Little more than three weeks had gone by, and already Sasuke had coaxed the true Naruto out of hiding behind his veil of subservience. He felt as though they had been friends for a long time, certainly longer than and for quite different reasons than the fact that one of them happened to be a slave to the other's brother.
Naruto, in his entirety, had a personality that Sasuke was sure he would be annoyed by if he didn't treasure it, so ridiculously hyper it was. He idid/i treasure it; he reveled in the fact that he had finally gotten Naruto to behave normally, even more that he now had someone to participate in mischief with.
And though they were both sixteen, Sasuke felt like a child when he was with Naruto.
Their time together was frequent now. Itachi had done nothing since the night Sasuke had intervened, but that was mainly because he could never seem to find them when they were lurking the house. Whether he accepted the fact that Sasuke was indeed leading Naruto from his original purposes, he neither knew nor cared.
But because he spent only late afternoons and evenings with Naruto, he began to wonder just how Naruto served Itachi. He had always known it went on, of course; what else could you expect to happen with a slave? But he had never thought to ask what it was that Naruto was supposed to do.
Naruto cautiously peered around a corner as Sasuke dug into their kitchen closet, rummaging around for more cakes or candies. He sat down on the closet floor with a sigh, and Naruto followed suit as he shut the door.
"So tell me," Sasuke said thickly, his mouth full of cake as he offered Naruto one. "What exactly do you do for Itachi?"
Naruto looked up for a moment from his cake, not looking mortified or apprehensive as Sasuke had expected he might, but simply looking curious.
"Well," he said, resuming the unwrapping of his cake. "Mainly he just makes me get things for him, and follow him around in case he needs something... stuff like that."
If he was lying, Sasuke couldn't detect it. But he pressed on:
"And then he puts you back in your room?"
"Yeah."
"And he doesn't even lock it..." Sasuke mused as Naruto picked up another cake. "Hmm..."
"I think he wants me to be around you," Naruto told him quietly. "For whatever reason."
"You think so?" Sasuke asked, genuinely surprised. "Well, he hasn't said or done anything to try and stop me."
"Oh, he says things," Naruto said, smiling serenely. "Just thoughts he can't help but mutter loud enough for me to hear."
"Like what?"
"Oh..." Naruto scratched his nose. "Just things like... 'Didn't bring him here to be friends' and 'Sasuke can't mind his own business' and stuff like that."
Sasuke stifled a laugh at how Naruto's voice had changed to mock Itachi's words.
"But..." Naruto's voice was suddenly his again, and somber. "Once I asked him... why he let me continue to see you."
"What did he say?"
"Well, after he told me that it was really none of my business... he said it was because you'd pay for it in the end."
Naruto instantly looked frantic at the expression on Sasuke's face. He clutched Sasuke's hand in his.
"But I'm sure it was just Itachi-san being Itachi-san!"
Sasuke grinned smirkingly at Naruto. "Don't worry yourself."
But his own mind was racing. Itachi idid/i mean it, whatever it was. In actuality, there were a number of things he could do to make anyone pay for something. With this involving him and Naruto, he shuddered to think.
"No." Naruto's hand tightened around his, and his eyes were blazing determination. "You told me to act real. And now it's your turn."
Sasuke stared at him, stupefied, until Naruto's face broke out into a grin.
"Besides," he said teasingly. "I'd say I'm able to read your emotions now."
Sasuke continued to stare at him, seeing his own expression, childlike, reflected in Naruto's eyes.
"I'm scared," he said, warmth spreading over his cheeks as he admitted it. "I was never supposed to have talked to you... but... all I've done is get attached..."
"Attached?" Now Naruto wore the blinkingly childlike face.
"Yes," Sasuke said, flushing deeper; it was suddenly too hot in the closet, and he stood up as his fingers slipped from Naruto's grasp. "And he told me not to..."
"Surely you don't listen to Itachi-san, though?" Naruto said, gaining his feet, not seeming to realize that Sasuke was now the one feeling shyness and embarrassment. "I mean-"
It was at that moment that he turned, and came face-to-face with Sasuke. His lips stopped moving as his words failed him, and suddenly the closet seemed much too small.
For a few earth-shattering moments, all the two boys could do was stand and stare into each other's eyes, and Sasuke was reminded of how very blue Naruto's eyes were, and how much they fascinated him.
And then Naruto was gone, the door swinging wide, and Sasuke threw himself out of the closet with a shout, only to see that blue shirt disappearing around the corner, blonde hair whipping behind it as well. With a couple of pained, heaving breaths, Sasuke tore after him, catching him at his door, and tumbling inside with him.
As they struggled together in a corner of the darkened room, Sasuke pinned Naruto's shoulders to the wall, and held him still.
"Naruto."
The blonde's crimson face was turned to the side, tears lingering steadfastly in the corners of his eyes.
"I'm sorry!" he blurted, shaking his head back and forth. "I shouldn't have-"
"Naruto, listen to me!" Sasuke said frantically, pushing him more fiercely against the wall. "No... I'm the one who shouldn't have! I shouldn't have gotten you into all this mess! But I don't care! I'm glad I broke the rules, I'm glad we're friends, I'm igald/i to spend time around you!"
Naruto's eyes were now locked with his once more.
"I was disciplined before you came here! And I feel like I'm finally being the real me, and it's all because of you!"
And with more force than he intended, he braced his arms around Naruto's head and dove forward to kiss him. Naruto's immediate reaction was to pull away, and Sasuke's lips caught the edge of his jaw. As his senses kicked back in, Sasuke moved slower, gently coaxing Naruto's lips down to meet his.
He savored Naruto's breath, feeling the illustrious heat from the blonde's body, and he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Only when it seemed Naruto had finally given in and had brought tentative hands to the sides of Sasuke's face, Itachi's voice sounded from the hallway.
"Get out here!"
Flustered and shaken, Naruto broke away from Sasuke's kiss, and raced for the door, his wild eyes casting a final look back at Sasuke, who shrank into the shadows as light streamed in from the hall, and then the closed the door again. Sasuke sprang to the door, peeking through a the crack between it and the doorframe. He could see Naruto's trembling lips, just above his chin.
"Were you running?"
"Yes," Naruto said, and his head bowed out of sight for a moment before returning to its normal height. "I'm sorry."
"Why were you running?"
"I..." Naruto bit down on his lip. "I was done... talking with Sasuke, and I was just trying to get back to my room."
"Why is your face so red?" Itachi asked him shamelessly, acting as though Sasuke had not been mentioned at all. Naruto's tongue darted out to lick his lips, and Sasuke shifted.
"I was running fast."
Faster than Sasuke could comprehend, a hand flashed across Naruto's face with a resounding crack. Sasuke ground his teeth together in fury, digging his hands into his sides. If he were to dart from the room now, no matter how much he wanted to make Itachi pay for that slap, Naruto would only get into more trouble.
"You can't lie to me," Itachi said, and Sasuke could see his hand pull Naruto up by the collar. "I can only wonder what you're doing in there with my brother-"
"I'm not-"
"Now." And Sasuke froze as Itachi's lips descended onto Naruto's, forcefully and without gentleness. A feral snarl exploded inside of him, and he had his hand on the doorknob as Itachi spoke again.
"He will pay for this." His brother hissed his threat onto Naruto's lips, and Sasuke's breath caught as unforgiving red eyes fell onto his through the crack in the door.
bT.B.C.../b