Title: Crisis Reverted
Series: Naruto
Rating: T
Genres: Drama, sorta-angst, adventure, romance.
Warnings: Crack, swearing, shounen-ai, shojou-ai, het, time bending.
Verse: Canon Redeux.
DHC: Here's another chapter for all you fans! Warning: Much shounen-ai towards the end of the chapter.
Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto all froze. The hair on the back of Sasuke's neck stood on end and his body trembled just the slightest.
"You're that Grass nin!" Kiba yelled.
"Everyone, go! Can't you feel it? They're no mere genin! Get out of here now!" Sasuke commanded loudly, taking a defensive stance at the pinnacle of the group, Naruto and Sakura rushing to the front to take stances as well.
The other's froze.
"But...what about you?" Shikamaru asked worriedly as he motioned for Ino and Chouji to begin backing away.
"How cute...standing up for your comrades..." The figure responded with a dark chuckle.
"Just go! We'll be okay! Trust me. We'll be right behind you!"
"You'd better be or I'll never forgive you!" Kiba yelled as he was pulling Hinata along by the arm, already taking off with Shino.
Shikamaru locked eyes with Sasuke for a moment before he nodded and turned. "Go!" He yelled at Ino and Chouji, who immediately reacted and began to run off into the forest.
"We will stay with you," Neji said stubbornly.
"No, don't. You don't know this enemy!" Sakura replied.
"Lee, Tenten! Drag Neji if you must, but get the hell outta here, you guys aren't any match for them!" Naruto yelled loudly.
Sasuke never took his eyes off the figure, he knew well who it was. Orochimaru... His hand twitched. He wanted to use a chidori and kill the man where he stood, but he could not.
Tenten and Lee nodded, before grabbing Neji by both arms and beginning to literally drag the stubborn Hyuuga away.
"Be safe!" Tenten called while Lee spouted something of the bloom of youth to protect them.
With a call of acknowledgement from Naruto, they all looked back at the figure.
"You can unveil yourself now...Orochimaru." Sasuke called.
"My, my. How ever did you know who I am when you are but a genin?" The figure peeled their 'face' off to reveal their snakelike visage. A look of disgust ran across Naruto's face and Sakura let out a hiss.
Sasuke snorted. "It's not hard to put two and two together."
"Ah, yes. You always were the brightest one, weren't you, Sasuke-kun? Being the top in everything... Just like your brother..."
Sasuke twitched. He wanted to tell them they knew nothing, but he had to play his part. "Tch! Whatever."
"Which is exactly what I want..."
A shudder ran down Sasuke's spine.
"Whatever, ya albino-freak." Naruto taunted as he cracked his knuckles.
Sakura stifled a giggle and all it seemed to do was anger the Sannin.
"Silence, fool!"
"Make me," Naruto responded with a yawn.
They were ready when Orochimaru's tongue flicked out like a deadly spear straight for the blond. Naruto dodged to the side, grabbing the Sannin's tongue and in an instant, twisted around with hisheels. With the Sannin's tongue hardened, it uprooted the snake user and sent him whirling off into atree.
"Damnation! You brat, you'll pay for that!"
Sasuke snorted aloud. "Nice one, Naruto."
"Well, I was actually debating on pouring toad sperm on it, but I decided that was more fun."
Sakura couldn't cover the laugh she had.
Without warning, Orochimaru pulled the Kusanagi from his mouth and leapt at them. Sasuke ducked low and charged, slamming his shoulder into the snake Sannin's chest, shoving him off balance so his swing just barely missed Sakura, but it did, however cut a few locks of her hair off.
"Great. Now I look like an amazon or something." Sakura stated annoyedly, cracking her knuckles.
"You're gonna pay for that. SHANNAROU!!"
She charged forward and reared her fist back, catching the rogue nin in an uppercut and sent him flying into a tree which, upon impact, sent many splinters everywhere.
"Damn!" The ninja cursed. "You punch like Tsunade."
"Well, what can I say? I admire her." Sakura replied flippitantly.
Sasuke and Naruto glanced at one another.
"Think we should?"
"Yeah, probably for the best. Even though I would like to have my fun, I really don't want the repercussions."
By then the Sannin picked himself out of the tree and was advancing on them.
"Sakura," Sasuke called.
"Way ahead of you!" She responded, already charging forward towards the rogue nin.
The snake prepared to strike her with his sword, but he froze. The sword went right through her.
"Genjutsu?" He questioned. Suddenly, his limbs moved on their own, he dropped the sword, his limbs swung out, then up slightly, shackles appeared on them, as did on his feet. Then, a loud 'mrawr' sounded beside him. He turned his head to see a large, very large panther stalking towards him with a crazed, hungry look in their eyes.
"Cu-curse you!!" He yelled aloud as the panther leapt.
During that time, Sasuke and Naruto started forming seals.
They both bit their thumbs at the same moment before slaming their hands onto the ground.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"
Just as the genjutsu was broken by the Sannin, he came to see two large poofs of smoke.
"Yo," Said one figure, who was holding a book. The other was dressed in an Anbu uniform with a wolf-mask on.
"Kakashi...how nice to see you," Orochimaru hissed.
Without warning, the Anbu figure drew a sword and leapt at the Sannin, slashing and stabbing with graceful, but precise strikes while Kakashi put his book away calmly and started to charge lightning to his palm.
During that moment, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura made their escape by Naruto using his Hiraishin on them all. They appeared at the checkpoint Naruto had set up which was about ten miles away.
"Thanks," Sakura said to the blond.
"No problem. Now, we need to go find the others so they don't get ideas on trying to play heroics and coming to save us."
Making a seal, twenty Kage bunshin's popped up and all took off in different directions.
"Good thinking," Sasuke managed to say.
"At least we avoided a major crisis." Sakura said as she did her best to calm the racing adrenaline in her system.
"What are you going to do about your hair, Sakura?" Naruto asked.
"Cut it, of course. It's too ruined to save." She replied, taking out a kunai.
They both watched in amazement as she unflinchingly grasped her hair back and, without emotion, cut the locks off before letting them fall to the ground.
"You have more strength and will than I do, Sakura." Sasuke said softly, with a little admiration in his voice.
"Yeah, I don't think I could do that as easily as you."
Sakura smiled wearily. "It happened once, and shorter was easier once it happened. I was just waiting for it to happen again, so it's no big deal."
"Aha. Found them. They're not gonna come for us. They're not far from here." Naruto said suddenly, his Kage bunshin having informed him.
"Good. Let's wait for Kakashi and Itachi-nii." Sasuke responded.
-------
It was an hour later that Itachi and Kakashi did come, they looked worn out.
"Crisis reverted." Itachi managed to say as he took off his Anbu mask.
Kakashi pulled his Hitai-ate over his Sharingan eye and collapsed wearily down against a tree.
Sakura immediately began to tend to them with her medic jutsu.
"Is he gone?"
"Yeah. His presence is completely gone from this area. But it isn't wise to stay here too long. He may return." Itachi informed.
"We'll be going to go join the others soon. You sure you're alright, nii-san, Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke asked.
The two nodded.
"We'll be fine. You two need to go," Kakashi assured.
"Right!" Naruto agreed.
Nodding, Sakura finished mending them and turned to her teammates with a nod.
As one, they took off at a run off in the direction Naruto's Kage bunshin had told them they were.
--------
They made it to where the group was waiting in twenty minutes.
Ino threw her arms around Sasuke and cried, but the Uchiha merely shook her off. Hinata stuttered her happiness that Naruto was safe.
Shikamaru looked at Sasuke and said flatly. "Don't ever do that again."
They got a series of nods from the others around at his words.
Sasuke gave a small grin. "You all would have done the same, you hypocrites. Don't tell me not to do it."
"That's right! You all would have done it if it were us." Sakura agreed.
"Well, it's all over with now." Naruto assured with a wide beam. "Let's get those two scrolls and get outta this damn forest."
There was a chorus of agreement.
By late evening, they made it to their destination, with their final scrolls.
Using their two part summonings, Iruka popped up, cheerfully informing them of their time and assuring them they could rest now.
---------
Shikamaru accompanied Sasuke to his room silently.
"You worried everyone," Shikamaru informed once they were inside.
"I know."
"You worried me."
"I couldn't help that. The leading man has to make sure the rest of the team get out safely."
"Who made you the leader?"
"Well, officially? Everyone. They did the moment they all agreed with my idea and followed me."
Shikamaru snorted, but didn't argue with that.
"Stay with me tonight," Sasuke invited softly, looking off towards the far wall to the window, a small blush on his face.
"Do you really want me to?" Shikamaru asked, placing his hand on the Uchiha's arm.
Sasuke looked back, locking their eyes and gave a serious nod.
"Yes," He whispered.
Shikamaru's hand slowly trailed down Sasuke's arm before sliding off to rest lightly on the other boy's hip, pulling him just a little closer.
Sasuke's breath hitched a little, eyes widening in the slightest. He didn't realize he was leaning forward slowly, or that the other was doing likewise, all that he was seeing was Shikamaru's eyes, and how he found himself drowning in them.
There were so many thing he wanted to say to him, so many feelings he wanted to share; before he could even begin to comprehend anything, their lips met.
He gasped a little, eyes widening for a moment, before they fell half-mast. It seemed their lips still fit together this time around, he noted dazedly as he could feel himself press closer, until he realized he was completely leaning against the younger boy, kissing him completely back.
The world around them fell away and all that was left were the crumbling pieces of what sanity they had. Sasuke's arms had found their way around Shikamaru's neck while the others had wound around his waist.
The kiss didn't last too long, but when they pulled back from it, reality hit them again. Sasuke got a fine blush across his face and for once, so did Shikamaru.
"I...liked that," Sasuke mumbled shyly, looking away again, but didn't move away.
"Me, too..." The brunette admitted back with the slightest of smiles.
Sasuke brought his attention back to the other, getting a serious expression on. This was it, he had to say it. It was now or never.
"Shika, I-- I want to say I--"
Before he could get the words out, the others mouth was over his again, kissing him once more, as if to steal the words from him, leaving him to moan out a little helplessly.
"I know," Came the mumble against his lips.
"You do...?"
Sasuke's eyes met Shikamaru's again, and all he could see was returned feelings, they reflected all the things he'd wanted to say to him. Butterflies caught in his stomach and tears threatened to fall from his eyes when he realized what it meant.
He broke from the kiss and burried his face in Shikamaru's neck, a shudder running through his body.
"I do love you back, Sasuke. I have all along. I..."
Sasuke shook his head against the other, pulling his head up to place a kiss against Shikamaru's trembling lips.
"No, nothing more. This is enough."
"Sasuke..."
Sasuke shook his head, but smiled weakly.
Their lips met again, but this time it was heated, a need to express everything at once and connect on a deeper level. Sasuke moaned as he felt Shika's arms tighten around him and he arched further into him in an attempt to get closer. Shikamaru's tongue softly prodded at Sasuke's lips and without hesitation, they parted with a sigh.
Their tongues danced and stroked slowly along one another, twisting and twining like snakes in a mating dance. They kept pressing closer and harder together until they ran out of air.
Sasuke pulled away, tilting his head upwards, lungs heaving in an attempt to get enough air into his system, he was feeling lightheaded and giddy all at once. He moaned again when he felt Shikamaru's breath on his neck because the other was resting his head on his shoulder. They were both the same height so it worked out fine.
His eyes widened, a startled moan escaping as Shikamaru slowly began to trail kisses up his neck. A shudder ran down his spine, his head tilted farther back and to the side.
"Sasuke..." Shikamaru breathed against his ear, voice cracked and low.
"Shika...maru..." He whimpered back. He didn't care how he sounded. No one else was around and he wouldn't have cared if anyone was.
He wasn't how he was before, he didn't care about his visage and how people saw him. This time around he stayed true to his real self. Needless to say, his real self was uke, he just didn't want the burden of having to be the ruler of everything. Shikamaru had always seen and accepted that even he needed someone to lean on, that he wasn't some super human able to handle everything.
Though he could just as easily be seme, he didn't want to be.
Although he didn't want to, he pulled away a little, trying not to feel disappointed. He took Shikamaru's hand and led him over to the bed. He took his Hitai-ate off and placed it on the nightstand. Getting the hint, Shikamaru slipped off his overshirt, folded it, and placed it on his side.
Slipping off his shirt, messing up his locks of hair in the process, the Uchiha just let it drop to the floor without caring. He kicked off his sandals next. He climbed into the bed and about died from the comfort. After today, he'd appreciate beds a lot more. He moaned in comfort.
shikamaru quietly chuckled at the others reaction before he took his sandals off before climbing in after the other boy.
Sasuke thanked whatever higher power there was for the remote controlled light switch because he was too lazy to get up again. He took it from the bedside table and clicked the light off.
"Convienent," Shikamaru mumbled against Sasuke's shoulder. He'd scooted closer until he was pressed completely against the others back, his arm wound around his waist.
Sasuke blushed a little at the closeness, but smiled. "Handy," He agreed.
"Goodnight, Sasuke."
"Oyasumi..."
Closing their eyes, it was barely a few minutes before either one of them fell asleep.
------
Sakura couldn't sleep. She was just too wired. It wasn't the first time it happened, but it wasn't a habit.
Sighing, she got up and slid out of bed, quietly going to the door and slipping out into the dim hallway.
She was surprised to see Neji standing out there in the hallway outside of his own door.
"Couldn't sleep?" She asked softly, but loud enough to alert him she was there.
His eyes opened, the Byakugan was activated.
"No, I was just checking on everyone..."
Sakura wanted to giggle, or make some comment about how he was just as soft as Sasuke when it came to the others, but she knew that would upset the Hyuuga so she didin't.
"Are they fine?"
"Apparently. The Uchiha has company for the night."
To that Sakura broke out into a grin when she noticed the slight blush at his words. "Oh? I suspected it would happen sooner or later."
"You knew?"
"More or less." Sakura replied with a wave of her hand.
The other snorted. "It...actually surprises me that he could be so..."
"Open?"
"Yes. Given his reputation."
"That's the thing, Sasuke doesn't care about his reputation. He wants to live the way he wants to live, so he doesn't let those things get to him. If he's happy, that's all I care about." Sakura slid down her door to the floor, resting her arms on her knees with a shrug.
Neji just leaned against his door with his arms crossed.
"You really don't look like you're capable of much, yet you talk so confidantly." He said, doing his best not to spark the anger of the woman. He was actually wary of another outburst from her.
Sakura didn't take it wrong, because she understood what he meant. "I know, but the guys have been pushing me hard. I trust them, so I trust that what I've learned is good enough. I've seen drastic changes compared to my old self in the academy."
It was then Neji noticed one of the differences. "Your hair..."
She brought her hand up behind her head to touch the now shortened locks.
"Yeah. It was what happened in the forest. Sasuke rammed into the guy to make sure he didn't hit me with a sword, but he caught my hair. Does it look horrible?" She teased. She knew how vain the Hyuuga was about his own hair.
"It's...accaptable. It doesn't look terrible on you. Your longer hair made your face look a little wider and your forehead look larger..."
Sakura winced a little but sighed. "I know, I have a wide forehead. I can't help that. I just hope I grow into it. Bangs don't help hide it so why bother covering it?"
"You don't care about your appearance?"
"Not anymore. I'm taking being a kunoichi seriously, I don't have time to fuss over my appearance and be vain. I want to be strong and become a great medic-nin like Tsunade-hime. I can't waste time worrying over petty things like my looks. If I'm attractive, I'm attractive naturally. If I'm not, I'm not. I can deal with that."
Neji looked surprised, but the barest twitch at the corner of his lip alerted the girl that it was as close to as smile she was going to get from him. "You're interesting."
"Am I? Good, I'm glad I don't bore you."
"Why?"
"Because I admire you."
"Tch. Why?"
"Well... You're strong, you're confidant. Maybe a little over the top, but you watch over your comrades and make sure they're alright. You're taking time to talk to me... That in itself is admirable. Most people treat me as if I'm invisible. I just... I dunno, there's just something about you that makes me admire you. Or maybe, look up to is the word I'm looking for."
Neji didn't respond to her words, perhaps he didn't know how to. Sakura could see he was searching for a response, but she didn't give him the time to reply. She stood back up, smiling over at him. "Well, I think I'm gonna try going to sleep again. Thank you for talking with me. Goodnight, Neji."
The other looked over at her, eyes searching hers seriously before he gave a nod. "Goodnight...Sakura."
She smiled at the way he hesitated to say her name, but it was a start. She gave a small wave before she turned and went back into her room and went back to bed.
Neji stood there a while longer, replaying their conversation again. There was the slightest upturn of his lips when he finally turned and went into his own room ten minutes later.
TBC