feeling a small bit of anxiety as well.
"Doesn't that worry you?" Naruto murmured.
"Not at all." Sasuke said firmly and sank into the water to tread beside Naruto. "No one can know the future; it's bad enough that I know part of it." He confessed looking at his best friend. They moved closer to the edge of the lake and climbed out.
"Why is that bad?" Naruto asked peering at Sasuke through his eyelashes.
Sasuke saw a hint of red in his eyes and knew that Kyuubi was just as interested in his answer as Naruto himself. It was understandable; many people would give everything to be able to tell the future. "I know that bad things are coming, so I work hard to protect us and because I know what should be coming, if anything were to happen to someone, I'd feel guilty that I wasn't able to stop it." Sasuke told him as they waded to shore. "I'd rather live day to day, trying my hardest because it's how I want to live." He leaned into Naruto nudging him slightly with his shoulder. "If I worry about the future, I will miss out on a lot of the now." Naruto nodded and Sasuke felt sure even Kyuubi was content with that answer. "Now…" Sasuke started getting to his feet. "You're it!" He tapped Naruto on the head and darted off into the trees.
He didn't think it would take Naruto long to find him, he wasn't trying to make it hard either. Naruto would catch him, tag him, and they'd switch having a simple game of tag. As they darted from tree to tree, he studied the gardens noting what needed work, what sections held specific plants, if there were any stone decorations, etc. He dodged a few times when he felt Naruto closing in and smirked to himself at how good Naruto was at tracking. They were circling back when Naruto tackled him out of the tree into a bush and as they lay there decided the game was done.
A strong smell exploded into the air from beneath them and Naruto began to laugh. "Mint?" He sat up and began peeling the leaves off, snickering as it left behind a green tint on his skin.
A deep cough, "What do you do, bathe in that?"
Sasuke grimaced as he began to peel them off himself as well. "I need to start gardening and cleaning this place up."
"Gardening?" Naruto asked a strange tone in his voice.
Sasuke nodded wondering if Naruto was laughing at the thought of Sasuke gardening. "I hadn't thought much about it before today but the whole compound is mine now. I should work on cleaning it up and making it a home instead of just letting it go."
Naruto nodded reaching down to help Sasuke to his feet so they could return to the lake and their clothes. "I want to help."
Sasuke was about to tell Naruto he didn't have to when two things hit him. One, Naruto lived here now too, it was his home now. Sasuke didn't want him to feel like a guest when he sincerely wanted it to be Naruto's home. And two, Sasuke had helped Naruto move into his house, and more recently, his bedroom this morning and among Naruto's belongings were plants. At first he'd thought they were just for decoration but he had seen Naruto gently stroking the leaves as he watered them. A whole new side of Naruto just revealed itself to Sasuke who felt like glowing at the discovery; Naruto liked to garden.
"Of course you're helping." Sasuke smirked, glancing at Naruto out of the corner of his eye. "It's your home too."
Naruto's eyes flashed to his and he flushed with pleasure. "Thank you, Sasuke." He whispered his voice full of emotion.
Sasuke felt his own throat tighten in emotion and responded by throwing Naruto's clothes at his head. "Why don't we find the garden shed and figure out what things we need to buy?" He tugged his clothes on. "We don't have plans until later, we can go shopping for things the house needs."
Naruto bounced on the balls of his feet, his face lit up with a smile. "Why haven't you mentioned wanting to do this before? I love yard work."
Ahh, there's the smile I wanted. Sasuke thought to himself, his eyes fixed on the happy expression. "I didn't think of it as a big priority before." He shrugged, training to keep us safe was more important, he added to himself. They reached the edge of the garden and peered around for a garden shed.
"There." Naruto pointed to a wooden structure overgrown with vines. They wrestled the door open and Sasuke twitched at what was waiting inside. Naruto burst into laughter.
"I blame you."
Naruto laughed even harder and knelt to the ground to peer closer at the three beautiful orange foxes that sat cuddled up, staring at them warily. "I think it's a good sign." He told Sasuke and let Kyuubi reach out to the foxes.
Sasuke smiled softly as he watched the foxes yip in joy and clamber all over Naruto. The influence of Kyuubi had encouraged the foxes to trust Naruto, and himself, he decided as one of the foxes came to rub at his leg. "I guess we'll get some food for them while we're out too."
Naruto smiled widely up at Sasuke his arms full of orange fur. His eyes were full of gratitude. "I've never had a pet before." He confessed, glancing at the wriggling bodies.
Sasuke frowned angrily. He hated the villagers sometimes. The landlord would never have let Naruto have a pet and the places that sold animals, probably wouldn't have sold to him anyway. He reached out to Kyuubi in apology before remarking, "Kyuubi doesn't count?"
Naruto's wistful look flew away under surprised laughter. He set the foxes down and wrapped an arm around Sasuke as he continued to laugh. "Kyuubi is going to kill you."
Sasuke smirked shrugging. He knew Kyuubi would understand he was trying to erase Naruto's sadness. "Looks like we need almost all the gardening tools we can find." He remarked noticing that nothing was left in the shed.
Naruto nodded in agreement looking down at the foxes. "You guys wait here for us alright?" Sasuke's eyebrows rose when the foxes nodded once, their eyes locked on Naruto. "Let's go." Naruto smiled at Sasuke and started pulling him towards the gates.
Sasuke let him drag him along, letting his mind wander to the foxes, Kyuubi, their home, and Anko waiting for them. By the time they reached the store Naruto had started talking to him. "Um…Sasuke?"
Sasuke looked up at him and raised an eyebrow in question. "Hn?" He grunted when Naruto started scratching the back of his head without answering.
"Do you have the money to buy these things?" Naruto asked flushing lightly.
Sasuke nodded slowly. "Everything attached to the Uchiha name, including money, is mine." Ours. He added to himself knowing that Naruto would think it was charity if he said that aloud.
Naruto grinned nodding in excitement once again. "Oh, alright then!" He dragged Sasuke into the store and began to flit from display to display. Sasuke watched in amusement as his friend began babbling about things that they would need. He felt the owner closing in on them, a dark fury surrounding him.
Sasuke turned to face him just as the man opened his mouth to yell, to throw Naruto out Sasuke suspected, and let the man meet his blazing sharingan. The man's mouth shut with an audible snap and his eyes widened in fear. "We'd like to buy gardening supplies." Sasuke told him quietly, letting killing intent start to leak into his stare.
The man immediately began to nod, his face shining with sweat. "O-of course, Mr. Uchiha." He gulped out. He dug in his pockets frantically and pulled out an order form. "Just fill this out and everything will be delivered to your home."
Sasuke took the paper and handed it behind him to Naruto who had come over when Sasuke began talking to the owner. Naruto ran to the back of the shop so he could work his way forward again and Sasuke let the sharingan disappear but not the deadly glare. "I expect you to pass this on to the other shop owners as well, Naruto Uzumaki is to be treated with the same respect that you would give me. Anything he buys is to go on the Uchiha account and delivered to my home." Sasuke stepped closer to the trembling man and heard Kyuubi growling in pleasure in his mind at the terror he was causing. "If I hear that he has been thrown out or refused service, the Uchiha will never buy from you again and I will personally make your life miserable. Is that understood?" Sasuke used to hate using his name to gain things but in the case of Naruto, he would do it willingly. He didn't want Naruto to suffer for the ignorance of people who should know better; not anymore.
The man nodded quickly and bowed low. "Understood, Mr. Uchiha."
Sasuke turned away from the man, letting him vanish behind the counter to hide himself and regain his confidence. Sasuke joined Naruto who was making notes on the order form. "Almost done?"
Naruto paused without looking up at Sasuke and nodded slightly. "Thank you." He whispered softly.
Sasuke frowned, he hadn't wanted Naruto to hear him, he knew that Naruto was proud and might resent that Sasuke had threatened someone on his behalf. "For what?" He asked leaning down slightly to try and see Naruto's face.
Naruto looked up and Sasuke sucked in his breath at the tears in his eyes. But Naruto just shook his head smiling widely and finished filling out the paper. "This is everything we need. I included seeds, fertilizers, and tools." Naruto handed the paper over. "Cross off what you think we don't need."
Sasuke didn't glance at the paper. Instead he walked to the owner and handed it over. "I expect to have everything on this list by the end of the week." He told the man and signed his name at the bottom of the order form. The money would be taken directly from his account when everything was delivered. He took the customer copy the man handed to him and this time when they left, it was he who was dragging Naruto.
We need to go to the bank, I want to give Naruto access to the account so that people can't say he isn't allowed to use the money. I need to let the Hokage know that I threatened that disgusting man and the other shop-keepers. He thought to himself as he peered around for the pet shop. He stopped in his tracks when he heard Naruto sniff. "Naruto?"
Naruto looked up at him, his eyes beginning to drip tears. It was a much prettier crying face than when he was sobbing before but Sasuke didn't like that Naruto was crying at all. "Sasuke?"
"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked gruffly. He kept making Naruto cry today and he hated it. He wanted smiles, pranks, and jokes from his blond friend.
"You…you're doing so much for me." Naruto whispered looking down.
Sasuke flushed embarrassed and shy before tugging Naruto out of the main road and into an alley way. "Please stop crying." He begged bending down to peer into Naruto's eyes.
Naruto sniffed and dragged his sleeve over his eyes. "I'm trying." He complained. "I just…no one has ever done anything like this for me before. The Old Man told the shop keepers and my landlord that they had to be nice to me but they never were."
Sasuke fought back a growl at the unjust behavior of the villagers though he gave credit for the old man trying. He sighed and reached forward to hug Naruto. Every time they touched, it felt more and more natural and Sasuke knew he wanted to be able to touch Naruto forever. He didn't feel like he had to be someone he wasn't with Naruto, now or before, Naruto just wanted him to be there. And Naruto had been just as touch-deprived as he was, he was probably enjoying the ability to touch someone just as much. "You are my best friend, Naruto." He confessed quietly. "Like you want to protect me, I want to protect you." Naruto gasped back his tears and held Sasuke tight to him as he buried his face into his shirt. Sasuke let Naruto cry and turned to Kyuubi who'd come into his mind.
"You love him." Kyuubi stated, his voice calm and quiet as if he'd just come to a realization that made sense.
Sasuke flushed and ducked his head into Naruto's sunny hair as if he was hiding his face from Kyuubi. 'Yes.' He admitted. 'He is my best friend.' Kyuubi didn't respond but Sasuke felt him pull away with amusement in his aura, as if he knew something that Sasuke was unaware of.
After a minute, Naruto pulled away, his face bright red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry."
"Don't. Don't apologize." Sasuke growled, looking away. "If you want to cry, cry. I don't mind." He laughed a bit self-mockingly. "Not like I haven't cried on you."
A soft touch, "I'm always here."
Naruto smiled softly and linked fingers with Sasuke. "Let's get the food and go home."
Sasuke nodded and they headed back out to the street hand in hand.
Anko was sitting on a bench in the backyard beneath the sun when they arrived. Naruto paused to study her face before continuing to the shed. Sasuke set the bag of purchases and food he carried beside the bench and sat down. "How are you feeling?" He asked quietly watching Naruto bend down in the doorway of the shed.
Naruto had asked if he could move the foxes into the house and after a few minutes of debating he agreed on the condition that Kyuubi make sure they understood they were not to go to the bathroom in the house, chew on anything not specifically given to them, and they had to be on their best behavior. Naruto and Kyuubi had agreed and Naruto informed Sasuke with a grin that Kyuubi seemed very excited to have more foxes around even if he wouldn't admit it straight out.
Anko glanced down at him and then looked away. "I feel a bit confused." Anko admitted raising an eyebrow as Naruto approached the house, the three foxes cuddled in his arms and draped over his shoulders.
"In a day or so, everything should feel normal again." Sasuke reassured her. When she made no response he stood and gathered the bags he'd had to join Naruto in settling their new pets. He was almost in the house when she did speak.
"You're a good man. Like your brother."
Sasuke spun around to meet her eyes, trying to understand what she meant. Her eyes were more open than he'd ever seen before and he could see honesty in her gaze. She knows…he thought, his breath catching. It isn't just what I told her about the future, but she knew Itachi. Before he could comment, she turned away.
"I need to check-in with the Hokage." She announced and jumped away.
"Sasuke?" Naruto called poking his head out of the kitchen. "Everything okay?" He asked noticing the stiff set of Sasuke's shoulders.
After a moment Sasuke nodded slightly and joined Naruto. "Anko said Itachi was a good man." He confessed, looking at the ground. He glanced up startled as Naruto grabbed his hand happily.
"That means we have another sure ally!" Naruto pointed out to him. When Sasuke finally nodded, smiling slightly, Naruto dragged him off. "Let me show you where I put the foxes."
Please don't be in our bedroom…please don't be in our bedroom…Sasuke prayed easily calling the bedroom 'theirs' without hesitation. He let out a soft sigh as Naruto turned into a small room between their room and the room that had been Itachi's. It was normally packed with storage but Naruto had cleaned it up leaving the boxes in neat stacks around the walls of the room. The center was open and the bed Naruto had bought for them sat in one of the corners. A few boxes weren't directly next to each other, leaving openings for them to hide and play in. Sasuke nodded approvingly. "The door will stay open slightly." Sasuke told the foxes who looked up at him. "You are to do your business outside and don't chew on things in the house." He raised an eyebrow as all three nodded before scampering up the boxes to play.
"Kyuubi says foxes understand humans. That most animals do, but usually choose to ignore what we say." Naruto smiled as he and Sasuke headed downstairs again.
"Why are they listening to me then?" He asked as Naruto settled at the kitchen table. He opened the fridge and began pulling out things to make stir-fry. It was definitely past time for lunch at this point.
"It's your home, our home." Naruto corrected blushing as Sasuke glared at him from the stove. "You're the alpha."
Sasuke snorted as he started to cook their lunch. "Why me?"
"I would be but I am only a spirit now. Naruto would be as my container but he defers to you enough that you are the alpha." Kyuubi's voice floated in Sasuke's mind. "They see the two of you as equals though. So both of you are alpha to them."
Naruto nodded, jumping up to begin setting the table. "Thank you for letting me keep them, Sasuke." He smiled softly at Sasuke who nodded blushing slightly at the thanks. He yawned as he set the final dishes down and grinned at Sasuke. "Sorry."
Sasuke yawned in response. "I think we need to take a nap after we eat. We'll need to be rested up to meet the Hokage and the Sand Ninjas."
Naruto nodded and quietly gave thanks as Sasuke filled his plate before his own. "So…can you tell me about him? The Sand's Jinchuriki."
Sasuke chewed thoughtfully and nodded slowly. "I can though I won't tell you everything. Some things you need to let Gaara tell you himself." He watched as Naruto nodded in agreement and tilted his head in thought as to what to say. "Gaara had his demon, the one-tailed raccoon, Shukaku, put into him while he was in his mother's stomach. Consequently, it killed his mother. He is the youngest son of the Fourth Kazekage. He has suffered, perhaps, even more than you have Naruto. Our village shunned you, his tried to kill him." He paused as he chewed to consider his next words as Naruto's face darkened in anger. "The reason I said that you are not like Gaara, but are, is because Kyuubi is intelligent, he is smart and cares about you. Shukaku is crazy, blood-thirsty, and poisons Gaara's thoughts. You both contain demons, but while yours protects your body and your mind and wants you to grow, Shukaku only protects Gaara's body to keep him from dying and so protect himself."
Naruto was growling under his breath and Sasuke heard a few phrases; 'stupid village' and 'teach the stupid raccoon' were the most common. "I'll help him." He paused a moment and looked a tad pale then nodded determinedly. "Kyuubi says he'll help too. But mostly because the raccoon needs to be taught that 'he is an upstart one-tail and has no business trying to start another war.'" Kyuubi's voice came out of Naruto's mouth at the last part and Sasuke fought not to shudder at the slightly creepy way they had switched mid-sentence.
"I believe you can help Gaara, not only learn to control Shukaku with Kyuubi's help, but help bring his mind back. You can't do it the same way as you had before, but I trust you can find your own way." Sasuke told him smirking slightly and hiding the bit of sadness within him, you did it the first time with Gaara and you did it with me. I have faith in you.
Naruto nodded firmly and they finished the rest of lunch in comfortable silence. Sasuke knew that Naruto's mind was racing and he felt comfort in the determination he saw in Naruto's eyes. They cleaned up in silence as well and while Sasuke set an alarm to be sure they'd wake from their nap in plenty of time to make it to the Hokage's office, Naruto settled into the bed and waited for Sasuke.
They were just drifting off when Sasuke felt the light weight of the foxes jump onto the bottom of the bed and begin to find places to curl up. He felt Naruto chuckle beside him and rolled over to duck his head into Naruto's shoulder. "I still blame you."
Aww the cuteness!! I kept intending to throw the Sand Ninjas in but it just never worked out. So after their cute cuddly nap with the three foxes I threw in, they'll be on their way and FINALLY meet. LOL.
I'm tweaking ages and facts btw. Anko and Itachi will have been friends prior to the massacre. She is one of the few that knew the truth of the massacre because....well I'll reveal that when Itachi shows up and the two of them meet again. :)
Nice chapter of fluff and getting the development of their relationship going, Kyuubi knows what they don't lol, however, now that they will be leaving the house, others characters will start popping up more frequently. Sakura and Kakashi specifically in addition to Gaara.
I hope you enjoyed!! Review!!