Chapter Five

Inevitable Closeness

Sasuke listened to Sakura explain how best to start the novella, which she said was to lay the necessary groundwork for the arc setup. Naruto picked at his muffin as they worked on their project at the coffee shop near school. Out the window, Sasuke saw the school buses leaving the school parking lot to take sports clubs to neighboring schools.

Though Sasuke wasn't in a hurry to get home, he'd been thinking about his brother's return, creeping closer day by day. Itachi was strong, to say the least, and if Sasuke was going to get any answers out of him, he needed to prepare. Naruto wasn't just going to be his sparring partner, but he could also help Sasuke gather the information he needed. If fighting his brother head-on in the future was his fate, he needed to be sure his brother was the one who'd wielded the knife that took his parents' lives—not just a "burglar" the police had suspected and never found. Sasuke had researched the public files, police reports, and sketches of the suspect, which though had some resemblance to Itachi, like the deep creases beneath his eyes and his black hair, passing glances from nosy neighbors wasn't enough to convince the authorities. A tall man with wild white hair and a strong build was one of the first to respond to the scene when the police were initially called, and Sasuke knew he'd seen that man before, someone Naruto was likely close with to.

If he could convince Naruto to see his side of things, Sasuke had a plan to get the information he needed. But Naruto seemed driven by emotion, so logic wasn't the most efficient way to get him invested. Naruto had to believe in whatever he was doing; otherwise, he either wouldn't do it or would fail attempting to go against his own drives.

I guess I'll have to motivate him, Sasuke thought.

After collectively writing the first five pages, the group was satisfied with their progress. The sun was starting to set, casting an orange glow over the calm streets when the three left the shop. Sasuke headed back towards the school and was about to cross the street when he heard them both following him.

Naruto didn't say anything, as if understanding the logistics already. Sakura, on the other hand, wasn't quiet. "Where are you two going?" she asked.

"None of your business," Sasuke said, turning back around and walking toward the school parking lot. Still, Naruto followed.

"You guys aren't going to fight, are you?" Sakura said, almost getting run over as a car sped in front of her when she tried to pursue them.

She met them just outside school grounds, staring them down with both anger and concern. Sasuke was surprised to see Naruto's look of regret—or was it shame? Why did he care what Sakura thought?

"I know it's not my business," Sakura said, holding her arms to her chest like she was shielding herself. "It's just I don't want you guys getting hurt. That's all."

"Don't follow us, Sakura," Naruto said, looking down at the ground. Was he trembling?

Sakura looked stunned and started to back off. "Just don't do anything stupid. Can you at least promise me that?"

Naruto nodded, and after her eyes softened and her jaw unclenched as her bravery faded, Sasuke nodded too. Sakura smiled after her one small victory and turned. "Be careful," she said.

Sasuke watched her walk away, surprised she didn't push them further, or threaten to tell somebody. She respected their choices, it seemed, but she wasn't going to let them go unwarned or uncared for. Her hips swayed as she walked, her head was held high, and when she readjusted her backpack on her shoulders, her vibrant pink hair rustled in the spring wind. Sasuke had never seen her like this, looking triumphant and bright. Sasuke touched his hand, and though not fully healed, it felt good after she'd treated it. When she'd grabbed his hand in class and started applying more ointment, his first instinct would have usually been to jerk away. But today, she'd taken his hand so assuredly and touched him with a tenderness he hadn't experienced in so long. At the time, he'd felt like sighing with relief, like his constant wall to protect himself could come down for just a moment. She'd run her fingers along the top of his hand before handing the ointment to Naruto, and when she took her hand away, his natural guard resurfaced. He felt safe with her, but she wasn't what he needed—not right now.

[break]

After passing the baseball field, Sasuke continued toward the school.

"Wait, where are you going?" Naruto asked, waiting a few seconds before following Sasuke, who said nothing.

Naruto had never been to this side of the school, and Sasuke was leading him to the east side of the building, the side rarely visited because all that was over there were some planted trees and a picnic table that looked tired and forgotten, half its left side covered in overgrown bushes. When Sasuke reached for a side-entrance door, Naruto expected it to be locked, but it opened. Sasuke had yet to explain why they were entering the school, but Naruto followed, stepping on some cigarette butts on his way in.

"Sasuke?" Naruto said, trying to navigate the dimly lit hallway.

Naruto looked around, waiting to see a teacher or student—anybody—but it was getting late, and the school was empty. It was eerie as darkness settled and night took its grip. Sasuke headed for the boys' locker room, which was even creepier with no one in it and the smell of lingering sweat and body spray made Naruto's nose itch. They walked through the locker room and to the gym that was connected to it. It was a wrestling and martial arts gym, more of a room really, that was usually borrowed or rented by local groups since their school cut the sports budget a few years back. Used occasionally by students to stretch after weight training, the room felt in need of some action.

"How'd you know about this?" Naruto asked, deciding that was more important than asking about the unlocked side door.

"My brother told me about it," Sasuke said, taking off his shoes.

Naruto started taking off his shoes as well. "Your brother?"

"The gym teacher saw potential in him and recommended the military route, so he trained with his friends here. He came home beat up all the time, and my parents didn't like that." Sasuke re-rolled his sleeves up to his elbows.

Naruto took off button-down shirt, keeping his black undershirt on. He didn't have many extra shirts, and he'd already had to toss the last one because blood stained the collar.

"So, your brother was a fighter?" Naruto said, his curiosity piquing.

"You could say that. My parents told him to stop and told the school what they were up to, so they were shut down. After that, Itachi came home with less and less bruises, so my parents assumed it had stopped. But he told me it wasn't because he wasn't fighting, just that he wasn't losing."

Naruto's eyes widened, and the air grew thicker and heavier. "Won't your parents get mad too?"

Sasuke tensed, and he bit his lip, and Naruto saw red behind his dark eyes. "They couldn't care less."

Sasuke charged Naruto and tackled him at his waist. Naruto lost his balance and fell back, but instead of catching himself, he let himself fall and used his left hand to punch Sasuke in the shoulder. Sasuke winced but threw Naruto to the side and kicked him in the gut. Naruto lost his breath and wheezed. Sasuke walked over as Naruto clutched his stomach.

"Because they're dead," Sasuke said.

Once Sasuke stood over him, Naruto sent a surging upper cut to Sasuke's chin, knocking him back and causing him to stumble toward the wall. Naruto cocked his right fist back and prepared to hit him again.

"And it's Itachi's fault," Sasuke said.

Naruto held his fist in front of Sasuke's face. "What?"

"He comes back in a few months." He kicked Naruto's calf and grabbed his shirt when he stepped back. Sasuke held Naruto's shirt collar, and the black thread stretched as he lifted him off the floor. "You're going to help me get stronger."

Naruto kicked and hit Sasuke's quad hard enough for Sasuke to loosen his grip. When he did, Naruto hooked him on his left cheek. Sasuke let go and dodged Naruto's follow-up swing and this time took out his chin with an upward blow. Sasuke wasn't holding back now, and Naruto was reacting on instinct.

Help him? He wants me to help him?

Naruto didn't grow up polished like most other students, often having to rely on his physical strength to get out of tight situations. His old caseworker Jiraiya was forced to place him in rough homes early on because the demand for single-child homes was too high. Jiraiya always told him, "Only fight your way out when you need to."

Sasuke needed Naruto. Therefore, Naruto would be of use. Want and need can coexist, he thought.

Because they're dead.

Every caseworker, every school, every foster parent—they all asked the same thing. "What happened to your parents? Why can't they take care of you?"

Because they're dead.

If this would help Sasuke get stronger, so be it. Naruto swung fast, but his calf was sore from Sasuke's kick, so he missed. Sasuke grabbed his arm and threw Naruto down again. This time, he hit his head and was dazed for a few seconds. Sasuke straddled Naruto and pressed his right knee in Naruto's left quad. Naruto wanted to shout, but he held back, challenging Sasuke with a look. Sasuke leaned over until his lips were right next to Naruto's ear.

"If this is the best you've got," Sasuke whispered, "you're of no use to me."

You're going to help me get stronger.

Naruto jerked his head to the side and made contact with Sasuke's forehead. Sasuke groaned and Naruto pushed him off. He wasn't going to be outdone so easily. Before Sasuke could get to his feet, Naruto tackled him back down and held his shoulders in place. Sasuke thrashed, looking more embarrassed than scared.

"I'm just getting started," Naruto said.

[break]

After over an hour of swings, kicks, and combinations, Naruto was exhausted. Light barely fed in through the small windows near the ceiling. They'd decided to leave the light off to remain discrete. Getting caught wasn't an option. It was getting too dark to see each other, and they started blaming their misses on the light instead of their tiredness and sore fists. Naruto slumped against the wall and onto the floor, breathing heavily, his chest moving up and down quickly. He closed his eyes, and Sasuke didn't push him to keep going, so he took in a long, deep breath, hoping to get his strength back. Naruto's right eye was swollen, and his left arm had a bruise from when Sasuke had twisted it after Naruto had landed a kick to his shin. His shoulders were sore, and his right ankle looked puffy. Two days in a row was pushing it. They'd have to space this out if they hoped to survive it.

Naruto opened his eyes just as Sasuke sat beside him. He looked calm, breathing a little fast, but overall seemed collected. Blood flowed from his left nostril, and the bruise spreading toward his collar bone looked deep. Sasuke took off his shirt, and in the remaining sunlight that was about snuffed out, Naruto saw he had done some damage. Sasuke fanned out his shirt and set it beside him. Again, his unabashed confidence made Naruto squirm.

"I jammed one of my fingers pretty badly," Sasuke said. "You have a hard head."

"I've heard that before," Naruto said, extending his hand toward Sasuke and showing him the reddest middle knuckle. "Do you think this is broken?"

Sasuke took Naruto's hand, and Naruto froze, and heat rushed to his cheeks. He was happy Sasuke could barely see him at this point. Why was he embarrassed? He'd just held his own against someone who'd clearly been training, so of course he was hurt, but the way Sasuke held his hand and examined it was new. Naruto had been on his own for so long that he'd forgotten this was probably how normal people reacted. When he was younger and scraped his knee as all little boys do, it was left to him to search medicine cabinets and under sinks for hydrogen peroxide and a Band-Aid.

"It might be," Sasuke said. "You can't fight with this for a while."

Naruto knew he was right, but he hated hearing it. "I'll be fine," Naruto said. Sasuke let go of his hand, and Naruto touched the bruise that was turning from blue to purple on Sasuke's collar bone. "Got you good."

"Lucky shot," Sasuke said, shaking his head.

Naruto pulled his hand away as Sasuke closed his eyes, looking close to falling asleep. Naruto leaned back too and let his left shoulder touch Sasuke's right. He'd done well.

"A week," Sasuke said. "Maybe longer."

Naruto didn't protest, happy that there was a next time at all. His body felt heavy, weighed down by sore muscles and dehydration. He closed his eyes and leaned into Sasuke, feeling the heat from his tired, overworked body, a heat so like his own. Taking a risk, he rested his injured hand next to Sasuke's hand, the one with the jammed finger, feeling more heat from a hand worked hard with spots of his blood and Sasuke's. Naruto ran his fingers over the top of Sasuke's hand. He felt no anger or hatred toward Sasuke, who seemed full of both. They were there, together, working towards something. Sasuke's steady breathing lured him in, and Naruto leaned into the crook of Sasuke's neck, letting his breathing sync with the rhythm of Sasuke's until it lulled him to sleep.

[break]

When Sasuke awoke, he shook Naruto awake and told him it was time to go. Naruto groaned, drool leaking out the side of his mouth, but his eyes did open. Sasuke sighed and stood, causing Naruto to fall to the floor.

"Well now I'm up," Naruto said, rubbing the side of his head as he got to his feet.

Sasuke slipped his now-dry button-down over his head and rolled the sleeves all the way down. His hands were stiff and swollen, and the bruise extending over his upper arms and chest was tender. But all in all, he felt all right, and so far, it looked like Naruto was on board. There was more work to do, so he had to use his time wisely. It was more than a step toward his goal being completed. Though he'd never say it out loud, he was glad that it was Naruto. It was true that Naruto wanted to be needed, and Sasuke could see that much, but Naruto was broken, too. Sasuke couldn't help feeling a little close to him. It was easy. They were natural rivals, and for right now, they needed each other. What that would eventually become was questionable, but if Sasuke found out the truth behind what happened to his parents and took his revenge, nothing else mattered. Naruto brought something out in him, and not just strength, but also vulnerability, which he wasn't comfortable with. He needed to be careful, like Sakura said.

Sasuke led Naruto back through the locker room, through the school's corridors, and finally to the side door.

"A week is plenty of time," Naruto said, though he cradled his hand and had pulled his sleeve over it.

When they opened the door and stepped outside, Sasuke noticed something on the decrepit picnic table.

"I heal quick, you know. Maybe you're just scared and…" Naruto continued, but Sasuke was busy investigating the contents on the table.

Atop it, there was a first-aid kit, two towels, and two bottles of water. Sasuke opened the first-aid kit, and alongside the generic brands of medical supplies was Sakura's homemade ointment.

"…I could go again right—"

"Sakura didn't keep up her end of the bargain, Naruto."

[Note from the author: Later chapters are about to get saucy. Please leave a review or a favorite if you guys like where this is going to far. I will update ASAP.]