Warnings: Some MxM action, nothing heavy though.
Disclaimer: Characters are property of a certain Masashi Kishimoto, I'm just borrowing them.
A/N: I'm so sorry! This has taken me ages and I feel horrible for it, but I've been so occupied with other stuff (such as finals and travelling abroad and so on) that I simply hadn't had the energy to write. I'm trying to get better, I swear, and please, if it seems that I'm going to slip into too long breaks between updates please kick me. The next chapter will definitely come up faster than this one u_u'
For Didi
Naruto wasn't the only one horrified, though. The words had made Sasuke tense, his face loosing all the color it had previously had and his jaw tightened. It wasn't like Naruto could read the raven well yet, but he was able to tell that Sasuke was scared. Even if the silver-haired man at the other end of the room didn't get it, Sasuke was scared for his life, and the mention of the hanging had just made it so much worse. The raven hid it well, though, his face was an emotionless mask only spotted with determination, but somehow Naruto just knew how it was for real. It surprised him actually, if you were going after someone like Black Weasel you couldn't be a very fearful person, and to see Sasuke that afraid... It was pretty scary on its own. He knew Sasuke was thinking about a way to escape, but it didn't look too good for the man right now, at least not without some help.
Slowly, praying the great God and all the spirits of nature that he wouldn't be spotted because he knew that man wouldn't hesitate to shoot him, the bounty hunter raised his gun and took a deep breath, deciding to count to three before jumping into the room. He didn't want to get too daring, but he wouldn't be able to shoot the man from this angle, and he still had the element of surprise on his side so he trusted his chances. He had done things like this so many times before, it was nothing new, but this time he was nervous simply because of Sasuke. Never before had he needed to care about someone else but himself, and now being responsible for Sasuke's life as well left Naruto more nervous than he could recall being in a long while.
Worrying his lower lip, Naruto started to count, keeping his eyes on the stranger. The man was talking again but the blonde tried not to listen, knowing that whatever it was it was only meant to piss Sasuke off and he didn't need to hear it. His lips were forming the words without a sound, the resolution setting inside him, and he drew in one last breath, his brows knitting together as he prepared to jump.
'Thr-'
"...signs of your brother here, hmn?"
Naruto froze, his eyes wide open as he stared at the unknown man, his lips still apart as they had been stopped in the middle of a word. He glanced at Sasuke, surprise flashing through him as he tried to understand what was going on. Sasuke's brother? What did Sasuke's brother have to do with anything? Naruto hadn't even been aware of any kind of brother existing, so why did this man know about him?
"Too bad you won't get to use any of that knowledge." Rattlesnake's subordinate chuckled evilly, and Naruto found himself again gripping his gun.
Why hadn't he shot that man already? He should've done that, he had had his chances but here he was, still crouched down and listening to that bastard talking to Sasuke in a way that made Naruto's blood boil. His hands were shaking from barely contained anger and all he wanted was to jump up and bury a bullet deep into that man's chest. Or head, he wasn't all that picky, as long as the guy ended up dead and bleeding on the floor.
But no matter how much he wanted it, the blonde couldn't make himself do it. Mesmerized by the stranger's words, he found it impossible to stand up and pull the trigger when the man was talking about Sasuke's family. It was something Naruto had thought he'd never hear about, considering how reluctant Sasuke had always been to talk about anything personal, and now he had a chance. It made him feel dirty and definitely guilty, like he was poking his nose into things that were none of his business, but he couldn't move.
"I mean, I heard he's actually quite close at the moment. Maybe I'll send him a word later and tell him to come here to see how I ended his business for him. I mean, wouldn't it be ironic if you died here like you were meant to?" The silver-haired male still spoke with that same soft, silky voice, and then a sound of footsteps told that he was moving, getting closer to Sasuke.
"He wouldn't come." Sasuke's voice was low and firm, devoid of emotion as he spoke, and no matter how much he tried Naruto couldn't find even a hint of fear from it.
"He doesn't care, you'd be just wasting your time."
Naruto had to bite his lip as he heard a hint of bitterness sneak into Sasuke's voice. He knew the raven hadn't meant to let it show, but it was there all the same, and apparently the silver-haired man had noticed it as well.
"Oh? You think so?" The man was getting closer all the time, the slow footsteps echoing in the dusty room.
"Maybe you're right. He really has no rights over you after selling you, now does he?"
The bounty hunter's breath caught and he had to pull back to hide behind the wall for a moment. Too many things were going through his head at the moment, he couldn't bring himself to connect the dots. He knew there was something he was missing, a connection that he should be realizing, but all that was going through his head at the moment was how much he suddenly desired to go and hunt down Sasuke's brother. What kind of man could sell his own brother? And to someone like Rattlesnake, that was just sick...
"But enough with talking." the stranger's voice had grown hard, and Naruto's heart skipped a beat.
"I think it's the time we go outside."
He had to move. Naruto knew he had to move, sitting here was getting him nowhere and he was so angry at himself for being so incapable of doing anything, but that man was making him so mad it was ridiculous. No-one had the right to talk to Sasuke like that! Not after... after everything. Stifling a groan, Naruto pushed himself off the floor and checked his revolver, holding it up and ready. He just had to wait until the man came out with Sasuke and he'd have a perfect chance...
That was when he sensed movement behind him, and he instinctively spun around, his gun pointing blindly at whatever it was behind him. The bounty hunter wasn't surprised to see the man from downstairs, but what threw him into action was the gun barrel staring at him in the face.
"I wouldn't do it", the large man murmured with low voice, taking a step closer and poking Naruto's forehead with the gun.
Naruto remained frozen for a long while, just staring at the man with the gun and trying to calm down his racing heart. God, no matter how many times he got surprised like this, it never failed to make him almost jump out of his skin. He really hated people sneaking up on him, it was such a pain when you weren't expecting it.
The gun nudged his forehead slowly, and Naruto briefly wondered why the man still hadn't called out to the silverhead in the other room. It would've been the most predictable thing to do, but for some reason the man just stared at him, holding the gun barrel against his forehead. Slowly, praying that Sasuke and the man wouldn't choose this particular moment to exit the room, Naruto let a small smile grace his face, hoping that it would keep the man from shooting him right away.
The stoic look on the stranger's face didn't change, even his eyes didn't show any signs of noticing Naruto's smile, and finally the blonde realized he was still wearing the scarf in front of his mouth, hiding his cheeks. Mentally he cursed himself, feeling extremely stupid for forgetting it, but at the same time he was happy he had that on; the large man might've shot him straight away if he had realized Naruto was actually a bounty hunter, and a famous one at that.
The silence stretched on, and Naruto drew in a deep breath, hoping that the man threatening him would come into some kind of a decision. Waiting like this was the worst, especially when every second took Sasuke closer to being hanged, and Naruto was slowly starting to feel like even being thrown into the room with Sasuke and his capturer would be better than just waiting here.
Then, without a warning, the man coughed loudly, almost too loudly to sound genuine, and immediately there was a sound of movement from the other room.
"Juugo?" It was not a question.
Without as much as a word, the man from in front of Naruto slowly lowered his gun and gave the blonde a long look before moving to the doorway.
"Yes."
"That's good. Let's move him outside."
Naruto was left speechless, standing with his back against the wall as the man moved away and left him there without a word. He blinked stupidly, gripping his gun tightly while trying to make sense out of it all. He had been let go, just like that. That huge guy was obviously with the silver-haired man, yet he had let Naruto go without telling about him to that man. Something was definitely wrong with that, things just didn't work out like this.
There was shuffling inside the room and Naruto bit his lower lip, hoping that things would work how he thought they would. He still wasn't all that sure about that huge guy that had just let him go but he was having this gut feeling... And his gut feelings usually were worth trusting. The man might not be that bad after all.
The sound of footsteps pulled Naruto out of his musings and he gripped his gun, ready to shoot as soon as he had a chance. If he just got rid of that creepy silver-haired man he would be able to get Sasuke back safely and that was all that mattered. He just wanted Sasuke back and when he had him, he'd be happy to leave the third man go wherever he wanted to. The footsteps, three sets of them, came closer to the door and Naruto pressed himself against the wall as tightly as he could, hoping that all three men would walk past him before he fired the shot.
There was just one little problem with that plan, and that was Naruto's sense of honor. He refused to shoot people on the back, that was a sign of cowardice and disrespect and he never sank low enough to stop respecting his enemies. Yes, they had done lots of bad things, but considering how easily they had managed to escape and keep doing what they did they deserved some respect. They were, after all, very good at what they were doing.
The blue eyes widened slightly as Sasuke finally walked out of the doorway, and momentarily Naruto was caught staring at him again. The faint moonlight in the hall was the only light and it was making Sasuke's hair glow beautifully in the darkness, and again Naruto was reminded of the beauty of the dancer he had seen on the stage back in Snake's Lair. The fact that Sasuke was a man didn't change how fluidly he had moved and how much emotion there had been in his dance, emotion that the raven didn't show when he wasn't on the stage. It had been absolutely stunning, and the bounty hunter could still see the gracefulness in the way the man moved, even now.
Naruto let his eyes drop lower, to catch up with the situation. Sasuke's hands were tied behind his back but other than that he was as free as he could be in the situation. He was followed by the same silver-haired man and his gun that was aimed at the raven's head, brushing against the dark hair every now and then to make sure Sasuke wouldn't forget its existence. Judging by the way the raven's shoulders and jaw were tense there was no need for that though, the man was well aware of his situation. He was staring straight ahead and Naruto was almost glad for that, the last thing he needed would've been Sasuke noticing him and doing something stupid to give him out.
Naruto waited patiently, his gun aimed at the silver-haired man as they walked by. He felt surprisingly calm in the threatening situation and he recognized the feeling from his earlier jobs. It was a feeling that always came when he was about to finish one of the criminals he was after, when his hunt was about to end. The only thing making him worry was the gun aimed at Sasuke, if he wasn't careful he might end up startling the raven's capturer so bad he'd accidentally shoot the man, and that was one thing Naruto was never going to let happen.
They were almost at the stairs already when the bounty hunter finally moved, stepping away from the shadow.
"Hey, bastard!" That was it, he had given his warning, he could shoot without feeling bad. The silver-haired man turned to look at him, his gun lowering a bit so that it wasn't pointed at Sasuke's head anymore and that was when Naruto pulled the trigger, the familiar sound making adrenalin burst into his veins.
After that, nothing went like the blonde had expected. Someone yelled, but he knew it wasn't the man he had meant to shoot, and instead of his target it was Sasuke who fell down into a grumbled heap. He heard another gun shot and suddenly there was ripping pain in his shoulder. It brought an instinctive reaction out of him and he raised his gun as well, firing his second shot. There was another shout that faded quickly and then Naruto felt the floor swaying and suddenly changing places with the ceiling as his vision faded and his mind escaped the pain.
It was pitch black and his body felt heavy and he didn't want to open his eyes. The unconsciousness was lingering on him, demanding him back to its embrace and at that moment Naruto was willing to give in to it. He wouldn't have minded another trip to the empty darkness where there was absolutely nothing. He didn't have to feel, he didn't have to think and he didn't have to remember. It had been good, and now the cold hard reality was dragging him out of the dark bliss and forcing him to start noticing things.
Thousands of tiny lights were twinkling above him as he blinked slowly, his eyes getting used to being open again. It was a nice feeling actually, to look at the vast map of stars that covered the dark sky and feel the ground under his back. The rich smell of the earth rose to his nose and he inhaled deeply, releasing a long sigh. Nothing smelled quite as beautiful as the prairie in the night and Naruto took another deep breath, his toes curling pleasantly as he recognized the distinguish scent of smoke lingering around him. It made him feel comfortable, cozy even, and at that moment he decided that being awake maybe wasn't all that bad at all.
...wait, smoke? The blue eyes were suddenly wide open again, blinking rapidly. Smoke didn't belong to the prairie unless there was something causing it, and the only smoking thing around here could be fire. And if he had been sleeping, the who was feeding the fire?
Memories came rushing back to his head and Naruto swallowed around something that had suddenly stuck itself into his throat. Sasuke had fallen. He had fired, and then the raven had collapsed to the stairs like he'd been kicked down and there had been yelling and...
"Sasuke", he whispered, rapidly pushing himself up from the ground. Yet as soon as he had moved pain blossomed in his shoulder and the man had to grit his teeth to hold inside the yell. His hand fell to his lap, limp and useless, and even through the pain he noticed something unexpected there. Crumbled in his lap was a rough blanket, the one he had carried with himself behind his saddle, and immediately confusion spread through his mind. What in the name of the Devil was going on?
A sound of soft footsteps caught his ears and Naruto whipped around, cursing aloud when the pain surfaced again. What he saw wasn't a pale face framed with silver hair and a mean smirk on that face, but a bunch of midnight black hair and a shape of a man drawing against the starry sky and the small fire that was flickering behind him and happily eating the sticks and pieces of wood in a stone circle.
"Sasuke...?" The bounty hunter's voice remained a whisper but as quiet as it was, the word carried easily over the quiet space between them and the man standing above him nodded slowly before crouching down next to him. In the bright light of the stars and the moon Naruto could easily make out Sasuke's features now that the man was closer and he winced as he noticed a dark scratch going across the man's pale cheek. His skin seemed to almost glow in the moonlight and the bounty hunter had to fight down the urge to touch it to see if the glow would diminish under his darker fingers.
"How are you feeling?" Sasuke's voice sounded loud in the dark and he leaned even closer, examining Naruto's eyes with sharp cold eyes.
Naruto found himself swallowing with difficulty under the scrutiny and he shrugged with one shoulder, the uninjured one, to calm his nerves more than nothing else. It was hard to keep his face straight with the pain radiating from his shoulder like it did but it didn't hurt as bad as it should've if he had really been shot.
"I'm okay", he finally murmured softly, giving the other man a pointed look. It hadn't sounded nice at all when the raven had spoken so loudly, the peace of the night was to be saved and Naruto wasn't going to allow Sasuke to break it again by speaking like that.
The raven didn't seem to buy his words but shrugged anyway, and without saying a word he moved around Naruto, stopping at his hurt side. His hands were gentle and surprisingly cold as he started to fiddle with Naruto's shoulder, unwrapping a bandage the man hadn't noticed before.
The blonde watched with an almost fascinated look in his eyes as Sasuke's fingers gracefully peeled off the fabric, never pressuring or in any way hurting the already throbbing wound. The raven was being so careful with him it made Naruto wonder if the man had more experience in this than he had let on before. He was still tempted to touch that wound on Sasuke's cheek but he had the feeling that his concern wouldn't be appreciated and so Naruto held himself back, feeling content enough just watching Sasuke for now.
What was revealed under the bandage though made him cringe and he throw a questioning look at Sasuke. There was blood on his shoulder but it wasn't that what bothered him, not at all. It was the weird dark paste covering the wound, something that looked almost like leaves that someone had eaten and then thrown up again and the smelled almost the same as well..
"What is that?" Naruto asked, tearing his gaze away from the wound and returning it to Sasuke.
"Leaves", was the short and very unsatisfying answer and then the pale hands were gently wiping the wound with a piece of cloth that had apparently been dipped into warm water. It stung on the wound and Naruto grit his teeth, turning to look away. He refused to show any pain to Sasuke, knowing how much the raven despised weakness, and it was easier for him anyway when he wasn't watching. He had no idea what that black thing had been but he had the feeling he didn't want to ask; the answer might've been something he didn't want to hear.
"What happened?" was what he asked instead, and the cloth on his skin stopped for a moment, resting against his shoulder. Silence weighed heavy, broken only by the cracks of the burning wood in the fire, and for a short moment Naruto thought he might've said something wrong. He couldn't' for the life of him imagine why Sasuke wouldn't want to tell him about what had happened but the raven was weird like that; he got all guarded and careful for no reason at times. Talking to him was like dancing around a rattlesnake that was ready to strike; you could hear the rattling but you didn't know what would trigger it to attack.
An inaudible sigh of relief left Naruto's lips when the cloth began moving again, rubbing his wound gently to remove everything that didn't belong there, and before he had a chance to say anything Sasuke broke the silence.
"You shot him." His voice was quiet and low but there was neither guilt nor accusation in his voice. His hands never stopped working as he leaned a bit closer to Naruto, letting his other had rest on the man's bare shoulder.
"Are you stupid or why would you warn him like that?" Still Sasuke didn't sound angry, his voice kept the calm quiet tone and he pulled the piece of cloth away.
"It's not..." Naruto closed his eyes for a moment as the cold air embraced his tender shoulder and his inhale was a shaky one.
"...honorable..." He opened his eyes again and forced himself to look back at Sasuke, only to see the raven chewing on something.
"...to shoot to the back. What in the hell are you doing?"
The raven decided not to answer and instead spat to his hand, making Naruto arch his brows. It wasn't before Sasuke brought his now filthy hand close to Naruto's wound that the man raised his other hand to hold the raven away, a look of confusion and disgust crossing his face.
"Hey hey, don't even think of rubbing your spit to my skin!" his voice was just a little louder but it was enough to make him sound out of place, the rough tone not really fitting the feeling of the night. A frown appeared to his face as Sasuke seemed to ignore his words completely and instead plastered his palm against the wound.
Another wave of pain sparked from the shoulder and Naruto couldn't help the muffled grunt as the raven slowly rubbed his hand across the small wound.
"What the hell, bastard...", he murmured, glaring at Sasuke with all he got. It wasn't much though, not at the moment at least. It was dark, he was tired, and Sasuke was so close it was making it hard for him to think. Suddenly he was quite glad for the pain, it was helping to keep him from straying to other thoughts that were not to be thought about when Sasuke was around.
"Stop whining", the said bastard murmured after a moment, pulling his hand back and inspecting his work. The dark paste was again covering the wound all over and he nodded, clearly satisfied with his work before his hand went to search for the bandages that he had placed on his lap.
"It's an old herb, it helps with the pain." That was all the explanation Naruto got before the slender hands were again wrapping the bandages to his shoulder to keep the wound clean and the chewed herbs in.
"It does?" Naruto asked slowly, keeping his eyes away from his shoulder as the fabric was tied around the wound to keep it from getting infected. Sasuke's fingers were moving so effortlessly that he could've watched them for hours, but staring at them would've been a bit too freaky.
"How do you know?"
Sasuke was silent as he tied a knot over the wound and then gave it look to make sure it was alright. Apparently it was satisfying because the man nodded to himself and leaned back a little to get more comfortable.
"My mother was part Indian. I don't remember much but she taught me something about herbs." That was quite a confession, coming from him since he didn't really talk about his past.
Naruto arched his brows curiously and opened his mouth to ask more about Sasuke's mother when he was suddenly assaulted by a very persistent memory. He was taken back to the moment where he was hiding behind the wall, listening to that man talking to Sasuke about his brother, and his mouth snapped shut as he looked away. Again he was feeling more awkward than anything, but curiosity was slowly making it through as well as genuine concern.
"Quite a family you have then, hmn?" the bounty hunter asked slowly, knowing that he was playing with fire now. He knew Sasuke didn't want to talk about it and he couldn't blame the man, but he had to know, he just had to. After hearing what he had heard earlier the way there was no way Naruto could just let it go.
And saying that Sasuke didn't want to talk about it was an understatement. He got so tense it had to hurt and he turned away from the other man, facing the fire.
"I did, yes", the raven admitted reluctantly, but judging by the frown on his face it would be all he was willing to say.
A matching frown appeared to Naruto's face as he watched Sasuke get all uncomfortable and it made him almost feel bad, making the raven talk about it. But he just couldn't get over the feeling that he was missing something crucial and he knew he wouldn't rest until he found out what it was.
"Why did your brother sell you?" Naruto asked, keeping his voice low and quiet as if he was hoping it would keep Sasuke from freaking out. For some reason he had the feeling that if he was ever going to get the raven to open up a little, it might be now.
"None of your business", Sasuke snapped immediately, shifting uncomfortably but still not moving away.
The fire was slowly starting to fade away because no-one was there to feed it anymore, and idly Naruto wondered why Sasuke had placed him so far away from it.
"Why didn't your parents stop him?" he kept going instead of delving into the matter of fire.
"I told you already, not your concern." The raven's words were short and clipped and he was clearly starting to get annoyed with Naruto's prying.
But the bounty hunter didn't have it in him to give up that easily so he chose to press things still further, knowing that if he got Sasuke real angry with him the man might let something slip. It was a gamble that could turn against him but he was ready to risk it.
"And what did that man say about finishing your brother's job?" he asked and then almost jumped as Sasuke turned back to him so fast he momentarily resembled a snake, the black eyes flaming as they stared right into Naruto's.
"Shut up", the raven snarled, pushing himself up from the ground.
"Shut up when you have no idea what you're talking about!"
Inwardly Naruto was celebrating, but he put on an annoyed face as he glared back at Sasuke, trying to get an even stronger rise out of the man.
"Well you can't blame me! You refuse to tell me anything!" And it was even the truth! He wanted to know and he wanted to help but he couldn't.
The dark eyes flashed and suddenly Sasuke was there, on his knees right in front of Naruto, so close the blonde could've kissed him had he wanted to.
"That's because you don't need to know!"
"The Devil, Sasuke, of course I need to!"
"No you don't! So just stay out of my past!" Sasuke's voice was getting louder by every word and he reached forward to grab Naruto's shoulder as if to shake him since there was no shirt to hold.
Naruto, instead, was in a lot better situation that thing considered. Without hesitation he grabbed the front of Sasuke's shirt and pulled him down, a surprisingly hard look in his eyes. So what if he had been trying to make Sasuke angry, the raven was being just stupid now and he wasn't going to take it.
"Damn it, Sasuke, don't you get it?" he growled, taking satisfaction in the way the other man's eyes widened just a little at the words, "You've been hurt and I want to help you! Just like you're helping me now!"
"But I don't want your-" The older man was never allowed to finish his sentence. The strong hands holding onto his shirt pulled him even lower until the bounty hunter's chapped lips brushed against his, and after a murmured "just like you're helping me" those lips pressed against his.
It was a shock for both of them. Naruto clearly hadn't been thinking about what he was doing and he froze the moment his lips touched Sasuke's, his eyes wide and shocked. He looked almost too surprised considering he was the one who had kissed Sasuke and not vice versa, but despite that he couldn't pull away, couldn't let go of Sasuke's shirt. Instead he pulled the man even closer until the raven was forced to place a hand on his chest and he blinked, staring into the unreadable dark eyes.
Well, at least Sasuke didn't appear disgusted, that was a good thing. Technically speaking Naruto was the one who should've been disgusted though so that wasn't probably saying much, but the raven hadn't pulled back either so it made the bounty hunter feel a bit more confident about what he was doing. It wasn't the kissing he had a problem with, he had kissed numerous girls along the years and enjoyed it too, but he hadn't done much kissing with other men before. None, actually, and this kind of action wasn't given a good eye from the rest of the population either so it was making him a bit cautious.
Lost in thought, Naruto had barely noticed how he had remained frozen his lips locked with Sasuke's, and he didn't make a move before Sasuke suddenly pulled back, pushing him away roughly.
"Well?" the raven hissed, trying to pry away the fingers that were still clutching at his shirt.
"Was it that bad?" his voice was venomous and full of anger as he glared at Naruto, looking like he was contemplating hitting the man.
Naruto blinked stupidly, trying to understand why Sasuke was so pissed off and why he himself had been so angry before. The feeling of Sasuke's lips against his had left him a little fuzzy in the head and he wasn't quite sure how to proceed.
"Huh?" he asked, clutching harder to the other man's shirt to stop him from going away.
"Or do you usually space out like that when kissing someone?" the anger in Sasuke's voice seemed to grow and mold with Naruto's confusion and he tried to pull back, his hands clutching Naruto's wrist.
"What? No!" The bounty hunter was slowly starting to get what the problem was and a frown crossed his face as his pulled the other man closer again, ignoring the furious vibes the raven was giving out.
"Of course not!"
The black brows twitched and Sasuke narrowed his eyes, letting out a low snarl.
"Well, nice to know, stuff!" He pulled back against the other's hold and when it didn't work he gave Naruto an estimating look before drawing his fist back and landing a quick blow at Naruto's cheek.
It wasn't a hard hit, Sasuke wasn't used to fighting like that and he didn't know where to hit to hurt the most, but it was enough to make Naruto's temper flare.
"What in the Sam Hill, you bastard!" he half-shouted, rubbing his cheek with one hand while the other still held Sasuke close. The man clearly had a screw or two loose. Lifting his hand had hurt a lot more than the punch itself and he swore a bit, letting the hand fall down again to save the injured shoulder from strain.
Suddenly Sasuke's face was close to his again, the dark eyes flaming with barely contained rage that rose from a feeling of... humiliation.
"I bet you'd enjoy it more if I slicked up and maybe did a stomp for you? Would that be nice?" He wasn't screaming, he wasn't yelling, but the secretly hurt hissing was a lot more biting than any kind of shouting.
"Dammit, Sasuke!" Naruto growled right back, his eyes starting to heat up to match the anger in Sasuke's as he stared at the man, still holding him close.
"I don't like you because you were Raven! How stupid are you?" He didn't miss the look of faint surprise that flashed in the endless black eyes, but then the anger was back and Naruto could see nothing but that.
"Yeah, right." The man scoffed and went silent, apparently trying to calm down a little.
But Naruto would have none of that. With a furious snarl he held Sasuke still as he crushed his lips against the raven's, thrusting his tongue into Sasuke's mouth without hesitation. He let go of the shirt he'd been holding onto and quickly grabbed the back of the other man's neck, holding him still while the raven squirmed a little, fighting to get away from him. The fight was doing nothing to stop Naruto, in fact it just fed the excitement that was slowly rising in the pit of his stomach and mixing with the anger, and it wasn't before Sasuke actually bit his tongue that he pulled back a little, allowing both himself and the other breathe a bit.
"If I have to prove it to you this way, I will", Naruto murmured, and when Sasuke opened his mouth to say something he ended the protests with another kiss. And while it was just as rough and wild, hard and unforgiving as the last one, it was still different because this time the raven wasn't fighting to get away, he was fighting for control.
Arousal curling pleasantly in Naruto's stomach, the man groaned as the mood suddenly changed and Sasuke began sucking his tongue, inviting it deeper. He slid his hand from the other's neck to the silky hair, fisting it roughly while desperately wishing he had his other hand to use as well. If he ignored the pain he would be able to move it, sure, but he didn't want to be distracted just yet. Maybe later when he didn't care so much about anything anymore.
His lips felt moist and slick against Sasuke's and the fingers that brushed on his bare chest and then moved to his healthy shoulder weren't as soft as they had been the night when he had met Raven the first time. Sasuke's hands were only slowly getting calloused and rough like they usually did when you spent most of your time on horseback, and the unfamiliar touch sent little jolts through Naruto's body, making him pull the raven even closer. Sasuke didn't seem to mind but he was clearly careful with Naruto's shoulder, trying not to touch the bandaged area, and the bounty hunter swallowed his pride for now.
Slowly he pressed his body against Sasuke's, his bare chest rubbing against the leaner clothed one, until the raven let out a irritated growl and broke the kiss to glare at Naruto. That was exactly what the blonde had been waiting though, and he shifted a bit before dropping his hand to Sasuke's chest and pushing him back.
Unprepared, the raven flailed as gracelessly as it was possible for him, cursing as he found himself on the ground on his back. Above him hovered a certain bounty hunter with a lecherous grin on his face. It was the kind of look that had more than once earned men a boot in their crotch from Sasuke, but this time he didn't feel the unbearable urge to get away from the bearer of the grin. It did, however, annoy him that he'd been taken by surprise so easily, his wounded pride crying at him as he fought to get up again, only to be held down by a hard body that pinned him to the ground.
"What the hell, Naruto", the raven snarled, the dark eyes clearly visible and flaming even in the dark. His thighs were suddenly nudged apart by a curious knee and he gasped, old reflexes kicking in.
Without a warning a surprisingly hard flat palm smacked on the scarred cheek and a string of loud curses fell from Naruto's lips as he grabbed the hand that had just hit him, the pain exploding in his shoulder as he did so.
"Stop hitting me, you bastard!" he half-yelled, unable to stop himself thanks to the pain. He was getting sick and tired of Sasuke smacking him all the time and fighting him like he was about to rape the man when he knew Sasuke was just as into it as he was, he could feel the man's body reacting.
Or at least had been. Something flashed across the dark eyes and the man underneath him winced, trying to pull his hand back. Naruto glanced at their hands and realized that he was holding the other's wrist way too tight, and with a twinge of guilt he let go, wishing that he could've just beaten Sasuke's face in and left it at that. The arousal that had been there was slowly disappearing, leaving him feel just cold and somehow empty as he stared down at the raven's unreadable eyes.
With a frustrated growl, Naruto pushed himself up from the ground and stood up, facing the dying fire. He didn't say a word, just walked over to feed the flame a few sticks to get it going again and then sat down. He closed his eyes, letting the fire warm his face as he listened to the crackling of the wood and the soft shuffling sounds from behind him that could be nothing else but Sasuke getting up as well. Momentarily Naruto tensed as he heard the raven move closer and the hair in the back of his neck stood up, his instincts demanding him to turn around so he wouldn't be taken by surprise. His hand involuntarily moved to his gun belt to search for his gun that -thank Lord- was still there, and he fiddled with the handle of his revolver as he tried to fight down the urge to turn and possibly shoot. It was just Sasuke, nothing more.
The raven barely made a sound as he walked around the fire with soft steps, grabbing his bed roll and laying it on the floor as Naruto watched him. Slowly, as the threatening atmosphere started to dissolve, the bounty hunter pulled his hand back and instead rubbed his abused cheek thoughtfully, wondering if he would've ever tolerated such behavior from a woman. It was such a twisted situation in so many levels and for the first time in a while the man wished he could just walk into a saloon and drink until he didn't know where he was anymore. Never mind he'd gotten a bit tipsy that night when Kakashi, that bastard, had snatched Sasuke away from him, it wasn't the same thing. Now Naruto was just getting tired of thinking about Sasuke all the time, the raven wouldn't leave his head and he didn't know how to deal with it.
You just didn't get involved with men, period. He knew some men had strange preferences but they were always kept a secret because really, no-one wanted to know. It wasn't normal, hell, it wasn't even natural, and despite having felt somewhat disgusted at the thought of two men touching each other in any other way that fighting, Naruto found himself wanting to touch Sasuke. At first he'd blamed it on Raven, but now... He couldn't even fool himself but it had just been confirmed that he apparently could food the other man just fine. If shouting the fact that he wanted Sasuke despite his equipment to the raven's face wasn't enough of a proof, Naruto didn't know what was.
And besides, that didn't give him any explanation to the other man's completely irrational behavior and mood swings.
Grumbling to himself, Naruto slowly got up, glancing at Sasuke's back quickly. The man wasn't moving but he probably wasn't asleep anyway, and Naruto was kind of counting on that as he kicked the pile of wood in frustration, then heading over to grab his bedroll as well. Sleeping right outside the Uchiha ranch's main building didn't feel all that scary anymore now that he had been inside, although as he rolled up into his covers, facing the fire, he had to fight to stop thinking about the dark blood stains on the floors.
Next morning, Naruto got up with the sun. He woke up as the first rays of light reached him, and he sat up quickly, the haunting house in front of him startling him. The action irritated his shoulder and he gritted his teeth at the sudden pain, the memories from last night coming crashing back. With them came a slightly flustered feeling and Naruto reached to ruffle his hair, trying to shake off the sleep as his eyes automatically trailed to where he had seen Sasuke rolled up in his blanket.
Now, however, there was nothing but the blanket and Naruto blinked, shifting a bit. His mind wasn't working all that brightly yet and he had to stare at the blanket for a while to make sure Sasuke really wasn't there, hidden under the covers. The gunshot wound in his shoulder was still throbbing angrily and reflecting pain to his whole arm, and idly he wondered if it was starting to get infected. He didn't know what Sasuke had done to it earlier, but he hoped the man had dug out the bullet before starting to rub those weird herbs on him like that.
An unexpected warm feeling surfaced within the bounty hunter and he blinked again, shaking his head vigorously to get rid of the feeling. His mind was serving him a few way too detailed memories from the night before and Naruto snarled, rubbing his eyes. This wasn't how things were meant to go, not at all. He hadn't been looking for this, what ever this was that they had with Sasuke apart from lots of trouble, and now all these feelings that he wasn't used to were messing with his head and the time really wasn't good for that. He wasn't even going to try and lie to himself about the attraction, he hadn't done that in a while, but he was relieved to realize that there was no need for him to start imagining that he was in love either. It was just... It existed, it was there, drowsing somewhere in his head when he was away from Sasuke and lifting its head again when he saw the raven.
It was distracting, and distractions were something Naruto rarely had to deal with. He hated being distracted when he didn't want it to happen, when he was hunting distractions would only serve to getting him killed and right now he was more distracted than he had been in a long while. He hadn't even given a single thought to Black Weasel in a few days, and that was just... Sometimes Naruto had troubles understanding himself.
With a heavy sigh, he pushed himself up and away from the ground, shuddering a little. It was still a bit chilly although the sun was quickly warming the prairie up again, and he let his arm hang limply by his side as he glanced around. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen but Rayo was still there so the blonde supposed he hadn't ran away again, and idly Naruto thought he would have to ask the man to rub some more of that herb stuff to the wound to help with the pain. Along with that came that thought that he would probably throw some alcohol in it too to make sure it wouldn't get infected and the thought made Naruto grimace. Sometimes the cure hurt more than the actual wound.
The man hadn't even noticed how badly he'd zoned out, another proof of him being distracted, not before he heard an abnormally loud bang from behind him. He jumped out of surprise and pulled his gun, his heart hammering in his chest as he stared at the direction of the building with his eyes wide and mind racing.
There was nothing unusual. The building looked the same as last night save for the warm sunlight that was gently sliding up the walls, the horses were there and appeared seemingly unaffected by the horrible noise and nothing else was moving. Naruto stared at the peaceful scenery , trying to calm down and tell himself to stop being paranoid. Paranoia didn't explain the sound though, it had been almost like a gun shot but just somehow more... hollow. He didn't quite believe it could've been just either of the horses kicking the wall because really, they were facing it and he would've noticed if either of them had turned around, and there should've been no-one with a gun around, except...
Sasuke.
Naruto's heart that had calmed down a little already picked up speed again and he threw a wild glance around the area, seeing no-one. The bang had come from the house so he checked his gun before taking a couple of hasty steps to the door, only to stop in his tracks as his eyes caught movement. The main door was slowly opening,the creaking of the hinges loud to his ears. Swallowing hard, the blonde lifted the gun and aimed it at the door, ready to shoot if anyone but Sasuke came out of it.
Seconds ticked by and the bounty hunter was unable to move as everything seemed to be going at least two times slower than normally. The door moved, so slowly it seemed almost unnatural, but no-one stepped outside. There was no sound from the inside either, and with the adrenaline pulsing in his veins Naruto was almost ready to go and check. He was fast when it came to shooting, there was no way he could be taken by surprise...
A rough yelp escaped his lips as the wind suddenly caught the door and slammed it shut, the loud bang echoing in the vast yard and Naruto's ears alike. The man held his breath for a moment, feeling incredibly stupid as he glared at the door, and then released the air as a loud huff. What the hell, it had been the damn door! To make himself feel better he swore out loud, then took off to stalk towards the door with a murderous look in his eyes. He would jam that door shut so tight it would never open again and scare the shit out of people.
But, as it often was, his plan wasn't really a success. Naruto wasn't but three steps away from the door, already reaching to yank it open when it again began opening on its own. It wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't for the fact that there was no wind anywhere and nothing that could move it, and the blonde froze, the ghost stories immediately running back to his head. His hand went to search for his gun, but before he could freak himself out further a dark-haired head appeared from behind the door, black eyes staring right at him.
"What are you yelling?" Sasuke asked flatly, arching a brow. He didn't look all that interested although when he thought Naruto didn't notice his eyes trailed to the injured shoulder, quickly checking the bandaging before returning to Naruto's face.
Naruto frowned, still feeling stupid for letting the cursed door and a little wind scare him like that. It wasn't funny, really, they were in a place that was said to be haunted by the ghost of a slaughtered child and Sasuke kept running around on his own like this. The raven had better not laugh at him for being a bit jumpy, it just made sense.
"I wasn't yelling", he answered a bit more sharply than he had intended, but that was it. He didn't want to fight and getting deeper into that would only get them there. He shook his head to dismiss the subject and the wrinkles on his forehead deepened a little as he watched the raven, ignoring the slight aching in his shoulder.
"What were you doing in there?" He had to bite his lip to keep from adding 'the ghost could've attacked you'.
The distant, detached look remained on Sasuke's face as he watched the other man, taking a moment before giving him an answer.
"Looking around."
Naruto nodded. Simple enough. They didn't have that much food or anything actually, and while it wasn't likely they found edible food in a place like this, there could've been something else they could use for travelling, perhaps something to sell and get some money. Just thinking about money was making him cringe.
"Found anything?" he asked as casually as he could, trying to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling inside him. It didn't seem to bother Sasuke the slightest what had happened last night but to Naruto it wasn't that easy to put aside. Just looking at the other man was making his body warm up and he couldn't make it stop. He almost hoped Sasuke would've been angry at him, it would've made it so much easier to be annoyed with the man instead of wanting to touch him all the time.
Sasuke glanced back at the house and his shoulders slumped slightly as though in defeat as he shook his head.
"No, not really. I'll go look a bit more though. How's the shoulder?" He sounded so disinterested it made the question feel almost like an insult, but Naruto had the feeling it was Sasuke's way of showing concern. The man just wasn't used to it.
That thought made him feel a little better although it did nothing to the warmth in the pit of his stomach and Naruto smiled a bit, glancing away from the other man. It was easier that way.
"It's alright. Doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would", he said before taking a good look at the house in front of him.
"Do you... Should I come in too?" Yes, it wasn't quite as scary as it had been last night and he wouldn't be alone, but still...
The look that crossed Sasuke's face was faintly amused and Naruto immediately regretted giving the man a chance to think his herb stuff had really helped. Sometimes the raven's ego really didn't need any stroking. Then Sasuke shook his head and Naruto forgot any complaints he might've head, the relief of not having to go in there flooding over him. He didn't say anything, just nodded and after giving Sasuke a few seconds to say something if there was still anything needing to be said he turned around and headed back to their dead campfire. If Sasuke wanted to go sniffing around for a little longer Naruto could as well start packing. There was no need for them to stay here any longer, and being alone also gave him a chance to think a little.
He had done quite a lot of thinking after Sasuke had practically jumped into his life. He had thought about Sasuke, his behaviour, the reasons behind it, his past, relations to other people, and lately also the man itself as a human being. And with thinking had come the questions. Naruto had so many of them, so many unanswered and some unvoiced questions that he didn't know how to handle them. sometimes he wanted to simply corner Sasuke, force him to talk, hold him down until the man had told him everything, and at times he just wished Sasuke would trust him enough to tell him something. He didn't care what, anything would be fine. The little tidbit about the raven's mother had already made Naruto feel a bit better, more important, but that was about it and he was still needing more.
Why had Sasuke disappeared and run to this ranch on his own? Why did he refuse to talk about his parents? What had that silver-haired man meant when he'd spoken about Sasuke's brother? What did Kakashi know? So many questions and he didn't think he'd ever get an answer if things kept going like they had been doing until now. Sighing, Naruto bent down to roll his blanket and then do the same to Sasuke's. After glancing quickly at the door to make sure the raven wasn't there, he checked the other's blanket for any bloody stains or such just to make sure he hadn't been bleeding during the night. The man hasn't mentioned any injuries but that didn't mean he didn't have any, and Naruto still wasn't sure if his thighs were completely healed. Much to his relief there was nothing, and he had just finished rolling up their makeshift beds when the door to the house opened again and Sasuke stepped outside.
Without as much as a look at Naruto the raven strode across the yard towards the stables and as Naruto watched as he kicked open the door and disappeared into the old building, the angry air around him making the blonde slightly puzzled. Sasuke was acting so weird, he was so jumpy and angry all the time, even more so than he had been when they had first began this journey, and he just wanted the man to relax a little. Perhaps his mood had something to do with the fact that they didn't really have any leads concerning the man they were after, but hey, it wasn't like they were in a hurry to get anywhere. At least he wasn't, as long as they wouldn't run out of money. And that brought up another question, about where the hell Sasuke had dug up the coins to buy himself a horse. Naruto had forgotten to ask before and then so many new questions had risen that he hadn't simply had time for it.
Shrugging, the man kicked some dirt on the ashes and started digging through his saddle bags for food. Early as it was, he was getting hungry, and there was no starting the day without a good meal. Or at least some crackers, his stomach wasn't all that picky. It also made Naruto realize that they really were running out of food supplies and that they would have to go back to Leaf to buy more if they were planning to travel around for longer time again. Sasuke still had to eat as much as possible, he wasn't thin anymore and he was starting to grow stronger and Naruto wasn't about to end that.
But before he had time to even grab a cracker, the doors of the stable slammed open and Rayo jumped backwards, startled from the sudden noise. Naruto of course denied it but he'd jumped a little as well, leaving Whirl as the only one who really didn't care. Out of the doors stalked Sasuke, his hands clenched and the air around him totally different. Even from the distance Naruto could tell that the anger was gone and the way the other man walked held a certain air of determination now as the raven strode towards the horses. His lips were pressed into a thin line and the look on his face was stony and hard, but as the bounty hunter looked closer, there was something resembling excitement in the black eyes.
Sasuke barely stopped in front of the other man, his eyes scanning the area they had been camping at and then he nodded approvingly as he found it empty. He grabbed Rayo's saddle from the ground and gave Naruto a determined look, the coldest smirk the blonde had ever seen twisting his lips softly.
"I know where he is. Let's go."
TBC