"Foolish Hearts"

'Chapter Twenty-Four'

Naruto had forced himself to stop and get up.

He couldn't break now.

They had things they needed to do.

But he was already so worked up, his mind and heart pulsing with pain. He just wanted to curl back up in bed with his Sasuke's shirt and never move again. He gazed at himself in the mirror and sighed; he didn't look as haggard as he felt, which was good. His eyes were still a bit bright, the only evidence that he had cried. With practiced ease, he let his smile slide into place as he reached for his wallet. "Just a child..." He lightly reminded himself as he started for the door.

Looking down the hall way he caught sight of Sasuke, "Ready?" He asked gently, he had more control over when and if they touched now.

Sasuke looked to the fox as he walked down the hall the Uchiha moving to the door and opening it for the both of them. "Yeah." Sasuke followed Naruto down the steps, into the bright new day and out the front gates towards the main part of the village. "Where are we going?" Sasuke had an urge to take Naruto's hand, but wasn't sure if he could. He glanced to it, then stared ahead again, pushing a smile on his lips as his black eyes regarded the fox.

"We're just headin' into town for a little bit." He fox answered easily. He had space, and fresh air. He breathed in deeply, the smell of trees, cedar, pines, oaks, all surrounded him...and the wind..

Sasuke...

"It's going to be a bit busy." He warned glancing back at the dark, curious eyes, "So try and stay close, okay?"

Sasuke nodded slightly, keeping in close proximity of the blonde, their hands touching but Sasuke didn't make a move to grab at it -- trying to be strong and keep his eyes forward.

Demon…

Sasuke blinked, confused, had he heard something? He glanced over his shoulder, looking at a group of people nearby; why were they staring?

"I can't believe the demon Sasuke isn't dead."

"...and with the Hokage-sama..."

"Che...what are they thinking?"

Sasuke frowned a little, his brow furrowed he turned his eyes to Naruto, "What're they talking about?"

...was…he supposed to be dead?

Sasuke thought Naruto was the one with the demon – so why were they calling him that? "...Naruto?" His voice sounded a little fragile, wanting an answer.

"Just ignore them..." Naruto murmured in what he hoped was a reassuring voice. He moved his arm around Sasuke's waist, pulling the man closer to him. As they passed the women, his bright eyes flickered to them and narrowed dangerously. He needed the warning to get out: No one was to touch Sasuke.

Sasuke let himself be drawn in my Naruto's strong arm, an uncertain flush on his cheeks as he kept his eyes on the ground.

...was it true though?

That's what he wanted to say, but he couldn't find the words.

Was it…true?

Sasuke took in a shaky breath, trying to force himself into composure; Shikamaru said to not be a burden to Naruto.

But...

Sasuke didn't understand.

Naruto sighed heavily as they moved further into the town, and more eyes settled on them. Looking forward he spotted a shop and carefully tugged Sasuke towards it, "It'll be a fast trip, don't worry, we'll talk later about it." He promised.

This needed to get done.

As they stepped into the shop, Naruto caught the owner's eyes and gave him a slight wave before he continued to nudge the Uchiha further back into the small clothing shop, near the vacant dressing rooms. Easily slipping into one, Naruto moved so he could guide Sasuke to sit down. He eyed him carefully, his own orbs full of concern. "You okay?"

Sasuke was trying to keep his composure.

But he couldn't smile up at Naruto, just sitting on the little wooden seat, his hands firmly at his sides and his head down -- raven hair hiding his face. "...yes." He lied, keeping his eyes away from the fox.

...his hands started to shake.

The fox's eyes trailed down the tense body, catching sight of the whitened knuckles and the faint shaking. Letting out a small sigh, Naruto moved so he was on his knees in front of Sasuke, and reached for the man's hands. He cradled them between his own hands, and placed a soft kiss on the knuckles. "It's okay to be upset, you know." He started, his fingers lightly caressing the skin on the back of Sasuke's hand. "You can tell me the truth, I won't be upset at you." He reassured, his eyes trying to find Sasuke.

Sasuke felt pathetic…

He was confused...hurt...

He felt so many things and he didn't know what to do about it. He felt Naruto's gentle hold on his hands; tears pricked his eyes from the feel of Naruto's soft lips on his skin. "…I...don't remember anything..." Sasuke said, "I...think I should, and I don't…"

He felt stupid...

He clenched his eyes shut, "Why did they say those things?! Why do I make you sad?!" He felt a few tears escape, his hair trying to hide his eyes, unable to wipe them away as Naruto held his hands firm.

...he just didn't get it.

What was going on?

Leaning up, Naruto let go of Sasuke's hand and wrapped his arms around the man's shoulders and drew him down, off the bench and into his own chest. He held him tightly, his hand moving up and down Sasuke's back, "You're not going to remember." He murmured softly into the pale ear. "The people in the village don't know what's really going on, you have a dark past, Sasuke, one you didn't want to remember, one you didn't want." He tried to explain, hoping the child's mind would understand. "They don't know any better..."

Dark past..?

He...would never remember..?

Sasuke buried his head in the crook of the blonde's neck, his breath catching in his throat as his heart beat horribly against his ribs. "...Naruto..." He all but whined into his neck, wanting the kitsune to make it better. "...why..?" He didn't know what he was asking for; he just wanted answers, but he knew he wouldn't get more than that.

...he probably wouldn't understand more than that.

Gods…

His head hurt.

Naruto let out a sigh and relaxed back against the wall, his own eyes closing, Sasuke's body flush against his own; between his legs.

Why did anything bad ever happen to Sasuke? Why had he lost his family?

So many why's.

He couldn't answer them.

He sighed heavily and continued to run his hand up and down Sasuke's back. The fox tried to calm the Uchiha down with gentle touches and soothing sounds. He could feel the racing pulse under his finger tips. "Shhhh..." He gently rocked the man back and forth, finally falling into the role of a parent. "...It'll be okay." he whispered soothingly.

Sasuke kept himself as close as he could to the blonde, sponging up his warmth as he tried to keep himself under control. He focused on the soothing hand down his back, on the gentle whisper in his ear and he tried to forget all of it.

...how could he feel so much pain when he had no memories to back it up?

His heart hurt…

Sasuke's hands dug into the front of Naruto's shirt; he didn't trust himself to speak.

Naruto's small smile was a bitter one. They were both suffering from the loss of Sasuke's memory. As Sasuke tensed more, curling his fingers into Naruto's shirt, the fox reached up and gently started to thread his fingers through the dark hair, a soft hum filling the room, a melody Iruka had sung to him when he was a child.

Sasuke kept his eyes closed, his muscles slowly starting to unwind as the melody filled his ears, Naruto's warmth filling his senses. He slowly calmed, his fists falling from the man's shirt, his head heavy against his shoulder.

...he had to be strong.

Naruto felt Sasuke's weight lean into him and smiled gently, before he pressed his lips to the man's temple.

Just a child...

He continued humming the soft melody, and rocking. No one would bother them inside the dressing room, not even the owner. He wanted Sasuke to take his time, and not rush. He wanted this small Sasuke to trust in Naruto for protection and comfort…

Sasuke tilted his head on the blonde's shoulder, opening his wet black eyes, staring at his profile and just…drinking him in. His lips were a thin line, quivering almost as he watched him. "…why won't I remember?" He asked finally, his tone strained, but his body was relaxed now.

Naruto's voice and hands quieted and slowed before they stopped.

He was silent, trying to find the words...

How could he explain it? How could he tell Sasuke that he had been a cold-blooded killer? That the council had been planning on killing him and Shikamaru had saved him. Taking in a deep breath, Naruto let it out slowly and shifted on the floor, trying to get blood flow back into his legs, "My boss..." He started slowly, "The Fire Council," He licked his lips, "They took your memory…" He answered.

"You did things that upset other people and yourself...me..." He let his eyes close, his cheek resting against Sasuke's soft, black hair. "You were sorry, and we tried to show them you were, but my boss, well, they're mean people...and they took your memory from you.." He hoped Sasuke would understand, it really was the simplest explanation he had. "And they won't give it back no matter how much we ask... but," He opened his eyes and pulled away slightly.

Cupping Sasuke's cheek he smiled down at the man, "You told me, just before it happened, to be happy for you, and you smiled at me, trying to tell me it was okay, that you were okay with it." He moved his fingers through the dark hair slowly, "So now, I'm going to make sure it stays okay...okay?"

Sasuke continued to watch Naruto, feeling the hand through his hair but he didn't react to it.

...he tried to process all that, just letting it sink in a moment as he eyed the blonde.

He tilted his head, inches from the fox, his hands on the man's shoulders as he remained between his legs.

...his expression as innocent as ever.

"Are you happy?" Sasuke asked in a quiet tone.

...if Naruto was happy…he was happy.

If that were the truth; then Sasuke would stop asking about his memories, he would try and stop making Naruto sad.

Naruto smiled gently as Sasuke gazed at him, reaching up he carefully ran the side of his finger under Sasuke's wet eyes, brushing the tears away. "Slowly..." He murmured truthfully. "Slowly but surely, yes..." He couldn't lie to those eyes, no matter what he did. Those dark, innocent eyes…

Sasuke smiled then, "…if you're happy I'm happy."

He would…live without his memories.

Naruto was happy how it was; and maybe he didn't need those dark things back in his life.

He had Naruto…

And…for some reason, that felt like enough.

Naruto grinned back at Sasuke, "And forget about the other people, okay?" He started again, knowing that they would have to leave the safety of the changing room soon. "They're just stupid, they never knew the real you, or me. So don't let them bother you."

But…

Sasuke didn't know the real him either.

The Uchiha didn't say anything; he kept his smile, masking his inner fears like Naruto had. It wasn't so hard -- he didn't know what he was really scared of anyway. Sasuke slowly got to his feet, helping the blonde up and standing there a moment before he un-latched the lock and stepped out into the clothing store. "Quick right?" The Uchiha said, keeping the smile but there was something else behind his eyes now.

Naruto let out a small chuckle, "We're safe in here..." He reassured. He leaned against the wall so he could see the whole store, like a mother lion watching her cubs. "Take you time. It's okay."

"This is stupid." Sasuke said in his childish annoyance, picking through racks -- looking here and there and not understanding why he felt nervous with Naruto looking at him.

He didn't know his size...

Didn't...really know what he normally liked to where.

He picked a few dark shirts off the rack, all different sizes.

...he was bad at this.

Sasuke's cheeks were flushed, his expression almost comical as he walked around the store like he was on some sort of deadly mission.

Naruto watched Sasuke for a moment before he let out a small chuckle and pushed off the wall. He moved over to the child and looked over his shoulder; there were a few shirts that would be too big. Naruto stepped back and moved so his could stretch his arms above his head, before he stepped forwards to browse through the clothes. He gazed at a couple, before he picked one up for himself, just a simple white tee shirt. He continued flipping through the shirts, trying to find something that would catch Sasuke's attention, and hint towards his size without actually telling him.

Ah, there!

A black body shirt with fishnets that went down the bicep and ended above the elbow, it was a start. "Here," He held the shirt up for Sasuke's inspections, "What do you think?" He asked his head tilting slightly, "I think it's too small for me..." He made a small pout, "But it'll fit you." Naruto held it out.

Sasuke took the shirt, liking the feel of the fabric and the simplicity of it. Sasuke absently moved to check the label, noticing the size and allowing himself to rummage a bit easier now.

Naruto smiled gently as he watched Sasuke pick up on the small hint and move around the racks with a bit more confidence. Quietly setting the shirt he picked up back, he wandered around until he was sitting in the rocker chair by the counter, and smiled gently to the owner, before his eyes flickered back to observing and watching Sasuke.

Sasuke had finished gathering what he wanted; going off the label Naruto had first given him. He was able to judge the pants merely because these felt a size too big, so one size lower would be good. He set the clothes on the counter, just a batch of black, white, and one red t-shirt. Sasuke had been drawn to the red, he didn't really know why, so he decided to just toss it in. It wouldn't hurt anything; the color was a little mesmerizing. Sasuke smiled over to the kitsune, setting the last stack of shorts and pants on the counter, just plain khaki, black, or grey cargo pants and shorts. "Ready?"

Naruto smiled as he got up from the rocker chair and reached for his wallet. "Wow, looks like you found some things. That's good." He easily pulled some bills out as the clothes were being rung up. He smiled gently to Sasuke, "Did you want to go anywhere else?" He asked.

"Wherever you want to go." Sasuke kept his eyes on the clothes, his black eyes open doors to his innocent soul. "I want to go wherever Naruto goes." Sasuke turned his head to the blonde, offering him a pure smile.

The fox smiled softly and easily picked up the three bags of clothes and turned from the counter. He set a hand on the man's waist and started to guide him out of the shop. Maybe he'd go to that shop later and pick up a few board games for them. "Nah, the town makes me a bit claustrophobic," The fox lied easily; he knew that it bothered Sasuke though.

It didn't take long for them to be home. Sasuke decided he didn't really like the village; the people were mean. He liked Naruto's house much better, Naruto was very kind to him, it made him happy. He had taken the bags to his room, filling his empty dresser and trying to clean up his bedroom before Naruto came in and saw the mess. The Uchiha had even changed into one of his new outfits to show Naruto how grateful he was -- he was wearing a white shirt with a fish-net under-lining, and black shorts.

Naruto was moving down the hallway, a yawn escaping him, the lack of sleep starting to tease at his mind. "Sasuke?" He called out, he knew the man had wandered back to his room, but he hadn't seen him since. He knocked on the door briefly before he slid it open; he caught sight of the small mess and the white shirt and black shorts. He leaned against the wall his eyes soft, "What are you doing?"

Sasuke flushed as if he were caught up to no good. He started to pick up the discarded clothing -- it was Naruto's clothes, the ones he found in the dresser. He walked to the blonde, holding out the small pile of clothing. "These are yours."

The fox easily took them back and rested them over his shoulder. "Hungry yet?" He asked casually. "I'm making onigiri..." He started, "Want to help?"

"Sure."

Onigiri?

Sasuke followed the fox out of the room, down the hall and towards the kitchen that smelled of sticky rice.

The fox smiled gently and set his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, guiding him back towards the kitchen. "There's some fruit on some plates out there... so why don't you try and pick some so we can add it to the onigiri, okay?" He moved over to the rice cooker and started to pull out some rice. "Then later, I figured we could go back out to town and pick up a few games, sound alright?"

"Mm." Sasuke was only half-listening, intrigued by the bright colors on the plate. Sasuke picked up a strawberry, a cherry, and a plum. He set them aside, he wanted to try those, they looked interesting. "You just pop these in the rice?" He frowned a little, unsure.

"Yep." Naruto moved over towards Sasuke and gently cupped the man's hands. "We just make it like this…" He started, molding the rice into a small triangle. "And then..." Naruto held the plate up with the three possibilities set out on it. "You pick one of these and then press it into the back."

Sasuke held the molded rice in his hands, picking up the plum and pressing it into the back of the onigiri.

...it looked lopsided.

He frowned a little, lifting his black eyes up to the blonde. "…this okay?"

Naruto let out a small laugh, "It's perfect." He reassured. Parting from the Uchiha, Naruto started making his own food. "There really is no right or wrong way to make it." He added, "Mine usually look like globs." He laughed slightly as he held up one up.

Sasuke continued and made two more, it took a while but he had finally made perfect triangles. He pressed the cherry in one and the strawberry in the other. Sasuke tilted his head to the rice, slowly picking one up and nibbling at the edges.

...it didn't taste like anything.

Like air, only thicker.

He continued to eat absently before his tooth cut into the plum, the flavor piercing through the bland rice and causing the Uchiha's lips to twitch into a smile.

This wasn't bad…

The fox was still making a few more onigiri for himself, occasionally glancing at Sasuke. He caught sight of the smile on the man's lips and couldn't help but grin himself. "You like it?" He asked setting his fifth rice blob on his plate.

"Mm." Sasuke said simply, continuing to eat the rest of the purple stained rice, moving on to the next one; so Sasuke still enjoyed his old favorite.

Naruto felt warmth fill him at the sight of Sasuke and his small smile.

Sasuke was still in there; that was a good thing.

The fox reached for his own onigiri and took a bite out of it. "Good." He smirked.

--

A/N:

I was going to continue on with this chapter; but I decided to just end it here. Sorry it's boring to some people, but I do think the growth of childish Sasuke is important, especially for Naruto's heart to heal and the little moment's where Sasuke starts to dip into his old mind matter.

So, yeah, sorry people if the story is lame now or something.

Next chapter gets a bit dramatic, so I decided to clump it all together. So please leave a review and the next chapter will be out soon! Thanks!