Disclaimer: (1) I don't own Naruto. That's © Masashi Kishimoto. (2) I. Hate. Sasuke. So it may seem that I am ruthlessly bashing Sasuke's character. Don't hate me for it. Please. XD
Bishiehuggler - Mighty poop, you're right! I *knew* fiancé looked weird! XP So I guess it's a boy then... And that means only one thing: PLOT DEVICE.
Warning: SasuNaru, OOCness. I apologize beforehand for antagonizing Neji. Honestly, I love Neji and I love NejiNaru (which is also in this chapter), but if this is going to be a SasuNaru fic, I need to make Sasuke a likable character, which... to say the least... is hard... at least for me... ^^;; All the ninjas are their normal ages in this fic, my friends. I don't see the point in promoting them to teenage levels. It's not like the brats mature or anything.
Let's begin, shall we?
Chapter Revised: 2/5/04
~~~Chapter Two: Airheaded, obnoxious, and cute Every straight man's dream?
We all know Sasuke.
Cool, sexy, and a so-called "avenger".
Perhaps it was these qualities that so distracted us from the ninja's blatant and obvious attraction to a certain blond spiky-haired teammate.
Yes, let all the SasuNaru fans grin and nod as I personally rip out a diagram containing the probability and statistics of their relationship. Hohoho yes. Is it just me or is this getting self-insertive?
Remember when Naruto was nose to nose with Uchiha Sasuke, scowling, crouching on the desk like a mad lion, allowing the lightning sparks to fly in utter hatred and rivalry? Remember when Sasuke furiously muttered for the blond to "move" and Naruto merely scoffed?
The fact of the matter is, Sasuke was not referring to Naruto when he so rudely said "move."
He was actually talking to himself.
Now's your chance! Kiss him now!
B-but... I'm s-s-scared...
Come on, Uchiha! MOVE!
And when they kissed, Sasuke was, in fact, blushing. It was cut out of the manga for censorship purposes. The censors couldn't bear to see a scratch on the beautiful face of Uchiha Sasuke, so they replaced the blush with several sweatdrops and lines. Stupid censors.
The truth was that, ever since he had first laid eyes on the kyuubi, Sasuke had been in love, in anguish, and, most importantly, in puberty. He had the urge to stalk like a hunter hunting a deer, and he would kill to make the fox his own. But he'd never tell anyone. Oh no. Not that. That would be murder. On himself. There were many times when Sasuke wanted to confess his love, but he had been too scared to do it. Instead, he just watched as Naruto made friends and became the center of attention for the entire village. All he could do was watch as the one he loved became sought after, loved, and wanted by other people.
So many other people.
~~~
It was still night, and team 7 had left the ramen bar. Sakura went back home, no one knew where Kakashi went, Naruto went to stay over at Shikamaru's house, and Sasuke... well, he decided to wander around the village.
The streetlights still were not lit. The blackout was still present in Konoha, so the lovesick boy decided to sit down and think things out. He roughly fell back onto a bench, slinging his arms around the back.
A cold breeze blew, and Sasuke listened fondly to the rustle of the trees. His peace, though, was shattered.
"Well, well, well..."
Sasuke cringed.
"Hello, Uchiha Sasuke," the genius drawled, grinning from ear to ear in a manner that sent insane shivers down Sasuke's spine. Oh, how the genius loved to watch Uchiha shift uncomfortably in hatred and frustration. It wasn't that he was sadistic. He was merely enjoying the prospect of his slow and overbearing victory over Sasuke. Absentmindedly, the genius ran a hand through his long black locks and sat down next to Sasuke on the bench. His arm was slung over the back of the chair.
The two boys immediately turned away from one another.
"Hello, Hyuuga," was Sasuke's dull and hateful reply.
A dull grin. Neji knew that he was the only one that could make Sasuke writhe in such anger. Neji knew he was the only one (other than Itachi) who could make Sasuke experience the dull pain of self-loathing.
He knew he was the only one who could make Sasuke so jealous.
Yes, that's right. Sasuke was jealous of Neji. The question was, "How?" Neji was a lady-killer just as Sasuke was, but, unlike Sasuke, Neji was also a charmer. He knew how to make his moves on the ladies. All he had to do was flash his bird in the cage and boast about his horrible past, and the fans would be all over him.
At the moment, the genius was after a different kind a prey.
He was chasing after Uzumaki Naruto.
And something about Neji's prey made Sasuke want to kill, made Sasuke's blood boil in violent anguish. Sasuke couldn't put his finger on it, but Neji knew exactly what was going on. Poor, naïve Sasuke. He just couldn't bear to realize his deep attraction to the blond boy. Neji knew that Sasuke would never do anything about anything if it wasn't handed him on a silver platter, and, even then, he'd be hesitant. Uchiha would be confused and alone in his feelings until Naruto finally realized his own feelings for Neji. Sasuke would be alone and Neji would have the blond all to himself.
Oh, it would be sweet.
"So... Sasuke..." Neji began, his arm creeping around the bench to place his hand on the other boy's shoulder.
Sasuke shivered. He knew exactly why Neji had arrived, and, if it was the only way he could get the bird off his back, he'd relay his most valuable information. Taking a deep breath, he sang like a canary. A dark-haired canary.
"...I tied with Naruto in blackjack."
"HAHA!" Neji laughed, his grin becoming maniacal. "I knew it! He let you win!"
"You shouldn't be so happy about it," Sasuke replied, pouting. "It means that he cares about me."
"...That's true..." Neji pondered, putting a knowing finger to his chin.
So they just sat there for a while before Neji once again plastered the mischievous grin on his delicate face. It almost scared Sasuke how Neji could express his emotions so clearly, and how maniacal those emotions were. "Then, Sasuke, does this mean that you really do have feelings for little Naruto-kun?"
"HELL YES! " inner Sasuke triumphantly declared.
"No. Of course not," Sasuke declared, frowning.
Neji chuckled darkly as he took his hand from Sasuke's shoulder.
"Whatever you say, Uchiha..."
He got up and left.
"...Whatever you say."
Obtaining Naruto would be simpler than he could've imagined.
~~~
"Hit me."
A three of clubs.
Shikamaru, with the usual cynical frown on his face, sighed in exasperation, dealing another card to his friend. Naruto didn't seem to notice nor care, for he was frowning in what seemed to be very deep thought.
"Hmph."
Naruto was troubled.
Stupid Sasuke.
He had let Sasuke win all those games at Ichiraku, he had ignored Sasuke as much as he could've, but no matter what he did, he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something wrong with Sasuke. He had heard Sasuke as clearly as anyone else had that night.
Of course I don't want Naruto-
Obviously, the comment about the socks was added as a cover up, but Naruto knew what Sasuke really meant.
Of course I don't want Naruto to come back. I want him to leave as soon as possible and never come back!
"I got 18. You?"
Of course I don't want Naruto to stay in his village. We'd all be happier without him.
Naruto sighed.
"24."
The chuunin blinked.
"You had 21, Naruto. Why did you ask for another card?"
"I guess I didn't notice..."
Naruto sighed again.
Stupid Sasuke.
"Shikamaru, can I ask you a question?"
"That's already a question, but okay."
As though preparing himself, the blond boy lifted his hands from the table and slapped them down on his knees, taking in a deep breath. "Shikamaru..." he began as his features scrunched into a painful frown. "Do you like me?"
"No. You're troublesome."
"Answer me seriously!" he snapped. "Would you be happier if I left?"
Naruto's face was absolutely serious.
Shikamaru gave an exasperated sigh. Obviously, Naruto was looking for an unnecessary ego boost, and there was no way the genius was going to relay the satisfaction to that fox. He actually did care very much about Naruto, and probably would've been happier had he never met Naruto in the first place, but the fox had wormed his way into Shikamaru's heart... And we'll stop this mush-fest here.
"Naruto, that's a stupid question."
"But-"
"It's late. Go to sleep."
Without another word, the two of them crawled into their beds. Shikamaru casually reached over to the nightstand, took the candle that had lit the house during the blackout in his hands, and gently blew it out, still muttering about damn blond boys being so troublesome.
~~~
The only thing he could see was the sun shining brightly through his eyelids. A hand flung up to his face as he tried to shield himself from the light, but it didn't seem to work. His hand dropped back down to his side as the light was suddenly blocked by a large object in front of him. Instead of contemplating what the object could possibly be, Naruto yawned, struggling to force one eye open. A large man was sitting on his bed.
"Yo."
Flocks of birds scattered from the area as though a gunshot had just gone off. Dozens of people woke up from their beds with piercing headaches, for nothing could've prepared them for the scream that had just exploded from the tiny home of Uzumaki Naruto.
"K-K-Kakashi-sensei?! What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Fiancé."
Many more flocks of birds and dozens of people were incited into confusion as though the world had just ended, for nothing could've prepared the poor souls for the second scream that exploded from the tiny home of Uzumaki Naruto.
"HELL YEAH!! I get to meet her today!!"
Kakashi blinked, contemplating whether or not he should've told the boy that the beautiful mistress he would be meeting was actually going to be a boy. He decided against it, though, when he imagined what Naruto's reaction would be. For some reason, Kakashi imagined that large puffs of steam leaked out of Naruto's ears, and the shinobi was much shorter than he was supposed to be.
"Wait a sec..." Naruto muttered, thoughtfully putting a finger to his lips.
"Hm?"
"Wasn't I just at Shikamaru's house?"
Kakashi blinked.
"Someone must've brought you home. Hurry up. Sasuke and Sakura are waiting outside."
Grinning from ear to ear, Naruto jumped out of his bed, rushed into his clothes, brushed his teeth, combed his hair, adjusted his... tie... and did everything he could've possibly done to improve his visage and overall appearance. He wanted to make a good first impression on his fiancé. As he looked at his manly exterior in the bathroom mirror, he smiled to himself and nodded. Today was going to be a good day. He could tell. Today was the day that he would learn what it felt like to be adored and loved in that way. He didn't have to pine after Sakura, or any other woman anymore, because love was going to fall right into his lap. Oh, arranged marriages were sweet. He'd get married, he'd have a family, and he's rub it all in Sasuke's face...
He paused in his thoughts, unable to focus on his reflection any longer.
"Sasuke..."
His eye twitched.
Would you happier if I left?
Naruto, that's a stupid question.
Did Shikamaru mean yes? Or did he mean no?
Of course I don't want Naruto--
I don't want Naruto back.
His thoughts were interrupted by familiar voice.
"...Just for how long are you going to stand there?"
Naruto almost jumped out of his shorts.
It seemed as though Kakashi had been standing at his bathroom door watching Naruto pose in front of the mirror for well over a minute, and the blond couldn't help but blush in remembrance of what ridiculous super hero fighting poses he had struck. It reminded Kakashi of Gai's frightening eccentric personality, actually.
"Do you mind?!" Naruto yelled, slamming the door in his teacher's face as he plopped himself on the fluffy seat of the toilet. Frowning, he stared off at the opposite wall, thinking of what he'd say to the lucky girl. He soon assumed a happy smile as he got lost in his own thoughts.
"Hello, miss! My name is Uzumaki Naruto!"
"My name is Rukoha Kasuke, thank you very much."
She'd be kind, sometimes a bit grumpy, and though she wouldn't show it most of the time, she'd care about him more than anything in the world.
"You're so cute! I can't help falling in love with you, Naruto!"
Yeah. She'd be nice, unlike Sasuke.
But, once again, his thoughts were interrupted.
"Hurry up, idiot."
"Okay!" he retorted, slamming his fist against the sink. "Kami! I'm trying to poop here!"
"No, you aren't. You're just sitting on your ass waiting for hell to freeze over."
And Naruto remembered that Kakashi had the Sharingan. Was it possible that Kakashi could see through walls? And if it was possible, was it possible that Kakashi was peeping? "Ack! PERVERT! PERVERT SENSEI!" he cried, jumping off the toilet to throw the door open and slam that stupid pervert's face in...
"Sasuke?!"
A frown.
"You're unusually observant, dobe. We're leaving."
"Shut up!"
Shoving his hands into his pockets, Sasuke turned on his heel to walk out of the house.
"...Wait a sec! I'm the one with the fiancé! You can't leave without me!"
Sasuke ignored him, but smiled silently in sadistic pleasure. He loved to tease the little blond.
"O-oi! Wait up!" Naruto exclaimed, forced to reach for something to hold onto as he almost tripped over his own feet. Luckily, he was able to catch the hem of Sasuke's shirt, sending both of them down on the floor in a rising cloud of dust. Sasuke was barely able to get out an exasperated "idiot!" before getting caught in a fit of uncontrollable coughing.
Kami-sama. It seemed that Naruto didn't have the decency to clean his house either.
Ah, Sasuke could just see the headlines now: "Blond boy dies of Black Lung in his own house."
Alas, Sasuke's humorous fantasies were cut short as he realized was position he was with Naruto. Naruto was on top of him, his head just to the left of Sasuke's chest, his two legs straddling Sasuke's right knee, just inches away from touching the dark-haired boy there. And Sasuke's inner self was practically shrieking in his head while a hot blush spread rapidly across his face.
"...N-Naru-" was all Sasuke managed to squeeze out before he saw the fox frantically scrambling to get back up, the small delicate hands pounding down on his chest in a movement that sent Sasuke's breath rushing out of his lungs. The dark-haired boy was trying to hide his beet red face, for he was sure that if Naruto saw him, he'd never live long enough to kill his brother. First, his feelings would be rejected, and then, he'd be taunted by everyone in the village, and he didn't want to imagine what the fangirls would do. In the end, he'd commit suicide. He was sure of it.
With a shake of his head and a twitch of his leg, Sasuke jumped up and threw Naruto back on the ground, panting as though his very soul had been sucked out of his body and shoved back in, and he could do nothing but stare at the shorter boy in front of him, wondering what it would be like to have that soft delicate flesh touch his...
Dammit, why am I thinking like this?!
I thought the answer was evident a while ago.
Inner Sasuke was part of Sasuke, so Sasuke knew exactly what inner Sasuke was thinking.
....No. I don't.... He's an idiot. He's obnoxious, loud, and stupid. He's a boy! There's no way I could... I don't... He's a fuckin' boy! He's... He's...
...cute?
"Damn..." Naruto murmured as he brought his hand up to rub the back of his head. "Why'd you have go to and do that?"
"Let's hurry along, now. Or are you too tired after your escapade in the bathroom?" was Sasuke's cold and fluent remark. Dammit, how could he stay so cool after almost being groped?!
The fox's jaw clenched in sudden fury. First, the boy had knocked him down to the ground, then he had completely ignored him and used him as a stepper to get back up, and now he was insulting him! Dammit, Sasuke was sometimes so self-centered...
"It was your fault in the first place, you bastard!"
"I seem to recall that you tripped yourself."
Yes. He did.
"You pushed me back down!"
"Because it was your fault in the first place, dobe."
"Well you could've at least helped me back up..."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Sometimes you can be so self-centered. Let's just go."
And he walked away, leaving a stunned and utterly shocked Naruto.
Oh no he di'in't!
Grr...
Oh yes he did!
His hands balled up into tight and almost bloody fists, Naruto got up and ran outside.
After he got married, he would make sure Sasuke died a slow and painful death.
--Okay. Enough. I'm sure you're sick of the stalling. "Progress with the story!" The authoress hears them shrieking. Let's skip ahead a couple hours, shall we? Fast forward... Here.-
"Sasuke...." he groaned, digging his hands into the taller boy's hair.
And came the husky whisper that spread hot across his neck, "Say my name like that again... Naruto..."
--Whoa! Hey! Too far ahead! Rewind! Yes. Here.-
"Well," the pervert sensei declared, setting his hands on his hips as he beheld the gargantuan village before him. "This is the place. Valence Village."
The three genin blinked.
And, interrupting the silence, Sakura pointed ahead and asked as a matter-of-factly, "Hey... Does this place look familiar to you?"
And Kakashi replied with a blatant, "No."
~~~
Okay, so all I really managed to accomplish was Sasuke's true feelings of angst and them getting to Valence Village. Damn, that really isn't saying much at all. ^^;;
Bishiehuggler - Mighty poop, you're right! I *knew* fiancé looked weird! XP So I guess it's a boy then... And that means only one thing: PLOT DEVICE.
Warning: SasuNaru, OOCness. I apologize beforehand for antagonizing Neji. Honestly, I love Neji and I love NejiNaru (which is also in this chapter), but if this is going to be a SasuNaru fic, I need to make Sasuke a likable character, which... to say the least... is hard... at least for me... ^^;; All the ninjas are their normal ages in this fic, my friends. I don't see the point in promoting them to teenage levels. It's not like the brats mature or anything.
Let's begin, shall we?
Chapter Revised: 2/5/04
~~~Chapter Two: Airheaded, obnoxious, and cute Every straight man's dream?
We all know Sasuke.
Cool, sexy, and a so-called "avenger".
Perhaps it was these qualities that so distracted us from the ninja's blatant and obvious attraction to a certain blond spiky-haired teammate.
Yes, let all the SasuNaru fans grin and nod as I personally rip out a diagram containing the probability and statistics of their relationship. Hohoho yes. Is it just me or is this getting self-insertive?
Remember when Naruto was nose to nose with Uchiha Sasuke, scowling, crouching on the desk like a mad lion, allowing the lightning sparks to fly in utter hatred and rivalry? Remember when Sasuke furiously muttered for the blond to "move" and Naruto merely scoffed?
The fact of the matter is, Sasuke was not referring to Naruto when he so rudely said "move."
He was actually talking to himself.
Now's your chance! Kiss him now!
B-but... I'm s-s-scared...
Come on, Uchiha! MOVE!
And when they kissed, Sasuke was, in fact, blushing. It was cut out of the manga for censorship purposes. The censors couldn't bear to see a scratch on the beautiful face of Uchiha Sasuke, so they replaced the blush with several sweatdrops and lines. Stupid censors.
The truth was that, ever since he had first laid eyes on the kyuubi, Sasuke had been in love, in anguish, and, most importantly, in puberty. He had the urge to stalk like a hunter hunting a deer, and he would kill to make the fox his own. But he'd never tell anyone. Oh no. Not that. That would be murder. On himself. There were many times when Sasuke wanted to confess his love, but he had been too scared to do it. Instead, he just watched as Naruto made friends and became the center of attention for the entire village. All he could do was watch as the one he loved became sought after, loved, and wanted by other people.
So many other people.
~~~
It was still night, and team 7 had left the ramen bar. Sakura went back home, no one knew where Kakashi went, Naruto went to stay over at Shikamaru's house, and Sasuke... well, he decided to wander around the village.
The streetlights still were not lit. The blackout was still present in Konoha, so the lovesick boy decided to sit down and think things out. He roughly fell back onto a bench, slinging his arms around the back.
A cold breeze blew, and Sasuke listened fondly to the rustle of the trees. His peace, though, was shattered.
"Well, well, well..."
Sasuke cringed.
"Hello, Uchiha Sasuke," the genius drawled, grinning from ear to ear in a manner that sent insane shivers down Sasuke's spine. Oh, how the genius loved to watch Uchiha shift uncomfortably in hatred and frustration. It wasn't that he was sadistic. He was merely enjoying the prospect of his slow and overbearing victory over Sasuke. Absentmindedly, the genius ran a hand through his long black locks and sat down next to Sasuke on the bench. His arm was slung over the back of the chair.
The two boys immediately turned away from one another.
"Hello, Hyuuga," was Sasuke's dull and hateful reply.
A dull grin. Neji knew that he was the only one that could make Sasuke writhe in such anger. Neji knew he was the only one (other than Itachi) who could make Sasuke experience the dull pain of self-loathing.
He knew he was the only one who could make Sasuke so jealous.
Yes, that's right. Sasuke was jealous of Neji. The question was, "How?" Neji was a lady-killer just as Sasuke was, but, unlike Sasuke, Neji was also a charmer. He knew how to make his moves on the ladies. All he had to do was flash his bird in the cage and boast about his horrible past, and the fans would be all over him.
At the moment, the genius was after a different kind a prey.
He was chasing after Uzumaki Naruto.
And something about Neji's prey made Sasuke want to kill, made Sasuke's blood boil in violent anguish. Sasuke couldn't put his finger on it, but Neji knew exactly what was going on. Poor, naïve Sasuke. He just couldn't bear to realize his deep attraction to the blond boy. Neji knew that Sasuke would never do anything about anything if it wasn't handed him on a silver platter, and, even then, he'd be hesitant. Uchiha would be confused and alone in his feelings until Naruto finally realized his own feelings for Neji. Sasuke would be alone and Neji would have the blond all to himself.
Oh, it would be sweet.
"So... Sasuke..." Neji began, his arm creeping around the bench to place his hand on the other boy's shoulder.
Sasuke shivered. He knew exactly why Neji had arrived, and, if it was the only way he could get the bird off his back, he'd relay his most valuable information. Taking a deep breath, he sang like a canary. A dark-haired canary.
"...I tied with Naruto in blackjack."
"HAHA!" Neji laughed, his grin becoming maniacal. "I knew it! He let you win!"
"You shouldn't be so happy about it," Sasuke replied, pouting. "It means that he cares about me."
"...That's true..." Neji pondered, putting a knowing finger to his chin.
So they just sat there for a while before Neji once again plastered the mischievous grin on his delicate face. It almost scared Sasuke how Neji could express his emotions so clearly, and how maniacal those emotions were. "Then, Sasuke, does this mean that you really do have feelings for little Naruto-kun?"
"HELL YES! " inner Sasuke triumphantly declared.
"No. Of course not," Sasuke declared, frowning.
Neji chuckled darkly as he took his hand from Sasuke's shoulder.
"Whatever you say, Uchiha..."
He got up and left.
"...Whatever you say."
Obtaining Naruto would be simpler than he could've imagined.
~~~
"Hit me."
A three of clubs.
Shikamaru, with the usual cynical frown on his face, sighed in exasperation, dealing another card to his friend. Naruto didn't seem to notice nor care, for he was frowning in what seemed to be very deep thought.
"Hmph."
Naruto was troubled.
Stupid Sasuke.
He had let Sasuke win all those games at Ichiraku, he had ignored Sasuke as much as he could've, but no matter what he did, he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something wrong with Sasuke. He had heard Sasuke as clearly as anyone else had that night.
Of course I don't want Naruto-
Obviously, the comment about the socks was added as a cover up, but Naruto knew what Sasuke really meant.
Of course I don't want Naruto to come back. I want him to leave as soon as possible and never come back!
"I got 18. You?"
Of course I don't want Naruto to stay in his village. We'd all be happier without him.
Naruto sighed.
"24."
The chuunin blinked.
"You had 21, Naruto. Why did you ask for another card?"
"I guess I didn't notice..."
Naruto sighed again.
Stupid Sasuke.
"Shikamaru, can I ask you a question?"
"That's already a question, but okay."
As though preparing himself, the blond boy lifted his hands from the table and slapped them down on his knees, taking in a deep breath. "Shikamaru..." he began as his features scrunched into a painful frown. "Do you like me?"
"No. You're troublesome."
"Answer me seriously!" he snapped. "Would you be happier if I left?"
Naruto's face was absolutely serious.
Shikamaru gave an exasperated sigh. Obviously, Naruto was looking for an unnecessary ego boost, and there was no way the genius was going to relay the satisfaction to that fox. He actually did care very much about Naruto, and probably would've been happier had he never met Naruto in the first place, but the fox had wormed his way into Shikamaru's heart... And we'll stop this mush-fest here.
"Naruto, that's a stupid question."
"But-"
"It's late. Go to sleep."
Without another word, the two of them crawled into their beds. Shikamaru casually reached over to the nightstand, took the candle that had lit the house during the blackout in his hands, and gently blew it out, still muttering about damn blond boys being so troublesome.
~~~
The only thing he could see was the sun shining brightly through his eyelids. A hand flung up to his face as he tried to shield himself from the light, but it didn't seem to work. His hand dropped back down to his side as the light was suddenly blocked by a large object in front of him. Instead of contemplating what the object could possibly be, Naruto yawned, struggling to force one eye open. A large man was sitting on his bed.
"Yo."
Flocks of birds scattered from the area as though a gunshot had just gone off. Dozens of people woke up from their beds with piercing headaches, for nothing could've prepared them for the scream that had just exploded from the tiny home of Uzumaki Naruto.
"K-K-Kakashi-sensei?! What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Fiancé."
Many more flocks of birds and dozens of people were incited into confusion as though the world had just ended, for nothing could've prepared the poor souls for the second scream that exploded from the tiny home of Uzumaki Naruto.
"HELL YEAH!! I get to meet her today!!"
Kakashi blinked, contemplating whether or not he should've told the boy that the beautiful mistress he would be meeting was actually going to be a boy. He decided against it, though, when he imagined what Naruto's reaction would be. For some reason, Kakashi imagined that large puffs of steam leaked out of Naruto's ears, and the shinobi was much shorter than he was supposed to be.
"Wait a sec..." Naruto muttered, thoughtfully putting a finger to his lips.
"Hm?"
"Wasn't I just at Shikamaru's house?"
Kakashi blinked.
"Someone must've brought you home. Hurry up. Sasuke and Sakura are waiting outside."
Grinning from ear to ear, Naruto jumped out of his bed, rushed into his clothes, brushed his teeth, combed his hair, adjusted his... tie... and did everything he could've possibly done to improve his visage and overall appearance. He wanted to make a good first impression on his fiancé. As he looked at his manly exterior in the bathroom mirror, he smiled to himself and nodded. Today was going to be a good day. He could tell. Today was the day that he would learn what it felt like to be adored and loved in that way. He didn't have to pine after Sakura, or any other woman anymore, because love was going to fall right into his lap. Oh, arranged marriages were sweet. He'd get married, he'd have a family, and he's rub it all in Sasuke's face...
He paused in his thoughts, unable to focus on his reflection any longer.
"Sasuke..."
His eye twitched.
Would you happier if I left?
Naruto, that's a stupid question.
Did Shikamaru mean yes? Or did he mean no?
Of course I don't want Naruto--
I don't want Naruto back.
His thoughts were interrupted by familiar voice.
"...Just for how long are you going to stand there?"
Naruto almost jumped out of his shorts.
It seemed as though Kakashi had been standing at his bathroom door watching Naruto pose in front of the mirror for well over a minute, and the blond couldn't help but blush in remembrance of what ridiculous super hero fighting poses he had struck. It reminded Kakashi of Gai's frightening eccentric personality, actually.
"Do you mind?!" Naruto yelled, slamming the door in his teacher's face as he plopped himself on the fluffy seat of the toilet. Frowning, he stared off at the opposite wall, thinking of what he'd say to the lucky girl. He soon assumed a happy smile as he got lost in his own thoughts.
"Hello, miss! My name is Uzumaki Naruto!"
"My name is Rukoha Kasuke, thank you very much."
She'd be kind, sometimes a bit grumpy, and though she wouldn't show it most of the time, she'd care about him more than anything in the world.
"You're so cute! I can't help falling in love with you, Naruto!"
Yeah. She'd be nice, unlike Sasuke.
But, once again, his thoughts were interrupted.
"Hurry up, idiot."
"Okay!" he retorted, slamming his fist against the sink. "Kami! I'm trying to poop here!"
"No, you aren't. You're just sitting on your ass waiting for hell to freeze over."
And Naruto remembered that Kakashi had the Sharingan. Was it possible that Kakashi could see through walls? And if it was possible, was it possible that Kakashi was peeping? "Ack! PERVERT! PERVERT SENSEI!" he cried, jumping off the toilet to throw the door open and slam that stupid pervert's face in...
"Sasuke?!"
A frown.
"You're unusually observant, dobe. We're leaving."
"Shut up!"
Shoving his hands into his pockets, Sasuke turned on his heel to walk out of the house.
"...Wait a sec! I'm the one with the fiancé! You can't leave without me!"
Sasuke ignored him, but smiled silently in sadistic pleasure. He loved to tease the little blond.
"O-oi! Wait up!" Naruto exclaimed, forced to reach for something to hold onto as he almost tripped over his own feet. Luckily, he was able to catch the hem of Sasuke's shirt, sending both of them down on the floor in a rising cloud of dust. Sasuke was barely able to get out an exasperated "idiot!" before getting caught in a fit of uncontrollable coughing.
Kami-sama. It seemed that Naruto didn't have the decency to clean his house either.
Ah, Sasuke could just see the headlines now: "Blond boy dies of Black Lung in his own house."
Alas, Sasuke's humorous fantasies were cut short as he realized was position he was with Naruto. Naruto was on top of him, his head just to the left of Sasuke's chest, his two legs straddling Sasuke's right knee, just inches away from touching the dark-haired boy there. And Sasuke's inner self was practically shrieking in his head while a hot blush spread rapidly across his face.
"...N-Naru-" was all Sasuke managed to squeeze out before he saw the fox frantically scrambling to get back up, the small delicate hands pounding down on his chest in a movement that sent Sasuke's breath rushing out of his lungs. The dark-haired boy was trying to hide his beet red face, for he was sure that if Naruto saw him, he'd never live long enough to kill his brother. First, his feelings would be rejected, and then, he'd be taunted by everyone in the village, and he didn't want to imagine what the fangirls would do. In the end, he'd commit suicide. He was sure of it.
With a shake of his head and a twitch of his leg, Sasuke jumped up and threw Naruto back on the ground, panting as though his very soul had been sucked out of his body and shoved back in, and he could do nothing but stare at the shorter boy in front of him, wondering what it would be like to have that soft delicate flesh touch his...
Dammit, why am I thinking like this?!
I thought the answer was evident a while ago.
Inner Sasuke was part of Sasuke, so Sasuke knew exactly what inner Sasuke was thinking.
....No. I don't.... He's an idiot. He's obnoxious, loud, and stupid. He's a boy! There's no way I could... I don't... He's a fuckin' boy! He's... He's...
...cute?
"Damn..." Naruto murmured as he brought his hand up to rub the back of his head. "Why'd you have go to and do that?"
"Let's hurry along, now. Or are you too tired after your escapade in the bathroom?" was Sasuke's cold and fluent remark. Dammit, how could he stay so cool after almost being groped?!
The fox's jaw clenched in sudden fury. First, the boy had knocked him down to the ground, then he had completely ignored him and used him as a stepper to get back up, and now he was insulting him! Dammit, Sasuke was sometimes so self-centered...
"It was your fault in the first place, you bastard!"
"I seem to recall that you tripped yourself."
Yes. He did.
"You pushed me back down!"
"Because it was your fault in the first place, dobe."
"Well you could've at least helped me back up..."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Sometimes you can be so self-centered. Let's just go."
And he walked away, leaving a stunned and utterly shocked Naruto.
Oh no he di'in't!
Grr...
Oh yes he did!
His hands balled up into tight and almost bloody fists, Naruto got up and ran outside.
After he got married, he would make sure Sasuke died a slow and painful death.
--Okay. Enough. I'm sure you're sick of the stalling. "Progress with the story!" The authoress hears them shrieking. Let's skip ahead a couple hours, shall we? Fast forward... Here.-
"Sasuke...." he groaned, digging his hands into the taller boy's hair.
And came the husky whisper that spread hot across his neck, "Say my name like that again... Naruto..."
--Whoa! Hey! Too far ahead! Rewind! Yes. Here.-
"Well," the pervert sensei declared, setting his hands on his hips as he beheld the gargantuan village before him. "This is the place. Valence Village."
The three genin blinked.
And, interrupting the silence, Sakura pointed ahead and asked as a matter-of-factly, "Hey... Does this place look familiar to you?"
And Kakashi replied with a blatant, "No."
~~~
Okay, so all I really managed to accomplish was Sasuke's true feelings of angst and them getting to Valence Village. Damn, that really isn't saying much at all. ^^;;