Riayu: I still feel really bad for giving you guys such a short chapter
Riayu: I still feel really bad for giving you guys such a short chapter. But your reviews were encouraging, and funny. Also, sorry for spelling Kyuubi wrong.
Arbela: I told you it had two 'u's
Riayu: Punches Arbela I don't feel like dealing with you today.
Arbela: Help!
Itachi: Okay, Arbela, let's call this a day for you. I'll stay with her 'til she feels better.
Riayu: Where the hell did you come from?
Itachi: Shouldn't you be writing?
Riayu: Nagging bastard. You're just upset because you're the antagonist in this story.
Itachi: Shut the fuck up.
Riayu: Oh, you are so going to pay for that.
Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto, and I probably never will.
Thoughts/letter/emphasis
"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, staring at Sasuke. The brunette was covered in scrapes, bumps, and bruises. They were standing in the entryway a little off to the side so that the moving men could carry in Sasuke's things. The blonde had noticed only because of the strange lisp in the brunette's voice 'caused by a split and swollen lip so he had reached out to touch the face and had found all of the damage.
"I finally told Itachi I was moving in with you, he got a little upset," Sasuke said, wincing as the blonde touched his bruised eye.
"Did you at least put up a fight?" Naruto asked, taking the brunette's hand and leading him to the bathroom before taking out a first aid kit and applying an antiseptic to the cuts by feeling for them first.
"He looks five times worse than I do," Sasuke lie, trying to ease the blonde's mind. "It's needless to say that I won't be allowed back in the house."
"I'm sorry," the blonde said, dabbing at a long cut on the brunette's cheek. "I shouldn't be taking advantage of you."
"Baka, I offered. And I told you, it's an excuse to stop living with my crazy brother. Has Hinata found somewhere else to live?" Sasuke asked, wincing as Naruto dabbed the gash on his forehead.
"Yeah, she's living in the same apartment building as Kiba. She's already started talking to her other neighbor Shino. I think she'll be fine there. And I received my first letter from my parents." Naruto smiled as he put a square of gauze over the gash and leaned back, done with his repairs. "I haven't read it yet and I only know it's from my parents because Kyuubi gave it to me. He couldn't stay and read it to me, though."
"I think I can help as long as you don't mind me reading it as well," Sasuke offered, touching the gauze that covered the cut on his cheek. He would remove it later. Naruto wordlessly lead the way to his room and picked up the envelope he had placed on his desk, holding it out to Sasuke. The brunette opened it, pulled out the letter, and read it aloud.
Dearest Naruto,
It is so wonderful to finally contact you. Kyuubi (he insists that we not mention his real name because he hates it) said he would pass this along to you if ever he found you. You may be wondering why we never sought you out. We were sure, just as we were with Kyuubi, that you would detest us for abandoning you as we did. I'm sure that Kyuubi has already explained the circumstances to you, so you know why. We love you, Naruto, and only left you because we wanted you to live a safe life. We gave the orphanage standards to follow when selecting your foster family; I hope they were honored and you were left with loving parents. Please call us or send us a letter.
Love always,
Your parents
"There's a number here as well," Sasuke informed him, looking over the neat script that probably belonged to his mother. "Would you like me to dial the number for you?"
"No, not right now," Naruto said, smiling. "I don't think I would be able to say anything intelligent right now."
"And what's going to change in the time between now and the call?" Sasuke asked coolly.
"Teme," Naruto said, the smile not dropping from his face. "I'm intelligent enough to write a novel." Sasuke said nothing. "That reminds me, I need you to proof-read this." The blonde took out a binder with about twenty pages of typed text. "Out loud, with this pen poised over the paper at all times," the blonde pulled a pen from the desk, "And an intent on questioning every little detail you think might be inadequate, unneeded, or confusing." Sasuke stared at the blonde's intense face, a little shaken, then opened up the notebook.
"But I'm in the middle of the story; a lot of it won't make sense to me."
"I'll answer any and every question I can."
"Why am I doing this instead of an editor?"
"Because you can do it for free."
"I'm not certified, I don't know as much about grammar as an editor does."
"You'd be surprised by how much you pick up just from reading things. Don't worry, this'll go through an editor as well, you're just the first buffer." With that reassurance Sasuke began to read, marking typos and grammatical errors. Naruto would stop him occasionally and ask him to repeat himself or to change the order of words. Once he even asked Sasuke to cut out a whole paragraph, which he said 'consisted mostly of filler and unneeded information'.
It took them about two hours to get through the pages, Sasuke impressed by the way Naruto had picked apart his own story. They sat in silence, Sasuke staring at the blonde who was slouched in the seat, looking as if his thoughts were far away.
"What are you thinking?" Sasuke asked, not really meaning to iterate the question.
"How much I–" the blonde caught himself. He was thinking about how Sasuke's body would feel stripped of clothes.
"How much you what?" Sasuke asked, watching blonde.
"How much I want my sight back," Naruto said, smiling sadly. It wasn't the right time. "I was thinking about having Kyuubi over a little later. Sound like a good idea?"
"Hmm…yeah. Sounds great." Sasuke said, shifting a little. He had noticed the abrupt change in subject and wondered what Naruto had really been thinking about. "Want me to call him for you?"
"Nah, he's coming over today anyways. Pein said he was bringing him over." Naruto smiled and leaned back slightly in his chair. "It's only a matter of–" the door banged opened and stopping footsteps came down the hallway. A very angry Itachi, his hair falling out of his ponytail in wisps, came charging into the room. He lifted the blonde up by the front of his shirt and put their faces close together.
"You think you can ruin my life, you stupid blonde idiot?" Itachi yelled, his eyes crazy with anger. "Do you?" He started shaking the blonde.
"Let go of him," Sasuke yelled, standing up and punching Itachi as hard as he could, but Itachi didn't seem to be affected. Naruto was silent, clamping his lips together as he was shaking, his feet dangling nearly a foot off of the ground as he was shaken. There was a sudden sense of falling for the blonde followed by a thud.
"Don't you ever touch my brother again," two familiar, dark voices said in unison. Naruto sat where he had fallen, his head spinning as he tried to process the two voices. Pein and Kyuubi had pinned Itachi, by the neck, against the wall, both of them with flaming eyes and deep scowls. Itachi's feet dangled slightly off of the ground as he stared at the two of them, unable to breathe.
"Who the hell are you?" he rasped, bringing his hands up and trying to pull the hands away from his throat.
"I'm the blonde idiot's big brother, you bastard," Kyuubi squeezed Itachi's windpipe hard, making Itachi's eyes widen in terror and pain. Pein was staring at Kyuubi, letting go of the brunette.
"Maybe you should let him go, I think he gets the picture," Pein said, sounding a little frightened. The red-head blinked then let Itachi go, looking a little embarrassed.
"Sorry, I have anger issues. I tend to get carried away. There might be a bruise there later." He smiled the same flawless smile that Naruto had. Sasuke was beginning to wonder if there was anything the two of them didn't share beyond hair color. Itachi stood there, his back still pressed against the wall as if to get away, staring at the red head then at Pein.
"I think you should apologize," Sasuke said, smirking at his brother. Itachi scowled then struggled to find the words associated with apology.
"I'm…sorry," he said, screwing up his face with effort. He then walked coolly out of the house, slamming the door behind him.
"I like him," Kyuubi announced the minute the brunette was gone.
"You what?!" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs.
"I…like him? Is that against the rules? Is he the only good Uchiha?" Kyuubi asked, motioning to Sasuke in reference to the last sentence.
"He's a perverted freak!" Naruto hollered.
"That's what most guys my age are, Naru-chan."
"Wait, back up…Did you just call me Naru-chan?" the blonde asked incredulously.
"Yeah, why?" Sasuke was snickering, hiding his smile with his hand.
"Shut up, teme," Naruto said, elbowing him in the side. "I'm not sure I like being called…Naru-chan."
"Right, sorry. Back to Itachi, that's his name right? Why exactly can't I like him?"
"It's no problem," Pein said before Naruto could say something. "People are often drawn to assholes. It's sort of like a phase. It'll pass." Naruto couldn't see the look that Kyuubi gave Pein; a mixture of reassurance, understanding, and thanks. Sasuke, on the other hand, saw the look and was instantly curious.
"Anyways, Naruto," Kyuubi said, clapping his hands. "Did you write a letter to mom and dad yet?"
"Being blind makes writing sort of hard," Naruto said flatly.
"Then narrate one and I'll write it for you," Pein offered. "I'm good at writing in your script." Everyone sat down as Naruto tried to think of something intelligent to say.
"Don't worry about what you're going to say," Kyuubi said after a moment of silence. "My first letter was mostly nonsensical questions. They'll love you no matter what idiocy you spout." So Naruto said the first thing that came to mind.
"Dear mom and dad, my favorite food is ramen." There was the sound of pen on paper, encouraging Naruto to continue. He gave his age and birthday in case they had forgotten, his favorite color, his shoe size; his weight and height, then went delved into the story of how he lost his sight. The letter was about four pages long when they were done and Pein took a picture of Naruto from before he left home and enclosed it in the letter. Kyuubi filled out the address on the envelope and put it in the mailbox.
Pein said that he was putting off the trip with his parents permanently, saying that he wanted to meet his little brother's real parents. They hung out for a few hours before both of them had to go to the club.
"Kakashi said that you guys were playing again tomorrow night?" Pein asked at the door, looking at Sasuke.
"Yeah, we can't wait. We're actually getting paid this time. And next week we're going to start recording our first song."
"Congratulations," Kyuubi said before saying goodbye and climbing into Pein's car.
"They like each other," Naruto said the moment the door was closed.
"They are friends," Sasuke said, dismissing what Naruto meant.
"No, I mean they like each other."
"How do you know?" Sasuke asked, he hadn't gotten that vibe at all. They were in the living room, sitting on the couch with their knees brushing gently together as they talked.
"They were sitting close to each other, even though there's plenty of room in the house," Naruto said, ticking off the point on his finger. "The tone of their voices when they talk to each other is different than when they talk to us. Do they look at each other with soft eyes and easy expressions on their faces?"
"Yeah," Sasuke said, thoughts racing through his head.
"Then they must love each other, even if neither of them knows it yet. Maybe they think that's how all friends are."
"Naruto?" Sasuke asked, glancing up at the blonde.
"Hmm?"
"Who's the person you think you might love?" Naruto shifted.
"Why?" the blonde asked, not wanting to admit he liked Sasuke. The brunette shrugged, feigning indifference.
"Just figured I'd ask before I did anything."
"Did anything wha–" Naruto couldn't finish his sentence because of the lips that were locked over his, at first cautious and gentle. Naruto immediately relaxed into the kiss, turning his body slightly and wrapping his arms around Sasuke's neck, slipping his tongue into the brunette's mouth and tasting his sweet bitterness. They broke away for breath, Naruto feeling his face flush deeply.
"You're blushing," Sasuke said, smirking slightly.
"Well, you're so inexperienced and I thought maybe I rushed you a little," Naruto said, concerned.
"Inexperienced?" Sasuke asked, sounding a little defensive.
"Well, your kiss hinted at a lack of experience in said department. It was clumsy." Naruto didn't mean to sound abusive, but he realized instantly that what he said was more than a little hurtful. "Sasuke, I didn't…"
"No, it's fine," the brunette stood up and walked to his room, his furniture sitting in no particular order. He locked the door, turned on some music, and started to rearrange the furniture. It wasn't the comment that upset him, he knew he was a lousy kisser. After all, this was his third kiss; the first two were more like sexual assault from random girls at his school. No, it was the lack of intimacy in the blonde's voice, the lack of pleasure or want on the tanning face. He looked surprised, and his eyes had looked hurt.
What did I do to hurt him? Sasuke wondered, plopping down on his bed. His heart was constricting in a way that he wasn't used to. He had felt the same overwhelming pain when his parents had died, like there was no hope for him in the world.
Meanwhile, the full fact of Sasuke's kiss was beginning to fall on the blonde. The sexiest, nicest asshole that he knew had just kissed him. He brought his fingers up to touch his tingling lips, which were trembling with excitement. Perhaps Sasuke did return his affection, or maybe he was just looking to get laid. Either way, the blonde wanted to go to the brunette and be held by him. He got up and went to the room where Sasuke would be staying and tried the doorknob. It was locked. Inside he could hear music playing and furniture being shifted.
"Great," he muttered, going into his own room and closing the door. "I just pissed off the guy who's supposed to be taking care of me." He sighed, pulled off his shirt and pants, then fell into his bed and fell asleep, wearing only his boxers. Sasuke awoke late that night, restless and regretful, he might have gone two fast for the blonde. Of course he was surprised, and he must have had a good reason to be hurt. Sasuke stood up and walked out of his room and into the blonde's, pausing in the doorway at the sound of Naruto's voice.
"I'm sorry, teme," Naruto muttered in his sleep, rolling over in his large bed. He made a whimpering sound, Sasuke's heart twisting at the agonizing sound. He crossed the room in three strides and looked down at the blonde, the moonlight washing over both of them. He reached out and touched his fingers to the tanned forehead, wanting the pained expression to go away. Naruto muttered something incoherent and reached out in his sleep towards the brunette, pulling him gently. Sasuke climbed into the bed and let the blonde snuggle close to him. For a moment Sasuke wasn't sure what to do, then he wrapped his arms around the blonde and buried his face in the soft nest of blonde hair. They slept like that until the sun rose and they were awakened by the ringing of a phone.
Riayu: And the Sasunaru finally begins!
Itachi: Glaring You almost killed me.
Riayu: Maybe I should try harder next time?
Itachi: Wide eyed No, that's okay.
Riayu: Puts down switchblade That's what I thought. So, sorry again for the short chapter last time. My writer's block just suddenly disappeared! I won't be able to update again until Aug. 8. If I decide to update ever again.
Itachi: Is there a reason you wouldn't update ever again?
Riayu: I was looking at a 10 chapter fic and it had over 400 reviews. It makes me feel unloved.
Itachi: You're just being selfish.
Riayu: Yeah, I know. But there must be so many people reading that fic. It must be really cool to have that much support.
Itachi: You know you're probably making someone feel guilty.
Riayu: Umm, thank you for reading everyone and for the reviews, they do make me so happy! Please review and don't be afraid to ask questions, I'll answer what I can.
Itachi: What's today's special treat?
Riayu: Hmm…everyone gets…A NARUTO AND SASUKE PLUSHIE! Tosses plushies to readers I think I might keep you here for a while, Itachi. You're more fun to be mean to.
Itachi: Runs away