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Forward March!

Chapter_17: Breakfast

He was getting impatient. Fortitude was something that he was known for, but still the hours seemed to be dragging. Weeks and weeks of waiting, of sitting around, keeping to the shadows; his patience was growing thin. Time was the essence of existence. If one did not use the time which one is given, then you might as well be a part of the teaming, powerless masses, scurrying around from place to place, searching…pining…dying.

There was no time for this waiting. It was time to act.

"Pain,"

"What, Sasori?"

"How long shall we wait amongst the rats and the filth, while nothing is accomplished?"

The man with many piercings did not answer for a time.

"As long as it takes, Sasori. That is how long."

He did not even spare a glance to his red haired comrade, but stood and began a slow, measured walk away. His low mesmerizing voice echoed off the crumbling walls and back to the red headed man still seated on the floor.

"Do not fear Sasori…the time is drawing near."

.:xXXx:.

It was a date.

There was no other term for it and that in of itself was mortifying. Okay, so mortifying was maybe a little bit of an overstatement. Petrifying was a better word, terrifying…gauche… The blond sighed. He had to stop thinking like this. It wasn't so bad that Sasuke was taking him out for breakfast. It was actually sort of kind.

Naruto snorted. He couldn't believe that he'd just put the words: 'kind' and 'Sasuke' together in a sentence. Well, it wasn't as though the bastard couldn't be kind, this morning was sort of a case and point, but the raven just…didn't like to show that side of himself. It was weird to think that Naruto was the only one who got to see Sasuke's gentler side.

The blond snorted again. If he kept saying stupid stuff like that, he was going to hurt himself. And if Uchiha Sasuke had a gentler side, then Naruto had danced 'The Lindy' naked on Main street.

Okay, so that was probably a little unfair. The brunette wasn't so terrible; a tad…stoic, and he could be controlling, but the man was…

Yes, alright, kind! That first time they'd met Sasuke had given him a freaking huge tip. That was one point in the raven's favor. Second, Sasuke had gone along with him when he was concerned about Shikamaru, granted Naruto had, in a fit of petulant indignation, dragged him to the apartment building. But Sasuke never protested and had even taken care of him once he…er…lost consciousness. He was always sensitive of Naruto's budding self-awareness. He liked to see how far the Uzumaki's boundaries went, but after they had been established, he never pressed him farther, sexually speaking, than Naruto was comfortable. The perfect example was that time when Naruto had lost control of himself and Sasuke hadn't taken advantage.

Naruto could feel heat sliding down his collar. He himself had initiated, heck, practically begged for the raven to bend him over and…He shivered. But Sasuke hadn't cashed in on the blonds' venerability. The raven had backed off, made Naruto calm down, talk to him and show him a piece of his childhood that not even Iruka knew about.

Naruto swallowed. An odd, heady sensation accompanied that thought; the fact that Uchiha Sasuke knew things about his past that he hadn't even told his father…that was…

"Make your decision already, Naruto."

"Hm?" The blond glanced up unto a pair of jet black eyes which held no traces of humor…or any other emotion for that matter. It was then that he remembered where he was: sitting in a corner booth across from Uchiha Sasuke with a plastic coated menu spread open in front of him.

The woman standing next to their table cracked her gum impatiently and looked less than amused.

"Oh, sorry about that…" He checked her name tag: "…Shizu, I guess I got a little lost in thought. It is pretty early still." The blond chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. "So…I guess...I'll have…" He paused and frantically scanned the menu for something that sounded yummy.

.XX.

Sasuke had never wanted to roll his eyes so badly in the entire time he had known Naruto. They had a full five minutes to look over the menu before their waitress came over to take their orders; it wasn't that hard to decide what to have for breakfast.

He watched the other man staring intently at the menu for the first time since they'd arrived at the café.

It was sort of attractive, that look on his face. The way his eyebrows would crinkle down the center of his forehead, his normally bright blue eyes turned practically luminescent as they narrowed and he was absorbed in whatever he was doing. Sasuke had only seen that expression once before: the first time they'd met. Naruto had been trying to figure out how to advise his customer in the correct way; had been extremely focused on choosing the right words.

.XX.

"I would like…" Naruto's eyes scanned up and down the listed items. It had come down to two items, 'Steak and Eggs' and the 'Breakfast of Champions'. He bit his lip. "Um…"

Naruto's menu was suddenly pressed flat to the table. Reluctantly, his blue eyes glanced up at the Uchiha seated across from him. But the man didn't look miffed. Granted, if Uchiha Sasuke ever really looked anything, it was bored.

"Tell me what you're stuck on."

Naruto fought the impulse to snatch his menu from under the raven's fingers and say he was perfectly capable of choosing his own breakfast. But the woman was still waiting, the weariness of her face drawing Naruto's sympathy. He knew all too well what it felt like to be on the last hours of a twelve hour shift, he was going to be pulling one himself later today. So he let the raven help.

"These two." He jabbed a pointer finger at both dishes in question before glancing from his waitress and then back to Sasuke.

The raven didn't even blink as he spoke. "Then order them both."

"But-"

Before he could finish his protest, Sasuke had ordered for him and they were left alone.

"So…" Naruto's voice sounded loud. He winced and tried again, speaking softer this time. "Why breakfast all of a sudden? Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but I guess I'm a little curious is all."

The raven leaned forward, placing his elbows squarely in the table. He smiled. "I have a few short days left to convince you, Naruto. Why should I not capitalize on every second?"

The blond had no answer to that, so instead, he pulled the desert menu over to occupy his mind.

Black forest cake…

Make your own ice cream sundae…

Peach Pie…

Brownie a la mode…

Milkshakes…

"Anything interesting?"

"They all look so good." Naruto heard himself say. Not untruthfully, but his taste buds and growling stomach were in the mood for breakfast, not desert.

"Then order one." Sasuke responded, his gaze studying the Uzumaki's face intently.

"Don't," Naruto pushed the menu away. "You don't have to do that just because I make a stupid comment."

"It's my money," The raven replied. "It is my privilege and my prerogative to spend it how I see fit. And if I expend some of it towards you, why should you be so concerned?"

"Because it's weird!" Naruto snapped back. "I'm not interested in having a sugar daddy. I'm used to having nothing; not eating out, barely making the month's rent, having to skip meals because they're not in the budget. So don't…" He realized his voice was getting louder with each example and he blushed. He began tracing the grains on the tables' surface with an index finger. "You don't…well, so I guess I'm saying that you don't have to spend money to get me to like you."

.XX.

"Che," Sasuke wasn't going to read too much into those words. Naruto wasn't confessing; he was just trying to get his own way. But Sasuke wasn't going to let the matter go so easily. "Just because you're used to a certain way of life, doesn't mean that lifestyle out to be maintained." He reached out and touched a forefinger lightly to the back of Naruto's hand. He almost didn't. He had never wanted to casually touch any of his partners before. He'd never woo-ed any of his previous partners though. Naruto made him want to do things, feel things, be things...that was dangerous. But for the time being, it was an acceptable variable. He could go over the consiquences of this later. For now he would do what the blond seemed to need, a little human contact. He could provide that. And if it got him his own way, so much the better.

"I make no apologies for my way of life. I am not ashamed of it."

The blonds' hand had stopped its light tracing and Naruto was staring at the single pale digit stroking the back of his knuckles.

"I'm not telling you to forget about your past. It has shaped who you are. But realize that I will not change completely for your comfort either."

.XX.

The nail was short. Naruto felt a lazy warmth spreading over his body as he watched Sasuke's finger trailing back and forth over his hand. He let the raven's words slide easily over him, sexy and rich; hypnotic.

"You have had so little for so long. The orphanage was your existence."

It wasn't an apology Naruto thought. But the raven understood his reasons all the same. It was…a step. Perhaps neither man knew just how large a step it was.

With the thought, he found his voice also. It was soft, as if afraid to shatter this glittering peace they had built between them. "Yeah, except for Iruka, I was there for my whole life."

"It affected you a great deal."

Naruto supposed that the statement was Sasuke's way of asking for details about the place in which he had been raised.

"The orphanage…" There was so much, so many pieces that fit together to form the idea, the memory of that place. He didn't know where to start.

"It wasn't so bad," He found himself falling back on the automatic responses he'd developed over the years, the answers he gave to curious acquaintances and nosy government surveyors. "It took a little getting used to, like everything else, you know?"

His chin was being cupped and tilted up to meet steady black eyes. Strangely, they held the same hypnotic quality as the slender digit which was still present, but had stopped outlining the skin of his knuckles.

"I won't force you."

But Naruto couldn't help himself. Everything he had stored up and hidden was threatening to spill out in one great untidy rush. This man, with whom he had already shared Ichiraku's, his secret, seemed to inspire emotions in him that he hadn't known he was missing until now. He wanted to tell Sasuke everything, not because of any force acting on him, but because it was Sasuke and if anyone could understand him, it was this man sitting before him.

"At first I was sure my parents weren't really dead. I mean, if they were really as amazing as everyone kept saying, then they couldn't have been killed." Melancholy mixed with humor in his chest and he continued. "I remember telling all the kids that I wouldn't be there for long; because my family was coming for me. The caretakers would try to tell me that my mother and father weren't coming back, but I wouldn't listen. I guess I was just as much of a bonehead back then as I am now."

The raven didn't say anything, but removed his hand from Naruto's chin. He seemed to understand that the blond needed no further encouragement. He didn't remove his finger for Naruto's hand though. But the blond had the feeling that if Sasuke did, the mood would leave too.

"I was on my own for most of the time. After I shot my mouth off and everyone found out who my parents had been, they were all too afraid to be my friends. The caretakers would try and get them to play with me, but they didn't have much time or energy to worry about one kid the whole time. They were kind." The blond added as quickly as he thought he could without breaking the sweet serenity of the moment.

"They had a lot to worry about without me adding to their workload. So I just stopped worrying about it. I got good at playing games by myself. It wasn't so bad. Maybe…maybe that's why I used to get into so much trouble."

He thought back to those late night kitchen raids and the many times he had snuck out when he was supposed to be in bed. He'd loved the thrill, the adrenaline of every near miss. It was the only time he really felt alive.

"I was lucky I never got picked up by a gang. I really should have. But somehow, I ended up at Ichiraku's one night. It was enough to keep me going until Iruka showed up."

Silence overwhelmed the tiny corner booth where they sat. But it wasn't uncomfortable this time. Naruto felt as though if he never moved from where he was now, with nothing but Sasuke look at, touch and talk to, he would be content.

Two black pearls gleamed wordlessly back at him, drawing out memories.

"You're parents and, their parents and their parents and whatever, were all around forever ago. Did you guys have 'Sound' forever ago too?"

Sasuke was silent a moment and when he answered, his voice was careful, measured, although, wasn't it always?

"I inherited the family business when my parents died, yes."

He was the same. They were the same.

Sorrow welled up and the blond looked back down to his hand.

.XX.

"No child should have to grow up without parents." Naruto's voice came out as no more than a whisper. But the Uchiha heard him and felt his own unanticipated surge of compassion. He found his the rest of his fingers join the first and entwine with Naruto's.

"How did they die?"

.XX.

He was still whispering. He could deny that he'd asked the question if Sasuke got annoyed. But the raven didn't remove his hand or his gaze.

"They were murdered."

Naruto gasped. Tears stung his eyes.

"I'm sorry,"

"Usuratonkachi," The warm pad of a thumb brushed softly against his cheek, following the topmost scar. "It's not your burden to bear. You have enough on your own."

"Don't call me that you jerk," He wasn't going to cry. He wasn't going to cry. Not in front of Sasuke. "I haven't fallen apart all these years. I won't break down because of you." Naruto tried to laugh while he rubbed his eyes. The effect was only further disillusionment and the loss of Sasuke's oddly comforting finger on his cheek. "I have to live with all kinds of pain on a daily basis. This isn't going to kill me."

"Sir's," The waitress was back, juggling three hot plates. To the blonds' relief, she seemed was concentrating so hard on not burning herself, she didn't notice the two men's entwined fingers.

The Uchiha withdrew his other hand. Whatever weird spell had been cast around he and Naruto was broken.

.XX.

The silence wasn't tense, or at least, not in the way it always had been up until that point in their interactions. This calm was impregnated with a mutual understanding. There was no need for words now. At the moment, all that mattered was the plates before them and the sweetly beckoning aromas of hot food.

Naruto dug in with gusto, savoring at first, but quickly descending to large, untidy mouthfuls. He had never been one to pass up a free meal, another habit he had picked up at the orphanage. He tried not to think about the strings attached to this breakfast, reasoning that this didn't mean he was saying yes. But if this was how the raven intended to treat him for the duration of their…relationship…

He chewed the steak with relish before swallowing slowly, tasting the juices sliding down his tongue. If this was how Sasuke was going to treat him if he did say 'yes', maybe an affirmation wouldn't be so bad.

"Did you read the obituaries in this morning's paper?"

The blond paused in the middle of a mouthful, his ears pricking to the conversation going on behind him.

"No," A second voice replied incredulously. "And I don't understand why you do."

The first voice laughed. "It's just a habit. So I take it that you didn't read the article."

"No, why?"

"Well, there was a rumor running around and today's paper confirmed it."

"What rumor?"

The first voice laughed again. "You know how everybody's been saying that the Commissioner didn't make it out of that explosion?"

The second voice gasped. "Are you serious?"

"It's right here."

The rustle of newspaper preceded several swear words. "Danzo's really dead, I can't believe it"

Naruto's fork clattered to the table.

Sasuke looked up, the only outward indication of his curiosity and startled bewilderment was his eyes. The man didn't ask what was wrong aloud, but the question in his gaze spoke as loudly as if he had been shouted.

"Nothing…I just…" The blond took up his fork again, picking idly at his food. "I just overheard something, that's all."

"How disturbing."

Naruto gave the raven a dower look before spearing a bite of egg on the end of his utensil. He studied the fluffy yellow mouthful without interest.

"Is it true that Commissioner Danzo is dead?"

The raven's look became sharper, but his answer was relaxed. "Yes,"

"Oh," Naruto tried to keep his voice as casual as Sasuke's, but it wasn't. It was too bright, too cheerful.

"Naruto,"

"Hm?" He pushed the fork into his mouth. He didn't meet the raven's eyes, but continued to shove mouthfuls of egg, bacon and sausage into his face.

"Idiot," His fork was stopped halfway to his lips. The Uchiha had laid his own utensil onto the handle of Naruto's loaded fork. "Look at me."

The blond didn't want to, but he didn't have much of a choice. That didn't mean he had to be happy about it. He stared up at Sasuke with a mix between petulance and annoyance written on every line of his sunny features.

"Now what?"

The raven didn't blink at his irritated tone, but continued to stare unwaveringly into his narrowed eyes.

"You care. Why?"

Naruto wanted to deny it and get back to eating the best breakfast he'd had in a long time, but he'd already given himself away the second he dropped his fork.

He sighed hotly, but his expression and voice were no longer aggravated. "Danzo is the reason that I grew up without parents. If it wasn't for him, they would probably still be alive."

.XX.

Sasuke retracted his arm. He was satisfied with the explanation for the time being and he sensed that continuing to pursue this particular topic would only result in further aggravation, for both parties. However, the blond had already been ruffled a more than fair amount that that would require some soothing.

"I appreciate your forthrightness."

Naruto's expression lightened visibly and he shook his head. "Can't you just say 'thank you' like a normal person? No," He answered his own question. "Because then you wouldn't be Uchiha Sasuke, the coolest, most mysterious, and sexy bachelor in Konoha." He smacked his forehead. "Silly me, of course your vocabulary is so much more impressive than us 'normal people'."

"Usuratonkachi, stop speaking, you're showing your stupidity."

"How did you do it?"

Sasuke blinked.

The blond continued. "How did you keep yourself from hating the person who killed them? After six years, you have something to remember and to lose; not a…blank spot. How did stop that pain?"

Their waitress sidled up and offered them both more coffee before the raven could answer.

Naruto smiled up at the woman, gratefully taking his refilled coffee cup and thanking her perhaps a little too profusely. As soon as she left them again, the pair returned to their food with renewed gusto.

A quiet tone broke the silence. It continued to buzz insistently until Sasuke pulled out his cell phone. Black eyes flicked briefly over the caller id before he glanced at Naruto. The blond didn't pretend he wasn't looking. He supposed it was sort of unspoken permission for Sasuke to take the call.

"Juugo," The raven greeted whoever was on the other end.

.XX.

"Boss," The blond pretended to be absorbed in what remained of his steak. But he was listening as hard as he could. He was curious about this part of Sasuke's life, the portion he knew so little about. But now that he thought about it, there was something oddly familiar…

"We found her."

"I'll meet you at Sound."

Was it his imagination, or did Sasuke seem a little more excited than normal?

"Understood Boss,"

Sasuke ended the call, replacing the phone to his pocket before returning to his nearly finished meal. Like the entire exchange had never happened.

Naruto wanted to ask who the 'she' was that Sasuke had found, but he couldn't think of a way to do it with coming out and saying that he'd been able to hear the whole conversation. And the Uchiha wasn't a total moron he supposed. If Naruto gave him too many clues, then the man might figure out a few things that he would prefer remained under wraps for the time being. This morning had been way too close for his tastes. Way too close.

"So…" He was still curious though. He tried what he hoped was the least suspicious option available to him. "Who was that?"

"One of my managers."

Naruto waited to see if Sasuke would elaborate. He didn't.

The blond tried again. "It sounded important."

He tried not to wince in frustration as the raven's eyebrow arched. He already sounded suspicious. He just hoped that the raven would think it was just curiosity.

"It is," The raven wiped his mouth and then tossed the crumpled napkin onto his plate. "I regret that this matter requires my personal and immediate attention."

The man rose.

"Wait, you're just leaving me here?" Naruto was flabbergasted.

Two jet black orbs fastened on him. "No," Sasuke held out a strong slender hand. "I intended to drive you to The Leaf before this and I still mean to."

"Well can I…" Naruto glanced down at his half finished breakfasts and rubbed the back of his neck. "…get a doggie bag?"

Sasuke smirked and called their waitress over.

Five minutes later, they were once more seated in Sasuke's incredible ride and speeding along Konoha's awakening streets.

Naruto shifted the warm boxes on his lap, trying not to think about how little he knew about the raven's life away from him. That train didn't end up places he liked.

What did he really know about Uchiha Sasuke? That he could be generous, that he could be kind and patient. He knew that the raven was smart and was running a successful business in this awful economic time. He knew he was sexy, he knew that he was a good kisser.

But was that enough?

The car rolled to a stop in the middle of the Leaf's empty parking lot. It was still early enough that no one would be in to open the café yet.

"Will you be able to get in." Naruto wondered how the raven could ask a question and make it come out as a statement instead.

He nodded. "Yeah, I have a key."

Sasuke made no further comment, but eased back into his seat. The man was obviously waiting for him to get out.

Naruto never really knew what made him ask it: a niggling suspicion, instinct, some sixth sense his powers had granted him, he could never qualify where it came from. But suddenly, the words were coming out and he couldn't help but think: 'Of course,'.

"I'm not going to see you for a while, am I?"

"No," The raven answered at length. "This situation requires the whole of my attention for the foreseeable future."

"Oh," The Uzumaki looked down at his boxes, not sure if he was relieved or miserable. His hands were poised atop the stiff Styrofoam, his thumbs twiddling with one another in the resounding stillness. No, he decided. He wasn't happy that Sasuke was leaving for who knew how long. He wasn't glad that he was getting a break from the man. He wasn't thankful that the only time he would ever have to see this man's face again, was when he told him 'so long and thanks for all the fish'. He wasn't excited.

He was sad.

Before he could rethink the impulse, Naruto had unbuckled and grabbed the raven. Two kinds of silk slid and pressed into the pads of his fingers, the skin of Sasuke's jaw and the thick jet black ribbons of the man's hair. And then a third silk was pressed to his lips as he pulled the man closer.

It was awkward at first. He could feel the boxes on his lap starting to slip as he leaned his body further towards Sasuke. But then he felt the raven's fingers pull the packages off his lap and lay them on the floor. And he was free to push closer, to slide his mouth back and forth against the Uchiha's.

This too was his choice; not something Sasuke had asked of him. This was his.

And then they parted, neither breathing hard. Without a word, Sasuke returned Naruto's leftovers to his hands.

It wasn't until the car had disappeared from view that Naruto realized what he had done.

He had kissed Sasuke, but it had been…he didn't…wasn't sure he could explain the enormity of everything it implied. He had intended it to be a quick good-bye, four lips shaking hands, but somehow, somewhere the message had changed.

The kiss had started as nothing more than a brush of lips, a soft constant contact, but it had become so much more by the time they parted. The blond had felt something, a shipment he had accepted delivery for. But didn't know what that shipment held. He couldn't identify the foreign roiling churn in his chest as he watched the tail lights disappear in the throng of morning traffic.

But through the alien tumult, one emotion remained constant.

He was sad.

Author note: I was looking through the list of ratings and realized that my story should be a MA, not just an M, because of all gang violence descriptions I put in. But when I checked the ratings, I found out that FF only has M. So if you guys weren't expecting the gore... or all the sexy stuff, sorry. I blame Fanfiction (smiles wickedly).

Until next time

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