Naruto was acting... strange.
Okay, that was an understatement. The guy was always strange. But today... -Sasuke tilted his head in thought- today the blond was acting more odd than usual.
It all started when Kakashi had suggested that they train instead of take missions for the day. Sasuke had offered a sparring match and Naruto had complied back with a "This time I'm going to totally beat you, 'tebayo!" So, the two threw fists at each other, their actions so in sync that it looked like they were dancing a dance of clashes instead of ruthlessly pounding the other onto the ground. Well, that's what usually happens.
Today the blond's actions were more discreet, more cautious. His reaction time was further delayed as if he was distracted by something. Naruto's distractedness then left an opening for Sasuke to punch him hard in the gut, leaving the abused boy sprawled on the ground. What surprised Sasuke was that the whiskered boy hadn't even demanded a rematch, just quietly muttered under his breath that he was going to take a break and that Sasuke should pull out the stick stuck in his arse. That last comment wasn't going to stop Sasuke from remembering how unusual Naruto was acting, no, but it did make Sasuke start muttering under his own breath how that dobe should maybe pull out the fucking tree hidden inside his own rear.
(Dammit, Sasuke! You're an Uchiha, get a grip!)
So, now the Uchiha sat under the luxury of a flourished spring tree, hungrily lapping down his water, still waiting for the blond to come back from the river. Their strange sparring match had lasted ten minutes ago with Naruto still absent. He had nothing else to do, Kakashi left somewhere with Sakura to go help her with her taijutsu form and Naruto was taking his precious, sweet, time filling up his canteen by a nearby river.
'That dobe, he's taking ten years! What is he doing? Making friends with the fish?' Sasuke thought as he gulped down the rest of the liquid inside his canteen with a grunt. He stared solemnly at the little drops left inside the hollow bottle. The Uchiha's eyes glinted with roguery.
Come to think of it, he could use some more water.
The sun irradiated lofty in the sky, its rays of light illuminating the glistening trees casting dark shadows in their wake. A nearby river sparkled with current, its waters slapping against the jagged rocks, leaving splashes of water to soak up on shore. It was a beautiful scene, indeed, but what made the picture even more beautiful was the fact that Na-
Sasuke shook his head to rid away any thoughts.
Naruto was sitting by the water bed, apparently concentrating on something while forming the ram seal with his hands. He gasped with joy as he took apart his fingers and patted his hair -for what reason, Sasuke didn't know. He animatedly jumped when Sasuke approached him from behind.
"S-Sasuke!" Naruto uncharacteristically turned red. "It's not what it looks like, I swear!" He waved around his arms to emphasize his point. The raven rose a skeptical brow.
"That's the statement of every liar, dobe." The "dobe" chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head.
"Hehe... I guess, dattebayo."
Sasuke marched over towards his teammate and stood tall over him, his shaded figure stretching over Naruto. The blond gulped and stared with apprehension.
"Your hiding something."
Naruto remained frozen. His blue eyes dilated as Sasuke inched closer.
"W-What are you talking about, 't-tebayo?"
Black, onyx eyes neared azure orbs.
"What are you hiding, Naruto?"
Hearts beeped rapidly simultaneously.
"S-Sasuke?"
Unconsciously, the brunette reached out a pale hand to find its way to the other's face. Stuck in a dream-like daze, he began thoughtlessly stroking his fingers through the whiskered boy's golden, flax locks. Soft, it was, like he'd imagined it to be. Eccentric, lurid yellow hair and cerulean, oceany eyes that always seemed to pull you in in its depths and drown you till you suffocate...
His trance suddenly broke when he felt something hard in the boy's hair. Now conscious of what he was doing, he jerked a good couple of steps away. His eyes broadened when he took in what was in front of him.
"N-Naruto?"
Evidentially, it was Naruto, just with a new pair of... err... assets. Specifically two perky fox ears and a bushy tail. His two ears were the same shade of yellow with the tint of tawny at the tip, identical to the one bushy tail sitting at his side. Naruto reminded Sasuke of a kitsune, the mythical, vulpine creatures from Japanese urban legends. To think that his idiot teammate...
"You probably hate me now, don't you?" Sasuke stared with disbelief. Naruto's features shifted into one's of misery and anguish. "I-I get it if you don't want to be teammates anymore... it's not your fault."
"You actually are a complete moron, dobe."
Naruto whipped his head up to come face to face with his Uchihan teammate. His eyes were met with indifference from the raven. Where were the cold stares? What happened to the hateful glares?
(Why did Sasuke always have to confuse him all the time? Damn that bastard to the deepest pits of hell...!)
Sasuke slowly approached him, a look of annoyance on his face. The kitsune's body tensed, ears flattened down to his head and tail wrapped protectively around his slim figure. He quickly secured his eyes tight as the Uchiha heir crouched before him, forming a face to face level between him and the former. He was expecting a hit, a punch, a slur, disgust, something normal.
A hug was not something normal.
Normal isn't supposed to feel good.
He isn't supposed to feel good.
(Monsters deserve lower than the dirt below people's feet, shouldn't they?)
But the strong arms that clutched his head and body in a fearsome grip, the comforting smell of savoury and spring dew, and the warm breath that rested on his neck made him want to stay like this forever. Something warm and fuzzy opened up and butterflies flapped their wings inside his stomach. The hands that held him ever-so tenderly grasped him tighter.
"Sasuke..."
Heartbeats synchronizing.
"Let me speak, Naruto."
'...What?' Naruto felt the soft tingle on his neck from where Sasuke sighed.
"I've... watched you for a very long time, Naruto," Sasuke began, unconsciously holding the boy tighter. "I was always so confused on how you sought out attention so much. I was always intruged by your stubborn attitude and boisterous personality, you smiled as if everything was okay, and in those few seconds in which you smiled... everything was okay."
The jinchuriki's eyes fluttered in confusion.
Sasuke continued, "I wasn't dumb, I knew about all the hatred the villagers gave you. It didn't take me long to realize you held the Kyūbi no Yōko inside of you." Naruto whimpered, causing Sasuke to stop.
"So then," Naruto commented, "you should hate me, right?"
"More of the opposite, really." Sasuke let go of Naruto to rearrange his hands onto the latter's shoulders and look him fixedly in the eyes. "You're a jinchuriki, right? By housing the Kyūbi no Yōko, you bear a massive burden on yourself. It turned on something inside of me... I'm not good at words, so I don't know how to explain it but..." He shifted his eyes towards the trees beside them, directing them anywhere but Naruto. "...I felt the urge to protect you, to... shield you from all the horrors of the world. So you're a complete moron if you think I'm ever going to abandon you." Naruto shook his head.
"But... why me? If I'm the jailer of the Kyūbi no Yōko, doesn't that make me as much of a monster as it? Kyūbi killed thousands of people! And I'm the very thing that's keeping it alive! Don't you get it, Sasuke?" It was now Sasuke's turn to shake his head.
"Naruto, think about it. You only cage Kyūbi, you're not the monster itself. You never asked for this burden and I never asked for mine. The death of all those people wasn't your fault, nor is it your fault that you're the one keeping it alive." Sasuke scoffed, "Heh, now that I think about it, we're both pretty messed up." Naruto ruffled the fur on his tail.
"Heheh, I guess..." He motioned towards his new assets. "Most people would be terrified if they saw me like this, ya know," the kitsune mentioned expectantly. He looked up to find Sasuke smiling.
"If anything," he gently stroked Naruto's golden ears, "it makes you look ten times cuter." The Uchiha heir smirked when he found Naruto blushing as red as a tomato.
"I hate you, teme."
"Love you too."
'Love you more'
But those unspoken words were never said, because their relationship was held on more than just words and both Sasuke and Naruto knew that. And for the first time, Naruto felt as if holding the Kyūbi no Yōko wasn't as much of a burden anymore, but a blessing.
My first fanfic on ! I would really appreciate it if you would review, it always brightens my day ^^
Originally, I intended for this fanfic to be pure yaoi, if you know what I mean. But then it just escalated into something more of fluff and hurt/comfort... not complaining though! I just felt like focusing on their emotions instead because I'm pretty sure it would be like that in canon... so yeah. I hope you enjoyed and please please please review! Like I said, it really brightens my day!