Hey everybody! Another round of updates! :D
I hope you like this one! 3
Promises Not Made are Promises Never Kept
Chapter Six – An Outing
"And all of you who have stayed have passed! Rest up today, for the Chunnin exam will begin –"
BOOM!
"With I, Anko, as your proctor!"
"God Anko, what have I told you about being patient?"
"Oh shut up, Ibiki! All right, listen maggots! Tomorrow the second Chunnin exam will begin! So rest up, eat well, and get lucky, because tomorrow… heh, well…" she grinned. "I'M in charge."
Sasuke, Haku, and Inaré glanced at each other incredulously, then simultaneously sighed. They could already tell this new proctor was going to cause a lot of headaches.
Naruto, however, couldn't believe it at all.
"WOOHOO!" He cried, leaping up into the air. "I PASSED!" He turned to his teammates, waving his arms frantically in joy. "WE PASSED!"
Sakura beamed.
"Go us!" She exclaimed, giving him a thumbs up as Sai laughed.
"Yeah," he replied, hand on Sakura's waist. "Good job, everyone!"
Sasuke cleared his throat and stood as Dagina yawned from his feet, having fallen asleep during the last half of the exam.
"Nar-"
Naruto laughed, walking over to his teammates and taking them by the shoulders, cheering loudly.
"Let's go, team-!"
"Hey, Naruto!"
He paused, turned as Sasuke walked up to him, chuckling a little.
"How'd you like to go get some food?" He asked. "You know, get to know each other or something? Know any good Ramen stands around here – I'll treat!"
He knew instantly he might've said the wrong thing as Naruto beamed, inwardly panicking at himself.
Oh shit Sasuke what the hell were you doing-?!
"Oh, wow! That's so cool! How'd you know I like Ramen?" He asked. Sasuke chuckled nervously, allowing himself to relax a little.
Still dense, dense Naruto.
"Oh, you do?" He asked, feigning pleasant surprise as Sai shot daggers at him over Naruto's shoulder. "I had no idea. You just seem like a person who would like Ramen, I suppose…"
Naruto laughed.
"Oh, you bet I do!" He exclaimed, jumping up into the air. "I'd love to! I know just the place!"
Taking Sasuke's hand, he jerked the other ninja forward, between Sakura and Sai, towards the door.
"Let's go!"
Laughing, Sasuke turned his head, caught his teammates' eyes.
He waved.
"I'll see you guys later!" He called as Dagina made as if to follow him out the door, but a snort from the wolf Kaoru stopped her. Inaré exchanged glances with Haku as they leisurely walked out the door. Naruto and Sasuke were already gone, a trail of disturbed dust signaling their departure.
"So you think it's a good idea?" She asked him as the bird on Haku's shoulder – a swallow – flapped her wings and ruffled her feathers, snuggling into his cheek. "Letting him get close again?"
Haku shrugged a little.
"I don't know," he replied as Dagina walked by his side, Kaoru at Inaré's opposite. "Maybe it'll ease his heart a little, maybe he'll break and tell him. Whatever happens…" he turned his head to gaze at Inaré. "We'll be there for him."
Inaré blinked, beamed.
"Of course!"
"Hey!"
They turned to see Sai walk over to them, Sakura trailing hesitantly behind him.
"What's your teammate think he's doing, running off with OURS?" Sai snapped, glaring a little at the other two. "Trying to sabotage our team, are ya?!"
Haku blinked as Inaré turned away, crossing her arms in an attempt to stay calm.
"We have no idea what you're talking about," Haku deadpanned coolly. "Instead of making silly accusations, why don't you try to act civilized and allow interaction between people like a normal person?" He turned, motioned to Inaré. "Let's go, dear."
Inaré turned a little to look over her shoulder at the other two.
Her eyes went to Sakura and she winked at her, smiling.
"I love your hair! Let's hang out sometime, neh Blossom-chan?"
Laughing merrily, she turned and walked away with Haku as Sai clucked his tongue and set his hands on his hips.
"Che – whatever! As if she'd ever want to hang out with someone like you-!"
"Okay, Inaré-chan!" Sai did a backwards facevault as Sakura waved cheerfully at Inaré's back. "Anytime!"
Giggling, Inaré turned a little to wave at Sakura before she and Haku vanished around the corner.
Sai, leaping up, glared at Sakura just as she turned to look at him, grinning from ear to ear. Blinking at the expression on his face, she scowled at him, and walked away.
"Learn to be civilized!" She snapped over her shoulder as she did so. Sai blinked, realized what was going on, and dashed after her.
"Ah! Sakura-chan!"
----
Ichiraku, huh? Sasuke thought idly as Naruto led him inside. Should've known.
"Hey Naruto!"
"Hey old man! What's cookin'?"
"Oh, just your favorite, like always! Who's your friend?"
"A guy from the Chunnin exams! I met him today!"
"Hello! It's nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you, young man! Take a seat Naruto – I'll treat you and your guest shortly!"
"You got it, pops!"
Sasuke and Naruto took at seat at the small stand, sitting side-by-side as they watched the man and his daughter work.
"So you're from the Village Hidden in the Mist, huh?" Naruto asked, eyeing the headband around Sasuke's lithe hips. The other fought from shifting uncomfortably – it looked like the blond was looking somewhere else. "I never got to get a good look around Wave Country because of all the training and protecting Tazuna 'n stuff. Is it pretty over there?"
Sasuke shrugged a little.
"Most of the time," he replied, relaxing a little as Naruto's gaze lifted. "There's usually a lot of snow and rain, but there's the occasional sunny day, when all the flowers and trees bloom and stuff. Those days are what make staying there really worth it."
"Here you are!"
The man set down two large bowls of ramen in front of the teens, and Naruto cheered, clapping his hands and loudly saying grace before digging in. Sasuke watched him fondly, chopsticks in hand, simply remembering the days when such an action used to disgust him. How different he was now…
"So, Sasuke…"
He blinked out of his reverie as Naruto looked up from his bowl to him. The blonde's voice grew quieter.
"That guy we were fighting said that kids at the Academy there had to fight and kill other kids so they could become ninja. Is that true?"
Sasuke blinked at him, having heard those stories for Zabuza as well.
But the school he knew was very different.
"Well, it used to be," he admitted, nibbling at his ramen. "But they stopped that, I think, ten or twenty years ago, if memory recalls." Blinking, he gazed at the back wall in thought, holding his head in hand. "But nowadays it's not so bad. The competition is still vicious, but there's no killing involved anymore."
"What did YOU have to do to pass the exit exam?" Naruto asked in awe, gazing at him. Sasuke blinked at him and then looked at the daughter in thought. After a moment, she looked over at him, giggled, and waved a little. Sasuke blinked, realized he had been staring at her, and meekly waved back, blushing a little in embarrassment. Then he turned back to Naruto.
"Well, I didn't have to kill anyone," he replied. "There was this big obstacle course, with a bunch of different traps and stuff, and you'd have to use different low-level jutsu to get through it safely. It was kinda tough if you didn't know what to do."
Naruto gazed at him in awe.
"That's so cool!" He exclaimed. "And how did you do?"
Sasuke took a breath, setting down his glass from where he took a drink.
"I passed on my first try," he answered truthfully. "As did my teammates. We were top of our class."
"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed. "No wonder you guys are so strong!" He chuckled sheepishly. "I was bottom of my class."
Sasuke chuckled – he had already known that.
"Well, you passed, right?" He asked. "That's all that counts at that age, I guess. The good thing about being a ninja is that you can't cheat when it comes to a skills-test." He smiled at Naruto. "Besides, I wouldn't have guessed you graduated bottom of your class – really? You seem cleverer than that. Tell me, did your bull-headedness get you through?"
He laughed as Naruto pouted, but then the blonde began to chuckle as well.
"Yeah, I guess so," he replied, laughing. "Took me four tries to get through it. I was so busy pulling pranks and being goofy and stuff, I didn't have time for studying."
"Oh, I see," Sasuke replied after he swallowed. "So what about your teammates? How did they do?"
"Well, Sakura was the brainy one of the group," Naruto answered, thinking. "She was near the top too, but only on tests. She kinda lacked in the physical areas. Sai…" he sighed. "I don't know how he did on the tests. He was the replacement after Sasuke died."
The other blinked.
"Ah… your… other teammate?"
"Yeah," he replied, looking down in fond memory. "He was top of our class. The best at everything." Naruto scowled then. "Except for being social. The guy was such a douchebag."
Sasuke had to laugh. That much was true, after all. Naruto looked over at him, then bowed his head, chuckling emptily. It made Sasuke blink.
"What is it?" He asked curiously. Naruto continued to laugh.
"It's… so strange…" he breathed, gazing down at the counter. "It really is. You're so much like him but, at the same time, so different." He sighed, raising his head a little. "It's like he's here, but at the same time… he's not." He shook his head. Sasuke sighed, smiled a little.
"I suppose I can say I know what you mean," he replied. "I have a nostalgic feeling too. Like we've met in a past life."
Naruto shrugged.
"I don't know whether to laugh or cry." Then he realized what he was doing and looked away. "Sorry – I'm going on. I'm sure you don't wanna hear any sob-stories from me. That's not why you wanted to have lunch with me."
Sasuke gazed at the back of Naruto's head, his expression unreadable. In fact, he was fighting back tears.
Swallowing, he rubbed at his eyes, and took a breath.
He laughed a little.
"No, it's not," he admitted, looking down at his own bowl. "But by the way you talk about this guy…" he closed his eyes. "He sounds like he meant a lot to you."
"He does," Naruto replied, continuing to eat. "He does mean a lot to me. But he's dead, so I don't see why I keep thinking about him."
Sasuke wet his lips, tried to control his breathing.
"Well, who knows," he stated, leaning back a little. "Maybe you'll see him in another life."
"Maybe," Naruto responded, draining his bowl of broth before looking over to Sasuke again. "So, that 'past-life' stuff… you believe in reincarnation?"
Sasuke chuckled a little.
"Yeah, I do," he replied as he ate. "I believe that people… can be reborn… into something else. Either for better or for worse." He looked over at Naruto. "I'm sure your friend can't wait to see you again."
"Che, please," Naruto deadpanned, making Sasuke inwardly wince. "I doubt it. He hated me."
Sasuke pursed his lips.
"How are you so sure?" He asked. Naruto looked away.
"He never said it, but God he acted like it," he replied. "Acting all high-and-mighty, wanting to prove I was an idiot with every step he took. I don't know HOW many times he made Sakura cry."
Sasuke, pouting a little, looked away. Yes, he remembered.
He laughed, even though his heart hurt.
"Well, like you said, he was a douchebag," he replied easily, sipping at his broth. "But tell me, did that treatment make you stronger?"
Naruto blinked, thought about it.
"Yeah," he replied after a moment. "It did. It was weird. We were rivals…" he leaned back in his chair, gazed up at the ceiling. "But yet, sometimes, I felt like we were best friends. I didn't know what to think about him."
Sasuke glanced over at him, licked his lips, looked down.
"What about now?" He asked, his heart thumping so loudly in his ribcage he was sure Naruto could hear it. "What do you think about him now?"
Naruto sighed.
"I think…" he breathed softly. "I think…"
He closed his eyes.
"I think if he were still alive, I would die for him."
Sasuke's throat closed and he looked away, instantly regretting his curiosity.
"That's…" he managed to breathe. "That's very noble of you, Naruto." He took a deep breath. "And you know what?"
He turned his head to look at Naruto as the blonde looked over at him, and their eyes locked.
Sasuke smiled.
"Something tells me that, whether you believe it or not, your friend would do the exact same thing."
Because I know I would.
"Now c'mon." He took Naruto by the wrist, and pulled him out of the shop as the man waved them laughingly away. "Let's go find something fun to do!"
You're my stupid idiot, after all.
End Chapter Six – An Outing
From here it just gets weird. At least to me. xD
I need your opinion on something though. I'm thinking that at the end of all of this repost all of the flashbacks as a separate story with normal italics and stuff that I usually do. I might or might not delete the flashbacks here (doing so would mean getting rid of all the lovely reviews! D:) but it was just something I was tossing around.
Questions? Comments? Screaming capitalization telling me how great I am? Then review! :D
Ja ne!
DDB
