A/N: Heh, it took slightly longer than the last time around, but now I'm finally done with chapter three. Hooray! (jumps up and down until gets hit by several tranquillisers)
BUT, firstly… MAN – thank you so much for those absolutely fantastic reviews! Gosh, this story's getting so much love! (sniffs with joy and HUUUGS) Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!
Oukey, because I think you'd love to get to the business already… (grins) Let's roll! I truly hope you'll enjoy.
Verse 3: The Rift
/ In his life Naruto hadn't had a lot of people he'd found meaningful. That's why he considered all those he had precious. Those things considered, it wasn't surprising that a particular wintry day when he was nineteen was one of the worst in his entire life, although it started out deviously sweetly.
" Dobe, if you don't stop fussing around soon I'll strangle you with the aid of decorations", Sasuke's voice all but snarled.
He rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep himself from chuckling while he climbed into his boyfriend's comfortably warm lap. " Don't be a Scrooge, teme. I know you love Christmas time."
The raven rolled his eyes. " Give me one good reason to."
He grinned mischievously. " I'm glad you asked." Enjoying Sasuke's almost hidden confusion he revealed mistletoe, then placed it above them and kissed the Uchiha with such intensity it took all his breath. When they were finished he looked at the raven, and grinned again at the other's expression. " How's that for something to like?"
The look that could be seen on Sasuke's face for a millisecond was priceless. " Hn."
He was just about to kiss the raven again when his cell phone started to ring. He groaned with irritation. " Don't you dare lose that thought, 'k?" He then picked up. " What?"
" Naruto Uzumaki?" It wasn't a voice he would've recognized. " This is Dr. Kurenai Yuuhi. According to our information you're the next of kin of Jiraiya…"
The rest was nothing but a blur to him. The doctor telling him about a freak hit and run accident, the phrases of sympathy…
When the phone call finally ended he could only look at Sasuke with blurry eyes, trembling violently.
The raven frowned, seeming worried although the young man would've probably never admitted it. " What's wrong?"
He shook his head, the lump that'd appeared into his throat making it impossible to speak. And before he could stop it tears had started to leak out as though through a crackling damn.
For a long moment Sasuke merely looked at him, like not quite knowing what to do with him when he was like this, then wrapped one arm around him without saying another word. For several moments nothing more happened. Then – so suddenly it startled him – the raven's slightly cooler hand closed his into its protective hold, as though attempting to shield him from all harm. And suddenly a tiny part of what'd been broken had been put together again.
At that moment – as he held Sasuke's hand, barely realizing what was going on – he found himself utterly petrified despite the heavy cloud of sorrow.
Because finally, as he slowly understood just how much this support meant to him, he was forced to admit what he'd managed to deny so far.
He wasn't only falling in love. He was already long way down.
That night was the first they spent together without having sex, but it was also the most precious. /
It was three days to his wedding, Naruto realized when he opened his eyes that morning, feeling shudders he couldn't explain. Three days until Sakura would walk down the isle towards him and they'd…
He shivered again, then shifted to his side to discover that the pinkette had left. It wasn't until then he remembered she was supposed to try on her wedding dress that morning. For some reason it didn't feel as bad as he'd expected to wake up without her.
He groaned and rolled his eyes while getting up.
It seemed the closer the wedding got the more dangerous the workings of his mind became.
Sighing heavily he got out of the bed and started to head out of the room, hitting his toes on about a million objects on his way.
Today was going to suck, he concluded.
His mind was so consumed by that thought that he didn't notice the apparent signs of approaching danger – the sound of running water, the firmly closed door – until it was much too late. As soon as he opened the bathroom door he was face to face with a very, very naked and wet Sasuke.
And suddenly it felt like he'd stepped backwards in time.
He was confused to find himself disappointed when the raven managed to cover himself before he could see even nearly as much as a tiny, stubborn part of him would've wanted to. Onyx eyes flamed when looking into his. " What the hell are you doing?"
He swallowed thickly. " Leaving." And with that he slammed the door closed far more loudly than would've been necessary.
-
Sasuke leaned his back heavily against the tile wall, not even noticing he was trembling, and groaned.
Wonderful. Like living under Naruto's roof hadn't been hard enough already…
-
It took a full hour before Naruto managed to fish out his cell-phone, and even longer before he could dial numbers. " Help", was all he managed to produce.
About half an hour later he was sitting in a nearby park with a very amused looking Kiba. " So let me get this straight…" The brunette mused for a moment. " Sakura went and invited Sasuke to your wedding, and you actually wanted to torture yourself with insisting him to live in your house for almost a full week. And…" The other whistled. " You are good at sabotaging your relationships."
He rolled his eyes. " Yeah, yeah, I get the picture – I'm the world's biggest idiot and a masochist." The then cast a pleading look towards his friend. " Now would you please tell me how I can keep my sanity intact and keep myself from destroying my marriage before it even starts."
Kiba seemed thoughtful. " You know, I'm not sure you should."
First he blinked, then his eyes widened a fraction. " What?!" He blinked some more. " What the hell are you talking about? You were supposed to knock sense into me!"
Kiba sighed heavily. " I may not be the smartest person, but even I can tell I'm not looking at someone who's moved on." The brunette's cell phone then bleeped as a sign of an arrived text message. The other gave him an apologetic look. " Sorry, I've gotta go."
He scoffed. " You didn't help much, you know?" If anything he was even more confused now.
Kiba shrugged. " I'm no miracle worker, okay? Though…" The brunette mused while walking away. " You've got two options. Come up with reasons supporting each of them and see which one wins. Maybe it's that easy."
He snorted. " Yeah… Easy…"
He sunk into memories once more.
/ After a somewhat confusing beginning Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura spent quite a bit of time together. It wasn't always easy, of course – especially with Naruto demanding them to keep the truth of their relationship hidden from everyone – but they managed. After all, little as they acted like such most of the time they were all adults, and friendship was able to conquer a lot.
That day not long after Naruto's twentieth birthday the three of them sat in a café, enjoying the day without doing anything in particular, he and Sasuke exchanging teasing touches every now and then when they could be sure the pinkette wouldn't notice.
He didn't manage to stop making circling, very suggestive motions on Sasuke's leg until Sakura's voice caught his attention. " Guys, listen to this", she urged, reading some women's' magazine. " 'How to know he's your soul mate'." She snickered a little. " I've gotta read this one right now."
" Why?" Surprisingly enough that came from Sasuke's mouth. " Do you honestly think some stupid test can answer to something like that?"
Naruto nearly choked on his coffee. Sasuke wasn't doing this, was he?
Sakura's eyebrow rose with apparent curiosity. " Oh yeah? Then what can?"
The raven shrugged before speaking, obviously not thinking about what he was saying the slightest. " How about reality?"
In all honesty Naruto wasn't sure which one was most stunned by the unexpected response – Sasuke, he or Sakura.
The pinkette blinked several times when looking at Sasuke. " I… didn't know you were dating someone." A sly look then rose to her face. " So… Who's the lucky girl?" Was that… jealousy?
Naruto's cheeks burned while he realized that he'd have to stop what was inevitably approaching. He ruffled the raven's hair. " Meh, you know the teme, Sakura-chan. He's a silly little shy guy."
Sakura scoffed, swatting his head. " And you're a brat who doesn't know when to shut up."
He stuck out his tongue.
Sasuke, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and moved a little. " In case you're done pestering me, there's something I need to take care of."
He frowned, observing Sasuke's face. " Is something up?" He honestly didn't mean to sound as worried as he did.
Underneath the table Sasuke's hand brushed his knee, immediately making him shiver and some very unwanted tension appear. " Stop looking like a lost puppy, dobe. I'll be back in a bit."
He rolled his eyes, bravely fighting back a blush. " Stop flattering yourself, bastard." Nonetheless his eyes barely left the raven while the man walked away and disappeared.
" Wow." Sakura's voice caught him so off guard that he had to blink once – and blink again when he saw the look on her face. " He's really let you close fast, hasn't he?"
He frowned, his hands trembling dangerously. " Why do you think so?" Was she onto something?
" I've seen how he acts around you. Heck, he even tries to smile these days", the pinkette remarked, and if he'd been a little less messed up he might've noticed the sad side tone in her voice. " It took me years to get to the point where you two are now."
He swallowed thickly, staring at his hands as they squirmed in his lap and working his hardest to keep his breathing at least somewhat regular. " Are… Are you sure?"
" Yeah – I think I've been his… friend long enough to know." He felt her look at him although he didn't meet the gaze. " Are you okay? You seem greenish."
No, I'm not. Instead, of course, he gave one of his famous grins. " Nah, I'm fine." His legs barely carried while he got up, starting to head out. " Tell… Tell Sasuke I needed fresh air, 'k?"
He could feel Sakura's confused eyes on him as he went.
Once he was outside he searched for support from a wall and closed his eyes, letting his body shake.
So… Sasuke already considered him close. For him there was nothing scarier – he'd never been good at creating bonds.
Because everything he let close enough seemed to burn out and die.
He wasn't sure which avoided which, but they didn't meet for a full week after that. /
The next morning Naruto was utterly, completely exhausted while pulling on what was supposedly his wedding tuxedo.
Although he'd worked his hardest to chase his thoughts elsewhere, he'd spent most of the night before trying to come up with stupid lists supporting either getting married, going back to what'd already been proven a horrible idea or jumping off the nearest cliff. He'd ended up with nothing more than a void and the headache of a millennium.
" Dobe, have you passed out there or what?"
Sasuke's voice felt like someone had punched his chest, and he blinked twice. " Yeah… I'm coming." His legs surprisingly weak, he stepped out of the dressing room to find Sasuke sitting on a nearby chair. " So…" He couldn't understand why he was mildly nervous. " Does it look utterly horrible?"
-
Although he would've never admitted feeling such a thing Sasuke's head spun a little while he looked – all but stared – at Naruto, who without a doubt looked amazing in his brand new black outfit.
Once again it felt almost painfully hard not to surrender under sweet 'what ifs'…
Instead of showing any of those thoughts he rolled his eyes, with all his determination pushing away the little voices whispering inside his head. " Yeah, yeah, dobe", he commented dryly. " I bet Sakura's going to get a nosebleed."
Naruto grinned, obviously just as oblivious as always.
For the first time in his life he was relieved when his pager decided to send an alarm just then. He took a look at the message, then bounced up from his chair almost fast enough to feel dizzy. " As amusing as this all is, I've gotta go."
-
Naruto frowned when looking at Sasuke's distancing back. Something wasn't right.
Was all this really that hard for the Uchiha?
" Hey." Before he could do a thing to control himself he'd marched to the raven and grabbed the man's wrist so that the other jolted barely traceably. " I'm not letting you walk out on me like that again, got it?"
The Uchiha snorted when turning slowly towards him. " I've gotta go, okay, dobe? This is nothing personal."
He barely heard, because it was then he realized they were stood only centimetres away from each other. It would've been so very easy to just…
His heart pounding, he leaned a fraction closer – then stopped himself with such a force that his head jerked backwards.
No. He would not walk through this road again.
He swallowed, his throat tight and sore. " I've gotta go, too." He never remembered to take off his outfit, which caused the salesman to sprint after him, while he did what he'd become extremely good at thanks to Sasuke.
He walked away. The Uchiha didn't follow.
Both of them found the same day from their memories.
/ Days, weeks and eventually months passed, but nothing happened. In many ways life returned to normal for a twenty-one and a half years old Naruto. And the amusing part was that as scared as he was of commitment, he felt disappointment. For as insecure and doubtful as he felt at times – especially with Sasuke's still ongoing disappearances – he soon realized that a part of him had been dreaming of having something solid for once in his life. And eventually he came to a conclusion that if Sasuke was too much of a chicken to move things forth, he'd do it instead.
Yes, that day of rather cold spring did change their relationship forever, but unfortunately not in the way Naruto would've wanted. For as he walked towards what he discovered to be a jewellery store he saw the about last thing he would've wanted to witness.
When he first saw Sasuke he almost grinned and lifted his hand, until the scene played out. For the raven wasn't alone – walking with him was a boy with bluish, somewhat long grown hair and pale eyes. At first the scene seemed perfectly innocent, but then Sasuke shifted closer to the other and the two wrapped their arms around each other, seemed to go as far as kiss in the middle of the street.
His eyes widened with utter disbelief, and he emitted a tiny, wounded sound while a searing sensation appeared into his eyes.
No, no, NO…
Sasuke would not have done this to him. There… There was no way…
But as the other boy held Sasuke even tighter and the raven fell closer once more – back still to him – he realized that hard as he tried, he couldn't come up with excuses. Finally everything had a reasonable explanation. All those disappearances, the distance Sasuke seemed to keep…
He felt used, furious and sick to his stomach, and it took his all not to throw up there and then. Breathing became so hard that he started to feel dizzy.
He'd have to get away before he'd make another huge mistake, he realized. And that's why he turned around sharply, stumbling as he did so, and all but ran away.
It was tragic, really, that he didn't turn around to see the worry on the boy holding Sasuke, that he walked away without seeing the hassle that started out. That his fear of bringing relationship to the next level blinded his eyes.
Five hours later he was sitting in a bar, having consumed so much alcohol he could barely sit upright. It was a miracle he hadn't been thrown out, he might've mused in some other state. And, of course, his drunken mind ended up making a bad decision.
He shivered when feeling a touch on his shoulder. " Naruto?" Turning his head towards the voice he barely recognized in his state he found Sakura. The pinkette frowned, seeming just as wasted as he was. " What's wrong?"
The last thing he remembered of that night was her soft, drunken touch. /
Naruto knew it wasn't a great idea to get himself into a lot of trouble so close to his wedding, but after all those memories and the much too confusing few days he'd had he just couldn't hold himself back in the bachelor party Kiba arranged for him.
He was barely coherent enough to recognize the way his heart jolted when instead of Sakura Sasuke opened the door of his apartment when Kiba dragged him in. He sent mental curses towards his best friend when the brunette all but threw him into the somewhat confused raven's arms. " He's all yours", the man announced before walking away, leaving him under the Uchiha's mercy.
Memories and alcohol making him bitter, he narrowed his eyes and tried to vigour away from the raven's hold, only to fall closer instead. " 'et go."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. " Why do I have a feeling that this isn't going to be fun?"
Just then Sakura walked into the room. " Naruto, are you home already? What…?" She then noticed his state, and seemed to hold back a sigh. " I'll go and get the painkillers."
As much as he would've wanted to Naruto was in no condition to fight back when Sasuke guided him rather roughly to a couch, then helped him lay down. " There. Don't you dare fall off, all right? I'm going to get some sleep."
The raven never made it more than two steps away before his hand grabbed the man's wrist with a nearly painful force, holding on determinedly. " Why?"
Sasuke turned to look at him with a frown. " Why what?"
No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the ton of thoughts past his tongue.
Why the hell did it go so wrong? Why did we get so lost? Why did you come here? Why didn't you come to the bachelor party?
It says a lot about his mental state at the moment that he didn't even realize he passed out.
-
Sasuke sighed heavily when watching Naruto fall into a deep sleep that'd most likely turn very troubled soon. His eyes turned several shades darker than usual.
Damn idiot…
" So he passed out?"
" Hn." Sakura's voice aroused a storm of emotions inside he wasn't ready to face, so he turned fully away from Naruto instead and started to walk away. " I'm going to bed."
" Sasuke, wait." Sakura's voice was so filled with something close to anguish that he just had to obey. Did he hear her gulp? " Look… He still doesn't know, okay? And I really think he'd deserve to. You…"
His gaze silenced her effectively, although a pleading look remained. " Sakura, no." He was surprised to find his voice that firm. " This crap so far… It's enough. There's no need for more, understood?"
Sakura's eyes flashed with mixed feelings. " I don't understand why you don't just tell him – you were his best friend, and he cares about you."
He grit his teeth. " We've been through this already."
Sakura sighed, obviously knowing there was no changing his mind. " Goodnight, Sasuke", was all she said, although he could tell there was a ton more on her tongue. With that she left.
-
Already before she did so, Sakura knew turning around would be a bad idea. Yet she could've never imagined how much so. Her eyes darkened when she noticed Sasuke returning to Naruto once more. The raven's face carried an unreadable expression when he moved one strand of stray hair from the blonde's forehead, then covered the other man with a blanket before leaving the room through another door.
She leaned against the wall behind her, the tightness that'd lingered in her stomach since Sasuke's arrival intensifying.
She could only wonder how messy things would get, because now she finally knew.
So Sasuke really was an ex, just like she'd feared. And not just any ex. He was the ex.
/ When Naruto woke up the morning after seeing Sasuke in the arms of another – the mental image of that embrace much too fresh in his mind – the first thing he felt was a huge, all consuming headache.
He groaned loudly, bringing a hand to shield his eyes although they were closed. " Crap…"
" There's a glass of water and two pills of painkillers on your bedside table. I suggest you take them before you end up hammering your head against the wall to chase the pain away."
His heart practically stopped as he recognized the voice, and his eyes flew open, instantly narrowing against the blinding light. It took several moments, but in the end the picture of a person stood nearby – putting on her jacket – was much too clear. He swallowed thickly. " S – Sakura…?" His eyes widened, and nausea crept up his throat. " Oh fuck…"
Seeming to click with his trail of thought the pinkette rolled her eyes. " Naruto, stop looking like that – nothing happened. You passed out about two minutes after we got here." She then frowned, obviously worried. " What's wrong, anyway? Is this about you and some girl?"
Suddenly the nausea from before multiplied, and he actually gagged dryly. " I don't want to talk about it", he produced as quickly as he possibly could, looking away.
" Okay." Steps distanced – apparently Sakura was smart enough to leave. " I'm not talking to you when you're in that condition. But I do hope you get everything worked out."
His eyes narrowed, filled with moisture. " Bye, Sakura."
" Bye." Her voice was somewhat defeated. " I'll call you later."
He closed his eyes while the first tears escaped. " 'K." He was already in a fitful sleep almost before the word was out.
He jolted back into awareness when hearing the shrill dial tone of his cell phone, and almost picked up, thinking it was Sakura. He, however, froze completely when realizing that the call was coming from Sasuke.
He stared at the phone for the longest time, all his cells begging him to accept the phone call despite everything. His finger twitched above the picture of a green handset.
In the end he put, practically threw, the cell phone away and buried his face into his hands, emitting an animalistic moan of utter agony.
He didn't think he'd ever be ready for the talk they'd need to have.
-
Sasuke frowned when putting away his phone, his chest feeling far tighter than usual.
Something was badly wrong, he could just feel it.
" You know cell-phones are not allowed here." Although Tsunade's voice was gentle, it made him shudder a little.
Forcefully shoving his thoughts elsewhere, he turned his gaze towards the far too pale figure who lay in the bed before him. During the six hours he'd spent in the room Itachi hadn't moved an inch, and it unnerved him. " Has there been any improvement?" He was so exhausted that his voice remained monotonic despite the chaos inside his head.
He didn't turn to look but sensed the look on the doctor's face. " We're still waiting for the latest test results. I'm afraid only time will tell." He then sensed Tsunade's eyes move to him, and felt repulsed by the carefully hidden pity. " But now… Are you ready for the tests?"
He nodded stiffly, feeling even sicker than before. He couldn't rip his gaze off of his unconscious brother, and although he knew it was selfish and stupid he couldn't restrain himself from thinking that what if he, too… " Yeah", he all but bit out. " Let's get this over with." /
TBC, right?
A/N: Oh noes…! (sniffs) Those bakas – Sasuke's being a real teme, and Naruto's subconsciously sabotaging everything between the two of them… (swats both of them, then manages to grin a little) Man, did that make me feel better!
Heh, awkay, it's VERY late and I've gotta get up insanely early tomorrow, so I'm tuning out. If you want one, the next and last chappy will be out in a few days, or at least before week seven is over. (grins)
'Til then PLEASE review – you know how much that means to me! (glances pleadingly)
'Hope I'll see ya all next time!
Peace out!
POLL: I'm thinking about going through with something I've been planning on for a long time - a MPREG three/fourshot. Do ya guys think I'd get any interest...?