I'm seeing if I am now off of my hiatus XD;. Because, you know, I go on those often. But I SWEAR I COULD NOT WRITE A PARAGRAPH WITHOUT IT SOUNDING LIKE SHIT!
…
And no one probably cares. Sooooo…
Here's chapter 9, and deepest apologies. You all probably lost interest in this story. If you did, don't hate me for it!
….
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters in this story are mine. They all belong to the maker of Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto. And, seriously, if I claimed them, what could you take? You can't take the dog, since stated, they get Kyu-kun chicks! XD ( I should try that!)
WARNING: New warning. This contains shounen-ai/yaoi. You have to know what that means, because I'm not going to tell you. IT ALREADY SAYS WHO IS TOGETHER IN THE SUMMARY! Anyway… Character death in later chapter.
APOLOGY: I know I've been a jack-ass for updating, so I will try and update regularly, no matter how shitty I think my writing is, or if I feel like shit. And I will not give any reasons either, because I really think you guys don't care.
A PLEA FOR: I would hopefully wish that all of you will be nice enough and not nag me about my lack of updates. It gets hard on an author when they're doing something that is reality, and they remember that they haven't updated in a while. And to be a bit of a bitch, I want to remind you all that I do this of my own free will; I do it when I have free time. SO, PLASE! NO NAGGING.
THANK YOU FOR ALL WHO SUPPORT ME, AND FOR ALL OF THE REVIEWS.
Put me Out, chapter 9
Is it really me….
Throw your dollar bills and leave your thrills all here with me
And speak but don't pretend I won't defend you anymore you see
It aches in every bone, I'll die alone, but not for you
My eyes don't need to see that ugly thing, I know it's me you fear
If you want me hold me back
Frail, the skin is dry and pale, the pain will never fail
And so we go back to the remedy
Clip the wings that get you high, just leave them where they lie
And tell yourself, "You'll be the death of me"
I don't need a friend, I need to mend so far away
So come sit by the fire and play a while, but you can't stay too long
It aches in every bone, I'll die alone, but not for pleasure
I see my heart explode, it's been eroded by the weather here
If you want me hold me back
-Remedy by Seether
-
That voice!
It was worried, so emotional in that sense, that it made him feel like his head was exploding. It made him feel like the pain was not going to end. It wasn't, he thought, teeth clenched. It wasn't because Sasuke was here, saying his name, sounding so worried, touching his shoulder…
He pushed away from the touch, landed facing Sasuke in a crouch that resembled a cat (or a fox, a dreadful fox), tear-red eyes actually now facing Sasuke. Facing the pretty face and the dark eyes, the worried eyes, the worried eyes…
All he could do was stare at the worried eyes, the cold eyes, the eyes that belonged to Sasuke, that black raven, the person that shouldn't have let that happen, because, if he loved Sasuke, Sasuke would turn evil, he wouldn't become Hokage that way, he would be too sad and angry…
That voice, again!
A little livid this time, and his eyes caught the movement of Sasuke standing fully straight and walking towards him, and he could just imagine what the people underneath them were thinking.
'"Hey, do you hear feet on the roof? And screaming? And crying?"
"Screaming and crying? It's probably the fox kid, that weak demon vessel."
"Yeah, the one who will never become Hokage?"
"Yes, him."'
Sasuke was in front of him before he could finish his thoughts, his pity, his sudden self-loathing, and this guy! He was so relaxed; so relaxed that it drove Naruto to insanity for a split second and he could feel his nails, long and sharp and not his but his, catch skin and Sasuke was away from him now, jumped back 10 feet and holding his face. He guessed that what the boy in front of him had said before had fallen on deaf ears, because he certainly couldn't remember it, and the voice was speaking again, a lot more angry and hateful and he couldn't deal with this from him, of all people.
"Naruto! Why did you attack me?"
His voice filled his ears now, and only his; not his breathing or Sasuke's, just his voice. "Because you're… You're taking advantage of me, I bet! You're just going to think of this as a hand over me, aren't you, Sasuke, right!"
His thoughts were irrational, his words pleading in a desperate sense now, so much that he could feel his foolishness making him even more angry, even more insane. Then, Sasuke's face suddenly filled his view, as long as a wrenching pain at the base of his neck; he remembered (vaguely, because he didn't want too remember it) this scene before, except with curse seals and foxes.
Again, Sasuke's voice; no longer calm or lustful or anything, just outraged and even a little insane. "No, Naruto! Do you think I'm that cold? Do you think that I'm that heartless? Naruto, I've already told you, I LOVE you."
Sasuke had bloody whiskers on his cheek, stretching from the corner of his eye to his ear lobe; like his, but much better and much more vivid, and the thought of 'Even his scars are better then mine' entered unaided, before he was snapped back by those words. Again, with the lies; because, surely, Sasuke was confused.
No one could love him.
So he pushed away again, hard enough that air escaped both of their throats and Naruto was falling. Free falling, with wind passing his face in torrents, and it felt wonderful, and he thought, with pieces of blonde passing his vision, is this how it feels like to die?
An arm catching his middle again, his vision jarring as he saw himself going downward into a spiral of buildings and ladders and garbage cans; something that you wouldn't see while you were dying, and he knew he wasn't; he felt himself fall softly onto something other than rock and ground, something like skin. He had landed on Sasuke, and he stayed for a second; panic overcoming his sense only after and he wanted to get away from this person.
He did, landed (yet again) crouching and facing Sasuke, or what was Sasuke, now only a puff of smoke, now only a Konoha headband with a faint scar across it. Sasuke's, and he thought 'Kawarimi. He used Kawarimi to cushion my fall. I'm not worth it, am I, Sasuke?'
Something wrapping around his body, not arms or skin; just shadow, and he couldn't move. He wanted too, and he was thinking a lot more rationally now, but he knew why he was running. He couldn't love Sasuke, or let Sasuke see that, because he didn't want Sasuke to become evil and leave, and he couldn't become Hokage if he was depressed and sad, more then he was now.
"Naruto!"
Sasuke.
"Naruto, God damn it! Listen!"
He wanted to scream 'No, Sasuke, you listen! You don't love me! You can't!'.
He decided to listen, though, because he couldn't move; the jutsu Sasuke was using now was Shikamaru's jutsu, the Kagemane no Jutsu, and another thought, one that added to the thought that he wasn't good enough for Sasuke; I'm in your shadow now, right, Sasuke? I'm not worth standing beside anymore, am I. Sasuke?
Sasuke was speaking again, invading his thoughts somehow enough to stop the flow of jealousy and other things, and for a fleeting second, his eyes met black; He could see desperation and hatred and other things, some of it directed at him, some of it directed at something he could not quite put his finger on.
"Naruto. I love you. I'm not some heartless bastard that doesn't care. I'm not using you, either." He looked away because Sasuke did; his hands were now in the seal because Sasuke's were. "Why are you so intent on running away from this, you idiot!"
An insult from the mouth that was supposed to love him? Yes, Sasuke was confused. The people you love weren't the people you insulted. "Sasuke!" His voice, so new and trembling to him. "You don't love me!"
"Yes, Naruto, I do!"
"SHUT UP!"
A crack of chakra from somewhere (him?), and he was able to move again; he was in a defensive position, one like he often used in battles with Sasuke. But this was not a normal battle; this was a battle of… something. Something he wasn't quite sure how to deal with. But, he wished it was normal! He wished everything was back to normal, from him fighting with Sasuke and Hinata (not Sakura? When had he forgotten about her?) standing on the side lines, just in case.
His eyes were drawn to the movement of Sasuke, the black-eyed ninja, his rival, his friend, his… word he didn't want him to be, but was none the less. His eyes were shadowed now, and his lips were in a thin line. For a split second, a split, terrifying second, he thought Sasuke was going to give up on him and leave; he didn't know what the emotion running down his back and paining him was, but it was so strong in the fleeting moment that he wanted to clutch at Sasuke for dear life, or a not so dear life. But Sasuke spoke, and it was gone.
"Then, Naruto, explain why I don't love you."
Oh, wasn't the answer obvious? He wanted to call Sasuke an idiot this time, maybe laugh, because this genius was being stupid! So stupid, and he could make him even look stupider if he could voice why…
But he couldn't.
He couldn't speak.
His voice wasn't working, and there was nothing in his mind, except 'you'll turn evil and I'll get sad and I won't be able to be Hokage, but I wouldn't mind, because you're my best friend, and I'll give up anything for my best friends, I know. It's my ninja way.'
His… reasons, sounded so childish now, now that he could think clearly! So stupid; and he had no reasons. Maybe he was under some jutsu now, one that rendered the mind useless, no matter how insane and panicked it was?
Quickly checked his mind for any moments besides two where Sasuke would have performed a jutsu, up to the very last, when he had made Shikamaru's jutsu useless. Then, suddenly, his mind come to a halt to the cage that held everything and he knew what to say, how not to look so stupid and foolish in front of this person, who would laugh so hard that it would hurt.
"Kyuubi."
His voice worked now. And he had uttered a word that he and Sasuke hardly spoke of.
"Kyuubi…"
"What about Kyuubi?"
Sasuke spoke so calmly about it. His mind flashed to the instant where Sasuke had known, confronted him about it, as if it was a prank the boy had found out about.
' "Usuratonkachi, why didn't you tell me you had the fox demon inside of you?"
"What! You know?"
"Yes. Orochimaru-san told me."
"Don't speak that bastard's name to me."
"Your fight is not with him, Dobe; it's with me. I abandoned you after all, didn't I?"
"Shut up, Sasuke. I'm going to kick your ass and then drag your broken body back to the village!"
"Let's see if you can do it with out your precious demon, Dobe."
They had fought and he had not used Kyuubi at all, and Sasuke had been surprised when he had held Rasengan to his throat. But it wasn't the need to think and grin and remember things that made him happy. He needed to speak.
"Kyuubi is the reason why you can't! What if, one day, I lose control of him! What if you get hurt, huh? What if you're the reason I lose control? What if I some day kill you!" He wanted to stop saying what ifs because it was such a unsophisticated way of arguing, but he couldn't. "He hates you, Sasuke! If I'm near you so much, he'll come out sooner then later! It'll only hurt both of us, you bastard, so DON'T LOVE ME."
"I'm willing to take the risk."
Those words, and the fact that he could feel Kyuubi pulling inside his mind, pissed off and angry at him for stating such a fact (Kyuubi liked Sasuke; he made his host stronger and he was a good rival for said host.), made Naruto lose control of everything for a second. Between the raging emotions and roaring thoughts that screamed inside of him, he could pick out one sentence, over and over again.
'He's willing to take the risk, and when have you ever worried about Sasuke getting hurt by you? You love it, because you LOVE him, and your love's strange, because you CAN hurt each other and like it, forget about it. WHY ARE YOU MAKING EXCUSES, IDIOT!'
He didn't know when it had happened, either, but he was straddling Sasuke now, holding a kunai to his throat. He could feel the surprise of this in both his and Sasuke's expressions, because Sasuke was struggling, and he was holding him down, and he could feel this expression on his face; one he wasn't used too. And then:
"What if I killed you right now, Sasuke?"
-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-
A warm feeling was drifting over him, and he could feel his waist submerged in something - he didn't know what, but he could feel something slimy and long wrapping around his foot and touching his leg, holding him up.
Naruto's eyes opened lazily, the blue a hazy color, matching the steam that filled his vision. And… passed the mist, he could see he was surrounded by Ramen packages and desserts of all kinds.
What the hell?
He launched forward, going on his knees and submerging himself in spicy-tasting water. He came back up spluttering, grabbing onto the side of the white, ceramic bowl he was lounging against before. Why the hell was he in a bowl of ramen!
The thought was soon erased as a laugh filled the air; a deep laugh that sounded highly amused.
His eyes shot to the side, and he noticed that, about ten feet away, Sasuke was leaning against the side of the bowl too. He looked totally relaxed and unsurprised that he was with Naruto, in a ramen bowl, with different foods (all of which Naruto loved to death) surrounding them.
"Naruto, why are you acting so weird now?"
And… Holy shit. Sasuke's voice… was it… purring?
Now that he noticed it, actually, Sasuke was naked from the top of his head to where he could see. And he could see the top of Sasuke's knees.
And… Holy shit.
He couldn't think right about now. No way, not with a supposedly-naked Sasuke and ramen and, HOLY SHIT, Sasuke was naked, coming towards him, and really bi-
Naruto coughed and dunked his head into the cloudy water, closing his eyes tightly and refusing to let the blush cover his face. Why couldn't the water be ice cold! Why didn't dreams never go the way you wanted too? Well, not that he particularly minded (this thought panicked him slightly), but…
He felt a hand (now two, after a second), grab his face gently and pull him up towards the air. He could breathe now, and he slowly opened his eyes; maybe Sasuke wasn't naked, and it had just been his imagination.
A quick look down, and he confirmed it wasn't. And Sasuke was right in his face. Meaning, he could see the flecks of red in the teen's eyes. Personal space invasion, personal space invasion!
"Naruto… You're so cute."
This was cooed lightly and he blushed as a shot of something went own to his groin. What the fuck? Cute? Sasuke saying the word 'cute'? Was the fucking apocalypse coming! And maybe he could fight it right back with ninjutsu and genjutsu and… uhhh… J…Jiujutsu?
OK. Trying to remember what he knew about being a ninja and all of the skills it required flew right out the window and gave him the one finger salute as Sasuke licked his cheek, catching a drop of Ramen water.
Bye bye, thoughts. So long, self-control.
"Sasuke! What the hell are yo-"
"Hmm? You don't enjoy it?"
"I'm not saying that, bu-"
"Heh. You are cute, Naruto"
Then Sasuke promptly sat on his lap, arms wrapping around his neck and lids lowering to a look. The kind that shot straight down to your groin.
Shit, it didn't shoot down to his groin. It exploded down to his groin.
"Ahhhhh…. Sasuke…"
"You don't know when to shut up, Naruto."
Warm lips covered his before he could protest, and he started to notice how hot it was getting. Fuck, it was starting to burn.
Burn, baby, burn, 'cuz this feels too good!
His lips opened under Sasuke's after a hesitating second, tongue coming up to swipe the bottom lip sensuously and slowly. A happy sigh from Sasuke before he complied to Naruto, and they lazily tongue wrestled, before it got slightly heated, tongues tangling so much that they didn't know who's was who's anymore, before Sasuke gave in, relaxing in Naruto's grip and letting the other boy dominate.
Shit, when did Sasuke give in?
He shrugged it off, attacking Sasuke's mouth with his own, licking every place in the hot teen's mouth. Who cared? He was tongue-fucking with Sasuke, of all people.
A moan tangled with his breath as the ninja genius arched into him, rubbing against Naruto in a way that made him just a little hotter. He felt Sasuke tense for a split second, before a smirk caressed his lip and then… Sasuke pressed, hard, against his stomach and the top of his legs.
Something hard was pressed into his stomach. Something a little bigger than… Holy shit.
Their mouths separated, breathes tangling and a small string of saliva hanging from both of their lips. They stared at each other before Sasuke pressed even harder into Naruto's stomach, and gave a soft simper that would have put the most feminine girl too shame.
"Naruto… Please…"
Naruto's mouth attacked Sasuke's neck as the pale boy arched into him again, biting the collar bone, the neck, the junction between the shoulder and neck, and soothed every bite with a slow lick before moving onto the next spot.
Sasuke's hands were no longer around his neck, instead slowly making their way down the blonde's chest, brushing one nipple so softly that it gave Naruto a fleeting feeling of desperation before the hand came up and pinched the other nipple.
"Ahhhh… Naruto…."
The hands moved on now, caressing the stomach muscles of the tan boy as he continued to work on Sasuke's neck, even once biting the lobe of Sasuke's ears and tugging, which received a wanton moan in return.
The hands were now tracing his treasure trail, momentarily playing with the soft hair before coming to the base of his hard…
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
…And then he was jerked violently out of the dream by a splash of cold, very cold, water.
"HOLY SHIT!" He yelped as he shot up in the bed, hands frantically wiping his eyes and hair as his feet got tangled in the many sheets around him. What was Sasuke, stupid! He should not have done that! "What the hell are you thinking, 'Suke! Are you trying to drown me! I do not want to go by a bucket of cold water and a derang-"
The blonde was cut off by looking over at the Uchiha and seeing the sheer emotion on the pale teen's face, a small smile tugging at his lips with the relaxed posture of one at content peace while he leaned against the door frame. He was caught in the look, at the simplicity of it. Sasuke looked… actually happy, for once.
"Why are you staring at me, Dobe?" At once, the illusion was broken, being replaced by violent annoyance and something of a longing to see that image of the Uchiha again.
"I'm not staring! I'm wondering why the hell you had the smarts," He frantically tried to get on his knees, and once that was succeeded, pointed his menacing pointer finger at the offending person (and he suddenly wished he could take this guy down with one finger, much like Tsunade had with him). "too drop a pail of water on me! I could have gotten up with a shake or something, ya know! But, nooooooo! The great Uchiha had to be all fancy and get a freakin' bucket!"
It seemed he was quite the ranter in the morning, and this was only proven further by the raised eyebrow and amused expression he got from his friend as he continued about his rights at being woken up properly and nicely.
"I did shake you, usuratonkachi."
"-and then you have the… Wah? You shook me?" A pure look off confusion passed over Naruto's face before he glared again, blue eyes narrowing. "You probably only shook me a little! Just so you could pour freezing water on me and laugh!"
"No. I shook you very hard. I even got on the bed to shake you." He took note of how Naruto's face flushed at that sentence, taking immense pleasure in it before going
on. "Stop thinking perverted. You're turning out like Kakashi-sensei."
"I wasn't thi-"
"You were moaning."
"HUH!"
He repeated himself, though sounding exasperated this time. "You were moaning."
"I heard, asshole, but… How?"
"Like you were caught up in something. Something like a nightmare." The black-haired boy raised an eyebrow as if to say 'or something a lot less scary', but said instead "Was it?"
Naruto racked his brain for about a split-second before the image of a ramen bowl, warmth, and Sasuke in a birthday suit whacked him harder then Sakura used too.
A yelp and the blonde was hiding under the covers, red painting his face as he closed his eyes tightly. No, no, no, no! He had not had a dream like that! No, he didn't like Sasuke like that! No, it didn't turn him on! No, it didn't do anything!
He was suddenly very glad that he had been kneeling, and that the blankets had still been covering his waist. Apparently, it had had an effect on him. A really big, visible effect. So much that his boxers (now that he thought about it) were tighter then usual.
"Baka?"
"WHAT!"
"… What was that about it?" The voice was amused. Way too amused to not know what his dream had been about. But… No! Sasuke could not know what he had dreamt about unless the Sharingan eyes could really read people's minds or enter dreams or something! But from his extensive (extensive?) knowledge, Sasuke's eyes couldn't do that. Never the less…
A believable lie was needed. Fast.
"Uh! I just remembered that my dream was… about Ramen!" He was telling the truth, just not the entire truth. "And when I was eating it, it… attacked me! It started strangling me!" Well, it wasn't the ramen that had really been strangling him, per se, but more Sasuke who had been refusing to let him breathe. "I couldn't believe that my precious ramen was attacking me! It was scary!" And it was then that he popped his head out of the covers with slight difficulty, turning his head around enough so that Sasuke could only see the left side of his face. "Now go away while I dress!"
In actuality, he was going to try and calm down, but his friend at the door who was showing him that little 'I know what you REALLY mean' smirk didn't need to know that now, did he?
"You're pretty much dressed."
Not missing a heartbeat, the blonde answered with an articulate "Huh?"
"You're pretty much dressed, idiot. Are you deaf?"
"No! I only have boxers on!" He said this quickly, and practically hit himself the very next second after seeing Sasuke's face. Honestly, he wondered how he could be so dumb sometimes.
"Hurry up and put on your pants, then. We have to go. Five minutes until we get to training and missions for the day.
"WHAT! Why didn't you tell me this sooner!" And thank God for his reflexes as he jumped out of the bed and landed in a heap on the floor, blanket still thankfully wrapped tightly around his hips.
"You were too busy arguing with me about your moaning and me waking you up 'the wrong way'." This time, the Uchiha donned a bored expression, even having the nerve to examine his nails close to him, and then at a distance. What was he, a freakin' girl!
"Hell yes, that was the wrong way! Your supposed to shake me! Not pour a fucking bucket of freezing water on me so I'll get pneumonia!" This time he raised a fist at the teen, who was still examining his nails with that 'I rule the world' expression, and shook it as he fought with the damn blankets still tying him up.
Damn, difficult blankets. Why did Sasuke have to have such huge blankets!
"What would you rather have me do then, dead-last? Wake you with a kiss and a doki doki?" This time the voice was sarcastic, and the boy had stopped examining his nails long enough to cross his arms, jut out his hip to one side and look at the boy in a sort of amused curiosity.
A rabid blush was trying to take reign over his face, but Naruto didn't blush, no he didn't! "Shut up, you asshole! Just shake me next time, for Christ's sake! Asshole! Now get out!"
"Why? This is my room, after all."
"GET OUT, YOU CLOSET PERVERT, I WANT TO GET READY!"
A well-aimed lamp (that the blue-eyed boy had been miraculously able to reach) later, and Naruto was alone, the rice-paper door shut tightly and securely behind the retreating 'friend'.
He took a minute to flop onto the ground as he stared at the ceiling, brow furrowing as he tried to recollect his dream so he could throw it out with the rest of his mind-waste later. Or at least try too, because a hot and wet and naked Sasuke was bound to be hard to get rid of.
Asshole, invading his dreams now! He bet Sasuke had planned that, too!
With a grumble, Naruto crawled up enough so that he could put his body weight on his hands and slowly wiggle out of the suffocating blankets. Sasuke was such an asshole.
"Baka, hurry up! We're late!"
"GAH!"
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
Two minutes later found them both running on the ground, Naruto's coat flying behind him and hanging on his hand due to the fact that stupid Sasuke had dumped another cup of stupid water on him with his coat on (he was trying to motivate him to go faster. God, Sasuke was not a genius at this hour), and air was bound to dry it out faster. A apple was clamped tightly in his mouth, and Sasuke was languidly holding his apple loosely in his hand, once in a while taking a bite out of it.
He really, really envied Sasuke right about now.
"Hey, asshole, we're meeting on the bridge as usual, right?" This was said after he took the apple out of his mouth, a chunk of it being chewed in his mouth messily as he ran.
"As usual, Dobe."
The names weren't even called upon anymore, unless they didn't have something to do. Like missions or trying to beat the shit out of each other, or trying not too be late for their mission, even though their teacher (now more of a comrade, really) was obviously going to be later then them.
"Great, then. We're almost there." Because breathing through an apple really wasn't the best thing to do when you were running fast even if you did have stamina as great as his.
This wasn't dignified with a response as they both saw (at the same time) the top of the pine tree nearest to the bridge. Years of meeting in the same place usually got you observing your surroundings, especially if your teacher was always two to three hours late.
In the couple of minutes it took for them to fill the silence with their running and breathing and getting there, Sasuke had finished his apple, and the blonde's jacket was semi-dry. Dry enough so that he could slip it on after jamming the apple into his mouth.
Their new team mate, Hinata, was already there, her dark purple hair noticeable in the radiant sunlight that seemed to be shining today. Despite the bad start, Naruto thought, this was going to be a good day.
"Hinata!" He had time to take the apple out of his mouth and wave excitedly to her, which was met by a shy wave of her own as they neared.
He had just enough time to toss the apple over the side of the bridge before he stopped, grinning and not a drop of sweat or fatigue flawing his sunny face. "Hey, Hinata! When did you get here?"
He asked as if they had been there on time, even if they were ten minutes late. They made good time, considering that Sasuke lived a bit further then a half-an-hour walk could cover.
The timid girl smiled and got her blush under control before speaking, voice happy and wispy. "I got here about forty-five minutes ago. It wasn't a very far walk from my house…"
The blue-eyed teen ignored the lack of stuttering as his eyes bugged out, arms shooting up in a gesture of disbelief. "Are you serious! Even though it's 8:30 in the morning! What time do you get up? Sakura would have to get up at 5:30 to get ready and come here at… 7:45 am, just so she could get ready for her precious Sasuke-kuuuun!" At this he turned to the aforementioned boy and, fluttering his eyelashes and pouting his lips, gave the image of a sick-and-in-love girl.
"Ahhh…Naruto-kun… I…"
"Stop being such an idiot, Dobe." What? Two insults in one sentence? Asshole! "Stop making stupid faces and asking dumb-ass questions."
It was one of those times were it was necessary to defend your honor and call the other names, too. Simply because, since Kakashi wasn't here, they had nothing to do.
"Hey, asshole! I wasn't asking what you were thinking! Shut up and act like the bastard you usually are! Why suddenly speak up now, huh!" This was, yet again, met by a cool glare and another response.
"Because you're embarrassing yourself. Save yourself some pride and be quiet already." Again, the pale boy took the stance he did this morning, hip jutted out and arms crossed.
"I will not be silenced, asshole! You will never silence me! I will cont-"
"Na-Naruto-kun?" He immediately shut up after she said his name softly, not used to being interrupted in his rants by anyone besides Sasuke. Since Kakashi didn't say much on the matter and sat back reading Icha-Icha paradise, and Sakura had grown used to their verbal fighting (which Naruto always lost), Hinata didn't know the routine of just sitting back and enjoying the match.
"Yeah?" He was slightly confused by the new, unexpected intervention.
"Umm… An-no…. Naruto-kun, when will Kaka-"
"Hinata-chaaaan! Don't!" The blonde pulled a sudden childish attitude, crossing his arms and jutting out his lower lip far enough to look like a real little kid. "Don't do that! It makes us seem… so not… teammates or friends!"
"Par-pardon, Naruto-kun?" The pale girl looked beyond confused, even more then Naruto had when she had interrupted them. After a moment, the blonde boy shoved his face in front of hers, pointing a finger accusingly at her. The finger which Naruto was pointing right in front of Hinata's face, also, causing the white-eyed girl to go cross-eyed before looking at Naruto questioningly (and a little fearfully).
"The 'kuns' and the 'chans'! It gets annoying after a while, even though it's only been about, what, a day? So just call me Naruto, Hinata-chan, and I'll call you Hinata if you want me too! OK?" He pushed back from the girl now, hand hanging from his neck and a bright grin on his face that practically begged Hinata to agree with him. Her mouth opened to form an answer before someone else's voice interrupted her, making the blonde's grin vanish and his head to turn to the speaker.
"How quickly you forget Sakura-chan," He stressed the formality, sarcasm evident in his voice as he glared holes past Naruto into distant space (but to Hinata, it looked suspiciously like he was glaring holes at her). "Right, Idiot?"
"Asshole!" A blush born of anger quickly enveloped Naruto's face, and he turned and stalked over to Sasuke, shoving his face into the smirking teen's this time. "I'm trying to make her feel welcome! And you're not doing anything to help her or me! Why you have to be such a dumb-ass, huh!"
It was a moment too late before Naruto realized that Sasuke had shoved his face even closer to his, bringing their noses so that they were slightly brushing past each other. Naruto could see the way the Sharingan activated up close now, watched the black lighten to a dark red, while the black swirls just… stayed.
He was brought out of his sudden stupor and amazement by the scent of apples and the breathe caressing his lips, and the words "What if I…"
He was brought even further out of it by a faint gasp and a loud 'Pop!' as Kakashi appeared on the scene. An hour earlier then usual.
In the instant it took for the smoke to clear, Naruto was in his daily stance and shouting "You're LATE!", Sasuke was in his normal stance of arms crossed and a bored expression, and Hinata was blinking with her usually busy hands hanging at her sides.
"Relax, Naruto." The Jounin gave a relaxed smile, as much as they could see. With years of Kakashi-face-reading experience, you could always tell what the other was feeling by his face. "I was coming quickly and on time, but then this old man challenged me to a Maki-mono eating contest…"
"LIAR! I know for a fact that you don't like Maki-mono!"
"Who ever told you that, Naruto?" Now the Jounin's face was amused behind the mask, and Hinata had started staring at all of them.
This was all very normal to Sasuke, routine even, as he laid back and watched.
"Uh… Ah… Ero-sennin!"
"Jiraiya? I haven't told him anything of the sort!"
"But… Ah… You see…"
The black-haired boy jumped in between Naruto's spluttering, having enough of the teasing Kakashi was putting the tan boy through. "Kakashi, do we have any missions as of late?"
"Iie, Sasuke. Not today. We have a B rank mission a week from now, though." The silver-haired man smirked as Naruto's blue eyes widened to the size of dinner plates before he began jumping up and done, yelling things like 'Finally! It's about TIME!' and 'Haven't had one of those in a while!' before he spoke again, voice clearly conveying the amusement he was feeling. "We are all transporting an important package to the Hidden Village of the Cloud. It's something for the Hokage, and it's medicine, courtesy of Tsunade. We are trying to win them over to our side, after all… Yeah, though. We might be attacked by some Sound."
He spoke this so casually, as if they didn't have a missing-nin from that village (and from this village, but he came back, so…). Naruto had the sudden urge to strangle him as Sasuke tensed at the word, back rigid and eyes narrowing. The Kyuubi-vessel didn't even notice that the Sharingan had faded back into black before he tried to break the tense silence with his loud voice, arms raising frantically. "Ah, ah! Hinata! Have you ever fought in a real battle? It's so cool! You get to kick the other ninja's asses! And the thought of hurting that bastard's forces i-"
The silence returned in a flash, Sasuke's back rigid, Kakashi reading his perverted book (which came out of nowhere), Naruto trying not to look at anyone, and Hinata obviously trying to think of a way to break the silence.
"N-Naruto-k… Naruto?" With the brief interruption of 'Hey, you got it!', she continued, voice trembling slightly. "I… fought Neji-s-sama once… and I have fought before… B-but my team did no-not usually do B-rank missions…"
The tension forgotten (at least, to Naruto) for a second, Naruto grinned widely, giving a classic Lee-pose by sticking out his thumb and putting his arm up enthusiastically. "Well, then, Hinata! You're in for a good time, because B-rank missions are AWESOME! You get to kick so much ninja butt that you don't know how many you beat up until you look around you and see all the bodies! I bet you could beat al-"
"Naruto?" Mid-rant interruption by Kakashi, who was still reading.
It was then Hinata looked over at the Jounin and finally caught what he was reading, and a furious red blush covered her face as Naruto spoke.
"What?"
"For now, we got a C-rank mission to go find a bunch of rabbits that got loose. And they bite, so be careful."
"SHIT!"
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
Finally, Gawd! This chapter would NOT finish. It was pissing me off beyond all high heaven! God. Rawr. At least I am DONE, FINALLY.
AND I WILL GET THE NEXT CHAPTER OUT SOONER! I PROMISE!
NOTES:
Kawarimi no Jutsu: A jutsu used to quickly replace a body with a close by object.
Kagemane no Jutsu: Allows the user to control their own shadow, changing it to any shape they wish, and extending/shortening it inside a certain radius. When the shadow contacts the opponents shadow, it combines the two, making the opponent do anything the user does.
Doki Doki: A sound your heart makes when it's in love, or surprised, or something equally shocking. Think of… Lee seeing Sakura and his heart going 'Doki Doki!'.
Maki-mono: Maki-mono is vinegared rice and fish (or other ingredients) rolled in nori seaweed, kappa-maki is cucumber-filled sushi rolls, and ebi is boiled shrimp sushi.
Ero-sennin: Perverted Hermit. It's the nickname that Naruto calls Jiraiya and Kyuu-kun changed it from Pervert-sennin because he thinks that it sounds better when its Ero-sennin.
God. I'll finish now and say one thing:
I hate feeling guilty.
So, review, don't rant about my lateness, and I'll definitely will get it out sooner then 5 months.
Kyuu-kun: Please don't rant about her lateness with this… its was more my fault, because I'm the beta and I didn't do it until about… two months after she initially handed it to me. Like she did, I had a bunch of crap going on IRL and so therefore, there was no point in trying to do a shitty job on it when I could wait and beta in my right mind. I hope you forgive the lateness… but please don't bitch about it. That's not nice!