Hey girls and boys! Sorry it's been so long but I life has been crazy and to be truthful I hadn't sat myself down at a computer and just let the words come to me. I can never plan out where I want my stories to go and in trying to do so I messed this story up big time. I had this whole chapter written out but I didn't like it so I scrapped the whole thing and what you see is the finished product of a long night of sitting in my living room with my computer on my lap and a soda in my hand. I hope you enjoy it :)
(we last left our heroes!)
Sasuke stormed out of Temari's trailer more furious than ever, but why the girl did nothing wrong and Sasuke snapped at her so viciously, maybe it was just one of his days.
"HELP RAPE!"
"We're not raping you."
"I DON'T CARE! HELP!" Sasuke cringed at the loud voice emanating from the tent in front of him.
What in the world?
"Why do we get stuck babysitting?"
"Kakashi gave us an order and we have to follow it."
"HEY STILL HERE!"
The group walked past an opening in the tent and Sasuke saw what all the commotion was about, Neji and Gaara were dragging a loud obnoxious blonde across the ground towards Temari's trailer.
"Sasuke" Neji looked at the brunette.
"What?" He replied.
"Open the door this headache has to get into a costume before he can go onstage." Gaara rolled his eyes as Naruto struggled in his grasp.
"HEADACHE! Why I outta…"
"You OUGHT TO shut up." Sasuke sneered as he opened the trailer door.
"Who the heck are you to, Hey I know you!" Naruto's eyes widened as he jabbed a finger at Sasuke.
Sasuke quixotically stared at the boy till he yelled.
"Yeah you're the ringmaestro!" Naruto beamed proudly.
Sasuke's eyebrow twitched as Neji and Gaara stared at the boy in disbelief.
Gaining his composer Sasuke replied "You mean the ringmaster."
"Yeah yeah that thing but you did great onstage. I mean you all did but something about you." Naruto pointed towards Sasuke. "Really made the show pop!"
"Glad to hear it." Sasuke rolled his eyes, not only was he attracting fan girls but now his following included fan boys as well.
Sasuke walked past the trio and down the short steps of the trailer.
"But no matter how good you are at your job you still called me a dobe earlier."
Sasuke stopped walking once that word was uttered out of the blonde's mouth. Sasuke closed his eyes for a second and stopped to remind himself where he had seen the boy before, it was blonde hair that did him in that mop of sunshine was radiating with energy.
Shouldn't I have recognized him sooner? That hair, I've never seen such blonde hair before.
"Hm I guess I did, I had a good reason too." Sasuke turned towards the blonde.
"And seeing as you're still in that audacious orange outfit I still have reason to say it, dobe." Sasuke smirked, something about watching the kid tense up gave him some sort of twisted pleasure, in a way it was kind of cute.
"Why are you taking an imbecile like that to the trailer? Don't tell me he's part of our show now?" Sasuke looked at Neji and Gaara.
"Kakashi asked us to." Sasuke cursed himself.
That man doesn't know the kind of shit he gets us stuck with and it's my job to see how this idiot fits into our final performance, great.
"You two go set up for the finale I'll talk to the dobe."
"STILL HERE!" Naruto screamed as Sasuke cringed.
With a voice like that how could I forget?
"What did Kakashi say for him to do?" Sasuke ignored the screaming blonde and focused on his friends.
"He didn't, just that you would know something to do with the blonde." Gaara stuck his hands into his pants pockets.
"He also gave us this." Neji walked up to Sasuke and handed him an orange book.
"He said it was for inspiration or something."
Sasuke grabbed the small book and looked at the cover.
Icha Icha Paradise…Why is Kakashi giving me his porno book?
Sasuke thumbed the pages wondering why he was standing outside holding a piece of incriminating evidence like Kakashi's book. Sasuke looked at the inside cover only to see Kakahi's handwriting quickly scrawled on the back of it.
"Sasuke hopefully that cute blonde can finally get the stick out of your ass I highlighted some useful pages in case you don't know what do because of your inexperience, don't worry we've all been there but I saw the way you were eying this kid and I thought hey about time you got laid! Think of it as an early birthday present, good luck! - Love Kakashi"
Sasuke's eyebrow twitched as he slowly counted backwards from ten trying to calm himself down, he was an Uchiha after all regardless of all the odd events that had been occurring.
"Hey Teme! Still here or did you forget that times awasting!" Naruto walked up to Sasuke.
"Hey whatcha got there? Oh my!"
"It's not what it looks like!" Sasuke screamed and tried to cover up the book but he was so shocked that it just ended with him fumbling over himself, very un-Uchicha like.
"Is everyone here perverts? First that creepy guy with the mask and now you!"
"I am not a pervert."
"I swear are you all just going to rape me and lock me up in some cage; I'm going to be sold as a sex slave but I'm too young and handsome to be sold to some old creepy guy who calls me Naru-chan!" Naruto was waving his arms around frantically trying to grasp the whole situation.
"We're not going to sell you." Sasuke said in the most monotone voice he could muster.
"AH this whole circus is just a cover up! We're all going to be sold I just know it, WHY ME! Whatever did I do to deserve such a horrid downfall?" Naruto collapsed to the ground holding his hands up towards the sky while screaming.
Sasuke had reached his limit; no he was past his limit, he had been past his limit for a very long time now. Kakashi's stupidity he could take but playing baby-sitter to a loud mouthed blonde who was screaming and running around like a two year old was far beyond his self control.
Sauke grabbed the blonde by the collar of his shirt and pulled his face close to his own.
"I will say this once and I will say it clearly, do you understand?"
Naruto's eyes got really big and he nodded slowly.
Hmm his eyes are really blue.
"You don't have to worry about being sold into slavery here. The only traumatic experience you will have today will be from me if you don't shut up. I don't know what Kakashi wants you to do but as far as I know you are NOT a part of MY circus nor will you ever be. I'm sure you don't posses any skills or talents other than having the ability to piss me off in 3 seconds or less. Now you will be taken back to your seat, you will sit there and mind your own business you'll watch the finale of MY show and you will leave and go on YOUR merry way. Got it!"
Sasuke's was livid his eyes were shinning with malicious intent and he was fisting Naruto's shirt so hard his hands were beginning to bleed.
"Dobe are you listening to me!" Sasuke screamed at Naruto who seemed to be in his own world.
Naruto stared at Sasuke's face and squinted his eyes.
"Are you naturally that pale and why does your skin look so soft?" Naruto reached up to Sasuke's face and touched his cheek.
Sasuke's body tensed as an electric current shot from Naruto's hand throughout the raven's face. His whole body felt like it was on fire but the warmth was definitely coming from the spot where Naruto's fingers were running over Sasuke's cheek, for a second Sasuke felt whole like he wasn't the monster that he had deemed himself as and for a moment of that small second Sasuke was happy.
Naruto jerked his hand away and grabbed it with his other hand.
"What the shit did you do?" Naruto was staring at his hand with a look of pure pain on his face.
When Naruto removed his hand any warmth Sasuke felt was gone and a tidal wave of pain flooded the raven. All his past thoughts and memories of regret, every moment where the Uchiha doubted himself and any instance where he questioned his sanity attacked the man and paralyzed him. People always say your life flashes before your eyes before you die that is the only reason the Uchiha was afraid to die, not the actual death itself but the moment before where you see your entire life laid on a silver platter for you to examine because for Sasuke that was his worst fear reliving his half life one more time.
"No" Sasuke whispered as he fell backwards onto the ground.
Neji and Gaara ran towards Sasuke as he was falling screaming his name hoping to wake up the Uchiha while Naruto examined his now bleeding hand crying over the pain that had shot through his body in waves when he touched Sasuke's face.
(three hours later)
Sasuke awoke with a grunt and rolled onto his side grasping at his stomach thinking he was about to empty its contents onto the floor but when his body jerked forward and he opened his mouth nothing came out of him.
"Ugh" Sasuke rolled onto his back and exhaled. His body was flushed and he was coated in a thin layer of sweat. The raven propped himself up on the bed breathing hard at the difficulty his body was giving him while he tried to do such a simple task.
"You really did a number on yourself out there."
Sasuke snapped his head towards the voice only to see Kakashi lounging in a small chair, legs crossed while he flipped through the pages of his book.
"I didn't expect it to be so rough the first time though."
"I didn't have sex with the imbecile." Sasuke groaned as his stomach contracted within him once more.
"I knew you wouldn't but you can't blame a guy for trying to make you happy."
"Happy? You think I need to be happy?"
"It couldn't hurt. Now look towards me I need to see something."
Sasuke grudgingly glanced towards the man who held his face in place by gripping onto his jaw. Kakashi looked directly into Sasuke's eyes examining each of them.
"Hmm"
Kakashi let go of Sasuke and returned to reading his book.
"What is it? Kakashi!" Sasuke grabbed his stomach once more as his body was racked with searing pain.
"I wouldn't move too much your body is still very unstable. We had to use sedatives to keep you from seizing when Neji and Gaara brought you here."
"Neji and Gaara, what happened?" Kakashi closed his book and placed it on the table beside Sasuke's bed.
"I thought you could tell me. Neji said there was some falling out between you and Naruto that ended up with you grabbing his collar and threatening the kid."
"I didn't threaten him…I just wanted him to shut up. But that's all that happened besides the fact that he touched me." Sasuke unconsciously placed his hand right over the spot where Naruto had placed his and curled his fingers over his cheek.
"He touched you?"
"Not like that you pervert." Kakashi held up his hands.
"Sorry, but where did he touch you?"
"My cheek, he said something about my skin being soft and then he touched me but I don't remember much about it."
"Really?"
"Why what happened?" Sasuke tried to grasp his fleeting memories but they seemed to escape him every time he got close to them.
"Nothing Naruto said the same thing but he came in here with his right hand covered in blood. It looked like he had been cut very deep. I didn't dig further into it because I figured you had injured him and the blonde was to embarrassed too admit it but now I'm not so sure." Kakashi rubbed his chin.
"Stupid dobe to proud to admit I bested him." Sasuke shook his head.
Did I even hit him? I don't remember at all but…
"He was so warm." Sasuke whispered as he lowered his hand from his face.
"What?"
Sasuke whipped his face toward Kakashi "Nothing…nothing at all." He quickly replied, a little too quickly. Kakashi shrugged and got up from where he was sitting and walked over to the door of trailer.
"You know there's something special about him and whether you admit it I have a feeling Naruto will find a way into your heart without you even knowing it." Kakashi turned toward Sasuke and smiled.
"We just have to find your heart first."
Sasuke sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as Kakashi left the trailer.
(Meanwhile…boy this sounds like a bad tv show)
"Hey Naruto can you give me a hand here?" The boy looked up at the dog lover who was trying to lift a rather heavy cage all by himself.
"Sure man." Naruto went over to the opposite end and helped Kiba move the cage out towards the trucks.
"Do you even use this thing man?"
"Only when I have to I don't like putting the animals in cages but sometimes it's necessary."
"Like how that tiger bit Kakashi earlier?"
Kiba dropped his side of the cage which made Naruto gasp and squat down to compensate for the sudden weight shift.
"How do you know about that?"
"I saw Kakashi early at grandma Tsunade's office…*gasp* He had crutches and Tsunade said a tiger bit him. *struggle* I just figured man I'm not saying you're a bad animal tamer. *gasp again* Come on please pick up the cage!"
Kiba shook his head and jumped down to the side lifting the cage with ease once more.
"Sorry man you okay?"
"Yeah just not expecting you to drop your entire side is all." The two walked the cage to the back of the trucks where they placed it on the ground in front of a truck with a picture of animals leaping all around while Kiba stood in the middle grinning.
"Modest man aren't you?"
"What can I say when you got it, you got it." Kiba brushed some imaginary lint of his shoulder and raised his eyebrow trying to look cool.
The two awkwardly walked back to the tent both still uneasy about the situation that had just happened.
"Look man I'm sorry. I speak before I think and sometimes I skip the thinking part entirely. It was uncalled for but I didn't mean anything by it. I'm sure your tiger is awesome."
"Nah man its cool. I just didn't expect you to know about it is all and yeah she's a great tiger I'll let you meet her sometime."
"Sounds good to me." Naruto grinned. He was relieved that Kiba didn't hate his guts like he anticipated he would. Naruto was never very good at sensing sore subjects so usually his mouth got him in more trouble that it did good.
The two entered the tent only to see Kakashi walking through the other side.
"Hey Kakashi what's up?" Kiba waved towards the man as he sat down on a loaded crate.
"Naruto, Sasuke is awake you should go visit him."
"Really?" The blonde looked up towards the man while twisting off the cap of a water bottle.
"I don't think that's such a good idea."
Kakashi walked up to Naruto and placed his hand on his shoulder. Naruto looked at the man only to see his sole eye crinkle into a half moon shape.
"Don't worry I'm sure he'll be delighted to hear you're okay."
"I didn't think the teme has ever been delighted before in his life." Naruto muttered under his breath as he walked towards the tent's exit and headed towards the trailer.
Naruto glanced around the circus it was full of life even though midnight was quickly rolling around the corner. All the people were packing up because the circus needed to move by tomorrow, they had a schedule to keep up with.
I guess I should make it last. It's not every day you get to screw around at a circus and meet all of the cast and crew. I just wish it wouldn't end like this.
Naruto was downtrodden as he came up to the health trailer, knowing that Sasuke was on the other side of those thin walls scared the man. Not so much the presence of the raven but rather the power he had, Sasuke could rip everything away from Naruto with just one word, no.
Kakashi had offered Naruto a job after he helped out with the finale, with Sasuke out cold Neji was told to sub in for the Uchiha. That means that Naruto ran all around the circus making sure everyone knew exactly what they needed to do so that the finale would end perfectly and it did like always. Apparently Sasuke was a perfectionist and the finale was his baby the circus had never had a "bad" performance all thanks to the meticulous nature of the brooding raven. While Naruto watched the ending he couldn't help but smile, this is where he needed to be standing behind the scenes watching in awe as someone as shy as Hinata could soar through the air or someone as volatile as Kiba could hold his composure and his animals long enough to build up the perfect tension. Naruto loved that feeling and never wanted it to end, when Kakashi offered him a job Naruto was nearly beside himself and when he saw the final ending moments when the ring master thanked the audience Naruto couldn't help but imagine how much better the ending would be if Sasuke was the one thanking the crowd instead of Neji. Both were great performers but Sasuke had a presence on stage that could draw in anyone, whether it was his devilish eyes or that troublesome smirk there was something about the teme that made you want to be liked by him. Unfortunately he didn't carry this personality out of the ring though for the few moments Naruto saw him at the beginning of the show he instantly knew that Sasuke was someone he wanted to befriend and maybe through that friendship Naruto would find that the true Sasuke was the one that stepped into the ring every night smirking playfully at an audience who hung on his every word and not the brooding, moody character that Naruto had been introduced to.
Naruto walked the steps up to the door and sighed grabbing onto the handle he shook his head and whispered. "Here goes everything."
( :o )
I hope you guys liked the chapter like I stated before I had actually typed out a grande finale with lights and where Naruto somehow messes it up but that didn't fit the story as well. Sorry if you wanted a big show but that's not really the point of this story, it's the show behind the show, if you get what I'm saying.
Again sorry for any grammar mistakes I'm not a professional and I don't have a beta. I'll try to update soon but for now I need to work on my other story "The Difference Between Right and Wrong" because I haven't looked at it in awhile. Until next time