Wow^______^
Such an amazingly long chapter… would that make up for me not having it out for SUCH a long time??
*backs away from glares* EEEEEERRR… I guess not….
^______^
I'm soooo tired from typing so this rambling will be short, my next chapter would be coming on less than a week…. Well it really depends on how many reviews I get^^;;
So MORE reviews!! It makes my fucked up life better… No wait…
*coughcough*
I have a wonderful life
with really kool friends
and nice family members… *stops reciting from a sheet of paper*
Happiness.
That's my poem… It was supposed to be my English paper about how people don't know how to appreciate some shit I don't really care for right now…
I started writing…. And writing… and this is what came out.
My intelligence just about levels to a 3 year-old's doesn't it?
Special thanks to my Koganei, who is my wonderful beta!!!!! *glomp*.
And ALSO to Wusai and Nora D, who were a great help!!
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Naruto trudged along the path, kicking the dirt as he walked. He was going to some weird group survival trip with his old classmates, it had been arranged by Iruka so that they could test out their newly learned skills or something.
Naruto had been reluctant to go, but something along the lines of Iruka threatening to never buy him ramen again forced him to go to the stupid camping trip anyways. Naruto looked up at the skies, which was a bright blue. There was not a cloud in the sky. Naruto made a face; it's going to be so damn hot today!
When he arrived at the small grass area just at the edge of the forest where he had been told to meet, he found his old classmates standing there, all twenty seven of them. Yes, he was feeling peachy, just peachy, despite the fact that his left eye didn't seem to want to stop twitching.
All of them were talking to each other excitedly and friends who haven't seen each other in a long time chatted like they hadn't separated at all. Naruto found Sakura at the corner speaking to Ino; they were arguing, not at all shocking.
Naruto caught the sight of Sasuke as well sitting at the rock by himself, all isolated and alone as he always was; Naruto wanted to gag. But he made a point of not acknowledging his team mate at all and stood at a side quietly.
A loud clap interrupted the excited chattering and everything went silent. Iruka stood on top of a small boulder with his back facing the opening of the forest, smiling brightly at his former students.
" I'm glad you all arrived today." Iruka's gaze settled on Naruto as he spoke and Naruto looked away quickly. "We have been blessed with a beautiful day today and I believe we should use it to our advantage." Iruka started, and the excitement in his students grew.
" This event was something me and Kakashi-sensei planned up to test your newly learned skills that your team masters have taught you. You will be paired up to venture into the forest and stay there for 2 days and 2 nights. As you all know, this forest has been forbidden to you for a very good reason. Strange things and animals dwell inside that would be quite threatening to your safety. So I'd advise you to not let your egos bloat to the size that they would lead you to wrong decisions." Iruka paused effectively, and murmurs in the crowd rose to a hum.
" But this should be a fun event, a good chance for those who haven't yet pushed their skills to their fullest potentials and a good test for your navigational skills. Whenever one of you may need serious help, give a good yell or whistle and we will find our way to you." Iruka smiled and pulled a list out of his back pocket.
" This list of partners took some time for me and Kakashi-sensei to think up of and I'm sure that some of you may like it and some of you may not. But we are confident on our choices." Iruka looked down onto his list.
" First pair, Yomanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura."
He went on down the list for a while.
Naruto found himself crossing his fingers and wishing hard that he wouldn't be paired up with Sasuke.
" Not Sasuke, not Sasuke." He muttered quietly.
" Uzumaki Naruto and…"
To this, Naruto looked up to find Iruka staring down at him with worried eyes.
" Nara Shikimaru." Naruto exhaled in relief and caught Shikimaru's exited grin. He smiled back.
It turned out that Sasuke ended up with Amurame Shino, which was reasonable because they were both rather introverted and probably glad since they didn't have to worry about the other getting into their businesses. But every time Naruto glanced at Shino, he couldn't explain the slight jealousy that filled him.
When Iruka finished and waved for the start, Shikimaru ran over to Naruto flashing him a smile. Naruto realized that the hostility of some of his classmates had before for him had diminished. He wondered why.
" Hey Naruto! We're partners eh??" Shikimaru said, jogging up to stand beside him. They both looked up at the tall towering rolls of trees before them and Naruto peered at the other boy nervously.
" Scared?"
Shikimaru paused before shaking his head. " Nah. You?"
Naruto shook his head as well. " Nope."
As they began to walk around the edge to search for another entrance into the forest where their classmates haven't gone through already, Naruto noticed at the corner of his eye that Sasuke and Shino had ran in already, separately.
He should have known anyways; Sasuke was never really for the team thing.
Shikimaru waved for him to catch up as they stood beside a large bush.
" The forest is really dense on the outside, the trees are much too packed in tightly together for us to squeeze in. But I figure we can crawl through the bushes?" He said uneasily, not too sure of his idea. Naruto shrugged.
" Yah, sure." He said carelessly, noticing how Shikimaru's face brightened as he did. Naruto made the firm conclusion that Ino didn't really agree with his ideas very often.
They both got down to their knees and brushed away the first leaves before the dove in. Naruto crawled quickly, ignoring the painful scratches and marks the sharp branches made on his arms as he made his way to where he hoped is inside the forest. He heard the rustling of leaves every so often behind him and knew Shikimaru was close behind.
He was more than relieved when they finally got out, though bloodied and scratched. Shikimaru came out seconds after he did and they both brushed off the leaves and thorns on their clothes.
" We just had to choose the thorn bush didn't we?" Naruto muttered darkly, wincing as he pulled out a thorn that had pushed in deeply into his arm. Shikimaru answered with a yelp of pain as well, and tried to get out the twigs that were tangled in his hair.
Naruto looked around the forest, it was almost like any other except trees huddled densely together as though in fear. Naruto understood why it would be impossible to train in such an area- it was because there was hardly any space left.
The trees shot up high on top of them, but only the tips of the trees were full of leaves and life as they are the only part that can receive sunlight. Naruto shivered, the bare skeletons of the trees that surrounded him, they reminded him of cages that would trap him and never let go.
Beside him, Shikimaru shuddered as well.
As they ventured in deeper, the forest began to age; the younger sketetal trees were gone and replaced by enormous dead-weights of old trees, standing there in a wise kingly fashion as though they've been there since the beginning of time. Century-old vines twined their way around the wizened rough bark of the thick trees, and dull green moss planted itself nearly everywhere. There were small buds of tree younglings as well as curiously shaped leaves that yawned out of the ground in bright greens. Naruto and Shikimaru had to climb up over with some difficulty over the huge roots that had pulled themselves out of the moist soil.
Wisps of light that had been able to pass through the thousands of leaves sheltering them from the sun ran across the leaf-covered ground like cool waves of water. And drips of what sounded like morning dew fell from surrounding bushes. There was a low hush around him, as though nothing at all has ever disturbed the enchanting place to learn of the secrets that dwelled in the very whispers of the trees.
" This place is old and wise, full of dangerous secrets of the past." Shikimaru whispered, and Naruto nodded in agreement. They stood still, lifting their heads to admire the awe-startling immaculate beauty that was around them.
" It's so beautiful though. Like some hidden place where man has never been able to find and therefore not destroy the natural beauty, so that the long years it spent could nurture it gently to what it is now." Naruto said with a hushed voice, really reluctant to speak at all to not disturb the silent grace.
Shikimaru turned to grin at him.
" Naruto? A poet??" He said softly, before turning wide eyes to Naruto. " Why the hell are we whispering anyways??"
Naruto shrugged.
They continued to climb over the mountains of thick dark roots and admired their surroundings.
Soon though, they had to stop and rest to catch their breaths. The huge trees had shaded them from the sun and produced it's own wet coolness, but it still didn't take a long for the two boys to rest from exhaustion.
They sat into a large depression of a colossal tree, the largest they had seen yet. It was magnificent; life itself seemed to breath through the nicks, cuts and jags of the old graying bark. Naruto knew that it was his favorite; it was fortunate that a pond of clear stunningly cold water was at the base of the tree. Naruto had not noticed it at first, until he saw the leaves and sky on the ground and found out it was the crystal reflection of what was above them. The water was perfectly still and flat, only small circles sculpted themselves on the surface whenever a drop of water dribbled from the tree onto the pond.
Naruto let out a long and deep sigh, swiftly wiping away beads of sweat that had rolled down his face and dropped to the ground grateful of rest. He leaned against the rough bark of the tree and rested his eyes. But he suddenly heard a scraping noise beside him and opened his eyes tiredly to see what Shikimaru was doing.
He wasn't surprised that Shikimaru was carving on the tree, but he was rather shocked by "what" he carved on the tree. He smiled slyly.
" Shikimaru! You like Ino ne??"
Shikimaru turned away sheepishly from his carving of his name and Ino's name on the tree and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
" Kinda, but it's not like Ino would ever notice me anyways with that Sasuke around." He said with a defeated sigh. Naruto pulled himself up and laid a hand on the rough long scrapes that spelled out the names attentively. Without raising his eyes from the carving, he spoke softly.
" Doesn't this place make you feel like you're in a godly presence? It's like the trees themselves were divine and watching down on us."
Shikimaru nodded, though he was slightly confused at Naruto's sudden change of mood. Naruto crooked his head to a side to grin at him.
" I felt strongest with this tree when I saw it, so maybe it's the most powerful, and maybe its God will that will grant your wish!!" He exclaimed cheerfully. Shikimaru stared at the boy whom he was brought up to hate, resent and look down upon. But maybe… Naruto wasn't as bad as everyone thought.
He smiled as well and nodded eagerly.
" Yokatta!"
Naruto froze all of a sudden as did Shikimaru.
" Do you… hear something?"
A low rumbling growl sounded behind them, shaking their very nerves as both boys stood still facing the tree, unwilling to look back. Harsh heavy breaths blew across their necks, chilling them as their skin prickled with fear.
Naruto was the first to slowly turn around. His eyes narrowed, glowing with a fighting energy he needed for so long at the tall towering creature that stood in front of him. Shikimaru turned around too, though he was shivering with fear as he gazed up at the creature.
The animal was somewhat like a bear; except it's long slit red eyes glinted with such malice and such demonic wickedness that it shouldn't really be compared with anything at all. Large bulging muscles pulsing with brute strength and bristling dark-brown fur covered the large form. The creature's snout was raised into the air as it opened its jaws widely, showing off rows of teeth as sharp as knives and roared a deafening ear-splitting sound.
Naruto's hand quickly rested onto his kunai as he prepared himself for battle. He glanced at Shikimaru to find him breathing unevenly and his eyes bright with shielded fear. Naruto's brows raised in puzzlement.
" Get your weapon out!!" He whispered urgently to Shikimaru, but the boy stood frozen, his eyes still fixated on the creature.
" No, fool. Run! This is an assalain, a creature who causes terror even in the bravest of men. It's supposed to be extinct though, I read about it. Also about the fact that it can kill a full-fledged shinobi in less than a minute." Shikimaru turned terror-filled eyes towards Naruto.
" RUN!!" He shot off in the opposite direction as Naruto did as well mere seconds later. They were quick, but the creature was faster and more experienced. The assalain got on all fours and raced after Naruto.
Naruto ran as he had never run before, ducking past lowly hung branches and climbing over large roots. He could hear the animal bounding behind him, each astoundingly elephantine step shaking the ground itself. Damn, the assitit or whatever the hell it was called was catching up to him.
Naruto searched urgently in his mind for a way to get away when a strong lean arm wrapped around his waist and ran off in another direction in such a dashing speed that Naruto was stunned for a minute.
Whoever held him agilely raced through the trees, darting around over branches and rocks as though acutely aware of everything that was around him or her. Naruto couldn't help but notice the whistle of deft air passing his ears, and the way he felt like he was almost flying.
Naruto restrained a gasp when the person skillfully ducked an incoming branch that would've taken their heads off at the speed that they were going. Suddenly remembering that they were running away from something, Naruto swiftly turned his head around to see if the creature was still behind them. But there was nothing there, and his savior dashed to a stop beside a tree and dropped him heavily to the ground mercilessly.
Naruto lifted his head to catch sight to whoever saved him and gasped in horror.
" S-Sasuke!!" Naruto exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief. Sasuke didn't even spare a glance at him as he peered around the tree to see if the creature was still there. Naruto glared at him hatefully, crossing his arms over his chest.
" Damn you!! Why did you come?! I could have taken that thing down-" Suddenly crouching down beside him, Sasuke gripped Naruto's chin and held his gaze level with his own blazing eyes.
" Shut up! That thing could kill you in a second. Now stay quiet; it has the hearing of 10 men put together." He hissed. Tempted to punch the bastard's face in, Naruto pulled his chin free instead after shooting Sasuke a dirty look.
Sasuke stood again to search for the creature, his eyes darting around alertly for any signs of movement. When there was none, he exhaled in relief and looked down at Naruto.
" How the hell did you get that 'thing' chasing after you?!!" Sasuke asked furiously, his eyes flaming. Naruto ignored the question and sneered.
" Why are you alone?? Did you partner abandon you??" He mocked bitterly. Sasuke stared at him in confusion for a second before he slid to the ground as well.
" No. We decided it would be better if we went separately."
" I would expect no less from the great Sasuke." Naruto muttered before looking away, increasingly uncomfortable with the fact that his goal of not speaking to Sasuke for the rest of his life wasn't successful.
Sasuke made no attempt to show Naruto that he had heard his bitter comment; he only leaned back against the tree, relaxing comfortably.
Naruto looked at the relaxing boy, who had his eyes closed and almost looked like he was sleeping. Then at his surroundings, suddenly hit by the fact that he had no clue where Sasuke had brought him. He and Shikimaru had pulled at twigs and did things like that to mark their trail so they could find their way back. At this point, he had two choices: get away from Sasuke but get lost on his own, or stay with Sasuke since he was reasonably sure Sasuke knew where they were.
Naruto also realized that he had left his backpack behind in his haste to run away from the assa-shithole. Damn it!! He was going to have to rely on Sasuke for food and water. Naruto felt bile gather up at the pit of his throat at the thought of begging Sasuke for food.
" I brought extra food," Sasuke said coolly, his eyes still closed.
Naruto flushed hotly. Fine! He'll just eat all his damn food and water!! Thirsty, he reached for the water bottle nearby, only to have Sasuke's hand close over his. Sasuke responded clearly to his questioning glance.
" Drink what you need, because even though I may have extra food and water, there is still not enough for two people if one of us should drink more than we should."
A sudden fury flushed Naruto's face red, and untrusting of his voice, Naruto responded in the only way he could allow himself. He reached for the bottle and raised it to his lips, pausing only briefly before he gulped it greedily, uncaring of the water that had spilled from the corner of his mouth onto his shirt.
He didn't speak when Sasuke rose up, though his eyes followed everyone movement Sasuke had taken. Naruto remembered their last incident in his room at the temple, both of them… He can't help but feel extremely awkward. But a few minutes after Sasuke had disappeared behind the trees (Naruto was sure he'd be back since he left everything behind), he crossed his arms over his chest and fell asleep from fatigue.
Sasuke swiftly walked back to where Naruto was with a pile of twigs under his arms. He looked up to the darkening sky. He needed to build the fire with haste, it was night-time soon and creatures that did not dwell in the day would come out. Tossing the wood onto the ground beside where Naruto lay, he began to work diligently on making the sticks stand upright and made sure to put dry leaves underneath. With two slabs of rock he had found nearby, he smacked them together roughly for a spark. In no time, he got a crackling warm fire going. Right in time, too- the forest grew blacker by the minute.
Sasuke sat down onto the ground with his legs crossed and glanced across the campfire toward the spot where Naruto was sleeping peacefully.
He carefully scrutinized the boy's still face. His skin was pale, but it was softened in the sun to a healthy golden hue. His hair lay in unruly strands framing his face, the heavy gold locks seeming to hold the sun's radiance began to change into rich colours of orange under the wavy colours of the fire. Sasuke watched the long eyelashes under the closed eyelids and remembered that the boy had wide large eyes the color of the sky and finely shaped lips that formed brilliant smiles the few times when it was not occupied with sneering and making horrible faces.
His gaze lingered on Naruto's face a few moments longer. He didn't forget about the passionate anger on Naruto's face the time when he yelled at him and told him that he hated him. He definitely didn't forget the aching throbs in his heart every time he saw the boy after that.
Suddenly frowning, Sasuke lay down and wrapped a nearby blanket around him. He didn't know why he cared for the other boy so much. It's been like that ever since he had thrown himself in front of Naruto, taking Haku's deathly attacks when he realized he thought of Naruto as so much more. At first he thought of it as only a growing respect for the boy. But what really is respect to him??
Naruto's eyelids suddenly fluttered open in a child-like innocence and looked around. Sasuke held his breath when those wide bright blue orbs stared at him before they narrowed.
Sasuke frowned sternly, knitting his brows in thought before he spoke.
" Cook the food. I found the meat and the cooking supplies are mine. Since you will probably eat my food, then do your share." Sasuke ordered diplomatically.
Naruto stared at him a minute before he looked at the lifeless furry animal on the ground a few feet away from him. He shivered in repulsion.
" You killed it, so cook it yourself." Naruto retorted in mild indignation, refusing to react to the flash of anger in Sasuke's eyes.
His dark eyes turning to ice, Sasuke looked the hare by the ears and took his kunai out. Unwilling to admit that he did not have the stomach to even watch someone skin an innocent creature, Naruto flipped over to face the tree and fell asleep once again.
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His stomach was growling,
Naruto sat silently across the campfire, not having moved an inch from where he previously sat. He watched Sasuke chew the last remains of the roasted meet.
Naruto's stomach growled angrily again but he couldn't tear his eyes away. Sasuke didn't look at him as he cut another slice from the roasting carcass over top the fire and continued to eat. Naruto stared at the few pieces remaining hungrily, the tantalizing aroma wafting from the meat and the sight of the juices sizzling as it dripped into the fire tortured him long enough.
Naruto opened his mouth to order a piece from Sasuke, but closed his mouth once again in fear of lost dignity. Sasuke had eaten one piece after another without offering him any, watching Sasuke's even teeth sink into the savory meat had him so deeply absorbed he could almost taste it.
Almost.
Naruto quickly turned away to avoid his glance when Sasuke looked up to him, almost seething at the amusement he knew was in those dark eyes. GAH!! He was ENJOYING this! Naruto pretended to be interested in his shadowy surroundings before his stomach rumbled loudly again and Naruto cursed under his breath.
But Sasuke ignored it and Naruto was silently enraged. If that bastard thought he would beg him for something to eat, he had better think twice. He'd starve to death first!!
Naruto reached for the water bottle, water should keep his stomach quiet enough. But he couldn't hold down a gasp when Sasuke leaned over and snatched it right back from his grasp without a word. Naruto was furious, but who cared, right??!! He could last a night without food, but he also remembered that he had skipped both breakfast and lunch in his haste and was starving.
He deliberately averted his gaze when Sasuke removed the remaining meat from the fire, which was still sizzling from the heat and carefully wrapped it up in paper.
Hunger knawing, Naruto looked away, not at all eager to even see the other boy.
Sasuke knew Naruto was hungry. He wasn't deaf. He had heard the constant rumbling of his traitorous stomach countless times. But he had found the food, lit the fire, prepared the meat and cooked it, while Naruto's unyielding attitude stopped him from helping at all. The boy just watched, unwilling to contribute to the camp.
Well, he certainly got his punishment. Sasuke couldn't get the sight of Naruto's look on his face, though, when the delicious aroma had first started to fill the clearing, and felt compelled to give him the last piece of food. But Naruto needed to learn his lesson and lessons were hard learned.
Sasuke laid down to his side and pulled his blanket over himself. He didn't close his eyes though. He knew he wasn't going to get much sleep that night.
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Naruto muttered a soft unintelligible sound when he felt someone nudging him in the back. Turning over to his side, Naruto continued to sleep when a harsh kick hit against his shoulder and he woke up in alarm.
" Naruto, wake up!!"
Over him, Sasuke unblinkingly stared down with his emotionless dark eyes and Naruto flinched from the closeness of them. Quickly rolling away, Naruto bent up slowly, rubbing his sore back.
" Nyah, what time is it!!" He complained. He frowned when he got no reply.
Silently cursing as hunger hit him sharply, he got up to his feet and shot a glare at Sasuke's already departing figure where he walked at a leisurely pace without looking back.
Vowing vengeance, Naruto followed.
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The afternoon sun bore down on them mercilessly, growing hotter by the second. Even the trees couldn't shade them from the humidity that swept through the air. Naruto swaggered forward, drops of perspiration dripped down his face. Thirsty, hungry and footsore, he still continued to follow Sasuke a few feet behind as the other boy continued steady progress towards an unknown destination. Sasuke had stopped earlier at a small clearly running stream to refill his water bottle, but did not say a word when Naruto had run up and crouched down to drink and satisfy the thirst that had become unbearable.
But Naruto's anxious growling of his stomach has not ceased yet and Naruto couldn't stand the looks Sasuke shot him every time it did. Sasuke 'knew' he was hungry and wanted to make him suffer. Naruto began to hate Sasuke more and more, despite the fact that he knew he had brought it onto himself.
Intensely aware of the person stumbling behind him, Sasuke continued to direct his attention ahead. He knew he should be stopping by now, but he was not yet feeling fatigue so why should he?? But Sasuke couldn't ignore the nagging at the back of his head, reminding him that Naruto hasn't eaten yet and didn't have the energy to go on.
Sasuke didn't stop though, because he was still firm on the fact that Naruto had brought it onto himself with his damn stubbornness.
So he drank knowing that Naruto was thirsty.
Ate when he knew the boy was hungry.
Even though he ate more than his fill, Sasuke realized that both his hunger and thirst has not been satisfied yet.
The long day continued and Sasuke continued on without resting, Naruto staggering visibly behind him. The distance between them began to lengthen as Sasuke had the strength to jump over roots and branches easily, while Naruto began to find it more and more difficult to take each step.
When terrain began to slope, Sasuke with great difficulty forced down the inclination to walk faster, knowing that Naruto would never catch up. But he wouldn't rest yet, and Sasuke pressed on.
Naruto tiredly set one foot ahead of the other, trying in vain to catch up to Sasuke or at least keep in sight of him.
Halting briefly, he realized the grumbling of his stomach had ceased, though he was still agonizingly hungry. Suddenly, he didn't seem so hungry; in fact his feet weren't even sore anymore. A strange darkness was rapidly veiling him, taking him to a place where he felt no discomfort.
Naruto didn't even have time to think as darkness abruptly embraced him.
The sun began to set and Sasuke decided it would almost be time to rest. They had been walking for the whole day and to Sasuke's great disappointment, they haven't come across anything to fight against. Sasuke had been looking forward to the trip, knowing it was a good chance to test his skills as Iruka had said. But all he found were pitiful animals that weren't even worth eating and creatures like the one Naruto had come upon, which he knew he could beat but would take too much strength off him.
He paused when he reached a large indentation in a tree and found it a good place to spend the night. When he stepped closer for a better look, he found that there was a pond there good for drinking. As well as… Sasuke took several leaps over braches to get to the base of the tree and found a carving there. Naruto and Shikimaru had been there, he mused.
Suddenly, he realized that it's been long and Naruto still wasn't there yet. His heart began to pound slowly as he waited for what seemed like an eternity, but Naruto had still not arrived. Feeling too concerned to wait any longer, Sasuke began to run back to where he had come from.
His concern began to rise when he walked quite a distance without seeing Naruto. How the hell could he have not been watching him??? Knowing of Naruto's state, Sasuke remembered painfully of what happened before when Naruto had ran out into the rain. The fact that this time, it was 'his' fault made it ten times harder.
Sasuke began to pick up his pace, running through the trees when he stopped so suddenly he nearly fell over. He found the boy lying motionless on the grass.
" Naruto!!!" He exclaimed loudly, beside him in a second. Sasuke quickly turned Naruto over and felt for a pulse in his wrist. Relief flooded him when he found life throbbing and did not hesitate to slip an arm around him and sweep the boy into his arms. Then he ran as quickly as he could to his intended camp.
Sasuke gently pressed a towel he had dipped onto the thankfully cool water of the small pond against Naruto's feverish forehead. Then he began to wash it down his face, happy when the paleness brightened to a soft pink hue on the cheeks.
Naruto slowly opened his eyes as he awoke, raising his chin with meager defiance when he saw Sasuke over him. He was shocked to find that there was hardly any strength in him. He tried to sit up, and when Sasuke bent over in a flash to help him, Naruto let him though he stiffed exceptionally.
" What happened?" Naruto asked groggily.
" You fainted." Sasuke said simply, before he placed the wet towel into Naruto's hands.
" Put this against your face, it should help you feel better." Sasuke explained coldly, his eyes suddenly devoid of the worry Naruto had seen seconds ago. But Sasuke crouched down quickly to open the packet of meat he had prepared earlier and held it out towards him.
Naruto took it without a word of thanks and chewed on it as he watched Sasuke work silently around the camp. He prepared the fowl he had captured earlier on for cooking and replenished the water bottles with the fresh water of the pond.
Naruto realized with a start that he was where he had been with Shikimaru the day before, though everything looked quite different at night. He glanced back beside him and recognized the carving. It bought a smile to his lips as he finished the last bit of his meat. The smile disappeared though when he found Sasuke stalking towards him and immediately edged away.
" What?"
His heart began to pound when Sasuke crouched down beside him, his handsome face level with his as he took a pouch from his pocket and gently pulled one of Naruto's feet into his hands. Naruto fought the temptation to pull it away immediately, and he really would have too, except his foot burned with pain every time he moved it the slightest.
" What are you doing?!" Naruto demanded angrily.
Sasuke looked up at him briefly and examined his foot with dark eyes before dipping his finger into the pouch to spread a clear gel onto his sore foot.
Naruto gasped, the relief was instantaneous. But he couldn't keep the anger out of his eyes.
" What's wrong with you! First you cause the injury, then you try and heal it??" Naruto shouted bitterly.
" I didn't cause the wounds- they came from your stubbornness."
" It wasn't my damn idea to walk for the entire day straight without stopping even once for a rest!!" Naruto snatched back his foot and glared at Sasuke.
" I guess you'll blame me for letting you go hungry as well?"
" It IS your fault!"
" You didn't do your share, so you won't get your share of the food!!"
" You still can't starve someone to death!!!"
" Are you dead??"
Both of them argued, breathing heavily in anger.
" You want me dead don't you!!" Naruto yelled finally, his heart pounding and throat tight.
The intensity of Sasuke's gaze suddenly deepened and Naruto felt a shudder run though him as the other boy whispered:
" I would never want you dead."
Shaken by his gaze, Naruto frowned at him, making a face. But Sasuke had already gotten up and returned to the fire, where a fowl was roasting.
Sasuke began to tend to the meat, carefully turning it every so often so that it wouldn't burn or over cook. He could feel the heat of Naruto's bright eyes on him, watching him intently and tried not to look back.
Naruto's words of accusation had hurt him a lot in ways he could not comprehend, even though Sasuke hated to admit it.
He was startled from his thoughts when dripping from the foul touched the fire, causing the flames to surge upward suddenly, searing the fowls flesh. He quickly plucked the fowl out of the fire and placed it onto a cloth, watching the liquids darken the sheet it was on.
Sasuke paused a bit before he turned around to Naruto, the roasted bird in his hand. He noticed that Naruto remained silent when he placed the bird on the blanket, though his eyes were questioning.
" Am I to assume your giving me something to eat after starving me for a night?" Naruto asked boldly, his eyes still holding that stubborn defiance. Without even waiting for a reply, he snapped, " Are you going to torture me again this time?? Snatch it away if I try to eat it??"
Sasuke rolled tired eyes as he replied,
" No, I will not do that."
" Then why are you so generous today when you let me go hungry yesterday, bastard?!"
" Because you shouldn't receive what you don't earn."
" What did I do today then??"
" This is different."
" How?"
Sasuke paused for a bit before he gazed at Naruto carefully.
" I didn't mean to hurt you… Naruto."
Struggling to ignore the sudden breathlessness that Sasuke's soft pronunciation of his name elicited, Naruto look away quickly into the dark shadows of the trees around them.
He didn't hear anything from Sasuke for a minute, though he felt the dark eyes that bore into him like he understood everything about Naruto. But he didn't…
Feeling something being dropped onto his legs, Naruto turned around to find the meat in his lap and Sasuke already on the ground with a blanket tucked around him. Naruto watched the steady rising and lowering of Sasuke's slight outline of torso with every breath he took for a while. He finally turned his eyes away. He looked to the meat instead and took a large bite, uncaring of the juices that ran down his chin.
When he finished his meat and lay down comfortably onto his back, Naruto found his eyes straying towards Sasuke's form again. He opened his mouth to say something, but realized that the other boy was probably already asleep. So he dropped his head and fell into a deep sleep.
Next to him, a little while later, when Sasuke was sure Naruto was sleeping, he got up slowly, careful not to make a sound, and pulled a blanket from a nearby bag. Leaning over to tenderly tuck the blanket around Naruto, he stared almost longingly at him before letting out a sigh.
" Naruto…"
The next morning, when Naruto woke up, Sasuke was already gone. Naruto figured Sasuke had known that he would know how to get back out of the forest at that point. But Naruto found himself almost disappointed at his rival's absence. Seeing a slab of meat at his side, he picked it up and ate it quickly.
He heard the rustling of cloth underneath his chin and saw a clean blue blanket bunched up at his thigh. He carefully dusted the blanket off and took the corners into his fingers before he stretched it out and took a deep breath out of it.
It smelled like Sasuke.
Naruto felt a smile tug at his lips as he folded the blanket up and tucked it underneath his arm.
Maybe… maybe he should forgive Sasuke…
Naruto decided , before a grin broke on his face and he leaped up to get out of the dreadful forest.
Suddenly,
" SHIKIMARU!!!!! YOU'RE ALIIIIVE!!!!!!!!!!!"
*******************************************************************************
YES!!! JOY!!!! HAPPINESS!!!
Stupid chapter's FINALLY DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Cough.
Anyways, before I go unconscious from exhaustion, let me tell you that a girl came to me today to tell me she was deeply in love with me and has been having fantasies about me since 3 years ago.
It took like 5 whole minutes for it to sink into my head and I kinda stared at her.
That was seriously seriously scary because I've known her since I was like in kindergarden.
Then my boyfriend told her to go away… which gave me an even bigger heart attack since he's always Mr.Freaking Nice Guy.
So here's a tip: Two heart-attacks in a day doesn't work at all, it makes your blood rush to your brain and your brain gets all fucked up and you go really crazy and start spazzing at everyone afterwards.
Oh yes^^
Please donate a nice review to help the nice needy children in the world…
World meaning my computer… children meaning Cheryl….
Just click on the box right below these words and choose… review…
Then drop a few words!!
How very very simple!!!
Luv ya all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
