Disclaimer: The names and characters in this story do not belong to me.

Warning: Minor violence and mild swearing. This is still a Shounen ai so just because there wasn't any action between them yet doesn't mean that that's the way the whole story is going to be.

A Two Person Mission
(edited)

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Sasuke couldn't sleep. He just kept tossing and turning on his bed. He was very pissed off by this. He needed a good sleep so that he could get up and focus on tomorrows mission. The more he tried the more that the thoughts he'd been trying to suppress all day floated in front of his eyes. He had thoughts of a certain blonde who was always so dumb but could be so annoying, or gullible, no adorable. That was the word that he was looking for. Naruto could be cute without even knowing it. Like when he pushed me today, he thought. Sasuke reached up to touch his arm where the blonde boy had pushed him. What am I thinking? I'm just being stupid, Sasuke thought or maybe he was reassuring himself. Whatever it was it settled his wandering mind and he rolled over onto his side and finally, after hours of restless turning, fell asleep.

----

"What?" Naruto said still half asleep. He heard it again a tapping sound. He sat up in bed and scratched his head. He stood up and grabbed his dresser for balance. He had to find whatever was making that annoying tapping and hurt it. All the thoughts of the mission gone from his mind he followed the noise all the way to the door.

"Shit," he said when he opened the door.

"Kakashi said to make sure you were coming," Sasuke said to the boy who was still in his boxers and very toned (might he add). He looked quite cute in his red silk boxers, Sasuke wanted to glomp him right there. Hold the phone, what was he thinking? Of course he didn't want to glomp Naruto.

'Well I am so go away,' Naruto said almost closing the door.

'Well, wasn't that interesting,' Sasuke said, as he turned away and walked down the small set of stairs. He walked slowly to the bridge taking his time because he knew he would be the first one there. He was always the first and Kakashi sensei was always the last.

Sasuke had lied to Naruto. Kakashi wouldn't be there for a while. He knew that the blonde would've been late because he was tired from yesterday. Maybe part of him had wanted to see Naruto in his boxers too.

Sasuke arrived at the bridge and was unsurprised by the lack of people there so he took to sitting on the railing of the bridge to wait for the others to arrive. This would be a good time to think about the weird dream he had had last night.

Sasuke was walking through the woods and he could feel someone near by. Someone following him. Did they think he was stupid? He could see them darting in and out of the trees. They were horrible at hiding themselves. Or maybe they didn't want to be hidden. It was always a possibility. He stopped walking and stood silent in the still woods. There was an eerie silence to this place. He didn't like it. He was just about to leave when--

"Boo! I scared you didn't I?" a voice said from behind him, covering his eyes. Sasuke could tell by the voice that it was Naruto and his hands were warm on his face.

"What are you--?"

"No time for talk right now," Naruto said placing his plump lips on top of Sasuke's. At first he fought it, but Naruto was either too strong and he couldn't pull away or the scariest thought of all; he wanted Naruto to kiss him.

This was where Sasuke had woken up. The thought had scared him. He didn't want to be gay, especially with Naruto. But maybe his dream was trying to tell him something. He had called Naruto cute yesterday, not to his face though. He would never admit that to Naruto. Never, never, never.

----

"Good thing Sasuke came to my door to wake me up," Naruto said quietly to himself. He stopped. "Why did Sasuke come to my door?" Naruto questioned the room around him almost half expecting an answer.

Naruto was frantically looking through his clothes trying to find something other then an orange suit to wear, it was going to be a hot day today, the sun was up and warm and it was only 7:30 in the morning. Naruto had boiled ramen and left it to cook as he threw on a comfortable pair of older jeans and a plain black t-shirt. Naruto then went to the kitchen to eat his breakfast of ramen.

Naruto had just run out the door and he had to hurry because Kakashi sensei might leave without him. It might actually be an important mission this time. Naruto saw Sakura and slowed down so that she wouldn't see him running. He casually walked up to her.

"Hey Sakura," Naruto said as smoothly as he could.

"Hello Naruto," Sakura said sleepily and yawning. Naruto didn't say anything until they reached the bridge and saw Sasuke sitting on the bridge; he was staring glossy eyed into the water on the other side of the bridge. Naruto waved a hand in front of his face and smiled when he didn't react. He reached over to his arms but didn't touch them until he shouted-

"BOO!" he then grabbed Sasuke to shock him.

"Naruto, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Sasuke asked dully.

"Waking you up so you don't fall into the river stupid," Naruto said resting his back and elbows on the ledge of the bridge.

Everything was quiet except the river. It was odd.

POOF! Kakashi sensei appeared suddenly in the cloud of smoke he normally did.

"You're next mission is to escort some papers of importance to the wave country. It is a C ranked mission and I will only be sending Naruto and Sasuke. Sakura you will stay here, the Hokage has an important assignment for you to complete here in the village." Kakashi explained.

"When do we leave?" Naruto asked quietly.

"You will leave at 11 o'clock this morning." Kakashi sensei said. "Sakura, the Hokage said for you to meet her in her office as soon as you got the information."

"Okay," she said quieter then ever, slowly walking away.

"That's all I really had to tell you so I'll see you guys later." Then Kakashi sensei disappeared the way he always does.

In a cloud of smoke.

"So what now?" Naruto asked. His stomach grumbled loudly. "How about we go have some ramen before we go. It's going to be a long trip to the wave country and we won't have any ramen."

"Is ramen all you think about?" Sasuke asked him.

"No, sometimes I think about you," Naruto said playfully. Sasuke stayed silent and didn't even give that statement time to bother him.

----

How did Naruto do it? Sasuke had just paid for Naruto's ramen. Again. Naruto always made up excuses. And how could you say no to such big blue eyes?

Sasuke was in a bad mood having just paid for Naruto's 7 bowls of ramen. They were now waiting against a wall of the village for their mission to arrive.

"You know I wasn't kidding before," Naruto said looking up at the sky.

"When?" Sasuke said, but he remembered.

"When I said that I think about you sometimes. I do," Naruto said still looking up at the clear blue sky. "You just pop into my head and the more I try to shove you out of my thoughts the more you want to stay. I know it sounds stupid-"

"No, it doesn't," Sasuke said. Looking at the dark trees that were close to the village door. "Sometimes I'll do something and it will remind me of you and then you're stuck in my head until I find some desperate way to get rid of you."

"I didn't know that you were like that too. Isn't that funny," Naruto said shoving his hands in his pockets. Sasuke let a small smile rest on his lips until he forced it back down.

"Don't flatter yourself it's not a big deal," Sasuke said still looking into the woods.

"All ready to go?" Kakashi-sensei had appeared with the papers for their mission.

"Yeah," Sasuke said taking the papers that Kakashi held out.

"There are some directions on the one of the pages so you know who to give them to," Kakashi said poofing away in one of his annoying cloud things.

"So you ready?" Naruto asked Sasuke standing up straight a couple feet away from the wall.

"Yeah, sure whatever, dobe," Sasuke smiled as a pout found its way to Naruto's face.

"You know I hate it when you call me that," Naruto said sounding hurt. His eyes had a glint of playfulness in them. Naruto had not been hurt, not too much anyways.

"What makes you think I care?" Sasuke said not smiling and starting the long walk for their mission.

It had been quiet for a while. Naruto wasn't talking, just walking. This was scaring Sasuke a little. Was it because he was embarrassed about what they had talked about earlier? The number one loud-mouthed ninja was never quiet unless he had a reason.

"Something wrong Naruto?" he asked after a couple minutes. Something had to be seriously wrong.

"No, why?" he asked from beside Sasuke. He was surprised the boy had said something. It had been getting quiet. Naruto had just kept quiet thinking Sasuke would get annoyed with him if he talked too much. They would be on this mission for about a week if nothing went wrong. He didn't want Sasuke pissed at him because that wouldn't be good for anyone.

"You're really quiet I was starting to get a little scared you're never quiet. As long as you're okay..." Sasuke said a little quieter then before. Looking almost longingly at Naruto. He looked different when he was quiet and not being loud and annoying. For the better, Sasuke thought to himself almost smiling.

"I'm fine, I thought you would be annoyed by my talking, and annoying Sasuke is like signing your death certificate,' Naruto said keeping his eyes on the ground.

"You always liked annoying me before..." Sasuke said a little freaked out by this new Naruto.

"Well I started caring about not annoying you when you announced your love to me," Naruto smiled but still refused to take his eyes off the ground.

"Announced my... hold on a minute... I did not announce my love for you... and what does not wanting to annoy me by talking have anything to do with that reason..." Sasuke said blushing just a little. How could Naruto say that he had announced his love when he had only said that he thought about him sometimes.

Or maybe why was he freaking out so much?

'Deny you're love, and it will only grow,' was all that Naruto said.

"I do not love you," Sasuke said refusing to look at anything but the ground

"Tell that to your face. You look like an overly ripe tomato," Naruto said chuckling.

Sasuke slowed down his pace but did not stop, letting Naruto walk ahead of him still laughing.

'Was his face really that red?'Sasuke was embarrassed by what the blonde had said and stayed behind him for the better part of an hour.

"I was only joking with you Sasuke," Naruto said after what seemed like forever in the silence.

"Hn," was the only thing that Sasuke said in reply.

In a flash, Naruto had taken Sasuke around the middle and had pinned him in between himself and a nearby tree. "You shouldn't take me so seriously Sasuke," the blonde said only a few inches from Sasuke's mouth. His breathing had sped up a little but he was determined not to let it show. "What's wrong Sasuke, nervous?" Naruto asked getting closer to his lips.

No! He couldn't kiss Naruto; he wasn't sure of his feelings what if--. "Naruto stop joking around... its not funny anymore."

"What if I said I wasn't joking Sasuke," Naruto said coyly.

"I'd say we still have a mission to do," Sasuke said pushing out of Naruto's arms.

"Not so fast, Sugar, I'm not done with you yet," Naruto said sounding almost angry, slamming Sasuke's back against the tree again. Sasuke made a small attempt but stopped abruptly when Naruto pushed his lips roughly on to Sasuke's.

"That's enough," Sasuke said detaching their lips. Naruto let him wriggle free of his arms and continue walking but not before placing a loving kiss on the other boys neck.

'Oh God! I just kissed Naruto,' Sasuke thought horrified. What had he done?

----

It was getting dark and they had to find shelter. Sasuke found a place that was well hidden from the road and Naruto followed. Sasuke went to find firewood and Naruto had stayed at the camp.

Naruto had climbed a tree and was looking at the orange and pink sunset while he thought about the fact that he had kissed Sasuke. He didn't regret it at all and he could tell that Sasuke had wanted it, maybe not as much as Naruto had. Sasuke still hadn't sorted out his feelings yet. Naruto could tell. He was all embarrassed and withdrawn now. Even more so then before. It was like Sasuke had just shriveled up and died.

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--To be continued--