Disclaimer: I am making absolutely no money out off this fan fiction. Don't sue me. I barely have money to get my ass into college. Naruto isn't mine.


The Story of You and I


Chapter III: Heartbeats on a Falling Star Night

I will place my hopes and dreams upon a wish
and send them to you upon a falling star,
Wherever you are, so your dreams can come true
even without me by your side.


"So how is he? Did you get to talk to him or anything?"

Sakura lowered her tea, placing it gently upon the glass table. "He's doing well enough with Naruto. Considering how they could easily shred each other's bodies to bits, I'd say that they're being relatively civil to each other."

"You know, I recently read a study that said that sexually frustrated males usually take it out on the first good-looking thing that walks into their path." Ino felt a sudden feeling of pity flow through her veins. "Sasuke-kun might jump him. Oh, no! Such a bad mental image."

The pink-haired nin nodded in agreement. Spending the majority of his young adulthood with Orochimaru would leave anyone sexually frustrated. The image of a smiling Naruto conjured itself at the corner of her mind.

The hunter-nin's sun-kissed blonde hair fell untamed over his clear cerulean blue eyes. The three whisker marks on each cheek that had once looked odd on that baby face now did everything to accentuate her friend's beauty. His form was nothing like that of the other boys'. The greater part of the rookies had filled out, earning muscles and height as proof of their entrance into manhood. Naruto had somehow grown taller than her but that was the extent of his growth.

Of course, she would be lying if she called her old team mate ugly.

"I'm worried about Naruto now." Sakura whispered worriedly.

Ino nodded in agreement. "Even Naruto would be considered hot in comparison to Orochimaru. Oh gods, you don't think he did anything to Sasuke-kun, do-"

Sakura shook her head seriously to silence the controversial topic. Many had wondered about it and she wasn't going to sit around as numerous people made conclusions of what happened in the span of those four years. It was too shaky a subject to be touched by anyone. She wasn't going to ask any questions until Sasuke was comfortable with talking about it.

Her best friend smiled in understanding. At least Naruto was dealing with Sasuke now. Ino searched for another issue to fill the oncoming stillness. "There's a mission coming up for you then?"

"Yeah, I have to go to the Village of the Sand. Apparently, half of the villagers have caught some kind of bug. There's also a lack of medical-nins there as well."

"There seems to be a shortage of them everywhere now that the war has subsided. At least now, I can be of some help to the world." Her green eyes darkened as the spoon in her cup came to a rest from its previous spiral path.

"Don't start doubting yourself, big fore headed girl. It isn't very becoming of you. So why don't you tell me who's involved in the mission this time around?" Yamanaka Ino sighed inaudibly into her hands. If it wasn't one thing, it was another.

"Well, your boyfriend, Kiba, and Neji are part of the mission."

"I see . . ."

"What is that supposed to mean? I don't like that grin on your face, Ino-pig! It makes you look even uglier than you already are." The pink haired girl declared playfully at the teasing tone of her blonde friend.

Ino searched around for a clock to indicate the time. "Well, its getting late. I have to go home. I have a job as a student-teacher tomorrow so I should really be in bed now."

Sakura escorted her friend to the entrance of the hokage tower. She opened a door quietly, cautious to not wake any of the sleeping occupants within the building.

"So do you have anyone that you're particular to yet?" The blonde-nin asked as she made her way out of the door. "It's still not too early to go out with Lee, you know?"

"I know," Sakura answered quietly before closing the door on her friend's retreating back. She moved to an adjacent window decorated by simple green plants. Somehow, even the wilted leaves appeared to radiate life under the incandescent moonlight. The streaks of light immediately caught her eyes.

'How pretty, shooting stars. I wonder if they're seeing this too?' The notion of them sharing such a scene brought a smile to her face. Her slender fingers reached out to the window, pulling the dull grey curtains closed.


The tall dark oak trees loomed threateningly overhead of them as the two figures pressed further into the forest. The midnight moon stood high in the pitch-black skies, blessing them with little light through the tiny breaches of the soaring canopies. Usually Naruto wasn't one to accept late night missions due to the fact that they usually interrupted his necessary sleeping hours.

Dead leaves and broken twigs littered the forest ground. The heavy stench of death had caught his attention earlier. Something inside immediately told him to bring his guard up. Sasuke had followed him in the same fashion. He paid close attention to the slightest movement or sound around them.
Although, all of his caution soon came to waste…

They had been wandering aimlessly for what seemed to be more than four hours. Four long, extremely tedious hours in his opinion. The identical foliage and vegetation only provided further evidence that they had somehow accomplished the impossible.

Naruto and Sasuke were lost.

Or, at least Naruto was lost. Not that he was going to actually admit this out loud. Sasuke was not being of any assistance either. Would it hurt if the other man crack a smile or, god forbid, start a conversation that didn't consist of the words 'dobe' and 'usuratonkachi' somewhere in his sentence?

Sure, he had long ago become adapted to traveling by himself; however, he would usually talk to himself to relieve him of his boredom. He turned his head to glare at the taller boy. Speaking aloud right now would make the other shinobi think he was crazy.

Well, at least the weather had chosen to be affable to his current situation. If there was anything to be grateful for, it was the weather.There was a slight summer breeze that trotted around them through every nook of the forest. The sky was clear of all dark clouds, bestowing them with light to illuminate their path. However, the blonde also began to overlook their so-called 'good luck.'

His fox mask was doing little to alleviate his growing annoyance. Evidently it was designed for daytime wear only, making it nearly impossible to see where he was walking. Naruto pushed the mask up, trying to bring his vision back into focus. It was about time he get a new one, but there a few disadvantages to being poor. The straps were beginning to wear out from all of the harsh conditions it had endured.

There was also the fact that his heightened senses weren't...well...they weren't what they use to be. A part of him realized that the mask was only a temporary scapegoat for the obviously larger problem. Things were falling out of his hands faster then he had expected.

"Stupid mask." Naruto cursed in frustration. They were traveling around in circles. Already the mission was starting out on the wrong foot.

"Take it off then. There's no one here to see you besides me. You're going to hurt yourself." Sasuke finally commented, watching Naruto constantly shove the fox mask back up was starting to wear on his nerves as well.

Naruto turned to glare immaturely at his company. Leave it to Uchiha Sasuke to act pompous. Just as he was about to rebut, Sasuke's prophecy came true.

Time seemed to stop for the two as Naruto collided comically into the side of a well-hidden tree. The blonde staggered backward from the impact of his collision.

-Idiot-

"What the fuck did you just call me?" Naruto screamed.

Black eyes blinked perplexedly. What the hell was the blonde complaining about? "What do you want now, dobe?".

Naruto suppressed the oncoming urge to slaughter his childhood rival. Wasn't it bad enough that they had managed to lose their way in the dark forest?
Did Sasuke really have to start pushing his buttons now of all times?

"Watch it, bastard." The hunter-nin warned.

Naruto suddenly tripped over a hidden root, colliding into the clammy soil with a low thud. His left leg twisting abnormally in the process. The blonde cursed colorfully, ripping his mask away and tossing it aside. He gripped the damp earth in effort to gain some semblance of balance to stand up. The pain intensified to new level as he crumbled backward.

Uchiha Sasuke remained at a loss for words as he watched the blonde flounderhopelessly around upon the ground in front of him. How on earth did this idiot manage to bring him back from Orochimaru? He wondered about that sometimes. . .

Frowning, he reached over to help the smaller blonde up. "Are you dead, dobe?"

The blonde rolled his blue eyes in response.

Obviously not.

"Just get on, okay? I don't want you to become even more of a burden to me than you already are," Sasuke crouched down, offering his back to the wide-eyed blonde.

There as a brief moment of silence as the smaller boy inhaled deeply, filling him with the necessary oxygen to complete his next task.

"OH, YEAH? YOU JUST THINK I'M WEAK NOW JUST BECAUSE I CAN'T WALK BY MYSELF, DON'T YOU? WELL, FOR YOUR STUPID FREAKING INFORMATION I'M JUST FINE WITHOUT YOU WORRYING YOUR PRETTY LITTLE HEAD AWAY, SO WHY DON'T YOU JUST STAND UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO TAKE ANY MORE OF YOUR SHIT AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BECAUSE I SWEAR IT'S BAD ENOUGH I'M STUCK WITH YOU FOR GOD KNOWS HOW LONG AND BELIEVE ME, I'M NOT VERY HAPPY WITH IT EITHER-"

"Are you done yet? I'm leaving."

"YOU HAVE SOME NERVE! OH, YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE SO I CAN KICK IT ALL THE WAY TO THE MOON AND BACK BECAUSE YOU KNOW YOU'RE AFRAID OF ME. YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT YOU WALK AWAY AND YOU KEEP ON WALKING. WAIT…. WAIT, ARE YOU TRYING TO RUNAWAY AGAIN? GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE BEFORE I-"

-God, I'm getting a headache! Shut up already, brat-

Naruto snapped his head back in surprise at the low raspy voice echoing inside of his head. On second thought, it didn't sound like Sasuke at all. He fervently wished that he wasn't going insane. At least not now of all the times.

The taller boy snorted and kneeled back down in front of the other ninja, examining the sprained ankle. His nimble fingers moved on top of the flesh; careful not to cause any more hurt then was crucial. "Does it hurt a lot?"

Biting his tongue to prevent a sarcastic remark from seeping through his lips, Naruto shook his head in response. His blue eyes narrowed into fox-like slits, as the raven-haired boy offered to carry him once more. The pale arms stretched out wordlessly.

'Pride or pain, Uzumaki Naruto, pride or pain.'

Contemplating his options, he sighed in defeat before throwing his arms, albeit reluctantly, around the stoic nin. "Just for the record, I didn't ask for your help so don't go bragging in that 'I'm-Uchiha-Sasuke-kiss-my-ass' tone of yours."

"Whatever," Sasuke said dismissively. "Just get on so we can start finding a way out of this place. I don't even know how you could even survive by yourself."

Without answering, Naruto lifted a small hand to the dark boy's face, his hand forming a rude finger gesture in response.

"It's weird."

Naruto propped himself up to announce to the other boy that he was at attention. So Uchiha Sasuke wasn't mute after all. "What is?"

"Why did you get a mission so early after your return to the village?"

There was no point in speaking any more than was needed. The stoic boy was always like that, always curt and direct, Naruto observed. Mulling over the suddenness of the mission, he also had to agree. "It's nothing new. They always give me a new mission after I've accomplished one. I don't really think much about it, really. Each mission brings me closer to becoming the hokage so I don't care how many missions they give me. I'll beat them all."

"It isn't a game, usuratonkachi," Sasuke frowned slightly. 'So this isn't anything new to the dobe.' He shook his mind to relieve himself of any worries for the blonde. It wasn't his problem. He had his own problems and motives.

Silence settled in the wake of Sasuke's heavy footsteps resonated softly throughout the dark forest. As time pressed on, he took note of how the tree tops began to admit more of the moon's light. They were nearing the edge of the forest from the looks of it.

A small gasp in his ear broke his concentration.

"The stars are falling, Sasuke! We have to find cover before they hit us!"

He shifted the weight on his back to sustain his balance before turning his dark eyes to the heavens for a moment. The sight of small glowing specks in the sky descended over the high covers of the trees. "They're not going to hit us, usuratonkachi."

"Huh?"

"They're falling stars, wishing stars." Sasuke explained, turning his head back down to continue his stride through the barren forest. However, instead of paying attention to where he was going or glancing about for any foreign chakra, the dark nin focused on the blonde hunter-nin riding on his back.

Naruto squeezed his arms around the taller boy's pale neck, urging him to finish his thoughts."Go on. I've never seen them before."

Sasuke was quiet for a second. The closeness of the blonde's breathing tickled his ear. When he spoke, his words came out soft and fast, as though it was something he'd rather not share at all. "My mother once told me that if you make a wish on a falling star, your wish would come true. I think it's stupid to rely on some piece of falling rock to make your dreams come true. The only type of person who believes in trash like that is an idi-"

"I'll believe in it!" Naruto exclaimed innocently. An enormous smile began to root itself upon the blonde's fox-like face. His sapphire eyes glowed brilliantly as the falling pieces of nova scattered themselves in all directions.

The blonde grinned characteristically, patting the dark locks next to him playfully,"Besides, you don't have to be so dull and boring all the time, you know? Live a little! Breathe a little!"

"Technically I am living and breathing. If I lived like you, I'd be dead." Sasuke muttered edgily. "And don't pat me again or I'll drop you."

"I want to make a wish right now! I want to become the next hokage so I can be acknowledged by everyone and the whole village will know how strong I am!" He declared loudly, disrupting their strangely serene atmosphere with his pealing laughter.

"Like I said only idiots would believe in something so stupid," A smile ghosted itself upon Sasuke's face, only to be hidden by his dark bangs. "But I guess you're a dobe, so nothing I say will matter anyway."

"Shut up, it's not like you didn't believe in it either!" His voice fell to a soothing hush as he continued, "At least you had a mother to tell you such things. If your mother said it's true, then you should believe in what she told you. I would if my mother told me that . . ."

And that was the last thing Naruto said before his breathing eased away into sleep while Sasuke pressed on, breaking the edge not too long after dawn passed and the stars ceased in their tumble across the rosy skies.

"Maybe I still do, dobe," The words falling on deaf ears, gliding away with the remains of the summer night.


It was morning when they arrived at the closest village. The sun stood high above them in the clear blue sky. The idea of the weather always working in their favor brought a jovial smile to his face. He didn't want to see another forest for as long as he lived.

Naruto stretched his limbs in a catlike fashion, working out sore bones and knotted muscles in the process. Wincing as a shock of pain hit him, the blonde lowered his face to examine the yellow bruises that were forming on his ankle. The swelling had lessened to some degree, allowing him to walk once again.

The hunter-nin turned to the sign overhead, reading it out loud. "Ofuku Village? There was a village named Ofuku around here? How come I didn't know about it?"

Sasuke sighed inwardly, his patience wearing thin from dealing with the blonde. "That's because it says 'Okiwa', moron."

"Listen, Sasuke-bastard. I don't need you to tell me what it says. I know how to read perfectly well, you know?" The blonde growled and walked into the gates of the village with what little pride he had left still intact.

Naruto pulled his fox mask over his face. Better safe than sorry and they were in a different village so there was always a chance that someone would figure out who they were. "Don't do anything out of place, Sasuke. Keep your Sharingan to yourself. We don't want to have anyone realize that you're Uchiha Sasuke."

The stoic-nin rolled his eyes in response to the warning. How was the dobe going to tell him to lay low and then walk around with a blatant hunter-nin mask on his face? "You're going to look really stupid with that mask on in the village."

The shorter boy hissed out but said nothing else as they made their way through the crowded streets. There wasn't anything considerably out of place. As a matter of fact, it resembled Konoha in almost every aspect. The aroma of food from stands permeated the air, causing his mouth to water. How long had it been since he had a decent meal? Food was his first priority now that they have arrived in a civilized location. His stomach grumbled in support.

After a few steps, it became apparent that certain eyes were watching them with intentness. In any case, ramen first, Naruto thought to himself. But their intent staring was becoming more and more noticeable. He quickened their pace through the winding streets in search of refuge. An inn would be their best choice.

"Blend in, Sasuke. You're catching their attention. Damnit, I didn't know that you would stand out that much." He whispered underneath his breath.
They had barely taken a few steps and a circle of civilians had already begun to form around them. Attacking the crowd was completely out of the question. That would attract even more attention.

Naruto listened carefully as their voices penetrated through the packed streets.

"How strange…."

"Indeed."

"That man is very good-looking, though.'

'What? All they can think about is how good-looking Sasuke is?'

"Ahh…it is that ninja that is weird."

"Yes, perhaps we should get someone to investigate this problem."

"Isn't she kind of old to be playing ninja?"

"WHAT?" The blonde hunter-nin screamed incredulously. This wasn't exactly the reaction he had expected. Naruto turned to glare at the scoffing raven-haired boy behind him. "Shut up, bastard."

"I'm not even going to say 'I told you so.'" Sasuke pushed his way through the tightly-packed crowd.

Naruto pulled his mask off and threw it into his sack. It was one thing to add injury to the insult but…..did someone just call him a girl? "MAN, I SHOULD JUST KICK THEIR ASS!"

He felt his hand get jerked away from the thickening horde. The smaller boy grudgingly followed after his rival. Fine, so the bastard had been right. It wasn't a good idea to wear the fox mask. Not that he was going to admit that out loud either. "Stupid people calling me a girl . . ."


Naruto leaned back to stare at the lone moving bodies from the inn window. The cushioned chair squeaked in protest as he pushed it onto its two sharp hedges, leaving deep scratch marks upon the ceramic tiles. Flicking the small oil lamp on, he read over each line carefully before tucking the mission papers away into the confines of his sack. Small hands drew forth to draw the fluttering window curtains even further apart. Big azure eyes stared blankly at the vast expanse of the starry sky as each star beckoned each other to dance together.

The new plan was to stay out of the public eye after all of the interest that he had accidentally sparked. Naruto sighed as he threw the empty sack of money onto the desk, being low on money also meant that he had to share a room with his rival. He had asked Sasuke to fork over some money for a better room, but the bastard proved to be as stingy as he was stoic. Life was so unfair. Naruto had learned that much from all of his years alive.

The sixteen-year-old ninja stumbled clumsily onto his bed, wary of the series of scrolls and odd kunai sticking out from under the sheets that he had haphazardly thrown upon their arrival.

He was used to traveling alone so the addition of a new companion was still awkward. He had worked hard, managing to gain nods of approval here and there since becoming a hunter-nin. Every mission pushed him closer to accomplishing his larger-than-life dream.

It's too risky to give the demon this much power. He might use it to destroy the village if we are not careful.

'I won't do that. I'm not the Kyuubi. All I need is a chance to prove myself.'

Perhaps he had changed? Admitting him will provide us with a huge asset to the village. We are already running dry on the number of talented hunter-nins. No one is able to bring back Uchiha Sasuke.

'I'll take any mission. I'll work day and night.'

Yes, bring back the Uchiha prodigy is top priority as well. We can't spare any other ninjas now that the war is in progress.

The room's door creaked open, derailing his train of thought. The neon orange light from the hallways filtered into their dark room as the figure behind the door entered.

Suddenly he found his mouth dry at the sight of his rival at the entry of their room. "HAVE SOME SHAME, BASTARD! I'M BEGGING YOU! FOR GOD'S SAKE, PUT ON SOME CLOTHES!" The blonde screamed, blushing a bright pink hue from both his earsplitting excursion and embarrassment.

Drops of water trickled down the pale creamy expanse of his rival's chest.The strains of black hair clung seductively onto the sides of the sharp face, some falling into the long lashes. All of the training Sasuke endured was currently very evident. His body was also lithe, very much like Naruto, but on the other hand, it was taller. To his chagrin, Naruto had to admit that the bastard had a lot more good fortune growing up than he had.

"I'm not telling you to look, dobe."

Naruto squealed loudly, causing Sasuke to clasp his hands over his ears. Damn, hadn't the blonde entered puberty already? It should be made illegal for anyone to have such a high pitched voice. Horror struck him as the realization of the fact that he was going to be dealing with this day in and day out hit home.

Death couldn't come in a worse form.

"YOU ARE A PERVERT! YOU DIDN'T WALK AROUND LIKE THIS WITH OROCHIMARU, DID YOU? NEVER MIND, DON'T ANSWER THAT! IF YOU DIDN'T, THEN DON'T START NOW!"

The raven-haired shinobi glared back at him before replying. "I never told you to look and as far as I'm concerned, walking around shirtless does not make me a pervert. Besides, don't be jealous just because you aren't what you see." Sasuke taunted acidly.

"WHO WANTS TO BE YOU?" The blonde shrieked.

Sasuke shrugged and moved to the futon thrown sloppily onto the floor. It was decided that he was to sleep on the ground. The decision of course being made by the blonde."At least I wasn't mistaken for a girl."

"FUCK YOU, SASUKE! I DO NOT LOOK LIKE A GIRL!" Naruto sneered heatedly. He couldn't understand why Sasuke was even bugging him like this. In all honesty, he had expected the mission to fly by smoothly without any words exchanged between them. They had been separated by their own circumstances and it was only cruel fate that brought them back together. Was he really going to act like nothing had happened in the past?

Blue eyes flew over to the form sprawled gracefully upon the wooden floor.The gentle rise and fall of the lithe boy's chest lulled him out of his thoughts. He turned away when Sasuke's heated gaze fell on him. His childlike features scrunched up as he sought for a fitting insult for the boy in front of him. Doing the only thing that came to his mind, Naruto stuck his tongue out immaturely in retaliation.

"Just go to bed, dobe."

Words could not describe the anger that coursed through the blonde at the present moment. The blonde fought to control his rising temper. He flung the covers over his head and willed himself to sleep, hoping that his dreams would be covered by large amounts of cup ramen as well as different ways to hurt the raven-haired man.


The sound of cascading water down the damp walls answered any of the questions that Naruto had in mind. No ramen or torturing Sasuke tonight. Naruto sighed as he plopped himself in front of the cell, not sure of the reason for why he was there in the first place.

"What do you want, Kyuubi?"

The demonic entity emerged as it was beckoned. He watched his host with permanently enraged red eyes. How strange it was that something so small could hold a thing so great. -Disrupting your SM dreams dealing with Sasuke-

Naruto flushed brightly at the words. What was the demon going on about now?"NO, FOR YOUR INFORMATION I WAS HAVING A VERY GOOD DREAM ABOUT RAMEN!"

Well, now was a better time then ever to ask the demon of his never-ending list of problems. "Why haven't I been healing properly, Kyuubi? And my senses, they've dropped significantly. Is there away to get them back"

Its evil chuckle boomed around the surrounding walls.

-Well, it was the destiny you chose so there's no reason why you should be complaining. That Jiraiya told you of the after effects. On the other hand, you're going to be dealing with me more now from now on, brat. So start showing some respect or you might get a few unknown scratches out of nowhere.-

His blue eyes widened at the threat. That had to be an empty threat. Even with the seal weakened, there was no way the Kyuubi could have any power over him. "I don't know what you're talking about, bastard. Leave me alone!"

-Unfortunately for you, I can't.-

What did that mean? His severe annoyance turned into confusion. Tsunade-bachan had told him of all of the effects of his decision. The fox gaining enough power to rid itself of its host was not one bullet point on her list.

The still water rippled furiously as he rushed over to the hellish gates. A fair brow twitched in irritation while his hands gripped the metallic iron bars. No one threatened him. Not even the Kyuubi. "Don't mess with me, Kyuubi. I don't have time for you and I sure as hell won't take any of your crap."

The Kyuubi tutted impassively, escalating his aggravation even further. Naruto fumed inwardly, while his outward glare intensified. "Spit it out, Kyuubi. What is it?"

It wasn't unusual for the demon to act lofty, but its frequent visits were beginning to bother him. Another presence stirred within the prison. The chakra pulled him forward, bringing him closer to the Kyuubi's confinement.

/Watch your back, Naruto./

His hold on the bars loosened at the new additional voice. It wasn't the usual sleek baritone voice that shared his body. This voice was foreign to his ears, almost tender in a sense. He swallowed thickly and backed even further away from the cage. Something was happening.

And who was that?


To be continued . . .