Quiet Lapse (I)


Summary of the chapter:

"You think these two things are connected?"

"You think they're not?"

. . .


His eyelids ripple open like waves, shedding sleep and greeting the bland pallor of the ceiling and the rays of sunlight slipping through the cracks in the blinds. A dull ache is throbbing behind his eyes, settling on his temples almost comfortably so, and only now that he is coming to, does he finally notice how last night he ended up falling into the oblivion of slumber.

But as he wakes, he wakes to… quiet.

There is no external pull from the outside to shock him into consciousness, no real sound that could cut through the dissipating haze in his mind, nothing to be heard, nothing except his shallow breaths.

It's too quiet.

Naruto almost leaps to his feet, ignoring how the world spins around him, or how his line of vision fills with dancing black dots, in favor of ducking down and rooting around under his bed.

Nothing.

Sprinting to the balls of his feet the cold of the floorboards seeps in as he trudges along with wary and soundless steps, this time walking up to his closet. On the break of a breath he yanks open the doors.

Nothing.

A small frown mars his face as he gives the room a quick-once over. One by one checks all the places inside his apartment he could think to be hiding spots, the bathroom included.

Nothing still.

At one point he gets so jittery in his frenzied search he even pulls open the cabinets in his kitchen.

And… nothing.

…Well, it's quite obvious how a grown teenager wouldn't have anywhere to fit in such a limited amount of space, but as far as anyone knows ghosts could have the oddest and most unconventional tricks up their sleeves.

After a thorough quest that ends in nothing but disappointment he can't exactly do much except for dropping back on his bed, half-heartedly glowering at the inanimate objects surrounding him.

It dawns on him then, he is looking for the ghost of a living person inside his house.

"…It's official. I've gone crazy." He mumbles to himself, sounding very much the opposite of reassuring. And with all the faults he could think up at this point, the more pressing one seems to be… "Shit. If Kiba hears about this he'll never let me live it down."

"If Kiba hears about what?"

Naruto whirls his head around so fast his vision distorts and his balance falters, making him tumble off the bed. Again. But he doesn't even have time to recover that he finds Sasuke sitting atop his closet, sporting a big grin.

"Hi there." Sasuke waves cheerfully.

Naruto lets out a choked off breath, the gasp of a scream, and draws back, only to find his bed blocking the way.

Sasuke's face scrunches up, almost thoughtfully so. "You know, you need to stop getting scared so easily. Sooner or later you're gonna get one nasty concussion."

"And you need to stop showing up out of fucking nowhere!" Naruto points out with far less composure.

"Oh." The other boy pauses, as if taking the words in stride, before nodding slowly. "I guess this might be my fault… partly." Then he proceeds to shrug. "My bad."

He gapes at him. "Your 'bad'?! It's all your fault!"

Sasuke raises his head slightly when he speaks again, sounding fairly condescending. "Now, let's not start accusing at random."

"This isn't random- this is- i-it's-" He stutters his way through, the adrenaline in his system not providing any clarity whatsoever to a real answer.

"'This is?'" Sasuke echoes, grin back and gleeful. "…What is this, Naruto?"

…He doesn't know!

Instead of answering, he resolves to fix him with a waspish scowl and snappish glare. Unfazed, that little rise in the corner of Sasuke's mouth goes higher, as if to challenge him.

And as if adding more fuel, he asks next, "So, what's the schedule for today?"

Being reminded he has to spend another day in the company of… him yet again, Naruto lets himself fall flat against the floor with a suffering groan.


The schedule for today didn't involve one of the usual 'time-wasting' missions, it was more of a 'put in your elbow grease' kind of deal instead, given that they would help with the reconstruction.

With the scenery changing the further he walked Naruto couldn't help but ponder over the recent changes. He didn't remember how long ago precisely, but the village used to be tents over dirt and nothing more (hopelessness and despair filling strangers and friends' eyes wherever he looked). The situation had thankfully changed for the better. But leftover bitterness lingered (at least in him, it did).

Naruto is aware he's reached the accorded destination when he finds himself inside an area that is just a little less than lived. People are hard at work, swarming in and out to help and each with their own task to carry out, but no one currently lives here.

Sasuke takes in the new view with a dip of the head and a hum, before quipping, "Looks cozy."

"Yeah, well, getting pulverized to the ground before lunch will do that to anyone." Naruto replies absent-mindedly.

"Did you just-" Sasuke blinks rapidly, as if in alarm. "-was that a joke? A sarcastic jab? From you?"

Naruto feels as surprised as Sasuke looks as he blinks back at him. Did he really just joke about the village being... his lips part with a defensive retort on the tip of his tongue, when out of the blue his sight fills with a white blur.

And before Naruto has the sense, or the time, to react he is tackled to the ground. Lying flat on his back, he slowly peels his eyes open to the azure sky streaked with wisps of clouds drifting by. Getting caught off guard is happening way too often lately, he thinks to himself. When he takes notice of a moving weight on his chest he raises his head enough to see just who his bushwhacker is.

Only to have his mouth fall open in a smile.

"Akamaru!"

The giant dog barks happily, licking all over his face and making him laugh at the ticklish sensation.

"You big goofball, you got me scared me for a second there!" Naruto exclaims as he pets and scratches him all over while Akamaru nuzzles his face in appreciation.

"Akamaru, here you are." Kiba calls out once he's close enough, with Shino right behind him. "C'mon. Let the knuckle-head breathe a little."

Naruto laughs as the giant dog, that right now looks more of a big puppy, draws back enough for him to sit up. "How haven't you gotten tired of this buffoon yet?" He asks Akamaru as he scratches at his chin, voice slightly high-pitched in a way that sounds both cooing and mocking.

Akamaru barks and licks his face as if answering him, prompting a laugh out of Naruto.

Kiba raises an eyebrow. "'Buffoon?'"

Naruto faces him with the small imprint of a grin while still playing with Akamaru. "Heard Sakura-chan say it the other day and I thought to myself, 'now this sounds like the perfect new nickname for Kiba, it's just so fitting.' But hey, there's nincompoop too if that's more of your style?"

Kiba shakes his head and cracks a grin of his own. "Why don't you think about your style, you little shit."

Naruto smiles up at him as the other boy extends a hand to him and he takes it, careful of Akamaru, patting him on the head one last time as the dog backs off.

"So." Kiba starts once he's pulled him to his feet. "Did you solve that problem with the 'witch'?"

He turns his head to the side with a grunted mutter of 'I wish' under his breath

Beside him Sasuke snorts.

"What?" Kiba asks confused.

"Nothing, nothing." Naruto says louder this time and changes the subject. "You guys already know what we're starting with?"

As Shino explains more in detail the task for the day, Naruto's eyes can't help but wander as he truly stops to take in the sight. The area they're in is nothing more than a sketchy map now, an incongruous calamity, all around him he sees the foundations, concrete labs and infrastructures, making the buildings look something akin to skeletons, as if they're growing through and out of the ground.

"Where's Sakura-chan?" He asks all of a sudden, a little too brittle, interrupting Shino mid-explanation.

"From what I heard she got held back at the hospital." Kiba answers around a half-yawn, scratching at the back of his head.

"...Oh." Naruto lets out, slightly deflated, because Sakura's presence (and truthfully Sai's too) has turned into something essentially indispensable. They have always been fairly close, what with being teammates and friends since childhood, but after-… after the attack they have grown closer still. It's come to the point where they rarely spend a day outside each other's company.

Kiba throws an arm around his shoulders and despite how casual it is, the gesture still manages to be as comforting as ever. "She said she'd drop by later though."

"Oh." Naruto sighs with the slow tilt of a smile, his slouched shoulders rising a little too. "Okay."

Thankfully Kiba is here. Even though he finds comfort in all of his friends, Sakura and Kiba are just a little different, they are the ones he trusts with no borders, the ones who have a way of keeping his mind off in a way no one else can manage… well, no one else except for…

Sasuke is looking right back at him. "What is it?"

Naruto, now taking notice that he's gawking, immediately averts his gaze. "Nothing." He replies in a hush.

No, Sasuke might have been of help before, when they had been twelve and he had thought it was enough, that being in the same team fundamentally meant being on the same side too... but he doesn't want to go there right now. Or ever, if he can help it.

"By the way, Shino." He busies himself with focusing his mind elsewhere. "Your relative was… kinda weird."

Shino nods, completely unperturbed whatsoever. "Yes, he gets that often."

"Hmm… wonder why." Kiba's dry statement goes unheard.

And as luck would have it, the distractions today seem to be waiting just around the corner. Literally.

"Naruto!" A familiar voice shouts within reaching distance.

"Choji!" Naruto turns around with a smile, lifting an arm to wave at him- and soon a strangled laugh escapes him as he is engulfed in a bear hug, with Choji's pats on his back being more of smacks as he squeezes him tighter, laughing too. "It's- heh- it's only been a few days."

"Feels like a whole year." Choji beams, before letting go of him to greet the others too, cutting off Kiba's chuckle with his affectionately strong [suffocating] hold.

It's a pure coincidence how Naruto's eyes stray away, and among the working people and assembling structures they end up landing on Sasuke, who is smiling at the scene too, and… he doesn't remember if he has ever seen him this serene before.

"Shikamaru is not with you?"

Naruto refocuses on the conversation taking place, willing himself at once to stop staring at him.

"They put him on a mission… for… uh…" Choji's eyebrows furrow in apparent concentration as he tries to recall. "...it has something to do with logic."

"Yeah, yeah, of course, he's the brainiac of the group." Kiba dismisses with a wave of the hand, before his face splits in a wide smirk and he strikes somewhat of a pose. "But if you're looking for biceps, then you've got 'em right in front of ya."

"You call 'biceps' those noodles arms?" Naruto asks in mocking disbelief.

"I've got one question for you." Kiba takes a slow step towards him, making his voice and demeanor as menacing as possible as he proceeds to ask his question. "…How dare you." He ends up stating instead.

Before Naruto has the time to retort, or crack up in his face, Kiba, in jest, has him 'trapped' in a choking hold.

"C'mon, if you admit I'm the strongest here, out of the pure kindness of my heart I might just let you go."

Naruto gasps through a laugh. "Eating your noodle arms would be less painful."

It prompts a snort of laughter from Choji which he tries to hide behind his hand, and a little and diverted smile from Shino, while Akamaru barks out what could be a cackle, Naruto can clearly hear Sasuke is snickering too. Kiba instead squeezes a little around his neck.

"Shino, back me up!"

Shino, like every loyal friend out there who always has their friends' backs at all costs, has the moral duty to say out loud the nickname they agreed upon and that Kiba is now mouthing to him in the remote case he happened to forget it -name which Kiba came up with and that, in his own words, is 'sick'. "Kiba is the… skull-crusher of the group." He finally says, monotonous.

"With more passion!" Kiba demands.

"Kiba is the skull-crusher of the group, with more passion." Shino adds, a little too literally.

Naruto cackles while Choji laughs out loud this time and Kiba sends his best friend a 'what the hell?' look. Whilst he's distracted and his hold loosens, Naruto takes the chance and grabs at the arm around his neck with both hands, applying a decent amount of pressure to make him stumble and, bending his knees and locking his abs in places, uses enough strength to flip him over his shoulder, but not enough to hurt him, until Kiba is landing on the ground with a quiet thump.

In the first few seconds Kiba blinks up at him in a slight daze, just like Naruto had when Akamaru tackled him. The blond crouches down next to him, lips curling up at the sides of his face. "Let me get this right, when you say 'skull-crusher' you don't mean your own skull getting crushed, do ya?"

Akamaru runs to him and licks his face to 'console' him as the boy gently pats him and narrows his eyes in part annoyance and part exasperation.

"Fuck you." Kiba mutters to him and Naruto gives a shit-eating grin, being the one to pull him up this time around.

They end up chatting for a bit, catching up, until Shino is the first to break the light chatter and grab everyone's attention. "We should get to work."

Kiba nods, giving Naruto a pat on the back. "Why don't you do your 'miracle work' thing and get a bunch of yourselves running around?"

Naruto forces a little smile. "Right."

It's just what he's been doing lately, even if he has used this technique so often during the years it's second nature by now. And even so, there is a minute shake in his fingers as he locks his hands in place and whispers the jutsu. In a puff of smoke there are twenty copies of himself standing behind him.

As inconspicuously as he can, fumbling slightly, he gets his hands inside his pockets, his lips part to force out a heavy breath once his copies scatter. His stomach twists. It's only for a second, but he thinks he's going to be sick.

"Huh, I almost forgot you could do this." Sasuke suddenly comments from beside him.

With Sasuke clearly standing in his line of sight the overwrought sensation dissipates, bit by bit, enough for him to take his hands out again, now steadier, and there is no queasiness anymore, almost as if this never happened in the first place.

Like a lagging reflex Naruto is ready to snap, but snaps his mouth shut when he finds Kiba looking at him from a few feet away. He covers himself up with a little smile, which his friend returns. When Kiba is facing the other direction again his shoulders slump with the little breath he lets out, although instead of relief he feels more of an undertone of weariness.

Keeping a ghost secret is apparently hard work too, Naruto thinks a little peeved.

It doesn't take long at all to hear someone yell, "Pace yourself Kiba!" and Naruto casts a look around to see that Kiba is in fact already on the move and balancing ten wooden beams on both arms, with Akamaru in tow and surprisingly doing the same with five as they practically run around the area. He shakes his head to himself, Kiba's competitive side is making itself known as usual, alright.

"Guess I'll just wait for you till you're done then." Sasuke's words bring him out of his thoughts.

Naruto narrows his eyes at him, mouth forming a fake smile that is more of a scornful grimace. "Hope you don't bore yourself waiting."

Sasuke's smugness grows with his grin, much to Naruto's chagrin. "I wouldn't worry about that, you're entertaining enough to watch."

Naruto's aggravation flares up and he opens his mouth to-

"Oi, Naruto! Are you done over there?" Kiba chooses that moment to loudly interrupt, again, from the other side of the site, no doubt wanting to turn this into a contest of sorts.

Naruto's mouth falls closed and he bites back on a sigh before shouting back an affirmative reply. When he faces Sasuke again it's with his eyes narrowed and his voice pitched low. "Stay out of my way."

Sasuke raises both shoulders in clear dismissal. "It's not like I could do much even if I wanted to."

Well, from what Naruto has seen the previous day that would be mostly true. But he somehow feels Sasuke could still manage to break hell loose if only he wished to.

He shakes his head to himself to get rid of the thoughts, collecting his share of the load and also getting a move on. The faster he works, the sooner he'll be done he tells himself as he walks over to where the others are.

.

.

.

When Naruto stops it's to look up to see the sky and see it's different now, with the azure changing into a golden hue as his only telling of the time. A few hours might have passed already. But proper exhaustion is starting to worm its way in and cloud his head- it's not supposed to be happening. Today is a good day. (He can't let himself get pulled under, not today, he is supposed to be okay.)

There's a not too large log pile Sasuke is sitting on top of when Naruto reaches him, pausing long enough to drink a few sips of soothing water from his canteen until it's half empty. He wipes the beads that dropped down his chin with the back of his forearm once he's done, putting it back down where he also left his jumpsuit a while ago.

"Tired?" Sasuke asks in a way that sounds heedful.

Naruto sighs with a bit of effort, making this agreeing noise in the back of his throat. "…Sort of." He concedes. He stops short, blinking to himself in bewilderment- why is he even admitting this much to him in the first place?

"Maybe you should take a break, eat something."

Naruto almost freezes at the suggestion, before turning to the side and avoiding looking at him altogether. "There's no need." He mumbles in a whisper, even if they're currently alone.

"Isn't there." Sasuke intones under his breath in not so much of a question. "When was the last time you-"

But his words get cut off as they both hear someone calling Sakura's name. Naruto clicks into attention right away, practically running towards her once he sees Sakura walking over, drawing to a halt near his friends.

"Hello boys." Sakura greets once she is close enough, warmth coloring her voice.

"Hey lady." Naruto and Kiba greet back in chorus with matching twin grins.

Sakura gives them an amused smile as she approaches and starts a bit of small talk with them. Naruto is soon pulling her in a half-hug with an arm around her shoulders, it's mostly unconscious the way he leans a bit of his weight on her while Sakura's hand draws up to his back in a delicate motion. Naruto lets out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, this time in relief, gently bumping their heads together and making Sakura smile up at him. Her eyes are familiarly soft, silently asking if he's okay, he answers the unsaid question with a small nod of his head.

Naruto absorbs all the comfort and affection her presence always offers, the uneasiness that has been gnawing at him during the whole day finally simmers down with each second that goes by.

"I bring you gifts." Sakura says after a little, extending a small basket to them with a smile. "Well, food."

"Finally!" Choji cries out as he practically flies to her and takes hold of it, immediately starting to rummage inside. "I was starving!"

"The question is, when are you not starving?" Kiba teases but Choji is far too preoccupied to hear, drawing a laugh out of his friends.

"It's all for you guys." Sakura chuckles, even though there is something quite determinate shining in her eyes. "These pills will give you the boost of energy you need!"

Except for Choji, there is a general stunted sigh in their little group. Naruto hides the lightest grimace with a smile, because Sakura has quite the list of things she is good at, great even… but cooking? …Well, one could say it's a 'work in progress'.

Of course Naruto, as teammate and best friend, has to support her efforts [offer himself as a guinea pig] and eat what she so kindly made with her own hands especially for them. His prize of consolation is that at least he isn't the only one. He finds very satisfying watching Kiba's face scrunch up as he takes a bite of the… 'pill'. Though Kiba's delight doesn't go unnoticed at Naruto's own try at keeping the food down after he takes a bite too. If he's honest though, he has to admit this is at least a better attempt than her last, he manages to eat one whole little ball of… food, if it can even be called that, without spitting it out this time.

Throughout it all Sakura watches with a little joyful smile, completely unaware of the real taste of the energetic snack she so lovingly made for her friends.

.

.

.

She ends up staying long enough to lend a hand, not only flaring up Kiba's competitiveness, but crushing it too as she lifts double the amount he does, without breaking a sweat.

At Kiba's 'defeated' spirit, Naruto, of course, can't help but rub it in just a little. "You okay over there? Don't worry about it, noodle arms, we can just ask Sakura-chan to help you carry your load too."

Kiba's indignated shout is drowned out by Naruto's loud laugh and Sakura, despite feeling a little bad for unconsciously bruising his pride, muffles a few chuckles behind her palm.

.

.

.

Sakura's leave soon after has him feeling a little fretful again, but being surrounded by familiar faces helps quash down the sensation, although there is a piercing discomfort that just won't leave him, like a needle at the base of his neck just waiting to break the skin.

He does his best to ignore it, focusing on the task at hand and the work still left to do. At times he catches sight of one of his copies too, but most of them have disappeared, though as long as they're being helpful he doesn't really care what they're up to.

They end up staying late, until most of the people start leaving. It's when they all come together again that the job is deemed as done.

"Guess we're done for today." Kiba finally sighs, although worn out he looks pleased as well. Proud.

(Naruto wishes he could feel the same.)

"I don't know about you guys, but I need to feel clean again." Choji speaks up next, before a low growl makes itself known. "…And dinner, definitely."

"Let's hit the showers then." Kiba suggests, nodding in their direction.

In fact, not that far off from them, there is a communal shower Yamato has thought to equip the area with. The structure is almost entirely made of wood and the shower spaces are separated by stalls, there are doors too with simple locks to provide privacy.

It doesn't take long at all for them to reach the place, freshening up after the strenuous work sounds tempting enough. Good thing Naruto actually remembered to bring a change this time around, walking back in the sweaty and dirty clothes is a definite no, he knows from experience.

At first he hears the loud voices of his friends as they tease each other, Kiba's being the loudest, but somewhere between stepping inside the cubicle and having the water spray over him, the noise starts fading away from his mind. As if he's alone.

Naruto feels so... so drained.

He pushes a hand in front of himself to keep upright, almost worried his legs will give out from under him otherwise. A shock of water soaks him, it's quite cold, but he can't find it in himself to care or do anything about it even as goosebumps break out all over his arms. He breathes with difficulty underneath the steady flow, but doesn't move away from it.

He feels dirty, but knows it has little to do with the load work of the day. He eyes the small square of soap in the corner, before taking hold of it and scrubbing at his arms so hard the skin starts tinting red, and still it's not enough. He stops only when his throat closes up and starts hurting in a way that shouldn't be so familiar, he stops even if he doesn't feel clean at all, he stops because nothing seems to work anyway.

In the back of his mind he thinks about the last time he took a shower, until he remembers he hasn't had one since Sasuke showed up a little over three days ago. But he couldn't care less either way, seeing as there is not much he cares about these days (not when his soul is a step away from splintering).

Naruto lets the cold droplets rain down his body, sighing with the semblance of relief the water provides, his eyes slip closed of their own volition, almost as if to block the world standing outside.

It's quiet, a little too quiet inside his own head.

He tries to let his thoughts wander in safe places, in meaningless wastes of space, needs something that is enough to anchor him in his body and at the same time let him float away out of reach where he can pretend he doesn't feel trapped.

He doesn't know how long he stays hidden away between the four walls, but he senses he is truly alone now.

The effort, the strain, the strength, he feels them all along his body with how his limbs and core ache. He used to crave this. He used to crave the physical stretch, the pull of muscles, the burn of working his fingers to the bones... but now he feels like an automaton going through the motions, not even sure if he actually feels most days. And it doesn't make sense.

Naruto frowns.

No, he was having a good day, he is, he can't have this now. (He can't have the weight, the thoughts. Not now.)

It's okay.

It's okay.

(It's not okay.)

It's okay.

Today he worked back to back with a horde of people, was around them since then sun rose until it set, he could (should) have noticed their hollowed out eyes brimming with hope, and lingering with despair beneath. But he didn't.

Naruto is so focused on himself, he can't see within an inch from his own nose.

"Are you drowning in there?"

His eyes shot open in shock, he startles because he can't sense anyone near enough- then he remembers, he can't sense Sasuke even when he stands right beside him, let alone a few feet away. Well, this Sasuke at least.

"…You can't drown in a shower stall." It's the first thing that comes to mind, and he frowns slightly at his own answer and mumbled words.

Sasuke's voice drags in a drawl. "With all the time you're wasting in there you might as well be trying to set a new record."

Naruto, laden with shambles of thoughts in his head and choked by the weight in his chest… feels like rolling his eyes. Would that be dramatic?

"Fine." He acquiesces, a little miffed, cutting off the water with a flick of his wrist and press of stiff fingers. "Fine, I'm done."

Then he pauses. He should be more disconcerted at having Sasuke kicking his heels outside the stall he's in. It should bother him, shouldn't it? Maybe he underestimated his own fatigue, too spent to get worked up.

When he walks out he's mostly dressed, hair dripping cold down his nape. He finds him leaning against the wall, arms folded behind his back, head raised to the ceiling, as if the act of hanging about is unbelievably tedious.

Upon seeing him, however, Sasuke' eyes light up with a spark of mischief. "Oh, hello, I had no idea we were at this stage in our relationship just yet? How forward of you."

He pulls his shirt all the way down his torso, scoffing. "Stop messing around." These words are more fitting for himself, Naruto thinks. But well, there's a first time for everything?

Sasuke lifts his shoulders, smiling idly. "Who's messing?"

A beat passes and it's too loud. The hush sinks in, engulfing the space between them. But unlike the thick silence he has come to crave that gives his mind a corner of peace, this silence is too shallow to mask the edge creeping in.

"What's your deal?" It's rather perfunctory the way he asks what feels like such a significant, far-reaching question. But he is too in over his head to care at the moment.

That's when the corner of Sasuke's mouth lifts up as he fixes him with a look too intense to be only casually thoughtless. His voice drops low, words stringing together in anything but a question.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that."

Naruto's instincts kick in at breakneck speed, so hard the breath gets slammed out of his lungs, burning his nerve-endings, trapping him like a cornered animal. In the split of a second his eyes sharpen like daggers and biting cold runs through his veins despite how incandescent his skin feels.

But the chilling tension lasts a few heartbeats only, leaving as quickly as it came, leaving him breathless.

His head bursts with sparks of hurt, pulses with the dizzying rush of blood, making him feel drowsy and faint. He brings a hand to his forehead, trying to breathe through it now that he doesn't feel his ribcage threatening to crack anymore. He doesn't understand… this level of fright, it's been days since he felt anything resembling this fierce spike of panic, loud enough to awaken his senses.

Sasuke's demeanor switches too in the changing atmosphere, with the curve of his mouth flattening in a line he appears placid enough to be concerned. "Feeling okay over there? You look a little pale."

Naruto has the good will to scowl at him. Yes, he is too burnt out to deal with this, definitely. Wherever a possible conversation may lead is currently outside of his slipping control and he doesn't want to involve himself any further.

He finally turns away, having half a mind to grab his stuff before walking to the exit. Of course it's not enough to get him rid of his presence, but in the few seconds that follow he can pretend to be on his own again.

.

.

.

Choji leaves in a haste with a parting and strangling hug to their group, Shino's departure is more subdued and Naruto exchanges a few words with Kiba and a bunch of other shinobi, playing with Akamaru until the two of them also leave, and then he's on his way too.

Sasuke is, of course, right beside him.

"Ah, it feels like I've been sitting around for days, I really needed to stretch my legs." He comments as he proceeds to shake one leg then the other.

"Ghosts need to 'stretch their legs' now?" Naruto asks, bemused. Flashes of the day before come to mind once again, remembering the wheelbarrow speeding right through him, and it draws out another bewildered question. "…can you even feel your legs?"

"Ooh, we're back with the ghost theory?" Sasuke asks back, sounding elated.

…Well, denial can only get you through this much, and so can crazy but unfounded theories, then it's a matter of choosing whether to believe your own eyes or not.

Naruto glances at him from his peripheral, a little unnerved. "What do you want me to say, that you're a hallucination?"

Sasuke's smile is practically ecstatic as he waves a hand in the air. "Nah, I like the ghost thing way too much."

Naruto fully turns to eye him with an 'are you kidding me' expression, but Sasuke is already nodding towards the basket in his hand. He was the one who took it in the end, deciding to return it to Sakura tomorrow.

"Hey, you know what you could do with Sakura's 'pills'? Use them as weapons. Imagine plunging those little things straight into the mouths of your enemies when they're least expecting it... they'd just faint on the spot from the taste. Boom. The win is yours."

Naruto blinks, the image of that particular scenario happening plays in his head and he can't help it, there's a laugh trying to force its way out of his vocal cords and he has to look away to hide the culprit showing in his face.

"Is that a smile?" But Sasuke has already seen it. "I made you smile!" He cheers, as if the thought could somehow make him happy.

Naruto quickly shakes his head in denial. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, c'mon, you were smiling up until now!" Sasuke exclaims, walking a little closer. "Smile again!"

"You're mistaken."

"C'mon, just another one?"

He almost pleads, and Naruto can't tell if he's being honest or if he's out to make fun of him again.

"Nuh-uh." The blond shrugs. "I think you're imagining things."

"Fine." Sasuke mutters, before his face lights up again. "I'll tell you a joke then."

Naruto is the one to stop and blink in quick succession this time, doing a double-take. "You? A joke from you?"

"Yeah, why, you think I can't tell jokes?"

"I..." Naruto slowly shakes his head, the corner of his mouth almost lifting up in disbelief. "… go ahead?"

"It goes like this," Sasuke goes on to clear his throat as if he has a part to recite. "My ex-wife still misses me… but her aim is getting better."

"That's…" Naruto's lips press firmly together and he stares ahead. "Terrible."

"Yeah, because marriage is terrible." At his incredulous stare Sasuke just shrugs, smirking. "What, you can take your complaints to whoever came up with it because that was literally the joke."

Naruto exhales through his nose. "And it was awful."

Sasuke's smirk softens, his head tilting towards him. "Awful enough to grant me a smile?"

He has to bite his cheek, because he is actually trying to hold back a smile. "No."

"Awe, just a smile, come on."

"Nope."


It is quite a unexpected turn of events, unprecedented really, but when Naruto walks past the threshold of his door the persistent shadow of a smile has yet to drop from his face, because Sasuke is behaving in a way he never really did before and in a way Naruto never really imagined him to do… well, ghost Sasuke is, he reminds himself. And he is mostly unprepared on how to deal with it.

"You know, I meant to say this a few days ago…" Sasuke pauses to throw a look around, as if scrutinizing the room. "But how can you live in this chaos?"

For possibly the strangest reasons- maybe because of Sasuke's playful tone that seems to be his shtick by now, maybe because of the friendly grin he always seems to be wearing, or maybe because today was simply a good day and nothing more- genuine laughter bubbles up in Naruto's throat.

"Hey." For the first time since Sasuke appeared Naruto addresses him in a voice that cannot be anything if not light-hearted. "This is my chaos and I happen to like it."

Sasuke notices too, because the stretch of his smile widens a tad further. He holds both hands up in mock-surrender. "Well, if you feel like livin' it up in a junkyard then who am I to judge? Seriously, I'm all for it and I want you to know that I'm not judging right now." Then lowers one hand enough to gesture around them. "This is a judge-free zone you're in."

Naruto eyes him with a slight shake of the head, feeling amused. "Oh, shut up."

In all answer, Sasuke grins wider. "I'm afraid that's an impossible request."

Naruto rolls his eyes, but the smile feels sort of stuck to his face now.

It almost feels normal, as if the two of them are just two friends joking around with each other. (…if only it could be that simple…)

For good measure he decides to put on a show and pick up an empty ramen package laying discarded on the floor, throwing it in the small waste bin near his bed. "See? I can be tidy too."

It's Sasuke's turn to shake his head, only in fake disappointment. "Haven't I told you already that you need to work on your lying skills?"

Naruto snorts in the middle of his attempt at dejunking his room and is ready to rebuke, but stops short after hearing a dull thud.

Lowering his head, he notices he hit something with his foot. Bending down enough to retrieve it he grasps the hidden object in one outstretched hand, slowly standing on his two feet again.

The scroll. He unfolds it carefully, as if this is his first time doing so. There is a tell-tale tingling spreading through his fingers, but nothing like before. This one is pungent, a noxious tangibility as it crawls through him.

"Interesting, isn't it?"

He turns to find Sasuke to his right, peering over his shoulder.

"You get this scroll." His voice is an easy hum as he speaks. "And then I show up."

Naruto pauses, only for his brows to furrow with the weight of his thoughts tangling, struggling to come through. "You think they could…" He glances down at the onerous scroll before focusing once again on Sasuke, who is almost carelessly reading its contents. "You think these two things are connected?"

Sasuke's eyes climb up to his leisurely but unfaltering, he answers with a nearly rhetorical question of his own. "You think they're not?"

Naruto's eyes, going wider with the fraught atmosphere, fall back to his hands. The paper creases in his hold, growing tense by the second.


. . .

a/n:

- About Sakura: here's the thing, Sakura and Naruto are best friends, and like brother and sister in my opinion, I see them in the same way I see Harry and Hermione, and in the same way I see, from my favorite anime Gintama, the relationship between Gintoki and Otae. Just a very strong and affectionate friendship okay? I know everyone has their opinion on characters and there are people who call Sakura 'useless' and a bunch of not very polite things, but I'm the one writing this and I've got a very precise idea (haha let's be honest... no) on how I want the characters to act and interact with each other (I'm also very aware the characters will act completely out of character too at certain points here, I mean… that's literally Sasuke's deal here lol), so if you have any hateful opinion on Sakura you could just… take that, fold it in half and put it into your pocket? please and thank you. No cheap hatred aimed at fictional characters here. In this story Sakura is just going to be a really good friend for Naruto and try and help him however she can, just like Kiba, that's all. Naruto, Kiba and Sakura are a bit like the Golden Trio to me, like a 'We Ride And Die Together' kinda gang so, yeah.

Sasuke's 'joke' is taken from Gravity Falls, Grunkle Stan is the one to say it in episode 2 I think?

p.s. when I said I would sneak in a bit of Gravity Falls into this. I meant it.
(I have no idea if I ever said that but I've been awake for almost 30 hours so haha there ya go)