Hiya! I hope you guys all loved that last chapter. This chapter might get a bit angst-y . Oh, and to all of you who picked up on the fact that Shikamaru knows more than he lets on.
- - -Recap- - -
It's Christmas day, Sasuke didn't show up for the party, duh. Tsunade knows about Sasuke being a cat. Um, yeah, oh and Naruto's being all angst-y because Sasuke isn't there.
- - -End Recap- - -
Naruto yawned and stretched, the bright sun flooding through his window and into his sensitive eyes. He winced. He noticed Sasuke lying next to him, his black fur soaking in sunlight like a cloth. He smiled sadly as he gently ran his fingers through that silky fur, wishing that it was that actual Sasuke he was touching like this, and not just a cat that he had found. He sighed heavily.
It was still Christmas, and he had guests. He gave Sasuke's fur one last stroke before getting up and walking to the living room. He hadn't had time to buy a tree, he had never needed one before and he hadn't even known Itachi was staying until all the trees were gone. Despite that, he still got up and gathered the presents that he had gotten for everyone and put it in a nice pile beside the fire place.
He lit the fire and got up to make hot chocolate, as the smell of the cocoa filled the house, he mentally began his countdown.
'5' the sounds of stirring
'4' the sounds of someone getting up
'3' the sounds of someone finding slippers and opening the door
'2' the sounds of someone walking down a hall
'1'
"IT'S CHRISTMAS! COME ON ITACHI-KUN, UP, UP!"
"GAHHH! WHAT THE HELL! KYUUBI WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ON MY BED DAMNIT!" Naruto giggled as he placed the three steaming cups of hot chocolate on the hearth, topped with whipped cream, along with a bowl of hot chocolate for the cat. He wasn't sure if cats liked hot chocolate, but you could never tell.
"GET OFF ME YOU CRAZY FOX!" Naruto heard a murmur of voices
"I DON'T CARE IF IT'S CHRISTMAS! I NEED MY SLEEP!"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T CARE?"
Sasuke came padding through the door, wearing a 'what the fuck?' expression on his face.
"GUYS SHUT UP YOU'RE GOING TO TRAUMATIZE MY CAT!" Naruto yelled at them. "Itachi-kun, Kyuu's right, we have presents." there was a triumphant laugh from Kyuu before Naruto continued "And Kyuu, stop molesting my guest." Naruto laughed. "Now both of you stop mooning over each other and come open presents." Apparently they decided that it would be wise for them to come over there, there was no knowing what kind of things Naruto would pull out of nowhere.
They both walked in, their faces red. Naruto grinned and winked at Sasuke, who was still 'wtf?'ing .
"OK everyone, present time!" Naruto said, grinning as Kyuubi and Itachi stood up to get their own presents from where they had been hiding them. When they had retrieved all their presents and gathered in front of the roaring fire. Naruto made sure that everyone had their hot chocolate and that they liked before he would even take his presents. Then he passed out the presents and was trying to force everyone to open their presents, until Kyuubi grabbed a present from the pile and shoved it in Naruto's hands.
"No, you open your damn presents!" Kyuubi finally snapped. "You had to spend all night at a party waiting for someone, and you get ramen, so open your presents." Naruto blinked, then nodded, looking at the tag of the present n his hands.
"Alright, this is from Kyuubi and to Itachi." he sweat dropped, as did everyone else in room.
"Oh, right, here, this one then." he handed Naruto a flat book-like shaped box. "This one's from 'Tachi." Naruto grinned and took it.
"Thanks guys." he said, before unceremoniously ripping the wrappings off of it. It was a black bound book with gold writing on it 'Memory'. Naruto stared, before slowly opening the first page. Sasuke stared. He hadn't. He looked closer. He had. He was going to kill his brother. He had somehow, he wasn't sure how, gotten his hands on pictures of Sasuke when he was younger.
Luckily for Sasuke, this was a present for Naruto, not to embarrass Sasuke, so they were nice pictures, not pictures of Sasuke naked or anything. There were pictures of Sasuke when he still smiled, when he still trained for fun, just to get better. There were lots of pictures, all of Sasuke. Naruto's eyes clouded up a bit.
"Turn to the back." Itachi said. Naruto did so. On the last page, there was a picture of Sasuke, since he had gotten back from his brief trip to Orochimaru, smiling.
"That's his smile for you, Naruto."
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"And last but not least, Itachi's present for Sasuke, a day we'd never thought we'd see." Naruto narrated loudly. Itachi handed Sasuke a small wrapped box. Sasuke, who blamed his impatience on being a cat, shredded the wrappings off, to reveal a box, that try as he might, he could not open with his claws. Laughing at his attempts, Naruto took the box from him. When he had opened it, he handed it to Sasuke without looking at it. When Sasuke saw it, he hissed angrily at Itachi.
"It expands to, so if you have a sudden. . .growth spurt, it will still fit." Itachi smirked. It was a leash. A red leash, with a red collar, with a gold tag on it that said "Sasuke, Property of Uzumaki Naruto.'
Kyuubi almost passed out from laughing so hard.
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Later that day, Naruto had headed out to do something, he hadn't told where he was going though. Which meant that he was off to look for Sasuke to see of the Uchiha wanted t spend Christmas with him. Like he did every year.
Sasuke decided to take advantage of this to talk to Itachi, after all, what better time to talk than Christmas day? He padded off to find Itachi, only to find him playing chess with Kyuubi, using the new chess bored that Naruto had gotten both of them for a shared present. He grinned, now he could get back at his brother for that present that he had gotten, after seeing how Naruto had managed to scare Itachi, he wondered if he could do the same. Of course he was, he was an Uchiha, he could do anything that Naruto could do.
He padded across the floor, his cat's paws making no sound on the hard wood floor. He stopped by Itachi's chair, bunching the muscles in his legs and jumping up. He landed on Itachi's head, Itachi hardly even flinched, nothing like the spastic reaction that he'd had when Naruto did it.
"Hullo Sasuke." he said, calmly moving his bishop to a strategic square on the board. Sasuke pouted, or at least he would have had he been human. Well, actually he wouldn't have pouted then either, as Uchiha's don't pout, ever. Sulk, yes, pout, no.
"How'd you know I was coming?" he meowed while Kyuubi translated. Itachi smirked.
"I could sense your chakra, you're going to have to do better than that, otouto. So, you obviously wanted to talk about something, so what is it?"
"Whats with Naruto? And what the hell was with that GIFT?" He screeched. The two winced before Kyuubi translated (A/N: OK, from now on, I won't put that Itachi translated, but he will be translating.) Itachi grinned.
"Something's we have to learn for ourselves, everyone else figured it out on their own."
"Everyone else?"
"You mean you haven't figured it out? Why otouto, I'm disappointed in you, everyone else, besides myself, who has figured out that Naruto is not all that he seems. There are very few, and only myself and the Kazekage know about Kyuu actually being able to come and go as he pleases."
"Who else knows?"
"I would think that it would obvious. The current Hokage, Jiraiya-sama, and Iruka-san. And your sensei suspects, as does that Nara kid. And the Kazekage, though that was not by choice, nor guess work, though I'm sure he would have figured it out regardless."
"How'd he find out then?"
"That you'll have to ask Kyuu-kun, he knows more about it then me." Itachi replied, Sasuke turned his eyes on the kitsune.
"Well, it was a long time ago, in a land far fa-"
"Cut to the crap Kyuu, we're not five."
"Right. Well, basically, since the Godaime is, as the kid puts it 'A lazy old woman' she's basically made Naruto the Hokage in all but name and title. Which means that he takes care of most of the diplomatic meetings, those which don't involve Konoha nins that is, which includes meetings with Gaara. So, imagine Gaara's surprise, when he expects to see the Hokage, he sees Naruto. So Naruto explains and it's all good and happy."
"And why didn't he tell me?"
"He didn't tell anyone. It's not my fault if you can't figure it out on your own." Kyuubi said simply. Itachi nodded, which caused Sasuke to have to grip into his head with his claws, as he was still on Itachi's head.
"ITAI!" Itachi screeche- urm, yelled. After all, Sasuke had just dug his very sharp claws into Itachi's head.
"Get off my head!" he said. Sasuke winced in apology before carefully removing his claws and getting off, hoping down onto the table. Kyuubi rushed over to check if Itachi was alright, taking the older Uchiha head in his hands and peering at it. It didn't escape Sasuke that his brother blushed slightly.
"Ouch, that looks painful. It's bleeding but only a bit. The only worry is damaging that pretty hair of yours. Why don't you go take a shower and wash it out?" Kyuubi suggested. Itachi glared at him, but went off to do it anyway. When Itachi had left, Sasuke turned to Kyuubi.
"How come you can understand me and not Naruto?" he asked. Kyuubi grinned
"Ah, that would be because of me. Usually Naruto can understand animals, whether I'm in him or not, but I figured I'd salvage your wounded pride and let Naruto keep think that you were mute, so I fiddled with his head, and I made it so that what normal people hear with animals, that's what he hears."
"Ah."
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"Hi." Naruto said, as he suddenly popped into existence by where Sasuke had been sitting on Naruto's pillow pile in the hidden room. Sasuke jumped, landing in a soft, fluffy pile as Naruto laughed.
"Mah, sorry 'bout that." he said, not sounding sorry at all. "I just want to draw, ever since this morning, so yeah, scootch, you can watch if you want." he grinned, nudging Sasuke over on the pillows and plopping down. He effortlessly reached into the cubbies that had shocked Sasuke so rudely before, and grabbed his sketchbook and a handful of pencils. He opened the sketch book to a blank page and began to draw. Sasuke watched, fascinated, as a shape began to gain form on the page. After a while, he began to see that the picture was of him.
He'd never seen himself like that before, he had heard that he was pretty, everyone said it, but with Naruto, he saw how others, or t least Naruto, must see him.
He was leaning over the bridge where they met, his head on his clasped hands. His expression was distant and a small, almost impossible to notice, smile stretched his mouth. Was this how Naruto saw him? If anyone had told him that Naruto drew pictures of him, he would have laughed in their face, Uchiha image or not. Then he would have assumed that it was a stick figure of him with kunais in it. Apparently that wasn't true, and he didn't feel much like laughing.
Naruto sighed as he finished colouring he picture in.
"There, yet another picture done! You want to see the others?" he asked the cat by his shoulder, who nodded. Naruto flipped to the front, where there was a picture of Sasuke standing in the shade of an oak tree.
"Ok, just tell me when you want me to turn the page, k?" he said. Sasuke nodded. He nudged Naruto's hand, which obediently turned the page. This was a picture of team seven, with Kakashi innocently messing up Naruto's hair, with his other arm around Sakura and Sasuke in the middle. He nudged Naruto's hand again. Each page held a picture of Sasuke, sometimes with others around him, but always as the main focus.
What did this mean?
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"Calm down you stupid cat!" Naruto said "It's not like I'm going to kill you! I just want to go see the Hokage to see if she as any news on the dumb Uchiha. I mean, honestly, who the hell goes missing on Christmas?"
He pushed open the door to the Hokage tower, passing the guards with a cheery wave, which they glared at.
"Baa-chan! Did you find any news on that teme?" Naruto asked, barging in as if he owned the place.
"Hai, I have news."
"Really? What is it? Tell me!" he yelled, springing towards here and almost dislodging Sasuke from his shoulder.
"He's fine, brat, just busy. He'll be back soon."
"And why didn't you tell me this? I was worried sick about him." he cried. The Hokage smirked.
"Well, that's your fault for being paranoid, isn't it gaki?"
"No, it's your fault for not telling me!"
"Minor technicality. But he's well taken care of, I promise you."
"Taken care of where?"
"He asks that I not tell you."
"He'd never know."
"You'd be surprised."
"Ok, fine, but would he do if you did tell me?"
"Oh." she smirked, her eyes flitting to Sasuke "He'd throw a hissy fit."
The door almost hit the Anbu outside as the loudmouth of Konoha slammed it open. when he strode out.
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"Kiba! Get your crazy dog away from me!" Naruto yelled as Akamaru attempted to climb him in an effort to get at the cat on his shoulder. Sasuke hissed at the dog, regardless of the fact that the dog was twice his size. The dog jumped up higher.
Then, it made the mistake of trying to engage the Uchiha-neko in a staring contest. Sasuke, a natural at staring people down, let his eyes narrow in a glare. Akamaru got off of Naruto but didn't break eye contact. Sasuke let ice creep into his gaze, sure to terrify.
Akamaru bent his head in submission. Kiba's mouth dropped open.
"Dude! Your cat just stared down my dog like an Alpha male! Akamaru has never bent his head for anyone, and your fluff ball stared him down! And Akamaru's a ninja dog!"
"He learned it from me!" Naruto exclaimed with false pride.
"Nah, he learned that from Uchiha! Must've been, you couldn't glare if your life depends on it!"
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Naruto stomped his foot. Kiba grinned.
"Nothing, except that you can't glare like an Alpha male."
"And Sasuke can?"
"Dude, Uchiha may have a stick up his ass, but you got to admit, he's pretty good at glaring." Kiba laughed. Naruto grinned along.
"True."
"Yeah, but really, Sasuke is such a bastard, I mean, he thinks that he can do anything, what is he god?" Kiba laughed, not noticing that Naruto had stopped laughing. He just kept saying rather rude things about Sasuke. Suddenly he was up against a wall. Naruto holding him there.
"Hey, Kiba, no one insults Sasuke but me. And no one, ever, calls him a whore, got it?" Naruto said, his voice deadly cold. Freaked out, Kiba nodded. Naruto grinned and dropped him.
"Good. Now I better be heading home, I got things to do, places to be, people to see, all that jazz." Naruto walked off, Kiba slid down the wall.
"Ok." he said, picking up Akamaru and petting him gently "Maybe he can glare like an Alpha male."
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"Mah, I bet you wonder why I do all these things for a jerk who will never see me as
anything more than a irritation, ne?" Naruto asked when they had returned home, as the cat had been staring at him for the whole trip back. Sasuke nodded.
"Because I love him." ignoring his cat's sudden wide eyed expression, he continued. "I know, it's so like me, stupid and irrational, to fall for someone like him. Do you know that he's exactly what I'm not looking for in a life partner. I always thought that I'd fall for a nice pretty girl, who's soft spoken, and smart enough to actually be able to talk to. Someone who would love me as much as I love them. Sasuke isn't any of those things, well, except pretty." Sasuke repressed a growl. "He never talks at all except to insult me, and while's smart, he wouldn't want to talk with me, and he definitely doesn't love me as much as I love him. He just hates me. He's nothing like I was looking for. . .he's more."
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Sasuke sat on the pillow pile, thinking about what Naruto had said. Naruto was in love with him. He supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised, but it was still a shock. Now the question was, how did he feel about Naruto. He knew that he would die for him, or do anything to make him smile that real smile that was to seldom seen. But was that love? If it was, did he love Naruto as much as Naruto seemed to love him? He wasn't sure. Almost unbidden memories popped up, first and foremost, the moment that Naruto had stopped him from going to Orochimaru.
- - - Flashback- - -
"You're making the wrong choice, Sasuke!" Naruto cried, his voice caring grief and anger. Sasuke laughed darkly.
"Am I? Orochimaru is strong, from him I will gain the power that I need."
"You're wrong, he's not strong. And if you chose him, you will never be strong."
"What do you know about being strong? You're the dead last, you could never know strength."
"I know that there are Konoha nins stronger by far then that snake bastard. I know, I've seen them fight! Orochimaru is only one of three Sasuke! Would you really give up everything to become second best?"
"Second best? To who? You? Sakura? Don't make me laugh."
"Konoha has stronger ninjas, because we have stronger wills. If you only look for strength, you'll never find it. True strength comes in protecting the ones you care about. In fighting for someone else. And you can say that it's not true, I don't care, but out there are Konoha nins, no, Konoha chunnins that are beating the hell out of your precious sound nins, who are, what, Jounin? Anbu? And they can't even beat a few weak kids. You're going over to the weak side. You're going to the losing side. Is that what you want? To always be weaker than someone."
"I will go to Sound and I will get stronger than him."
"You want to know what, Sasuke? You won't be stronger than him, Orochimaru in your body, will be. He's just using you, if you let him have you after three years, he's going to kill your soul and take over your body. Is that what you want? IS IT?"
"I-"
And you want to know what else? There are Konoha ninja's stronger than him, and they learned everything that they needed to right here in Konoha. The Yondaime defeated Kyuubi, didn't he, could your Orochimaru, with twice the years and experience, do that? Is that the side you want to be on? Or do you want to come back with me, and get trained by the same person who trained the Yondaime, who was also teammates with the snake freak, and stay with your friends. Or do you want to go to Sound, and kill me. Because that's the only way you're getting there. Over. My. Dead. Body. Got it?"
- - -End Flashback- - -
Sasuke thought back to the time when he had died for Naruto without thinking, all the times that they had fought, and realized that Naruto had been holding back. He wasn't sure what he felt towards his teammate, but he wanted to learn more about the blonde boy, but we wanted to be in his human form. And for that, he would need the help of a prankster, or a kitsune.
- - -To Be Continued- - -
Yay! A chappie! Sorry if it's a bit on the short size, next chappie should be longer, as Sasuke will become human again! Yay!
And many thanks to my beta! Kai19! Her idea with the Kiba thing was all her idea! I just put it into wrds! So yeah!