Love & Truth

29. Rediscovered Memories, Sealed Deals

(Third Person's POV)

„This was a bad idea." Naruto muttered once his nerves threatened to give out. He could feel how the tears are overcoming him. He hung his head, letting his bangs fall over his eyes to shield the view of the raven. Like that he turned around and was about to leave, until he felt a hand gripping his wrist.

„Don't go..." Sasuke insisted, the intention of not wanting to let Naruto go until they came to a decision of some sort clearly seen in his onyx eyes.

„Let me go..." Naruto pleaded in response only as he tried to get his hand out of the grip.

The two went on like this, Sasuke proceeding, Naruto shying away from him, tears falling unbidden by the time... they went like this, until Sasuke pulled on Naruto's wrist slightly and they both fell down on the grass that surrounded the ever-blooming Sakura tree...

...right next to a young Sakura sprout.

The two stared wide-eyed at the innocent sprout, knowing its meaning.

„Naruto... what is the meaning of this?" Sasuke asked, once he found his ability to speak again.

The response did not come though, Naruto was too engrossed in looking at the young, tender Sakura, caressing its budding leaves.

„I guess from your reaction that this is not what you wanted to talk about..." Sasuke said, to which he only received a soft shake of head from Naruto's side. He however could not stop the dark thoughts that started to for in his head.

„About its father then?" He asked, trying to suppress the curse that has been forming on his lips. How dare someone take Naruto from him? How dare his blonde let himself be taken?

If Sasuke has been growing angry before, then the way Naruto tensed at the mention of father did not help a bit in calming the urge down.

„So... you found someone new? I thought that you would at least have the courtesy to tell me... you live in my house after all..." Sasuke said, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the boy who looked back at him, his mouth opening to say something back. Sasuke did not have an intention to let him do that though.

„You know what? Don't talk... I thought that maybe, maybe we might have worked out somehow, but apparently you are not interested... I at least hoped, that given our history, if you found a new man, you would have told me..."

„It's not like that!" Naruto exclaimed as he reached out his hand to touch Sasuke's. The raven did not allow that though. He only slapped Naruto's hand away.

„And how is it, hmm? Tell me! Or you know what? Don't... I'm not interested in hearing your excuses!"

„These are no excuses!" Naruto insisted truthfully, Sasuke did not know that though. „The father..."

„Did I have the opportunity to create a child with you in last half a year or so? NO! Unless you want to tell me that we engaged ourselves in passions on a night I so conveniently don't remember!"

Only when Naruto's eyes widened and then filled with tears did Sasuke realize his harshness. The way jealousy blinded sight, messed his mind. Refusing to take in the tell-tale signs that preceded Naruto's current crying.

„That's right..." the blonde cried out, his body wreaking with sobs. „You don't remember..."

Then he disappeared in a whirlwind of flowers, leaving the baffled raven behind.

L&T

(Sasuke's POV)

I could only watch as teary eyed Naruto disappeared from our shared dream.

„I really screwed up big this time..." I groaned as I sat, cross-legged, on the ground. I wanted to return few minutes earlier, to scream at myself for being an idiot.

'How could I have not noticed?' I was well aware of how much I've hurt Naruto.

'You know... jealousy is an amazing thing... it can change a man in a second's time...' I heard the idiot of a demon in my head sneer.

'You know what? Shut up! I'm allowing you to talk only if you were as kind and enlightened me as to on the matter o what the last sentence Naruto said meant.'

'You know, for being said to be quite a smart one, you can be astonishingly dumb at times...'

'What did you say?'

'Try to put pieces together, Uchiha... one by one... and just for the sake of being nice, I'll give you a hint. Start with the night of the Hyuuga's and Inuzuka's party...'

I knew that the night of the party was when Naruto started to avoid me, but that did not mean...

Suddenly I heard Naruto's voice in my head, saying something I did not really remember left his mouth.

„You promised me… you promised me not to leave again… yet you did…"

I could hear the unmistakable undertone of crying in those words.

'When did he say something like that?'

Before I could question it more though, I heard more, this time I knew it was my voice speaking.

„I'm so sorry… please forgive me… I'm never going to leave you again…"

'But when...'

Suddenly it hit me like a weight of the whole Uchiha complex...

'No way...'

„These are no excuses!" Naruto's voice rang through my mind, as if wanting to remind me how stupid I was for not listening to the end of what Naruto wanted to say.

'Tadah~! For being a smart boy and getting it right I'll give you an award... In a form of that night's memories!'

I wanted to say something to that, but I was overcame with the sensations of that one night.

I could only sigh at my own stupidity, especially as I've heard one sentence out of all stand out from the memory.

„I missed you… so much…"

„I still do..." I could only say to myself bitterly. Then however a wave of courage came crashing over me.

'I can't let it end like this!' I said to myself as I looked around the beautiful, but without dobe lonesome, scenery before I saw flowers to start circle around me, signalling my departure.

'Let's just hope that it is not too late.'

L&T

I woke up where I went to sleep, which was my bed, only to fall from the thing the second I returned to "reality". I did not want to waste my time and so I headed straight though the hall, headed for that one room I designed myself.

I found Naruto in his room, crouched over a half-filled bag, his face buried in his hands, as his body was shaking from the crying.

I silently crept over to dobe's hunched figure, only to wrap him in an embrace once I reached him. That seemed to startle him quite a bit.

„Teme!" He cried out, tears glistening in his eyes. „What are you doing?" He demanded knowing, trying to get away from my grasp. I had no intention of letting him go though, which was why his struggling was fruitless in its effect.

„Don't leave... I'm so sorry... I remember now... Forgive me... Please... Don't leave... orgive me..." I was aware that the trail of words that left my mouth seemed to lack sense, but apparently, dobe managed to find some in it. I could judge so, from the way his body stiffened slightly.

„You... You remember now?" He asked after a while, echoing my own words, with the undertone of a question.

„You can't even imagine how sorry I am for hurting you so much..." I whispered into the crook of Naruto's neck, audibly enough for Naruto only. „I'm not drinking so much ever again..."

This statement of mine seemed to amuse Naruto as I could see the corners of his mouth twitching, slightly turning upwards.

„If you say so..." He said only, in the end, obviously winning a fight with some biting remark. Then however he frowned once again. I took the chance and continued speaking.

„You know... I meant all the things I said that night... even if I did not remember them in the morning. I swear I did."

„That's a lame excuse, you know?" He sighed only, hanging his shoulders.

„I do... I want to make it up to you though... all of it... I want to show you that I still love you as much as I did when we started going out, if not more."

„I'd like that, I really would, but..."

„Please?"

Naruto seemed to hesitate, not that I could blame him much, I would probably hesitate also, if put in his place in this conversation.

„Pretty please?"

I could almost see the thought's sorting Naruto was going through, when suddenly he sighed, as if in defeat.

„I don't dislike the idea, you know? I love you also, after all..."

I saw the blush that tinted dobe's cheeks softly and I couldn't help but be relieved.

„So... a deal?"

„A deal."

I watched him for a split second then chuckled. „That's not how we seal deals, you know?"

He seemed lost for a while then a warm smile spread over his features... before he leaned closer and kissed me on the lips gently. „Deal..."

I enjoyed the feeling of having dobe in my arms, when suddenly I noticed, that it was long since dark outside. I thought about I for a while, then nuzzled into the crook of Naruto's neck, only to meet Naruto's gentle gaze when I tilted my head a bit, raising my eyes to meet his.

„Now... How about we take Makoto and Yori out after some breakfast?" I asked, smiling at Naruto.

I was more than pleased when I saw him smile back.

„I like the sound of that."

L&T

It took quite an effort, but it has been a month of constant attention, which I had no intention to stop with, before I could sense that the relationship we shared was returning to its most beautiful phase, the one that was forcefully interrupted by Naruto's kidnapping.

It was only when I felt so, that I gathered my courage to ask Naruto that one special question again.

Now I only had to think of a way to do it right.

Done~

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, even if it was quite a short one.

So people, are you ready for the last chapter? It is going to be an extra long one, which is also why I'm taking a week long break, I need time to write it (^^;)

See ya~ ( "-.-)/