Blue Skies

Chapter three

"The scars that I had, I gulped all through. They hurt, they hurt, but you won't know." -Tawagato/Nonsense Speaker, Hatsune Miku

Naruto was oblivious to the stares directed at himself as he remained hunched over, palm over his mouth as he hacked what felt like his lungs out. Through the blood pounding in his ears he could hear the murmurs of people around him, concerned voices wondering if they should call for help.

He heard nothing from Sasuke.

Eventually, the painful ache in his chest and the itching in his throat ceased, allowing him to bring his hand away from his face and raise his head, vision blurry with pained tears. Through the liquid, he saw Sasuke still standing in front of him; a slight relief in the midst of the situation. But the bliss did not last long, however, as Sasuke practically lunged forward, latching his hand onto Naruto's shoulder and pulling the blonde out the restaurant and out onto the crowded sidewalk.

"O-oi!" Naruto protested, detesting the harsh treatment and the fact that his voice stuttered. He saw Sasuke in front of him, continuing to pull him forward. "Sasuke," Naruto gasped out, tripping on his own feet and watching men and women around the pair looking at them strangely. "Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed louder and dug his feet into the concrete ground, stubbornly fighting against the Uchiha's pull.

Sasuke whirled around, releasing Naruto's shoulder and getting extremely close to Naruto's face; he could practically feel the other's breath on his skin. The raven was glaring daggers at him, eyes narrowed. "What," Sasuke began lowly, "the hell, was that?" Naruto blinked. "Eh?" he asked. "I dunno, it was nothing, I guess,"

It was apparently possible for Sasuke's eyes to narrow even further. Naruto gulped, thankful for the first time since they had gotten here that neither of them had chakra; otherwise he'd had probably ended up with a hole in his chest.

The blonde let out a sharp exclamation of complaint when he felt Sasuke's hand latch tightly around his wrist, fingers digging into his skin and bone as his arm was wrenched upward. "What the hell, you bastard," Naruto hissed as Sasuke's eyes diverted to the blonde's hand.

"You call this 'nothing'?" Sasuke growled and turned Naruto's palm to face himself. Naruto's eyes widened at what he saw.

Small droplets of crimson liquid laid upon his skin, some slowly dripping down towards the inside of his wrist. "I..." Naruto said, blinking and shaking his head. "Probably bit my tongue or something," the blonde chuckled nervously, taking his eyes off of his palm and noticed Sasuke staring icily at him. The raven didn't look one bit convinced.

"It's nothing," Naruto said, taking his hand out of Sasuke's grip and rubbing his wrist. "Would it kill you to be a bit gentler too?" he grumbled. "...Yes, actually," Sasuke replied slowly. Neither of them moved as they stared at each other; Sasuke more so glaring, Naruto curiously eying the other down.

Eventually the blonde coughed and looked away. "So," he started, "er, I guess we gotta find a place to stay, right?" Sasuke blinked. "Hmph," he snorted, turning away from the blonde. "For once, you have a decent idea," Naruto heard the Uchiha mutter, amongst the loud bustling of the city around them.

"'For once'?!" Naruto quoted incredulously, glaring at the Uchiha flag on Sasuke's back as the raven started forward. "I'll have you know, I've had plenty of good ideas!" Naruto shouted and jogged after Sasuke, knocking a few people aside in the process. The raven didn't seem to respond as the blonde reached his side. Naruto snorted.

"Fine, be a quiet prick and don't talk to me," Naruto mumbled. His eyes darted to his palm, where the drops of blood still remained. He carefully wiped the crimson off on his pants.

The two walked in silence for some time, Naruto taking in the sights and the sounds, enthralled by the flashing lights and the towering buildings, the metal machines in the road and the sheer abundance of people surrounding them. It seemed surreal that so many people could fit into a place like this; yet, it managed.

Sasuke, meanwhile, was busy trying to find a place for the two to reside. He had come across many places to eat, places of business, shops; not a single inn or hotel that he could see. It was getting on his nerves. Add on the fact that Naruto was acting like a kid in a candy store, gasping and pointing and tugging on Sasuke's sleeve every ten seconds, he was at his wit's end with this place.

He couldn't shake the image of the blood in Naruto's hand, however. He knew the blonde was lying by saying he had bit his tongue; the kid had always been an awful liar. The question was, did Naruto know what had really caused the sudden coughing fit, leading to the blood? And, more importantly, why did it concern Sasuke so much?

He assumed it was because Naruto was just a pawn in the little game he was playing; a significant pawn, but one nonetheless. Yet, deep down, he could sense that was not the case.

"Oi, Sasuke! Over there!"

Sasuke sighed and felt his eyebrow twitch. He was mostly definitely close to losing his shit. "Sasuke!" Naruto whined. "There's a damn hotel right over there!" Sasuke whipped his head to the side, noticing Naruto pointing to a building in front of them. The word "MOTEL" extended from the building in bright red neon lettering. "...Good," Sasuke muttered, walking to the motel.

"How've you not seen any of the ones we've seen? We passed like eight of them," Naruto said. Sasuke paused in his stride, Naruto continuing forward a few steps before pausing to look back at the raven, hands in his pockets. "What?" Sasuke asked. Naruto's lips curved slightly into a smile. "Why didn't you fucking tell me?" Sasuke snarled. "I tried telling you," Naruto replied innocently, "But you wouldn't listen to me."

Sasuke wished now more than ever that he had his chakra so he could kill Naruto with his glare.

As it was, he clenched his teeth and let his breath hiss from his lips as he stalked forward, leaving Naruto to jog after him. "Wait up," Naruto complained as Sasuke reached the doorway of the motel, a shabby and dinged up door with a window set into it; view inside was blocked by white shutters.

"Out of all the hotels," Sasuke muttered under his breath, before turning the handle and pushing the door inward.

The room that greeted them was small, and slightly dirty. The mocha brown walls had splotches on them and the wooden floor creaked often, dust lining the cracks. A couch standing on three legs was set against the wall and a flickering lamp hung on the ceiling. A counter on the opposite wall had stacks of papers scattered atop the surface. An old television was on another counter behind the first one, poor reception causing the signal to go static at some points.

A large man sat, snoring, with his face laying on the counter, his glasses askew, the dirty white shirt on his torso pulled up. Sasuke inwardly cringed, hearing Naruto give a snort of derision. "Do we have to go here," the blonde muttered. Sasuke was about to turn on his heel and slam the door behind him when the man at the counter suddenly started, snorting and sitting straight, eyes blinking open.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, nasally voice cracking. "Er, welcome!" he continued, pushing the bridge of his glasses up his nose. "Fuck," Naruto whispered as Sasuke clenched his fist. The man's beady eyes roamed over Sasuke, then at Naruto. He groaned.

"Ugh," he groaned, leaning back in his seat, "once they made it legal you lot just came pouring in..." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Eh?" Naruto said, voicing Sasuke's unspoken confusion. The man eyed them curiously. "Don't act dumb, I can tell a couple like you two when I see 'em," he sniffed.

Sasuke grit his teeth and glared at the man while Naruto let out what could only be described as a shriek. "We are not!" Naruto yelled, pointing at the man. Sasuke could see Naruto's face go red out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't blame the blonde; for once, he too felt embarrassed.

The man rolled his eyes. "If you say so," he muttered. "Well, do you two need a room then?" he continued when neither boy answered. Sasuke shook his head slightly. "Yes," he managed to growl, moving closer to the counter. "Alright...I can get you two a single room," the man said.

"God dammit!" Naruto exclaimed. "Shut up," Sasuke growled, glancing over his shoulder. "Lovers' quarrel..." the man sung quietly. Sasuke whipped his head back around to glare at the offending other, who quickly leaned down to get something.

"Just, uh...sign here and I'll get your key..." he muttered, pulling up a tattered green book and a black pen. Upon flipping open the pages, Sasuke saw a list of names in front of him. Glancing over them quickly to avoid appearing suspicious, he wrote down two names he saw and hoped they were both male names before handing the book and pen back to the clerk.

The man took it, his eyes flicking briefly over Sasuke's shoulder. The raven turned to follow his gaze and saw him staring at Naruto, who was looking at a bookshelf and scowling occasionally. "You know," the man whispered to Sasuke, "I'm not gay, but if I were I'd say you got yourself a fine one right there."

Sasuke glared at the man before reaching out and tearing a key out of the man's grasp; a leather tag was attached to a thin circle that held the key, a letter 9 carved into the surface. "Room's are thataway," the man said, pointing towards a staircase to the right of the counter.

"...Come on Naruto," Sasuke called to the blonde. He proceeded to the stairwell, hearing Naruto follow suit as the clerk called out "Have fun you two!"

Sasuke, needless to say, wished he could set the man ablaze as he ascended the stairs.

"..Geez, that guy was creepy as hell," Naruto muttered once they had climbed the stairs and found themselves standing in a thin hallway, sparsely lit. Various doors lined the space, some open, others closed. Silence filled the hall and left the two boys in an uncomfortable silence.

Naruto cleared his throat as he peered past Sasuke's unmoving figure. "Erm...we gonna go or what," he asked. He noticed Sasuke's fist clench, a key held in his grip digging into his skin. "Ignorant piece of shit," he heard the raven mutter before moving forward. Not wanting to get in the other's way, Naruto decided to examine the doors around him; particularly, the open rooms.

From what he could gather, the insides were almost the same; shabby blue carpet that looked as though they hadn't been thoroughly washed in years. The rooms on the left had windows overlooking the crowded streets, the rooms on the right did not. Naruto heard two voices coming from a closed room, along with the sound of squeaking bed coils. He pointedly ignored what the voices were saying to each other as Sasuke abruptly stopped.

"Oof!"

Naruto let out a grunt as he suddenly walked into Sasuke's back, feeling the Uchiha instantly tense upon his touch. Naruto backed up a few steps, grinning sheepishly as Sasuke turned to glare at him."Don't touch me," the raven hissed, before turning to the side and reaching out with the key in his hand for the lock of the door.

"I just ran into you," Naruto muttered in response as a click sounded, Sasuke quickly pushing the door inward, entering the room. The blonde swiftly followed, finding the same disgusting blue carpet on the floor. Their room was on the left, leaving them with windows to the outside world; dirty, sheer cream-colored curtains hung across the glass.

Two beds were pushed against the left wall. The sheets and pillows seemed to be the only clean things in this room, Naruto noticed with distaste. A television on the opposite wall had a remote laying on top of it. The bathroom on his left had the door open, revealing a dirty toilet and sink; the bathtub was hidden from view.

He nearly flinched when he heard the bed coils groan, azure eyes focusing on Sasuke, who had sat himself on the furthermost bed, closest to the windows. The Uchiha's eyes were locked on the blonde, studying him. Naruto glanced around hesitantly before stepping into the room further, shutting the door behind him.

"Soooo..." Naruto said, wishing he could sink into the floor due to the awkward silence that now pervaded the space. "What now," he said when Sasuke offered nothing to say. "...We start figuring out why we're here," Sasuke replied, averting his gaze from Naruto, who quickly shoved aside the disappointment he felt because of the action.

"I thought we went over this already," Naruto groaned, approaching the open bed and flopping down on it, his feet kicking into the air. He could almost hear Sasuke sigh in annoyance; something he wished would happen, a sign the old Sasuke was still in there somewhere. However, he was met only with silence.

"You know, you could at least act like you give a damn about what happens to us," Naruto muttered. About what happens to me, he added silently. He still hadn't been able to shake the worry he felt at the loss of the Kyuubi; sure the damn fox was a pain in the ass, but he was decent company, and, the minor detail that he needed the demon so he could live.

"I 'give a damn' about fulfilling my revenge, Naruto," Sasuke replied. "If getting us out of here does that, then fine. If leaving your ass here does that, even better. It just saves me the trouble of having to deal with you after Konoha is gone."

Naruto grit his teeth. "Why are you so fucking insistent that everyone in the village is guilty?" he asked, his voice rising. "Whatever the fuck you have against the Council, why take it out on the whole village?! There are innocent people there!-"

"Nobody's innocent," Sasuke interrupted as Naruto sat up, turning on the bed to face Sasuke. The Uchiha was staring at the wall opposite of himself, fists clenched between his legs, hunched forward. "All of you. You're laughing and alive and so fucking happy because Itachi sacrificed everything for you. And none of you even know it." Sasuke shook his head.

"My clan died to give that village a chance," the raven finished. Neither of them spoke as horns blared outside.

"...You think you're the only one with a shitty life huh, Sasuke," Naruto growled. "I've tried for years not to let myself be upset about it. But I guess being around your negative ass isn't helping that. So try being the fucking host of a nation-destroying demon, try having people hate you and despise you for your entire life and not even knowing why because it's against the damn law to speak about what's inside of me.

Try having no-one, never havin anyone, to care about you. Going every single fucking day wondering what did you do to deserve that. Huh? Does that sound 'happy' to you?"

Naruto was breathing heavily at the end of his rant, glaring at Sasuke, who still refused to look at him. "You're just a selfish prick," Naruto shouted, standing and pointing at Sasuke. The Uchiha stood quickly, turning and glaring at Naruto. "...And what are you, Naruto?" Sasuke sneered, a vicious glint in his eyes. "I know. You're nothing but a martyr for a lost cause. Fighting for something that never even existed."

Naruto backed away a few steps, feeling his heel connect with the foot of the bed behind him. "So what would that be, then," he asked lowly. Sasuke smirked. "Hope," he replied. Naruto felt sharp stings biting into his palms. "Don't you get it?" the raven continued, "There is no hope. For anyone! Take yourself," Sasuke gestured at the blonde, "for example. Orphaned at birth, hated by the villagers. Having no-one for your whole life. Yet you hold onto hope that they'll trust you, you hope you can be strong enough to be Hokage-"

The sound of Naruto's hand striking Sasuke's face resonated around the room.

The Uchiha's face was turned to the left, small blood stains on his cheek from the small wounds Naruto's fingernails and inflicted on his own hands. Naruto hadn't even realized he had moved as he pulled his hand back, stepping back from Sasuke.

The raven's head turned slowly back to face Naruto.

"...And that's what I hate the most about people like you," Sasuke said quietly.

"You expect people to relate to you. You think there is no evil in the world even though you have experienced it first-hand. You live without hate because you think there's a happy ending for everyone if they try hard enough. Well, this must be news for you, Naruto, because there isn't always a happy ending. The good guys don't always win. Light doesn't always destroy darkness."

Naruto felt the itching return to his throat as a painful pressure that felt suspiciously like tears form behind his eyes.

"...I have pushed all of my pain away," the blonde hissed, "I have swallowed my scars and I have been happy because I fought to be. I don't let my past control me. Happiness doesn't come easy, but pain and grief sure as hell do."

Without speaking another word, Naruto turned and grabbed the room key before stalking to the door, throwing it open and stalking out to the hallway and slamming the door behind him. Distantly he heard the sound of a squeaking bed cease and complaints rise.