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The Long Way Home

Part 3

Damsel In Distress

Chapter 4/4

Apparently, since Amaya was no longer going to marry Sachio she had to clear her belongings out of the mansion that very day. But she made good time in transporting all her things over to a nearby inn in quick order. Apparently Sachio hadn't regained consciousness by the time she had left him though he seemed little worse for wear other than that. But Naruto couldn't blame her for wanting to leave before a possible confrontation.

So now they sat at a table in the inn, eating their way through the thank you feast Amaya had ordered for him. Beside him Sasuke did little but pick at his food but Naruto was hungry and spent the first ten minutes eating and nothing else. Not even the pain was enough to keep his appetite down which was surprising because he actually hurt a lot.

Sachio hadn't managed to lay a single finger on him and Naruto knew that whatever pain he was in now was entirely self-inflicted. He'd probably managed to re-brake his fingers on his own, his ribs were hurting like a bitch and he had sharp muscle pains mainly in his shoulders and neck. Even now he could feel the muscles jumping under his skin as they constantly cramped up after every little movement. He didn't understand what might have happened with his muscles but he had a good idea that Sasuke knew well enough to judge by the looks he was getting. No doubt once they were alone Naruto was going to get an earful.

But he didn't mind. Sasuke berating him for being a moron and various injuries was pretty welcome. He could almost convince himself sometimes that Sasuke got angry about it because he cared rather than the more likely reason that Sasuke just didn't want him to be deadweight during their travels.

Meanwhile Amaya was smiling at him. "I cannot tell you how thankful I am to you Naruto. You saved me from a nasty man and what I should think would have been a very unhappy life. The chance you took..."

Naruto swallowed his mouthful and grinned at her. "No sweat. You have a chance to escape now right? We have to take whatever chances life throws at us and cherish what we can."

Amaya gave him a warm full smile. Girls didn't smile at him like that very often and he hoped he wasn't blushing because Sasuke would probably stab him with a fork under the table if he saw it.

"You're such a good person. I've never met anyone like you before."

He got the sense all of a sudden from Amaya's tone that this was perhaps a conversation not suited to so many ears. Reizo was sitting next to Amaya, scowling a little in Naruto s direction while Sasuke continued to pick at his food like he was bored. But Naruto noticed the slight tense set to his shoulders that probably wasn't so apparent to the others until Sasuke spoke.

"So you omitted the part about Naruto ending up in jail again because you think so highly of him?" Sasuke questioned. "Or did you just think he might not go along with your scheme if he knew the truth?"

Amaya didn't really look apologetic about it and she gave Sasuke a cold look. "I did not omit anything on purpose. I did not know about that condition. If I had, I certainly would not have put your friend in harms way like that."

"But you did," Sasuke went on as though he didn't believe her. "He was already injured because of you and then you ask him to fight for you as well. That's pretty cold even by my estimation."

Naruto kicked Sasuke's leg under the table. "Sasuke it's not a problem, Sachio was no match. Amaya was just confident in my abilities that's all, right?"

Amaya nodded, still giving Sasuke the look. Sasuke pretended to ignore it, totally unperturbed by her coldness toward him.

"Oh hey Amaya," Naruto began wanting to change the subject quickly before an obviously protective Reizo started glaring at Sasuke too. "You mentioned something about making the border crossing before. Are you still going?"

"To Arrei? Of yes, of course. Our neighboring country is very different. I was actually born there and still have family near the capital in the east. I plan to cross tomorrow before Sachio has a chance to think of revenge. He can be very vindictive."

"So how are you getting across?"

"Well, along the road of course. All my papers are in order and a town official annulled the wedding contract already. Are you thinking of making the crossing yourself?" Amaya seemed to like that idea.

"Well we'd like to. But uh, we seem to have mislaid out papers. We weren't born in this country either,"

"Mislaid them?" Amaya asking in confusion before she seemed to understand the truth behind the statement. "Oh! Well there are always other means to get across if you have the den," she told Naruto lowering her voice and leaning across the table a little more in a conspirator manner.

"How?"

"Well I was looking into the possibility a little while ago of having to do such a thing but the price is very steep. There is a man named Morio who owns a, uh, social club on the outskirts of town. He has a side business delivering weapons to the army on the border. I hear he occasionally uses his delivery methods transporting people across as well. The army turns a blind eye so long as he doesn't appear too obvious due to the fact that he stocks them so well."

"A government aided smuggler?" Sasuke asked skeptically.

"If you are a visitor to this country then I can see how this might appear strange. But our armies are sort of factions in a way. Government sanctioned mercenary companies I suppose would be another apt way to describe them. The government pays them but they do not outfit them so they must get their supplies in other ways. A lot of people make delivery runs up to the border army to supply them cheaply in return for certain concessions. For Morio this is looking the other way while he crosses the border to trade for gems and luxuries to bring back and sell here. He takes his carts of weapons up into the hills, delivers the weapons, goes over the border, picks up what he needs and comes back to collect his payment on the way back through. I hear that sometimes the army pretends not to notice if a crate is left unpacked when he hands over the weapons or comes back a little light. His services are too beneficial for what little concessions they allow him so long as he is discreet and they get their weapons for ludicrously cheap prices."

"Sounds like Morio is just the man to see," Naruto told her warming to the plan.

"He is not cheap though. I made subtle enquires and for both myself and Reizo, he wanted over six thousand den."

Naruto almost bit his tongue. "Six thousand?"

"Of course I did hear rumors that there is a discount for those Morio deems as politically persecuted but I could never find out exactly what that meant and Sen, Morio's aide, didn't seem willing to share this in our correspondence."

Well there was some small hope then. He had no idea what that might mean either but if he and Sasuke could claim this special status there was still some hope left.

"Have you ever heard of anyone making the crossing on their own?"

"I've heard of people trying. They apparently display the bodies along the road to the border," Amaya told him in distaste. "Everyone who I have heard of trying, and I made some serious study into this matter, has ended up along that road."

Naruto sat back in his chair and shared a look with Sasuke. Sasuke had told him that crossing on their own would be near impossible. It seemed he was right.

As they left the inn that night, Amaya came out to see them off. She grabbed his hand just as they were walking away and held it tightly.

"I meant what I said, Naruto. I know it doesn't seem like such a heroic thing, saving a girl from a marriage like that, but you have changed my life. I need you to know what that means to me."

"Well sure," Naruto told her watching her a little unsure at what she was getting at. "I understand. Being trapped like that is no way to live."

"I can never say thank you enough," she continued.

She went on to her tiptoes and Naruto had the sudden impression she was going to kiss him. But before he could get excited by the notion she seemed to change direction and kissed him on the cheek again instead.

"Not that I'm complaining, but is that cheek kissing thing like a weird custom in this country?"

Amaya smiled. "You could say that. Because of the laws it is the most one can do in public to show deep affection or gratitude to another person and is generally shared between friends. Of course if we both cross the border and meet up in Arrei I will be not so limited to show you how much I appreciate you and what you have done for me."

Naruto's brain decided to be confused in that moment. What was she going to...?

It was at that moment he heard a rude clearing of a throat a few paces behind him and realized Sasuke was waiting for him. Impatiently waiting.

"I'm just glad I could help," he told her perhaps a shade too brightly.

She let go of his hand and Naruto and Sasuke started making their way out of town toward their camp.

"You're blushing," Sasuke told him as though drawing his attention to this fact meant that Naruto could somehow stop doing it.

"Well, she just kissed my cheek. Again. Apparently it's like some weird friendship thing in this country. Something about showing gratitude."

"Remind me not to make any friends here," Sasuke muttered.

Naruto snorted. "Somehow I don't think you're in much danger of that."

To Naruto's surprise, Sasuke waited for their entire walk back to camp before beginning the expected berating about making his injuries worse. Actually Naruto was just stripping down and wondering if he would hurt himself more if he just jumped into the stream when Sasuke began.

"Your muscles are cramped up, aren't they?"

Naruto nodded. "I don't know what happened," he admitted. "But it's not like I did it on purpose teme!"

"No, you just did it because you don't think!" Sasuke told him sitting down on the edge of the concrete that bordered the stream and watched Naruto gently ease himself in.

The stream wasn't real deep and basically only covered him to his waist, but for some reason he felt better about at least having a little shielding as Sasuke seemed intent to rant at him some more. Naruto stopped by the wall and looked up into angry dark eyes.

"I won't slow us up Sasuke, you don't have to worry about that."

"How stupid can one person be?" Sasuke muttered darkly pulling at Naruto's shoulder and forcing him back against the wall Sasuke was sitting on.

Naruto tensed up immediately before willing himself to relax more. It lasted all of five seconds because after those five seconds he felt Sasuke's hands on his shoulders, his deft fingers digging into his sore strained muscles.

"Would you relax?!" Sasuke ordered impatiently.

"I'm trying but I have a psychotic rogue ninja who previously wanted to kill me giving me a shoulder rub. How do you expect me to relax?"

Sasuke's hands stilled for a few moments before continuing their work albeit a little harsher than before.

"You need to unknot the muscles. Besides, we have a temporary truce, remember?"

"Oh right and you're totally trust worthy, aren't you? You keep acting like I shouldn't rely on you," Naruto shot back.

Despite his initial discomfort though and further despite the often painful way Sasuke was digging his fingers into his muscles, it did feel kinda nice.

"When have I lied to you?" Sasuke challenged him.

Naruto wracked his brain for an answer. He was sure Sasuke had lied to him before but the feel of Sasuke's hands on his shoulders were distracting him a lot.

"I know you have."

"When?" Sasuke persisted. "Look, a truce is a truce. I will keep my word, you can trust me on that at least. But the truce is built on the idea of working together to get home. If you don't function to your full potential, you are of little use to me and we may have to revisit the terms of that truce. You rely too much on chakra to aid your very movements in a fight, you're used to having it at your beck and call. Today you tried to force your body to react like it would when infused with chakra. Your muscles cramped because you pushed them too hard without the aid they are used to."

"But I can't function to my full potential because I can't use my chakra. That's the whole reason I cramped up like that in the first place, right? I'm sorry if I'm not the master of control like you are Sasuke," Naruto told him sarcastically, "but you must be feeling the loss too. That's why we're helping each other, isn't it?"

"I meant your full potential as you are now," Sasuke clarified. "As if I'd need you at all if I could use my own chakra anyway."

Naruto almost stopped breathing for a moment with the effort it took to understand that he'd heard Sasuke right just then. And when he did, he turned around dislodging a surprised Sasuke's hands from him in the process.

"You know what you just said right?" Naruto asked him.

Sasuke looked perfectly mystified for a moment before it eventually dawned on him, and he scowled deeply. "I just meant that for the moment we have a use for each other, that's all."

"You said you needed me," Naruto persisted finally getting into a better mood. After all, he'd taken a lot of verbal abuse from Sasuke about belittling their past friendship, how useless he was, how stupid and all the rest. But with one little slip, Sasuke had finally admitted to needing him. It was a good moment for Naruto.

"I don't need you; I didn't mean it like that."

Naruto leaned in closer intentionally invading Sasuke's personal space in order to get his point across.

"Well now I can remember a moment when you lied to me: just now actually."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Fine, so maybe working together makes it easier on us both. But it's not like I'm some lost little puppy that couldn't do this on my own, I just prefer the easier way. Though in light of the last couple of days you're not exactly making this a whole lot easier."

Naruto gave him a knowing grin. "Whatever you want to tell yourself teme."

"Do you mind not being so close?" Sasuke asked pointedly.

Naruto hadn't realized it, but he'd leant in so close to Sasuke he could feel the other's warm slightly quickened breath against his face. He'd even balanced himself by placing both his palms against Sasuke's thighs as he leaned in between them.

He took his hands away quickly and turned away preparing to move away further before Sasuke grabbed his shoulder once again and forced him back to where he had been so he could continue massaging the weak and sore cramped muscles in his shoulder.

His face felt a little hot but thankfully from this position Sasuke couldn't see him.

"You don't have to do that," Naruto told him. "A bit of rest, I'll be okay."

"No, you won't," Sasuke corrected him. "You are injured still from your time in jail, and you are trying to force your muscles into doing things it cannot do without the aid of chakra. Figure it out moron."

"I can't!" Naruto admitted hotly. "I almost never run out, it's always been there even in the tough fights."

"It's a dangerous thing for a ninja to not be able to cope without the use of chakra. Learn."

"How?"

"You must get a better idea of your body's natural limits that's all. You have to become accustomed to the idea that little is better. The less you have to do to achieve your immediate goals is always the smart plan. This is how most other ninja generally try to work. You are too used to storming in, chakra blazing."

"Like you're one to talk," Naruto told him sourly.

"I will always try to resolve battles the simplest and most chakra conservative way possible."

"Not against me you don't."

"That is because you also have to adjust to the person you are fighting. You use up chakra like its air, there is only one way to combat that and that's with large uses of chakra as well. But normally this is not wise. You have to conserve what you have because you don't know what will come next."

"Well it's not like we have any chakra to conserve now anyway," Naruto pointed out.

"Exactly why you need to shift the way you think. It shouldn't be such a stretch for you to think simple.

"Hilarious Sasuke," Naruto muttered. "I'll try okay, but berating me for it isn't going to help anything."

"At least it took your mind off other things. See, you are more relaxed now."

Naruto hadn't realized it, but Sasuke was right. Already the muscles in his shoulder felt looser and less painful. Now that Sasuke had removed his hands Naruto moved it around experimentally to find it felt almost as good as new.

"Thanks," Naruto told him softly, craning his neck to look up at Sasuke behind him.

Sasuke wasn't exactly smiling, but he did look pretty pleased with himself. "Don't mention it. I mean it. I'm not trying to be nice to you."

He'd said a very similar thing to Naruto in the jail when Sasuke had come to talk to him. Sasuke obviously didn't like the idea of Naruto thinking that he was helping him for any other reason than because he wanted Naruto fit and able to travel and fulfil his role.

But then Sasuke never tried to explain himself, never went out of his way to make sure people didn't get the wrong impression because generally he didn't tend to care what people thought unless it might make him seem stupid, embarrassed or vulnerable. But the only way Sasuke might get embarrassed or feel vulnerable if Naruto got the wrong impression would be that if Sasuke really did... care. Well at least a little.

Over the past couple of days Sasuke had been vigilant in Naruto's recovery. Sure he hadn't shown the care Sakura might and was undeniably rough with both his ministrations and manner. But he applied the funny green cream to his injuries every night and checked over the progress of his healing every morning. It was one thing to want your only ally able to fulfil their role to their greatest potential, but Sasuke did more than just make sure he didn't die. He'd been actually looking after him and it made him readjust his thoughts about Sasuke's gruff attitude.

Of course he could also be reading way too into it, but as always, he chose to be optimistic.

He turned around again to face Sasuke who was eyeing him a little warily considering their last encounter like this. Well Naruto wasn't about to reassure him in any way at all. He didn't know why the hell he was about to do what he was about to do and he knew he might have his nose punched up through his brain for this, but in this moment, with everything that had just happened, Naruto couldn't think of a better way to express his gratitude.

So before he could rethink it, before Sasuke had a chance to stop him, he leaned in quickly and brushed his lips across Sasuke's cheek before drawing back again. It wasn't a real kiss, but this was Sasuke after all, he wasn't going to kiss the bastard properly no matter how nice he'd been.

But to say Sasuke looked shocked was an amusing understatement. Amusing because the look told him just how much he'd caught Sasuke off guard, a difficult thing to do sometimes. But then those paler than usual cheeks flushed in anger and Naruto realized he was about to be hit.

"Don't punch me! It's a thing they do here, remember I told you."

"We're not locals dobe! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Amaya told me it's a sign of deep appreciation or whatever. I wanted to say thank you."

"Words work just as well. But don't thank me, I didn't do anything for you. I did it for me." Sasuke seemed a little cooler for the explanation but only barely. Happily it seemed like violence had been averted though.

"Well whatever the reason, you helped me out. Thanks."

Either Sasuke wasn't used to hearing the word or he was still a little shell-shocked by what Naruto had done.

"Fine, just don't do it again."

Naruto grinned now that he was sure he was safe. "I make no promises. I've never seen you go so white, it was funny."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, a sure sign he was merely just irritated now rather than angry.

"You're way too easily amused. Now finish washing up, you smell like a dumpster and it's turning my stomach."

TBC