Title: Kagami (Mirror)
Author: Hikaru R. Kudou
Chapter: 1/1
Genre: General, Shounen-ai Romance
Disclaimer: I own what rightfully belongs to me. This anime is not one of them.
Summary: Naruto, Sasuke, and their reflections. When he can't bring himself to talk to him, he talks to his reflection.

Author's Notes: First Naruto fic. If there is any fic that is similar to this one, it's purely coincidental. Any trace of OOC or excessive sap is regrettable. Enjoy!

"If you've got the poison I've got the remedy" – Jason Mraz, The Remedy (I Won't Worry)

Uzumaki Naruto sighed. It was one of those days when everybody he met was in a foul mood. His class had ended early that day (Cleaning the public library? What would they do next?), for what reason Kakashi did not explain, so nobody bothered to ask. Even Sakura seemed to be occupied with something, and Naruto was slightly surprised when he noticed that her attempts in trying to catch Sasuke's attention were somewhat waning.

But Naruto kept his enthusiasm up. It would not do if two of his teammates were sulking around; somebody had to liven the atmosphere up.

No sooner had he tried to cheer his friends up, he found himself walking down the road alone, Sakura's harangue and Sasuke's stomp stinging his ears and back correspondingly. He lamented something about girls being moody (Naruto found out later that Sakura had encountered Ino just before class, and that their usual conflict had ruffled her feathers) and Sasuke's being Sasuke.

The least they could do was thank him for even trying to spread some joy around!

As his thoughts clouded his mind, Naruto caught sight of an old woman walking her dog about ten feet in front of him. Then, she was harassed by several local thugs who simply had nothing better to do.

Naruto broke into a nasty grin as he cracked his knuckles. Those bullies would be black and blue all over by the time this ninja was done with them.

- + - + - + -

Approximately five minutes later, Naruto stood laughing as he watched the three gangsters ran for their lives in fright, clutching their bruised body parts and one was practically crying out to call his mother. As soon as they were out of sight, Naruto turned to the woman, asking if she was fine.

"Yes, yes," said she. Naruto thought that her voice sounded a little gruff for a female, but he dismissed it as something she acquired from her age. She took his hands into hers, catching him off guard. "Thank you, young man! You are so kind, and strong too!"

Flattery. Naruto just laughed. "I am the best ninja there is!"

"Please accept this as a token of my gratitude." The woman reached into her basket that she had with her and presented him with something wrapped in brown paper. "Share this with your best friend, if you will."

Naruto stared at the gift as he murmured "Thank you". Just as he asked what was inside, the woman was already on her way.

Naruto stared after her retreating back mutely until she was out of his view. With that, he shook his head to clear his thoughts and continued walking, scrutinising the item he now held in his hands. The simplest thing to do would be removing the ribbon tying it, but something made him wait.

That something being one Uchiha Sasuke, sitting in solitude under a willow tree near a pond. The raven-haired boy seemed to be breathing heavily, with beads of perspiration on his face. His hair clung to his sweaty temples, and he wiped his forehead with one arm. In all probability he was resting after a strenuous solo training.

"Share this…?" Naruto said to himself, glancing to and fro between the gift and Sasuke.

…For real?

- + - + - + -

The young Uchiha leaned over the pond, scooped two handfuls of water and splashed it over his face. The cool water invigorated him, and he moved in for a second dose. He paused when another reflection on the pond appeared next to his. He had company, one he knew only too well.

"Yo!" said the image, raising one hand, smiling radiantly.

Sasuke did not turn to regard the owner of the reflection, but he remained silent.

"Training, eh?" asked Naruto, plopping himself next to Sasuke. "Betcha you're hungry." He chatted happily, not minding the cold shoulder Sasuke was giving him, as he untied the ribbon. "I got this from one old lady for saving her from a bunch of bullies. Want some?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, somewhat curious as to what the content of the pack could be. He also found Naruto's words hard to believe since Naruto did not seem to have broken a sweat. That would mean either those thugs were mere pushovers, or Naruto was getting stronger.

"Candies," remarked Naruto, showing them to Sasuke. The two candy balls glistened as light fell on them. "They look tasty. Take one." Naruto grinned. "You need some sugar. Even if nobody's strong enough to kill you, all those depression will one day."

Sasuke frowned, wondering what was up with Naruto. If he did not know any better, he could have sworn Naruto had actually complimented him indirectly.

"What's the matter?" asked Naruto. "You think these could be rigged?"

"I don't know," Sasuke finally voiced out.

"I don't think they are, though." Naruto picked one and peered at it with one eye pensively.

Sasuke took the remaining one and sniffed. Naruto followed suit, after which he remarked, "Smells sweet. There's no way poison could smell this nice." Without warning, he popped it into his mouth and sucked audibly. Sasuke stared at him, half-expecting him to faint any minute.

Naruto had half a mind to trick the other by falling to his side and play dead. But the weary look that Sasuke was wearing was far too funny, Naruto doubted he would carry his act long without bursting into peals of laughter. Besides, knowing Sasuke, the guy would storm off angrily after kicking Naruto into the pond to drown the minute he discovered he was being tricked.

Instead, Naruto said, "Tastes too good to be poison."

Sasuke was back inspecting his candy. After aeons of pondering, he resolved to take a small bite.

Naruto noticed this. "It would taste better if you suck on it wholly." He pointed at his mouth.

After debating with himself, Sasuke inserted the sweet into his mouth, now inspecting the candy with his tongue.

Naruto sighed at his stubbornness. "For the last time, it's not poisoned! It's not even alcoholic! Can't you enjoy the simple things without getting paranoid?"

Sasuke glared at him coldly. "It doesn't hurt to be careful."

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto waved a casual hand. "Even if it were poison, at least we'd both be dead. Poor Kakashi, to lose his two students just like that." Naruto eyed his companion. "If we're both dead, then we'll just have to take our rivalry to the afterlife, don't you think so?" Before Sasuke could think of a retort, Naruto elbowed him teasingly. "But something tells me nobody would let me go for giving you a poisoned candy even if I were long dead. Who knows what kind of things your horde of fanatics would do to my corpse, eh?"

Sasuke frowned in rebuke. "Don't kid around with this kind of matters." He knew how death affected him, and he would not see another if he could help it. Especially not of someone who was closest to him.

Naruto noticed the change in the ambience, so he stood up and gave Sasuke a slight pat at his shoulder. Naruto stuck a tongue playfully at him and inched towards the side of the pond before he crouched down. He looked at his own reflection staring back at him with an identical expression. "Oi, Sasuke."

"What?"

"Come here for a minute."

"Whatever for?" But he was already moving towards the other. Sasuke glanced at his own face before looking at that of Naruto's reflection.

"Have you ever wondered? Why you're the hottest guy in town?" Naruto laughed abruptly. "What am I saying? I meant one of the hottest guys in town? After me, of course."

Sasuke glared coldly at this burst of vanity. "Who knows."

"I mean, you're not that good-looking." Just as the words escaped him, Naruto knew he had betrayed his own opinions. There was no turning back, though. "Betcha Kakashi-sensei's more good-looking without his mask on."

Sasuke made a face.

"See? With that face, there's no way you can be that good-looking!"

Sasuke dropped his facial expression. "What does it matter? Looks don't last forever. By time my face changes, they'll be gone, lusting after some other hapless guy." Probably the one next to him, for all he knew. The future held many uncertainties.

"Hopefully…" whispered Naruto.

That one word seemed to insinuate many possibilities.

Silence reigned as they saw a sakura petal floating nearby. Sasuke fought the urge to glance at Naruto, who was uncharacteristically being quiet. His control failed him, for he did exactly that when he peeked at the blond from the corner of his eyes for a split second. Sasuke wondered if Naruto had noticed.

Perhaps not. Even if he had, he had nothing to say about it.

"Oi, Sasuke…" The tone Naruto had used had a certain draw to it, ordering Sasuke to listen up. It was also different, as if Naruto was lost in thoughts, entertaining without bothering what Sasuke would say or do about it. "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

Sasuke almost choked when the candy suddenly came into contact with his tonsil. "Why are you asking?"

"You know, I thought I do." Naruto had a dreamy look. "Not anymore, I guess."

"Sakura, ka?"

Naruto jerked up momentarily, glanced quickly at Sasuke, who maintained his indifferent air, before returning his attention to the water. "I suppose. I mean, things change, you know? You might think you do, but at the next minute, you no longer do."

"Is that so?"

Naruto lowered his head, apparently not wanting to look at Sasuke. It was as if he was talking to Sasuke's reflection instead of the real person himself. It was easier that way, Naruto silently thought.

"I don't believe in it." Sasuke tilted his head, searching for an answer from within himself.

"No?"

"I believe in crushes though. Maybe that's what you had." Sasuke, from squatting, sat down and folded his legs in front of him. "That's why it's called a 'crush'; it is crushed once you get over it."

"You think they mean the same thing? A crush and love at first sight?"

"To each his own," quoted Sasuke, lacking a better answer.

Sasuke privately thought that love was something that is developed over time. It is not static, but capable of fluctuating as time goes by. Human emotions are rarely consistent, and likewise, love is such a case too. It depends on the people it binds together, not just on how breathtaking one of them looks or how likable the other is.

The sakura petal drifted closer to them. Naruto made a move to pick it up, but Sasuke's next sentence arrested him.

"Do you…?"

Frozen, "Not as much as I had thought I did at first."

"…I see."

Naruto retrieved his outstretched arm, tucking it in. "What about you?"

Sasuke only shook his head as his reply.

"Why?"

Instead, Sasuke replied with another question. "Why not?"

It was good enough for the blond boy. "Okay."

An ambivalent sigh. "Dope."

"Jerk."

They were back savouring their candies. It was Naruto who decided to gamble first.

"You do know where this is heading to, don't you, Sasuke?"

"Aa."

Sasuke smirked faintly. Naruto needed not to ask when Sasuke answered, "Likewise."

An awkward silence now filled the air as both boys tried to suppress their imminent blush.

"I see." Naruto sighed comically. "Man, I can't believe it's you, of all the people!"

"Likewise." Sasuke tilted his head. "Why me?"

The rhetorical question hung in the air. It would be taxing just to explain it from the start, and to say "It's fate", "It's gravity"(1), "Magnetic attractions" or anything that ran along those lines would be utterly confusing (not to mention remarkably odd), even to the speaker. They each knew why, of course, and in all truth, the issue did not need any more light.

"Because you're such a jerk." Naruto chuckled. "I don't think it's only because of your looks, that's for sure. You make weird faces at me all the time." Naruto smiled up at Sasuke. "You might want to be careful; your face might stay that way, you know. But even if you're not that cute, I'll still like you as I do now." Naruto edged closer to Sasuke, nudging him. "So what made you fall in love with me? Betcha it's because I'm so great, huh?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're so loud, and your voices won't leave me alone."

"Oh, yeah? Well, sorry to report that there's no way I'm ever leaving you now."

"Whatever you say."

"Hey."

"What?"

"Smile for me?"

Sasuke thought that all the sappiness in the air was starting to impair Naruto's head. He played along to humour the blond. "As if. Make me."

Naruto looked into Sasuke's deep pools that were challenging him. Then Naruto grabbed a nearby twig, reached for Sasuke's reflection, and drew a big smile on where the image's lips were. The sweeping motion rippled the water, erasing the reflection. "Oops!" Naruto stuck his tongue. "I messed up."

"That's not the way to do it, moron." Sasuke's lips, without himself being aware of it, had moved to form what remotely constituted as an amused smile.

Naruto saw it and chuckled louder. "But you did smile." He pointed, his forefinger grazing against the tip of Sasuke's nose in a fleeting manner. "It worked, anyway." Naruto returned his gaze to his reflection to speak to it. "Looks like you're all alone now, dope."

The water eventually calmed down as the water wrinkles disappeared, causing Sasuke's reflection to reappear next to Naruto's, clear as ever.

"Looks like you won't leave me too, eh?" Naruto teased, elbowing Sasuke again.

Sasuke had retaliated this time that he accidentally shoved Naruto towards the pond. Naruto's quick reflexes caught Sasuke's sleeve, and soon they were both flailing about as gravity pulled them into the water, making a huge splash when they fell into the water. They landed messily but sat up straight immediately in the shallow pool, panting to bring in air. They stared each other from behind their dripping bangs, both soaked to the bone.

Sasuke's face softened as he battled to suppress a small laughter. Naruto laughed and began shoving more water towards Sasuke. Sasuke reasoned that they would catch a cold if they remained and made a move to return to dry land, but was then being tackled down helplessly by one Uzumaki Naruto, who was completely oblivious to Sasuke's protests.

- + - + - + -

Elsewhere, Iruka was busy reading some of the paperwork he had to mark. Soon he realised that he was not alone, so he looked up and saw Kakashi standing near his desk. Kakashi held up one hand in greetings.

Somehow, Iruka sensed something was up. "You seem happy. What were you up to?"

"Teaching two students." Kakashi had taken the liberty (and their privacy) to sit on one end of his colleague's table. He slid a packet that was neatly tied with a ribbon on the table to Iruka. "Here's your order."

Iruka placed his papers down. Earlier he had asked Kakashi to buy him some sweets to help him perk up. "You only bought one?"

"We could share." Kakashi's smile had widened into a smug one.

Even with only a small fraction of Kakashi's visage visible, Iruka had learned to understand the other teacher and his expressions. At the moment, Kakashi was giving him one of the looks Iruka had learnt to never trust completely. That one exposed eye was practically screaming of mischievousness. He figured Kakashi, who arguably had a natural flair in twisting his words just to have his own way, would not give him a straight answer, not when he was this sly. "You did buy two. What did you do with the other one? Charity?"

"…You could say that." Kakashi closed his eyes dramatically, mysteriously.

Iruka wanted to ask more, but the rational part of him told him to keep his mouth shut. It was best if he remained in the dark, he mused. But that did not stop him from giving Kakashi a suspicious look.

"Oh, come on!" Kakashi objected. "It's not like I rigged them with anything!"

"Really?" asked Iruka, incredulous.

"Really." With one hand on his chest, Kakashi held up the other, palm opened, for greater emphasis.

Iruka, who was on the verge of giving up, shook his head.

With victory on his side, Kakashi pulled one end of the ribbon to untie it. He did this almost coyly, that Iruka sighed in defeat. "Sugar was all it took." After a minute, he added, "And water. Ah, a recipe for happiness…"

- + - E n D - + -

Author's Notes:
(1) reminiscence of Gravitation. Couldn't resist putting it in.