Title: Parallels
Authors: Questofdreams and Lazuli
Rated: R
Comments: Huge thanks to our beta, proud snapist.
Disclaimer: Yep, they apply.

Chapter 7

"How should I repay you?"

Sasuke licked at Naruto's lips and Naruto made a small face at the residual taste in Sasuke's mouth, but didn't comment.

"Hm," Sasuke murmured thoughtfully. "I can think of a few ways."

Naruto cupped Sasuke's backside, fingers massaging the taut muscles. He couldn't help the warmth creeping up his neck as he thought about the things he could do with that firm backside.

I'm turning into a pervert, he thought with a grimace. Ero-sennin would be proud... then he'd smack me upside the head for taking so long and ask why I wasn't into girls.

"Well, I'm not as into public displays as you are." He nipped at Sasuke's lips. "We'd have to take this inside." He couldn't help but tighten his grip, enjoying Sasuke's appreciative little gasp at that. "But didn't my father give us a mission?" he asked, his mind still digging through the haze of afterglow back to their meeting with his father.

Sasuke drew back and lifted a dark eyebrow. "Tomorrow... perimeter patrol. Was that too much for you to remember?"

Naruto opened his mouth to argue just as his stomach let out a loud rumble. He smiled sheepishly. "Er...ramen?" he asked.

Sasuke flattened his lips. "You're lucky I like to keep you happy. But since you mentioned it, I expect to be repaid later."

Naruto smiled and slung an arm around Sasuke, tugging the man back into the street and, despite what they'd just done, he was unable to help the strangeness when Sasuke didn't pull away.

"What are you grinning about?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh, just... comparing," Naruto said. "The possibility of the other you doing to me what you just did." He snorted again. "But..." He shrugged and gave Sasuke a look, thinking over his initial idea. Maybe he could discuss it with Sasuke. At least he didn't have to worry about losing Sasuke's friendship because of him being disgusted or scared off. He related the idea to Sasuke. "What do you think?" he asked. "Is it probable? I mean... you are supposed to be the same person and all... and Sasuke was a prick even before he ran off to Orochimaru."

"We didn't always get along, you know," Sasuke said.

Naruto gave him a questioning look.

Sasuke sighed. "Well, you make it sound as if we're so different. And yeah, we are now. But he sounds like how I was before we...became more. All we ever did was fight back then. I thought I hated you, because you seemed so happy with your family and everything seemed to be perfect for you."

Naruto cocked his head thoughtfully. "Okay, but you haven't answered me yet."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Sure. Sounds plausible."

Naruto rolled his eyes as he poked at Sasuke. "You didn't even think about it!" he accused. "You just blindly answered." He pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. "C'mon, I need some serious advice here. You and Sasuke are supposed to be the same person, but you're nicer and... damn it, Sasuke." Naruto stood in front of him, eyes narrowed. "Is it just because I'm the Yondaime's son?"

Sasuke came to a stop and pushed Naruto's arm off his shoulder. "Of everything you've said today, that might be the stupidest one. I used to put up with you because you were the Yondaime's son. I stay with you because you're Naruto." He reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair before drawing back and smacking Naruto's head. "Stop asking me stupid questions."

Naruto growled and stalked away, heading straight for the direction of the ramen stand that he frequented. And it better be here in this reality! He groused to himself. I'm not giving up my favorite meal or my favorite place to eat it.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and followed Naruto. He said things were very different. And when I spoke to the Naruto I know--even for those brief moments, he was astonished at the difference. Maybe his question isn't as stupid as it seems.

Naruto let out a whoop of joy as the ramen stand came into view. Sasuke's lips curled into the barest of pleasant smiles as he watched Naruto's exuberance. His mouth turned down again as he returned to his thoughts.

If I had betrayed the village, he thought with a frown, and I came back...I would trust no one because no one would trust me. When he thought about it that way, this other Sasuke's attitude made sense. But then again.

Sasuke was a prick even before he ran off to Orochimaru. Naruto's words rang through his head. Meaning he had never even tried to get close to Naruto before then. And then betraying the village killed any chance of that. He was certain, though--if they were the same person, that this other Sasuke felt the same for Naruto.

Naruto looked back at him. "Why are you being so slow?" he demanded. "Get over here!" It seemed his earlier annoyance was completely gone.

Sasuke set aside his thoughts and joined Naruto at the stand, taking a seat next to Naruto who had already ordered. "I'll have the same," he said to the old man behind the counter.

He rested his arms on the countertop, content to watch Naruto twiddle his thumbs in anticipation of his favorite food. He normally couldn't stand ramen but since he didn't eat it nearly as often Naruto did, he could stomach it from time to time.

Naruto was giving him a wide grin, eyes squinched up at the corners. "Hehe, I don't have to worry about buying it this time," he said, but Sasuke knew that grin and it made him want to thump his head on the table. After all of what Sasuke had told the idiot, he was still pretending with that happy-go-lucky attitude. Lighten up, Sasuke, he tried to tell himself. You hid your feelings too. He just looks like a moron when he hides his.

"And why is that, Naruto?" He raised an eyebrow. "You don't think I'm paying for your meal, do you?"

Naruto bristled, as if insulted. "That's not what I meant." He clapped his hands together in excitement as a steaming bowl of miso ramen was set before him. He snapped his chopsticks apart and prepared to dig in when Sasuke whipped the thin wooden sticks out of his hand. "Hey!"

"Then what did you mean?" Sasuke asked, holding the chopsticks out of Naruto's reaching grasp.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well, I don't know about you, Mr. High and Mighty--but I had to worry about spending my money on other things." He reached for the chopsticks again. "Now give them back to me, damn it!"

Sasuke smirked and held them high above Naruto's head, the owners of the stand ignoring this display. Apparently they were used to it, or something like it.

"Like what?" Sasuke asked without thought. He mentally winced when Naruto glared at him.

"Like keeping my apartment!" Naruto snapped, finally snatching the chopsticks out of Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke moved his arm as another bowl was set in front of him, but he made no move to begin eating. He stared as Naruto practically breathed down the noodles. "Look...sorry."

Naruto shrugged it off. "You didn't know. It's not like it was something the other me had to deal with before. It's not a big deal," he said in between bites. He lifted his head to give Sasuke a faint smile. "It seems that we still have to learn about each other, hmm?" he asked. "Even if we're the same people, there are enough differences that cause a rift. I don't want to ruin anything while I'm here."

"Don't worry about it," Sasuke said, grabbing a pair of his own chopsticks. "Besides, I think we're getting along fine."

Naruto glanced over at him to see a small smirk on his lips. He rolled his eyes, realizing Sasuke was referring to what they'd just done in the alley.

He stared at Sasuke, wanting to ask just how they got together, but positive that it didn't need to be asked in a public setting.

"I don't care," he muttered. "We need to talk and we're going to do it." He slurped down the rest of his noodles, finishing his meal before Sasuke had the time to take a few bites. "Or else." He smirked.

Sasuke gave him a curious look when he didn't finish.

"Or else you don't get payment for services rendered," Naruto said, sounding as businesslike as possible.

Sasuke swallowed his mouthful of ramen before he could spew it all across the countertop. "Did you just...?" Sasuke snorted and shook his head. "Never mind."

Naruto smirked at him, handing his bowl back to the owner, a satisfied look on his face as he dug out his wallet and handed over enough money for two bowls of ramen. The look he gave Sasuke said everything. Hah. Maybe he'll see that's payment enough if he doesn't get his act together and answer some of my questions, damn it.

With the look Sasuke gave him, he knew his message had been received. "Naruto," Sasuke growled.

Naruto gave him an innocent grin before purposely changing the subject. "I was wondering. Is Iruka still teaching at the academy? I want to look around, see if things are the same."

Sasuke didn't reply, just continued eating his ramen in silence.

"How about Kakashi? Is he still a pervert? And...and the Hyuugas! Has the Yondaime done anything about the way the clan is run?"

Sasuke thunked him lightly on the head. "We'll talk in private," he muttered. "Or else you're going to have people giving you stranger looks than normal." He sighed at Naruto's confused look. "You're expected to know these things already, Naruto." The same hand that smacked him rested gently on his head. "I promise I'll answer your questions... as long as you answer some of mine."

Naruto pushed away Sasuke's hand and shrugged. "I'm nothing if not reasonable."

Sasuke snorted at that, ignoring Naruto's broad grin. He finished up his noodles and stood from his stool, wiping his mouth on a napkin. "So let's talk then." He pushed past the flaps that hung over the entrance to the stand, he and Naruto walking side by side down the street, away from the crowd of the market place.

Naruto looked around and he meandered along the pathways until his feet took him to the old training grounds--the memorial where Sasuke had committed his first act of human kindness in Naruto's book.

"Heh, this place should do." He leaned against one of the logs.

Sasuke sank to the ground, leaning against another of the logs and propping his arms on his raised knees. "So?" he said. "Talk."

Naruto angled him an irritated look. He turned to look at a crop of trees that shielded the monument from view. He would have walked over and looked at it if not for fear of the names he might find there.

"Why aren't you as much of an asshole to me as the Sasuke I know?" he asked bluntly. He didn't quite mean for it to come out that way, but it just did. "And this is before the Orochimaru shit that he went through." Naruto's lips were pressed into a thin line as that memory surfaced in his mind. "You had to become friends with me somehow."

Sasuke stared at some distant spot and asked, "Do you remember our first major mission?"

Did Naruto remember? He would never forget. "Of course. Wave country."

"Yeah," Sasuke said softly. "I guess that's when it began." He turned his face to look at Naruto. "Would you agree?"

Naruto couldn't deny that that was when he had come to terms with the strength of his feelings for Sasuke, even if they hadn't been romantic feelings at the time. Naruto hunched his knees up to his chest.

"That was the first time that kyuubi really broke free, too," he said softly. "I... " He made a face and looked over at Sasuke. "Even if you didn't act like it towards me, you were a friend... or at least someone I didn't want to lose to. I didn't have anyone at all--" He made a face. "I don't know how different it was for you when it happened, but..."

Sasuke returned to staring off into the distance. "It couldn't have been that different. Haku--" Sasuke noted how Naruto looked down at his lap, expression torn between sadness and anger. "--was a strong opponent. I still can't quite say what made me do it."

"That doesn't really matter anymore. Your body understood what we were to each other even if your mind hadn't yet accepted it."

Sasuke gave a faint smile. "Kakashi said the same thing to you, too?" he asked. He shook his head. "But we trained together. We were always trying to beat the crap out of each other and we still do. But ... I realized at one point that you were my friend." He tilted his head and looked at Naruto. "When did the other Sasuke tell you that he was your friend?"

Naruto's laugh was humorless. "Not too long before he tried to kill me."

Sasuke frowned at the thread of pain behind Naruto's words. He doubted even Naruto realized it was there. "Why did he try to kill you?"

Naruto paused a long moment before turning to Sasuke. "What did your brother tell you the night your clan...?" He didn't finish the question, knowing Sasuke would catch on. And the moment he did, his dark eyes widened just a fraction.

"To get the power I needed to kill him, I had to kill my best friend." His eyes closed and he shook his head. "Jeez, what an idiot," he muttered. "I told the other you that, too—that I needed to kill the person closest to me." His eyes were sad as he turned to Naruto. "I'm sorry that happened to you, Naruto. And I wish I could reassure you, but had it happened to me, I don't know if I wouldn't have taken the power he offered."

Naruto shook his head to disavow Sasuke of the notion; Naruto was not expecting reassurance from Sasuke, just a semblance of understanding. "In the end, he couldn't kill me…and not just because of kyuubi. He could have killed me after I was knocked out, but when I opened my eyes, the other you was nowhere in sight. We tore each other up pretty badly, but he just left after that."

"But...he came back," Sasuke said, unable to believe that he would abandon Naruto forever. Eventually, the crushing wave of rage and revenge would pass and give way to reason. Wasn't that the way of things? His ultimate goal was to defeat his brother, but the biting hatred and sharp edges of his bitterness had faded enough for him to be reasonable in his approach to fulfilling that goal. He had Naruto to thank for a great deal of that.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "It hasn't been that long since he came back." Naruto clenched his fist. "He's still hurting, and I can't do a damn thing about it. Even if he didn't trust anybody, he trusted me a little. Now he hardly even deals with me and it pisses me off!" Naruto shouted.

"So make him look at you. You've done it before," Sasuke said evenly, giving Naruto a small smile. "You...the other part of you, that is...forced me to face how I felt about you. It started out as a fight. Everything between us starts with a fight." He grunted softly, almost fondly at the thought.

"You mean you didn't just fall for my charms right away?" Naruto asked, his lips forming into a half-smile.

Sasuke snorted. "A loudmouth like you?" he asked incredulously. "I thought you were a waste of air at first." He smirked and ran a hand through Naruto's hair. "Besides, I was too busy pummeling you into the ground, because you acted like an idiot, complaining about how you were sick of your father being looked at with pity because he kept you around.

"I never pitied your father because you had the kyuubi. I pitied him because you were such a dunce." Sasuke ducked his head, dodging Naruto's open palm. "I kicked some sense into you eventually though. I had to learn early to ignore the looks people gave me. My goals were all I had. That you cared so much about what other people thought of you irritated me, and if you hadn't been in my face all the time, if I hadn't noticed how other people looked at you…" He shrugged it off. "The way you acted held you back from focusing on your skills. That's why you were such a dead last."

Naruto's eyes narrowed at him. "You're telling me that caring about people is something that would hold me back?" he demanded. "I'm going to be the Hokage one day, Sasuke, and that means noticing what other people say and being able to put it behind me." He shook his head. "I stopped being angry about what other people thought of me a long time ago. It's not healthy to harbor animosity toward an entire village simply because they thought you took away their hero. It hurt but, I dealt with it." He raised an eyebrow. "So how did I make you admit your feelings to me?"

Sasuke smiled at the memory. "You heard some villagers talking about how I was going to have to pick a bride to carry on the Uchiha name and you went berserk."

Naruto arched a dubious eyebrow. "Berserk? Oh really?"

Sasuke's smile grew. "Yeah, and you came straight to me, demanding to know who I was going to marry."

Naruto glared at him. "You're lying."

Sasuke shook his head, clearly enjoying Naruto's discomfort. "No, you blindly assumed that I was going to marry some brainless, fawning fangirl that I'd never even looked at in my entire life---and you tried to throttle me, asking who and why and then there was the 'You won't be happy with any of them' speech."

Naruto looked at him. "No way." He could almost see himself doing that, though--and it disturbed him. "So." Naruto almost didn't want to know. "What did you do?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I asked why you cared."

Naruto's shoulders drooped a little at that, imagining what his response had been. "I didn't make a fool of myself by declaring my love for you, did I?" he asked. He wasn't that big of a lovesick idiot, was he?

Sasuke smirked and debated telling him that he did, but he decided that if they were trying to be truthful with each other... "No, you didn't." He smirked. "You said that I was an ass as it was, and no one deserved to put up with my crap."

Naruto waited when he paused. After several moments, Naruto grew impatient. "Well? Then what happened?"

"I asked why you put up with me and you said probably the same reason why I put up with you."

Naruto tugged a hand through his hair. "And the reason was?"

Sasuke pushed his bangs back and blinked up at the sky. "I didn't know. That's why I had to really think about why."

Naruto snorted. "The other Sasuke and I ... we related on a lot of levels." He propped his chin up in his hands. "I thought we could be friends. I kind of wanted to be like Sasuke when I was younger..." He made a face. "Then Sasuke started acting like a prick."

"Maybe he realized how he felt about you too."

Naruto turned to look at him, lips pursed. "Huh?"

Sasuke shook his head at Naruto's expression. "I figured out why I put up with you and I didn't like it. So I treated you worse, to push you away. But you're so damn clingy and eventually...well, one thing led to another."

Naruto grinned at the smile tugging on Sasuke's lips and reached over to nudge the man in the shoulder. "I was clingy?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "I wasn't the one trying to shove me into a wall while my father walked by." He smirked, and neglected to leave off the other Sasuke's comment about "Naruto" doing the same thing to him.

Sasuke snorted. "You were always around, always shouting and making faces. Jeez, I thought you were annoying."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"And after a little too much contact, I decided not all reactions were bad," he said, a tinge of color rising in his neck.

Naruto laughed and nudged him again. "You just sucked me off in an alley, and you're blushing about this?"

Sasuke turned to glare at him, although the look was lacking in anger. "I'm not blushing, moron."

Naruto smirked and leaned closer to Sasuke. "You are blushing!" he said, chuckling. "Will wonders never cease..." Naruto gave a faint laugh. "You know, you're the only one I could trust to talk about with stuff like this? Even after... well, even after we went to retrieve Sasuke and, to the shock of us all, he returned almost willingly--" He shrugged. "It wasn't the same." Naruto looked uncomfortable. "Do either of us have friends besides each other? Actual friends?"

Sasuke frowned at him, hiding a sheepish look. "We have friends. Same people from our Academy days. We hang out from time to time. But we're always so busy with missions, it's not that often. You and Hinata spent a lot of time together a couple years back," he said with a tilt of his eyebrow.

"Hinata?" Naruto blinked at that, recalling the pale-eyed Hyuuga girl who reminded Naruto of himself, in the way she was determined to fight her own way, make her own path. "Huh." He smirked slightly at the look on Sasuke's face. "Jealous?"

"Hardly," he snorted indifferently. "You knew that if you hurt her, Neji would have your head. And eventually she figured out you weren't interested that way."

"What about Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei? They still around?"

Sasuke nodded. "We see them often enough."

"Sometimes I just kind of expect that those around me will always be there. After you left, I learned my lesson. But then you came back and it was you I focused on keeping beside me and everyone else I just kind of...took for granted." He pulled in a deep breath through his nostrils and shook his head.

Sasuke reached for his hand, unclenching the tight fist and interlacing their fingers. "I'm sorry you had to have such a harsh lesson," he said softly. "But just realize that even if this other Sasuke doesn't act like it, I'm sure that he appreciates you still being there for him. You are the one constant in my life, Naruto."

Naruto smiled and squeezed Sasuke's hand.