Only In Fiction
Chapter Eleven
There was two reasons to why this afternoon had amused him to the point he couldn't stop smirking behind his hand that he'd risen to cover several times this afternoon. If it wasn't for the recent chapter he was writing at the moment, it was defiantly the way Hyuuga Neji slouched on the couch opposite him that did. They'd been back to school for two weeks already and he was complaining that he needed a holiday. Of course, Uchiha Sasuke knew the reason behind the Hyuuga's foul mood, and didn't blame him one bit.
He admitted silently to himself several times the past two weeks that he, too, was jealous of the way Subaku Gaara – Hyuuga's current lover – spent every afternoon with Uzumaki Naruto – who was in fact someone Sasuke was very interested in at the current moment – in which both never seemed to shut up about when they were finally away from each other. Sasuke could easily tell Hyuuga was at the end of his patients and instead of dragging the very exhausted Gaara out of his bed this morning for a decent yelling at, Hyuuga had slipped back to his place for the second weekend in a row to sulk silently on his couch.
"You're going to have to talk to him eventually," Sasuke commented, flinching when Hyuuga's eyes glared at him from under his arm. "I mean, Gaara wouldn't understand your foul mood unless you tell him that you're annoyed that the free time you get is spent completely on Uzumaki-kun."
"Like he ever listens to me," Hyuuga muttered under his breath before covering his face with his arm once again.
"He does, though. I think, out of every relationship you've ever had, Gaara has been the best in fact… despite the way he seems to abuse you more than love you," Sasuke joked only to hear a growl in response. "Nothing will get done if you just sulk on my couch, Hyuuga. What happened to the noble Hyuuga Neji who was strong minded and never sulked?"
"Uchiha, I will kill you if you don't shut your mouth."
Ouch, and he was trying to help his idiotic friend, and this was how he got treated. "No wonder your relationships in tatters," Sasuke muttered, looking back at his laptop, his sudden inspiration to write slipping away. He'd been on a good role that time, since he actually wrote two whole chapters in one day, but suddenly working on the third seemed like a task when he had something in a bad mood continuously glaring at him. Sasuke glanced over to meet the eyes that hid away moments later. Grumbling, he saved the document and closed his laptop, plopping it on the table before standing up and stretching loudly – just to shit Hyuuga off of course.
"You're a horrible friend Uchiha," Hyuuga muttered softly.
"Didn't I tell you that on the first day we met?" Sasuke countered before moving into the kitchen to make coffee. "Listen, Neji, you can't just hide out here and pretend that everything is alright in front of Gaara. You need to confront him and tell him you feel a little annoyed over the time spent on Naruto in which would normally be spent on you. You need to compromise with him before you ruin everything. The last thing I want to see is you completely depressed because you've lost someone you cared for the most!"
"But how do I tell him? Whatever I say will lead into an argument and then everything would be pointless anyways! I'd end up at square one again."
Sasuke watched his friend for a long moment before he finished making the coffee, taking a cup over to Hyuuga who sat up for the first time that morning and accepted it. "But I think letting your feelings out will help you two. I mean, you know Gaara better than most people, better than his "siblings", so I don't think you'll mess things up. He won't understand your feelings if your not communicating with him. No one would if you don't speak up and say some-" Sasuke's voice was cut off by his mobile ringing violently on the table. "I better take this," he said quickly, picking the phone up and ducking outside to answer it. "Hello?" Sasuke asked into the phone, doing his best to not sound so annoyed.
"Is he there with you?"
"And what if he is?" Sasuke countered at the other voice that growled at him. "Yeah, your boyfriends here, sulking on my couch."
"…Why is he sulking?"
"Oh, there's things going on with his love life that's upset him," Sasuke smiled again when there was another growl of annoyance. "Gaara, you need to talk to Neji, like, now if you could please. Just come by and pick him up, and don't say your spending the day with Uzumaki-kun because I'll punch you out with Neji at my side."
Gaara was silent on the other end for a long moment. "Even if I wanted to spend time with Naruto today, I couldn't. He's going out with his friends to the movies or something before crashing back at his place for a games night… and besides, why the hell is he sulking at your place. If he has something to say, he should damn well say it."
"I told him that, but he didn't listen to me," Sasuke replied turning back towards the living room where Neji watched him in confusion. Sasuke turned away quickly and stepped further into the garden. "I think he needs you to tell him that, Gaara. I mean, there's only so much I can do for him. Just come by and pick him up, take him out for the day and do stuff together. I think that'll satisfy him and he might just tell you what's going on in that big head of his."
Silence lingered a moment before the was a rustling noise. "I guess I better get up and get dressed then."
"That sounds like a plan," Sasuke chuckled after some more rustling. "I'll let him know you're coming by."
"No, don't mention anything. Just let it be, I'll be there soon." And then the line was dead. Sasuke just smiled to himself before slipping back into the living room, watching the way Hyuuga eyed him darkly.
"It was a business call," Sasuke lied, sitting down and taking a sip of his coffee, nearly choking on the lukewarm substance. Damn it! Sasuke just left it alone, feeling a little annoyed he never even got a decent sip from it before Gaara called. "Now, what was I saying…"
The surprise visit had gone rather well actually, but now the so called excitement was gone, Sasuke found himself once again feeling very lonely in his empty home. It didn't matter; he was always alone in this place anyways. He rested on the couch most of the afternoon, trying to win back sleep that had been rudely stolen from him at five o'clock this morning when Hyuuga had stormed into his place. He totally regretted giving his friend a spare key to this place, but he'd never had the guts to ask for the key back… but then again, he wouldn't want to anyways.
He tried to rest for several hours before he gave up the fruitless attempt and began to pace his living room. Sasuke paced for a little of twenty minutes before he grabbed his coat and keys and slipped from his home and out into the now cool evening. The sun was almost hidden behind the horizon by now, but that didn't bother him at all. Instead of taking his car out, Sasuke choose the option to walk towards his destination, where ever that may be.
The sun was long gone when Sasuke finally sat down in the park, under one of the brightly lit areas that overlooked the lake in the middle. In his hands was a cup of coffee that he'd picked up from the stand only moments ago before the people running it retired for the night. Sasuke just sat there for the time being, trying to work out something that had begun to trouble him moments ago.
He was defiantly jealous of the way Gaara spent time with Naruto. They spent way too much time together and somehow, it pissed him off… not that he left it show on his face in front of the blonde during lessons. How could he give away any signs like that? He was meant to be Naruto teacher for crying out loud…
…But it still didn't shake away the fact that he was very jealous. He wished he was spending that time with the blonde haired student, but he wasn't… and shouldn't be. There should be nothing like that between the two of them anyways. "Sensei?" the voice startled him enough to jump from the bench and turn to the intruder who dared cut into his private time. Of course, before he allowed himself to get angry, he found himself unnaturally calm.
"Uzumaki-kun," Sasuke greeted calmly. "You startled me there," he said with a light laugh, watching the blonde haired teenager smile apologetically.
"What are you doing out this late, sensei?" Naruto asked curiously, his hands slightly clenching the bag that Sasuke only just noticed then and there.
"I should be asking you that question Uzumaki-kun," Sasuke replied, sitting back down on the bench.
"I just making my way back home," Naruto replied, moving up to the bench before following Sasuke gaze. "Do you like it out here, sensei? I've seen you here a few time before."
"Yeah, I tend to come here when I need time to think," Sasuke replied just as quietly, taking the final sip of his coffee before standing up again, moving over to the bin. "It's pretty common for people to see me here. Sometimes, I find it a good place to write other stories when I can't think of anything for my current one."
"You write more than that series?" Naruto asked, sounding bewildered. "I didn't know that, sensei."
"Well, I'll eventually be bringing that book to a end, since I'm at the final few chapters of the novel."
For some reason, when Sasuke turned back to Naruto, he saw hurt in his eyes. "I've been reading on from what I read in the holidays. I never realised how sad it really was. So much goes on in their lives… yet they still stand so firmly, still conceived in bringing their friend back."
Sasuke smiled softly, nodding in understanding. "Do you believe they will?" he asked, wanting to know Naruto opinion of the ending before he actually finished it. He'd already planned the ending, but it was nice to hear what other people believed.
"I think they will," Naruto grinned. "I have that feeling they won't give up just yet! They're strong kids, so they'll do it in the end." He went silent for a moment before he spoke again. "Sensei, will they bring him back?"
Sasuke turned away with a shrug. "Who knows, Katsuo is convinced he can do it, but Hanako… I believe she's given up at this stage."
"Never, she loved him! She would do everything she could to bring back Tsu-"
"She's not any more, though. She's seen the truth, and has moved on," Sasuke glanced at Naruto then sighed. "She was betrayed, Naruto. She has no choice but to move on. Would you want to remain trapped in that unrequited love of yours for so many years, knowing the other will never once turn their eyes on you with the same feelings? I think it's best to move on and acknowledge the others feelings instead of doing something that could tear you both apart. When the time comes, she will be strong enough to surpass him, and prove she's no longer held back because of her feelings for him. Who knows, she may even be the one to finish him off."
"You're going to kill him off in the end, sensei?"
"Tsubasa is very much like me, Naruto. He's trapped, tormented, and scared of the shadow in his life. He believes the only thing that's right is revenge, and will stop at nothing until that's finished and gone. However, what happens after he gets his revenge, Naruto?"
"Then he can go back!"
"No… he could never return to that life," Sasuke turned around quickly, startling Naruto. "He will never be able to return to his innocent life he had before. He's shed too much blood, seen death at the worse; he's been the victim all along. He was used, abused and violated and that has changed him drastically."
"But sensei… you've moved on and returned to a gentle life…" Naruto whispered. The comment actually startled Sasuke a little before he started to laugh bitterly. "Sensei?"
"Naruto, I've never moved on with life," Sasuke finally replied, moving over to him, resting a hand against his face. "I'm just like Tsubasa, I will always trap and tormented by the power my father has over me. I will always be scared of that shadow that covers my life, always be in fear that if I try to make friends, if I try to fall in love, that I'll just lose them in the end because of my father's power over me. I don't want to love anyone anymore, Naruto. I choose to distance myself from many people to protect them."
"That doesn't explain me, though, sensei? Why have you welcomed me into the private and frightening domain of yours?" That was true, why had he accepted Naruto over so many people? Why was he allowing himself to let in someone who knew nothing of the world of power that he lived in? Hearing the words made him a little shock, not sure how to answer Naruto's question. "Sensei, why did you choose me?"
He had to say something, but what was he going to say? "I… I'm not sure," Sasuke finally replied, stepping away a little. "It's… something I never really thought about until now." Naruto looked a little confused but shrugged it away. Sasuke quickly looked for a topic change. "Anyways, weren't you spending tonight with your friends?"
"Err?" Naruto gave him a horrified look. "Who the hell told you that?"
It took a moment to realise that Naruto had in fact lied to Gaara. "I heard it from Subaku this morning. Hyuuga was at my place and he called up, worried about Neji since he seemed a little distant from him… which is true since he's been upset that Gaara was spending more time with you than with him and so-"
"I'd gathered that was why Hyuuga-sensei seemed somewhat prissy towards me," Naruto cut him off, moving towards the lake's fence. "I said to Gaara that I was doing something today to give myself and him a break from each other. Even I need distance from him all the time, not that I don't like spending time with him." Naruto laughed lightly. "I didn't do anything with my friends today, I wanted a decent sleep in and to do things I normally do by myself on weekends." Naruto turned back around and leaned on the fence. "Are they together?"
"Yeah, I told him to pick Neji up and treat him to something nice tonight. I hope they talk over their problems."
Naruto nodded in agreement. "I do too, because I don't want to be on Hyuuga-sensei's bad side anymore."
Sasuke had to smile at that. "Who does? He's a very scary guy actually, so I don't blame you for wanting the two to make up and move on." Sasuke walked up to the fence, looking out over the water. "What have you been doing with Gaara all the time anyways?"
"He's been helping me with a few small tasks. One was cleaning out my apartment and helping me fix any problems with it. We went and brought new furniture for the place too, and ditched a lot of my old stuff. I was very due for a new bed, and with the sudden money I got from my god father, it gave me a chance to do so."
"So you've heard from him in the end?"
"Yeah, he had an accident on the site but he's all better now. He'll be back by the next holidays, so that'll be good," Naruto flexed his fingers a little, looking slightly troubled. "He never told me what happened, just that he had an accident… and that worries me a lot. He's not young anymore."
"If he's recovered, then that's the main thing," Sasuke replied, glancing towards the blonde who turned around, looking out at the lake.
"I guess that's true," Naruto sighed weakly. "Anyways, back to what I was saying about Gaara and me. We've just been doing simple tasks around my apartment and we spent some time working on any school work that I may have needed help on. That's really all we've done, but I needed a break from that all to catch up with my personal life."
"What are you doing tomorrow?"
"Sleeping," Naruto laughed, looking at his sensei with amused look. Sasuke smiled weakly back.
"That sounds like a plan I could use. Being rudely woken by Neji at five in the morning kills me, since I'm normally in bed late."
"Is it because you spend so much time writing, sensei?"
"Well, I want to finish this book before my editor goes to America for her father funeral," Sasuke replied, looking a little sad. "She came over last night in distress about it. She'll be leaving in two weeks times for it, and may not be back for a long time, depending what happens with her mother. I sort of promised myself to get this done for her since this is the one I decided to dedicate to her… for being such a brilliant editor and friend."
"You seem really close to her," Naruto commented, watching Sasuke smile at the comment.
"We are… since she was also my first editor. She was a rookie at that stage, just in the industry herself, so it sort of worked out. We were both new to the world of being accomplished writings and editors. At that stage, she was also doing a little writing herself, but stopped to focus on her career as an editor. Besides, I've known her since high school, not that we had any interaction with each other… so I guess I can't really say I've known since then, but still…"
"You seem to know a lot of people now that went to high school with, sensei."
"I guess I do. However, I've also lost a lot of friends over the years too, which doesn't surprise me one bit. Whenever people move on to something else, they tend to lose those close to them then and make new friends in their place."
"I don't like to think that way," Naruto said after a long pause drifted between them. "I like to think that the people you made friends with always remain your friends, it's just they move onwards now, and still think back on the good times. I've never forgotten my siblings at the Orphanage, never forgot my primary school friends that all went to different schools, and I refuse to forget the friends I have made now. It's not about losing people and replacing them, because there are always those friends that you keep in your heart forever."
Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment, letting the words sink in before he reopened them and rested a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I have a question, if a friend – a very close friend – who's betrayed you is suddenly in grave danger from them, would you try to protect them, or let them be?"
Naruto pondered on the question for a moment before he smiled and replied simply "there are always people who need saving, sensei. If this person had been close and betrayed me in belief they were trying to protect themselves and I, then with all my heart, I would fight for them as well."
"I don't understand you…" Tsubasa whispered in a low tone, his hands clenched slightly around the long sword in his hands. "I betrayed you and yet you've convinced yourself that I still care about you or Hanako, or our sensei? Don't make me laugh, Katsuo. I care nothing about you."
I flinched slightly at the words before I pushed myself back onto my shaky legs. "I can't believe that you think I would give up so easily, I can't even believe that you would give up on yourself this easily either. You're more important to us than you think. You threw away everything in order to protect us, to protect yourself. Over the years, your mind has become cluttered and overshadowed by your desire to kill that certain person, and now that you've achieved that, what are you going to do? You've abandoned everything…" I closed my eyes and took a long breath. "But you can still reclaim it."
"I should have killed you when I had the chance," Tsubasa snapped, readying himself for the final attack on I. "I don't get why you just won't leave me alone."
I smiled as I reopened my eyes and smiled ever so simply as I spoke my next words. "I choose to keep you close in my heart, Tsubasa. You're my greatest friend, my closest brother, my strongest rival. I choose never to forget you despite the way you threw us away. I choose to protect you, even if it was from yourself, the moment you slipped in the shadows. I'm determined to protect you, and because of that, I'm going to fight for you as well!"
Closing the lid on his laptop, Sasuke smiled to himself before slipping off the couch and into his bedroom to rest. Somehow, he saw what was going to be a gloomy ending for his novel had turned around into something bright for once. I guess he's not as dumb as he acts, Sasuke thought with a large smile as he slipped into bed. I guess… he does have some smarts… whether if they can be used at school or not.
A/N: AN UPDATE =D Not much to say about this chapter expect how the ending was a little cute . Naruto is so sweet in some ways, telling sensei his belief. The question is, would you fight to protect someone who pushed you away in belief they were protecting you and themselves, though it appears to be doing them more damage than it did before? I think I would. =D
I hope you all enjoyed. See ya later =D
