Stratós Dýo (1)
Chapter 2 – Peaceful Remembrance
"Sasuke!" Naruto pressed his back against the Hoplite behind him. They were pressed in on all sides from Terrans. "How are you holding up?" Naruto was panting and his shoulder was injured by an arrow.
"Better than you," Sasuke chuckled. "Chidori Nagashi!" He yelled. Shocks of blue electricity enveloped them in a protective circle, pushing their enemies back. Sasuke used his sword with one hand and a crossbow in the other to give assistance to comrades that were out of his reach in this battle.
Naruto fought with a dagger and a shield that he used as a perfect pair when trying to take down an enemy with a long sword or malice.
So far, they were only just barely holding out.
"Damn cheating bastards!" Sasuke hissed when a loud bang sounded and pain tore through his side. He looked around and saw a man with a metal pipe on a wooden handle aiming at him. He shot the man in the eye with the crossbow and continued his fighting. He saw another man with a strange weapon aiming for his commander. Sasuke reacted with his body on autopilot, shoving the blonde captain to the ground. The projectile hit Sasuke in the collar bone and sent him in a spin before he landed with a dull thud on the earth that was stained red with blood. He growled slightly and gripped the grass in his hands. "Dammit…" He hissed. He stood, ignoring the searing pain in his neck and chest. "Calypso… Let's try that stage," He panted quietly. The gem on his sword started to glow brighter. His skin started to change to a color of dead dirt and the skin of his back stretched and tore while giant wings started to grow out from it.
"AAAH…. AAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!" The scream of pain that tore from his mouth shocked bystanders into stillness as anyone close enough to see started to back away.
"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. "What are you doing?" He demanded, running to his hoplite.
"Get… the men… out of here… Naruto…" Sasuke's voice was a raspy growl of pain and anguish. Naruto could hear how much this form hurt him. He frowned and turned to the battle. A loud shrill whistle had his own men running from the scene, leaving the filthy Terrans to believe they'd actually won the battle. The ones around Sasuke knew better though, they knew something was up.
"Kill him!" One shouted, charging at Sasuke. A sword blade with a dark black glow sliced off his arm. Sasuke held the sword in one hand, his face in the other.
"Be quiet…" He hissed. He sheathed his sword and held his hands in front of him, gripping his right wrist with his left hand. "Kuro Chidori Ame!" He snarled. He actually flew into the air, the flashes of lightning behind him illuminating his body and the ball of black imitation lightning getting bigger and bigger, feeding into the sky above them. He flew back at the ground, hands outstretched to slam the electricity into the ground.
The earth blackened and thunder boomed louder than anything else in world. Sasuke's smirk was sick and twisted as black bolts of lightning came down from the sky and men started screaming. He continued feeding it, pushing his energy into the earth, watching the sea of men around him dying as they were struck. The skin of his arm tore but he paid it no mind. Anything was worth the safety of his men and captain.
By the time it was all over and he had no more energy to even kneel as he was, they were all dead. Sasuke sighed and slumped over as his body started to return to normal.
Naruto was relieved to see his Hoplite in the center of the field unharmed after everything was over but he could tell something was wrong. As soon as the dark haired male fell over there was a piercing cry and Naruto ran to his side. "Tend to the wounded!" He shouted over his shoulder. He slid to the side of his friend and rolled him into his arms.
"Did we do it?" Sasuke murmured, coughing. "Did we protect Arcacia from the Terrans?" Naruto sighed in relief and smiled.
"Yeah… we did it, Sasuke… We did it together… all of us," He whispered. Sasuke got a very cat-like grin and reached a pale hand up to Naruto's face.
"We did it for you… because of you…" he whispered.
"Yeah, but when we get in town I'm gonna tell the kids it was all you," Naruto said. Sasuke chuckled dryly and shook his head. "Can you stand?"
"I think so… not on my own… but I should be able to hobble with some assistance," Sasuke murmured with a frown. Naruto smiled more and helped him stand. He pulled Sasuke's uninjured arm over his shoulder and helped him limp to his tent.
"Never pull a stunt like that again… no matter what the outcome of battle looks like. I'd rather lose the battle than lose you," Naruto said sharply. Sasuke took his arm, hissing as he pulled at the injury on his neck.
"Will you stay? Until I fall asleep?" Sasuke whispered. Naruto sighed and sat on the edge of his blankets. Sasuke always slept on the floor, he had given his cot to a younger office and never bothered to apply for a new one.
"Until you fall asleep then, you big baby," Naruto smiled and held Sasuke's hand as the other visibly relaxed and closed his eyes. That form took too much out of him. It always left him weak and vulnerable and made him feel paranoid. Sasuke was asleep very quickly and Naruto left him in the care of the doctor while he checked the other soldiers as well.
"We're all okay, sir!" Inuzuka Kiba, Chief Petty Officer, said with a wild waving of his arms. Naruto smiled and nodded to him before looking at others. Konohamaru looked at him worriedly.
"Will Uchiha-san be okay?" He asked softly. Naruto sighed and nodded.
"He's going to sleep a lot for the next few days but he'll be fine once he regains his strength. This time appears to have the calmest backlash."
"C-calmest backlash?" Konohamaru echoed. Naruto looked at him and chuckled.
"Sasuke's had to have his arm reattached once because of that thing. This time he just lost some skin. He'll be right as rain in no time," Naruto ruffled the boy's hair and went on his way, listening to Kiba start telling the child gruesome, horribly exaggerated tales of their past battles.
When he was done with his check up, he returned to Sasuke's tent, knowing the man would wake up screaming in the middle of the night with no one there to calm him.
"He had three metal balls inside of his body. I believe they are from those things the Terrans were calling "pistols." I removed them all though, and they don't appear to be poisoned in any way. I'll leave him to you now, sir," Iruka was such a kindly doctor. Naruto smiled at him and thanked him before sitting beside Sasuke.
"You're such a handful, you know that?" Naruto closed his eyes and thought of the first time they met.
X FLASHBACK X
"Give it back!" Naruto shouted, hopping up and down to get his necklace from the older boys.
"A Shorty like you doesn't deserve a summons," The boys sneered. He laughed and held it higher above Naruto's head.
"Give it back," A cold voice growled. Naruto looked around and saw a boy only a few years older than himself standing a bit away with his arms crossed.
"Make me," The one holding Naruto's precious Phoebus said. The new boy picked up a rock and flicked his wrist. The bigger boy fell unconscious with a small bit of split skin on his brow. The other boys ran while Naruto picked up his beautiful necklace. He looked up to thank his new friend and found his savior gone too.
"What is the meaning of this? What happened here?" an adult yelled. Naruto looked around. "Did you do this?" Someone pointed at him. Naruto shook his head.
"No! It was the other boy! With the spiky hair!" He whined.
"Don't lie! You threw a rock at that boy!" A woman yelled. Naruto blinked and frowned, looking away. His new friend had abandoned him.
A WEEK LATER
"Welcome to training, boys. All of you are here to join the seventh brigade of the army of our great country, Elpis. Take a moment to memorize the faces of your peers," a man with grey hair and a mask covering most of his face ordered in an impatient tone. Naruto looked about and froze. Standing right next to him, five inches higher, and in a hell of a lot better of a posture, was the boy who got his jewel back. Then left him to take the blame.
"YOU!" He shouted, pointing at him angrily. The boy looked at him with a raised brow before realization dawned on him.
"Dobe…" he said in acknowledgement.
"You gonna apologize for leaving me there with that mess?"
"No, why should I? You're the idiot that got your summons taken away," The boy turned away and Naruto growled. He huffed and turned away as well. But he couldn't help to notice how no one bothered him or his jewel ever again.
Xxx END FLASHBACK xxX
"Wake up, Polemarch," A husky voice belted over Naruto's ear. He jumped and looked around to find himself secured in the arms of his ridiculous Hoplite.
"Sasuke, what are you doing?" Naruto whispered, using anger as an excuse for the blush rising on his cheeks.
"Enjoying your warmth, my lord," Sasuke replied. Naruto looked at him warily. "What were you dreaming about; you had a smile on your face."
"The day I first met you. And the week after when you started making my life a living hell," Naruto huffed softly. He noticed how well he fit to Sasuke's chest, and how nice those well-muscled arms pressed against his back, holding him there.
"I don't recall…" Sasuke said with an air of arrogance, "All I remember is the day you were placed a position above me."
"Oh yeah, the day I thought I was better than you. I was such a naïve child then, do you forgive me?" Naruto whispered, trying his hardest not to enjoy the warm vanilla smell that stained the man's skin.
"My dear dear captain, there is nothing that needs forgiven."
To Naruto, this translated roughly to, "I will never forgive you and will one day use this against you."
"Are you sure?" Why?
"Absolutely." Because I want to.
"But I was wrong…" There would be nothing to gain…
"That doesn't matter." Of course there is.
"Why not?" What is it?
"Because." You.
Naruto drew back sharply and scrambled from the tent. He was praying that the unheard conversation was all in his head. Sasuke was a subordinate. An engaged subordinate. An engaged male subordinate.
"Sasuke… when did you start having these feelings for me?" Naruto remember everything about their time knowing each other. He remembered how Sasuke would pretend to be weaker than Naruto but he trained alone after dark and was obviously way better when he thought no one could see him. He remembered how Sasuke was nice to his fiancé Sakura, until he found out Naruto liked her. And most of all, he remembered how Sasuke never let anyone hurt Naruto since then. Sasuke went to great lengths to ensure the safety of their captain.
"I'm not sure myself. I just know that I became aware of them when we learned the laws of Elpis. Law 10: It is sin to lay with one of the same birth, as it is sin to lay with one of the same tree. I really… really hate that law," Sasuke said, a sad undertone in his voice. "I decided that if I couldn't have you as my own, I would protect you with my life to ensure that you would live long and healthy."
"Is that why you threw the test? So I'd get a spot above you and you could protect me from below as the brains of the operation?" Naruto asked, looking over his shoulder. Sasuke looked at him with a small smirk. He bowed and kissed the back of Naruto's hand.
"I would do anything for you, my lord," He said coyly, looking up with dark eyes.
"You're very bold, Uchiha," Naruto whispered. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Why was it responding this way?
"Only because I know you won't push me away. You care too much for me to just push me away."
"Tell me why again?" Naruto's breath had quickened just a bit as the other stood far too close for his liking. Here, behind the tents of the others, in the dead of night, Sasuke could do all kinds of things to him and no one would know. He looked up at those dark eyes that hid everything and started at what he saw there. Sadness.
"Because if you don't, who would? Who would care for someone like me, who doesn't know how to be real or forgiving; who doesn't like to be touched or to touch others except in a violent way? Who would put up with a man like me besides someone as pure as you?" By the time his speech was over, Naruto was pressed firmly to his chest, mouths inches apart, and Sasuke's hands dangerously close to Naruto's backside.
"Sasuke… don't do this…" Naruto knew his warning was useless because Sasuke's eyes were already closing and his lips were parted. Their mouths met with little resistance. 'Sasuke's kissing me…' he thought. He jerked himself free before his senses were lost and stared up at Sasuke. "Do not do that again… please…" he whispered before he walked away once more, trying his hardest to collect himself.
"I'm sorry…" it was so un-Sasuke that Naruto had to close his eyes and pretend he didn't hear it coming from those soft lips that had been pressed so intimately against him.
Naruto hid under the blankets in his room and kept his eyes shut tight. He didn't want to think about it, what Sasuke said, the things he did. He just wanted to fall asleep and dream of nothing. But, of course, fate doesn't like him enough for that, and he found his mind wandering to Sasuke. Wandering to what Sasuke looked like after a long battle: dirt and blood on his skin, eyes alight with the fires of hatred and anger. It wandered to how Sasuke acted so clingy and needy after he over-exerted himself and his fears came out. Naruto's mind wandered over Sasuke and he began to wonder when it was that he had learned everything about the older man and still wanted to know more.
X FLASHBACK X
Naruto frowned and looked around the battlefield. It had been abandoned after the bodies were burned but he just knew he could find his partner here. Sasuke always preferred to watch the passing of the souls than to sit with the others and drink like a fool.
"I thought I'd find you here…" Naruto said with a small sigh of relief as he spotted that haircut. Sasuke looked over at him and glared slightly before turning back to a pile of burning dead. Naruto whispered a quiet prayer for their souls and Sasuke closed his eyes.
"Leave me be… just this once," He ordered curtly. Naruto frowned and sat beside him.
"What happened?" Sasuke handed him a newspaper. It told of their loss in the east to Ethio. "Three hundred soldiers… gone…" Naruto nearly choked. He looked at Sasuke. His partner was chewing on his thumb nail and looked disturbed. He had a brand new black pin in the shape of a cross in his ear lobe.
"My brother… was a part of that platoon. His body's been sent to my parents to bury. They sent me his earrings." Sasuke murmured.
"You were close with him?" Naruto just couldn't see Sasuke being close with anyone. He seemed to dislike people so much that his entire existence was practically heresy.
"He was my idol. He's the reason why I joined the army in the first place," Sasuke muttered softly, head low. Naruto reached out in an act of unhidden kindness and touched the other's back. "My parents gave him these earrings when he joined the army… I wanted a pair just like it… but my parents said I was too young to understand what it meant so I couldn't have them. They only give them to me now so that I may carry a piece of him with me… I still don't understand what the cross meant to him… and now I'll never know…"
"It's okay to cry sometimes, Sasuke… being a real man… means you let it out when you're bothered by something," Naruto consoled the torn soul before him. Sasuke opened his mouth to give some witty remark about "Uchiha Pride" and other nonsense but Naruto pressed his finger against those lips that had been chewed raw. "I'll be your praying stone if I must, if it means you'll talk to me about these feelings you get. If it's something you can't tell anyone else, you can surely tell me," Naruto promised with a smile. "If you can't let anyone else see you cry, I'll cry with you so you're not alone."
Sasuke's eyes watered then, if only slightly. He lowered his head and his fists clenched on his pants. Naruto smiled and found it in him to cry for this man he'd never met. He sat there bawling while Sasuke only silently stared at his knees. A gentle hand pulled Naruto closer to the quiet Uchiha.
"Dobe… why should I cry when you're doing it for me?" Sasuke whispered with a slight smile on his face. Naruto sniffled and beat his shoulder.
"Don't let me cry alone… you bastard!" he huffed angrily. Sasuke started to chuckle but by the end of his breath it came out as dry sobs.
"Doushite? It should have been me… We were in battle at that very same moment… why couldn't Elpis take my life instead? Why did she see fit to take the only person in this world that ever cared about me?" Sasuke's voice started out hoarse and quiet but he worked himself up to a good yell. Naruto rubbed his eyes harder.
"TEME! I care about you!" He shouted, hitting the other on the back. He found himself captured in a tight hug as those tears fell from Sasuke's eyes. Shaking hands embraced the taller older soldier without hesitance and Sasuke felt the warmth of that embrace all the way to his gut.
"Naruto…" he whispered. Those arms held onto him tightly long after he'd stopped crying and continued to give support as he was just a shaking form.
X END FLASHBACK X
"Yeah… that was probably… when I first fell in love with him…" Sasuke whispered, staring through the gaps in his fingers up at the night sky as he lay in the grass outside his tent. "The idiot would always cry for me… and make me feel things I didn't want to feel."
"Sasuke!" A feminine voice called. Sasuke stood and looked at his fiancé. His ugly, pig-headed, spoiled brat of a fiancé. "Why are you laying on the ground? You'll catch your death!"
"Why are you here? This is no place for a woman," He grabbed her arm and was prepared to take her back to the village when she touched his face.
"You're crying… why?" He pushed her hand away hard and shoved her into his tent.
"Forget what you saw," He growled. She nodded in understanding. "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to see my future husband. Is that so wrong?" She trailed her fingers over his arms and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"Why do you still come after me when Naruto has a higher position?" Sasuke may have a way out of his wedding yet.
"Because I don't want Naruto, I want you. And besides, my friend has already informed me of her deep affections for Naruto," She said with an annoyed huff. Jealousy and rage built up within Sasuke. A woman… a woman with a high societal position and the ability to have many children… would be perfect for Naruto. She would be far better than a man who could only get him executed. He removed Sakura from around himself and sat on his cot.
'Be rational, Sasuke. Naruto is a man. If others found out about your sick desires, you'd be executed on the spot. You're lucky Naruto doesn't do it, seeing as he has the right to do that.' Sasuke reminded himself. He thought of Naruto executing him. He wouldn't do it in front of the men; he'd want to spare them that. He'd take Sasuke somewhere far away and cut off his head, most likely with tears running down his face and apologizing profusely. Something told Sasuke… that maybe that wasn't such a horrible way to go… As long it was Naruto who was killing him… 'Oh dear god… I've got it bad…'
"Sasuke, what's wrong with you? Here I am, offering my body for you in this hard time and you're sitting there staring at your hands!" Sakura's annoying voice broke his thought process and Sasuke growled.
"Will you shut your goddamned trap for long enough for me to fucking think about my life you stupid whore? I'd like to enjoy what remains of it before I'm forced to marry a bitch like you who doesn't understand anything at all!" Sasuke shouted, looking at the pink haired girl lying on his bed in just her undergarments. He stood and threw her dress at her. "Now put your clothes back on and get the hell out of my tent before I tell your father that you were trying to proposition me before our wedding!" His voice was thunderous and angry and Sakura knew she'd never get away with saying he'd tried to rape her because she could hear all the whistles and shouts outside and she knew everyone had heard. She threw on her clothes and left as quickly as possible.
Xxx JW: Good Sasuke, here's your cookie. Sasu: Yay…. xxX
Naruto walked into the mess tent and was surprised to see such a large group gathered around Sasuke, slapping him on the back and cheering him on. He came over and saw that Sasuke was reading from something. "What's up guys?" He asked. The table fell silent and his men made a path for him to right in front of his Hoplite. Sasuke looked the happiest he'd ever shown anyone and Naruto was taken aback by how he became breathless at such a true smile.
"She ended it." He didn't explain. He didn't need to. Naruto smiled wider and hugged his head tightly, whooping for joy for him. "Her father wrote me a very winded letter. He must've scoured every dictionary in the land for the terminology!" He said with his own bark of laughter. Naruto was relieved that he was so happy. The Sasuke from last night… was frightening.
"Read it again, sir!" Konohamaru begged softly. Sasuke nodded and the group fell quiet so Naruto could hear what they'd already heard five times or more.
"Dear Uchiha Sasuke-san, I regret to inform you that my daughter no longer wishes to be your betrothed. Actually, this is a horrible lie. The truth is that I am ecstatic to hear that she wants nothing more to do with you. I dislike you greatly, from your cocky attitude to the crass way you speak to my darling daughter," Sasuke paused to gag slightly and Naruto laughed. He was glad Sasuke found this amusing; this was the sort of thing that could piss Sasuke off into killing someone. "I am relieved that she has finally come to her senses and left you for the emotional estranged person that you are. I understand that war changes people into hideous beings but you were hideous even before joining the war. I hope you die very slowly by the sword of a filthy Terran for the tears you have caused my lovely Sakura!"
"She's a fat whore, for Elpis' sake!" someone yelled from the back. He yelped when someone hit him for interrupting.
"I will inform your father of this privately and I will save him the disgrace of having a son who is unsuitable for marriage. If your brother were still alive, I know he would have made the perfect husband for my princess. Rot in hell for all eternity, you stupid bastard. Addressed from Haruno Seizo," Sasuke finished and he started to laugh all over again. "Can you believe this guy? Me, an emotionally estranged soldier? I'm not emotionally estranged, I just hate that bitch!"
"What happened?" Naruto asked, tilting his head. Kiba came forward.
"She came to his tent last night and tried to have sex with him. He tossed her out on her arse and told her if she didn't leave he'd tell her father."
"I'm sure she knew, too, that she couldn't tell him I'd done something horrible because all of you heard her saying she was offering herself. He might believe her over you guys, but would everyone else?" Sasuke had a smirk like he just won some kind of award for the smartest man alive and folded his hands behind his head. "Let's go for a walk, sir," He suggested calmly to Naruto. Naruto nodded and they walked together somewhere far away.
"I'm glad I stopped liking her when you told me you were being forced to marry her," Naruto said with a chuckle. "Or else she might take me up if I were to jump for her."
Sasuke nodded slowly. "I'm sorry," For last night.
There is was again, a conversation with words that weren't spoken and still they could hear them.
Naruto shrugged, "I've already forgotten." I already forgive you.
"Really?" I wouldn't blame you if you haven't.
"Really." I have.
"Okay." Thanks.
"Yeah." Don't mention it.
Sasuke smirked slightly and shoved Naruto, watching his superior officer fall onto the grass. "Race to the tree, loser has to wash the winner's feet." Sasuke said before taking off running for an apple tree in the distance. Naruto laughed and chased after him.
~ ooooooo ~
"Teme… you had… a head start… and I still… freaking beat you…" Naruto panted, lying where he collapsed on top of Sasuke. Sasuke grunted and lifted his head to look at him.
"I… huh… let you…" he huffed out. Naruto smiled, knowing he did. Sasuke wasn't running nearly as fast as he can. If he had been actually trying to win, he would've been there before Naruto had even gotten up.
"Liar… now you… get to wash my feet…" Naruto chuckled and listened to the rapid pounding of Sasuke's heart and the fast rise and fall of his chest. Sasuke smiled and focused on breathing through his nose to get his panting under control.
It was honestly moments like these that made the best memories: laying in the shade of a tree after a childish race that he let the other win. Those were his most peaceful memories.