Bah...I have been more lazy than before! Gomen! ._. There isn't even a reason for it this time. Sorry, hopefully this nice long chappie may cheer you guys up.
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Not a thing was out of place. Each item carefully positioned in its proper place around the house. Dust and dirt was nowhere to be seen, as the entire house was perfectly clean.
That was the first thing Naruto noticed as he crept into the house, careful to make sure his claws were slightly retracted to not cause damage to the polished hardwood floor. The fox plushie was still delicately grasped in the otherwise deadly jaws of the tawny demon fox.
How can he keep his house so clean? he thought to himself as he sniffed the air. [1] Maybe this is what pretty-boy does with his free time. Still can't believe I'm staying here until otherwise.
Sasuke shut the door behind him, locking it; he didn't plan to leave the house until tomorrow anyway, not when it was evening already. Turning around, he watched Naruto inspect his house, sniffing the air and peering at non-important things, before strolling into his kitchen to make himself something to eat.
Two red slitted eyes caught sight of a square box-like thing placed a few feet in front of the couch [2]. The tawny ears swirled around to perk forward in interest. Letting his paws take over, the fox seemed to stalk over to the 'box'. Peeking around to see if Sasuke was watching, Naruto began to sniff the object before pawing at it gently. While his clawed forepaw examined the 'box' it hit a small oval button at the bottom of the 'box'.
Curious, Naruto pressed the button before leaping back in complete surprise. The flat, glassy part of the 'box' had flashed and lit up, now showing an oddly drawn animal and a human run around the screen [3]. Staring at it, he waited for it to do something. Satisfied it wouldn't attack him, Naruto settled himself down in front of the TV, stretching out to a lying down position and gently placing his fox plush between his forelegs.
Now the gray rabbit (he had discovered the oddly drawn animal was a rabbit) was dressed as some sort of lady and flirting with the hunter with the big hat. Naruto found himself laughing, which came out as a serious of yips [4], at the fact that the hunter was fooled into thinking the 'woman' was in fact his prey.
From inside the kitchen, Sasuke resisted the urge to jump when that strange noise trickled through the open doorway from the living room to the kitchen. Striding over to the doorway, he peered out and had to resist the urge to laugh himself when he discovered Naruto watching his television. It wasn't everyday one saw a five-tailed demon fox, feared for what it could do, stretched out in front of a television watching cartoons. Add that fox plush into the mix and your in for a good laugh.
"Found my TV, did you?" Sasuke wondered suddenly why he was being friendly before sighing and shoeing the thought away, he knew why, he just wasn't going to admit it.
Naruto swiveled his head around from where the rabbit was running from the hunter yet again and cocked it to the side in question.
Sasuke resisted the urge to hug Naruto for looking so cute doing that.
"The thing you're watching," he motioned to the TV.
The former-boy looked back at the television before looking back at the navy-haired boy and slid one ear back and one ear forward, cocking his head to the side once more.
"You've never watched a TV before?" the Sharingan user questioned.
A shake of the head was his answer.
Sighing, Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, what else had the boy missed out on? Even HE had enjoyed a little bit of humor when he was a kid.
"So....what would you like for dinner?" he questioned before resisting the urge to smack himself. What a stupid question to ask the blond boy....
Those red eyes seemed to brighten up at the prospect of food and without thinking, Naruto shouted "RAMEN!" but all it came out as was a bark. It was rather loud and Sasuke reached up to rub his ears. Sheepishly, Naruto closed his eyes to slits, managing an odd looking smile and flicking his ears back.
Sasuke nodded and strode back into the kitchen, reaching into one of the cabinets for a couple packs of Ramen, but not before letting a small smile slip through to answer the one Naruto had given him mere moments before.
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The fox seemed to bounce as the chef called mealtime. Scarfing up his fox plush, called Kyuubi, he happily trotted into the kitchen, nearly dwarfing the table. Placing Kyuubi in a chair beside him, Naruto sat down on his haunches. Upright and sitting down, Naruto's shoulders were almost even with the table[5], the shoulders being a little taller.
Naruto's pink tongue lolled out the side of his mouth in happy anticipation of food. Sasuke smiled to himself, though Naruto couldn't see, at the fact he could make the blond smile (he considered when Naruto panted/had his tongue out as a smile) even if it was because he made food, in time he could probably turn it to him.....
He circled around the table to place a rather large Ramen bowl in front of Naruto before turning around to place himself across from the ravenous boy.
Naruto felt his instincts kick in and he went to slam his mouth into the bowl for the contents. He restricted himself at the last moment, preventing the breaking of the bowl. Looking at the bowl sideways, the fox-boy flicked his tongue out and gave a lap to the Ramen. Moving his whole maw into the bowl, he grabbed a mouthful of the precious noodles before chomping them down, for once careful not to make a mess.
Naruto didn't notice that he was being watched as two dark eyes watched him. Amusement flickered in those eyes as he took awareness that Naruto was trying not to make a mess of the way he was eating, from pride or respect for the way he kept things clean, Sasuke didn't know, but it was nice all the same. In a matter of minutes (the bowl was VERY big) the large bowl was empty as the nin-fox sighed in content. Licking his jaws to catch any stray noodles and to get off any excess flavoring off his face.
Deciding to be a courteous guest, he fastened his mouth over the bowl, lifting it off the table and making his way over to the sink and dumped it in the already soapy water. Sasuke had to resist the urge to raise an eyebrow as he, too, dumped his smaller bowl into the water. Why was he being civil all of the sudden? He didn't know but he wasn't about to ask. Yawning, he strolled down the corridor to his bedroom to change into his p.j.s.
Naruto was about to grab his Kyuubi but a twig snapped in the front yard of Sasuke's house, effectively catching the fox's attention as he cast his eyes outside the kitchen window. A cloaked man was walking down the road. An imposing figure and rather tall. Flattening his ears back, Naruto trotted over and glared out at the man, what was he doing out this late?
Two red eyes, Sharingan eyes, turned to focus on the slitted ones staring through the window. Locking with the gaze, the man halted for but a moment before continuing his path down the dusty road, he had accomplished what he came for.
Naruto felt like he had been tossed into a frozen lake after staring into those eyes. He shuddered and further flattened his ears against his head. What had the man been doing? Why wasn't he afraid of him? Nothing answered him and he shook his head. Something to think about later. Maneuvering his body around, he grabbed Kyuubi before heading out into the living room, where the TV was still on and Sasuke relaxing on the couch with a book, in nothing but a pair of boxers and a white sleeveless tee that hugged his body nicely.
Naruto couldn't help the little bit of drool that escaped his mouth but it was unnoticeable from around Kyuubi.
Sasuke barely looked up as the fox sauntered into the room, nodding his acknowledgement, he went back to his book. Grinning a fox smile, Naruto positioned himself in front of the TV once more, eyes fixed on this "TV" once more.
The navy-haired nin looked up from his book, inwardly smiling.
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If one looked closely in the living room of the Uchiha house, they would notice that the second bulky form was not, in fact, a couch.
Curled up into a petite ball, reddish fox plushie and all, was Naruto. A pale yellow blanket with reddish swirls on it was carefully placed around the form, obviously by a certain other occupant of the house. All in all, the scene was peaceful.
Except for the look on the nin fox's face.
It was a pained expression of one in a dream, or rather a nightmare.
Blood red Sharingan eyes all around....Each having the mastery sign of three swirls to each eye. Each surrounding and cornering the shuddering fox. Murmurs echoed throughout the never-ending abyss.
Naruto began to shiver harder, whining. The murmurs grew louder and the eyes grew closer.
Growling defiance to these eyes, half whine, Naruto broke into a run, the eyes ever following. Maniacal laughter soon accompanied the murmurs, only causing the nin fox to run faster. The molten abyss flew by as Naruto ran down the only path there was. Out in the short distance, he spotted something on the ground.
Suddenly curious, Naruto trotted forward (for he had stopped running) and examined the thing. Leaping back in surprise, than reeling forward to yelp in concern, Naruto immediately recognized the body of Sasuke, face down in its own pool of blood. Near the point of pure panic, the fox nosed the boy over onto his back, warm air blowing into the motionless face from the panting fox-nin.
The boy didn't move at all. In fact, the bleeding seemed to only get worse, but from where, Naruto couldn't figure out, only causing him to go more into a rage of panic. Frantically, he searched for the wound, only to find none, his clawed paws now making splashes in the puddle.
The eyes were upon him once more, chanting. Shuddering, Naruto placed his head on the boy's chest, silent tears falling from his blood red eyes.
"You killed him."
"If it weren't for you, he wouldn't have died."
Snarling, the fox denied all the accusations, eyes wide in pure fear and panic. He was on his feet once more, tails flying out behind him in wide arcs, attempting to protect the fallen one. The eyes only drew closer, surrounding the panicking fox on all sides. The fox snapped, howling before all went black, the dream swirling away as Sasuke's living room replaced the endless darkness.
Whimpering, Naruto scarfed up Kyuubi before trotting towards Sasuke's room, making almost no noise at all except for the clicks of his claws. Following his nose, Naruto turned into a room on his right, peering in. Almost immediately, with his nighttime fox eyes, spotted the unharmed sleeping shinobi. Naruto flattened his ears, unsure whether to wake him up or not. He was still shaking from the dream. Thinking about it made the fox whimper before he could control himself.
Sasuke groaned silently before turning over, blinking his eyes open. Mumbling something incoherent, the boy rubbed his sleepy navy eyes and looked slightly sideways at the rather large form standing in the doorway. He took note that the fox seemed a bit jumpy and shaky and assumed a nightmare had been played out.
"Nightmare?" only a whimper was his answer.
Running a hand through his hair, he scooted over on his bed, motioning with his hand to the fox before turning over and supposedly falling back asleep.
A bit surprised that he had actually been invited, Naruto didn't hesitate in trotting over. Carefully, he positioned himself in a tight ball on the mattress, his flexible fox back curled against Sasuke's. Kyuubi rested in between the fox's paws, next to the great head. The elongated tawny ears relaxed themselves against his head, though a fraction tensed, flicking every once in a while to listen for danger. His five tails were relaxed in a half-hazard way, one wrapping itself around his body to touch his nose, successfully covering his legs.
Naruto felt himself relaxed in Sasuke's presence. It seemed as if nothing bad could happen with Sasuke around. Taking in a deep breath, Naruto engraved the smell of Sasuke, a good scent of clean muskiness that reminded him of fire, into his mind. Silently, he buried his nose into the sheet, slowly drifting off to sleep.
Out in the street, two Sharingan eyes sparkled with delight, his planted nightmare had succeeded in drawing the two closer together. Now came the easy part.
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[1]: Well, I thought it would be good to add a bit of foxness there. :)
[2]: I don't recall a TV in Naruto-kun's house....and it would add for a bit of humor there, so please don't flame me if I got it wrong. ^-^() It was for cuteness purposes only.
[3]: Bwaha, I do not own Bugs Bunny or Elmer Fudd. They belong to Chuck Jones (Bless his soul). By the way...it was for cuteness purposes ONLY. They certainly don't air the Looney Toons (Don't own) in Konoha Village....XD
[4]: Bwah, more foxness
[5]: Me using American table, not Traditional Japanese table.
Hope you enjoyed the chappie...Chock full of more fluff than the other chappies me thinks.
Alaska signing out!