A/N: So! Because I will sadly be without internet for God knows how long starting Tuesday, I am posting the final three chapters! Yay right? Except for the fact that I love you guys and I'll miss you until I can pay the bill again. ;_;
"Hard worker my ass, maybe she works harder in bed, who knows." The griping came from Ino as she replaced my empty cider mug.
The topic of the day was Sakura and how she'd managed quite the promotion at The Leaf, something the blonde woman insisted was only because she'd been sleeping with the manager.
A strange way of putting it seeing as the pinkette and Karin had quite the fling and it was no secret. "We can't all get somewhere fucking the owner." She knew I would listen, I always had, and she knew I'd never side against her... even if I was never really on anyone's side.
Sometimes women found it nice to just talk without having to worry about someone criticizing their methods or theatrics, maybe that's why I had more female acquaintances growing up than I did male.
When you don't talk it's hard to keep the other boys interested, after a while they just move on and leave you behind to dig your toes in the dirt and wonder what you did wrong.
It was also during the woman's rants that she lost count of the refills she served me, resulting in me being charged for only one or two.
Then the bell above the door chimed; Naruto arriving ten minutes earlier than when we'd agreed to meet.
It appeared that we had similar thoughts.
When he sat down across from me it astutely shut the woman up, whether or not she recognized him from the picture the one known as Sasuke showed her I knew not, she just openly gaped at my guest.
"Se… separate tab?" She squeaked, clicking her pen.
"It's on me." I insisted before the blonde could answer, causing him to pout.
"So, what'll it be then?"
I hadn't seen the girl so formal since… ever.
"Chips, definitely chips! And a cola please." I could tell he was trying to reel in his happiness, something he proved to not be very good at. Ino seemed to catch on right away to the nature of our meeting and she spared me a risen eyebrow before waggling them both suggestively.
She left me to watch Naruto's face go beet red, a sight all of its own.
During the not-quite-date we talked about nothing important, Naruto taking every chance he could to force fried potatoes into my mouth and me trying to maintain steady breaths when he wrapped his legs around mine under the table.
My body reacted strangely even though it all felt very right.
The little ways he stroked my legs with his, how they formed together seamlessly in the secret cave of beneath the table.
Down where there was no one to oppress us, where our legs just held each other desperately and I finished the last of his chips, the world span slowly.
I walked him home to his boat, hands buried in my pockets the whole time, as if I were afraid where they'd end up if I let them roam free.
"Thanks for walking with me." He'd fallen into some sort of formality, I didn't like it.
"Hmn."
"Well, goodnight then." He whispered, though appearing frozen in his spot.
I could not bring myself to leave.
After a moment of silence, Naruto reached both of his hands out, cupping my face softly in a way that I could not resist, pulling me down to meet his lips.
For a few moments our tongues tenderly brushed, his hands sliding up into my hair while mine remained frozen in my pockets.
Coming up for air was a cold loneliness.
"Gaara… "
He whispered softly against my lips, the cool of the ocean breeze teasing our exposed flesh. My shudders faded away into the wind and all that remained was the heat of those palms traveling down to the curve of my neck.
"I think I'm in love with you." He whispered, lip quivering.
Once upon a time, I had doubted I even possessed a heart; yet there it was, slamming into my ribs and leaving my head dizzy.
"I-"
He cut me off with another kiss, sucking my lower lip into his small mouth and worrying it between his teeth.
He released me with a hardly audible pop.
"Tomorrow, I'll meet you by the pier."
I could do nothing but nod obediently, the night seeming to darken.
"But tonight…"
Those hands again, twisting and tugging in ways that shot pins down through my toes. My hands settled on his gentle curve of a waist, drawing the warmth closer and tasting, truly tasting him… I would never forget the lingering in my mouth, a part of him had become a part of me.
"Tonight you have to promise to dream about me. Do we have a deal?"
I nodded dumbly, speech escaping me. Those thin lips curled into a smile that shone right out of his eyes.
If I had ever felt love in my life, it was in that moment that I recognized it for what is was.
When he walked away I was left with nothing but the crashing waves and my stuttering heart.
.
.
.
I wasn't sneaking inside; sneaking would imply that I had been doing something wrong.
It just looked somewhat suspicious when I crept into the kitchen only to find Shikamaru sitting at the counter, a steaming mug in his hands.
"I like bullion; it warms you up from the inside." He mentioned offhandedly, staring down at what I now knew was soup.
He was very obviously trying to start up a conversation.
"Normal people like hot chocolate or coffee." I tried, opening the fridge and fishing out a block of cheese.
"But not you, you like cider."
I glanced back at him, lighting up the stove.
"I haven't seen you smile like that since you broke that boy's arm in high school."
"Smile like what?"
"Like you are now."
I froze, silent as I watched the cheese melt.
"If you were any other man at your age, arriving home at this time with that expression…" He trailed off, resting his elbow on the table and chin in palm.
"It's almost indecent."
Shikamaru didn't laugh but he certainly had the critical chuckle down to a 'T'.
I finished my grilled cheese and sat beside him at the counter, tearing a piece off and eating it. We didn't talk, just sat in a comfortable silence and tended to our own.
Twenty minutes ticked by before Shikamaru stood, rinsing his mug out.
"Invite Naruto to dinner tomorrow." He hadn't asked nor suggested; I was positive Temari had put him up to it. "We're having what your sister refers to as Italian."
"We're doomed." I groaned.
Our teasing of my sister came to an abrupt halt when he placed a warm hand on my shoulder, expression unreadable as he eyed my plate.
I looked down to see what had caught his attention but saw nothing.
In fact, the plate was empty.
.
.
.
I did dream about Naruto that night, I dreamt he had a long winding tail the color of a summer sun and an inviting smile in perfect place.
.
.
.
When I met Naruto at the pier we said nothing, he only took my hand and let us silently watch the water. It must have been hard for him, resisting the urge to speak for so long…
He only did it for me.
I could tell by the way he would open his mouth as if to say something then shut it abruptly, rubbing his thumb against mine.
"People around here have many tales about mermaids." I said slowly, watching for even a slight twitch in his expression. It was hard to gauge what the shit-eating grin meant on the subject, amusement twinkling in his eyes. "What do you think about that sort of thing?"
It was strange enough that I was starting a conversation and stranger that I went so far as to bring up mermaids with him of all people.
To be honest I was waiting for him to confess, throw his arms in the air and admit he'd breathed his fair share of ocean water.
"I knew a guy once," He started, stumbling over a bout of chuckles. "Had the face of a shark, called himself Kisame but who knew if that was a real name or not."
It wasn't really an answer, which itself was strange. Usually the blonde was very blunt so to literally tip-toe around a question was suspicious on its own.
"So do you think those stories are, you know, real?"
I never got an answer because at that moment the one known as Sasuke appeared, standing like something of a statue and staring wide-eyed at Naruto. The blonde looked just as much like a deer in headlights before he bolted, hand clinging desperately to mine. I couldn't fight being dragged off, going so far as to keep pace with him as we booked it across the docks, heading who-knew-where.
"Naruto!" The voice came from the raven that ran behind us, his taller shadow trailing a bit farther yet both gaining.
"Faster Gaara." The blonde huffed, twisting and turning through the group of sailors that had decided to gather in front of the bar.
"This is ridiculous." I bit, digging my feet into the ground and dragging us both to a halt.
"Gaara!" He whined, tugging my hand.
Sasuke was soon upon us, approaching Naruto much too quickly to feel comfortable about.
Maybe that's why I shoved him behind me and punched the fedora-sporting-man square in the jaw… or maybe I just didn't like the idea of some guy giving the blonde trouble, either way he went down with a crack that left him curled on the ground in pain.
"Jesus Gaara, you didn't have to kill him!" Naruto bleated, tugging on my sleeve while he looked upon the mass of flesh with pity.
"I don't recall you ever mentioning not to."
By then the one I recognized as his brother had caught up, taking the time to smirk at the younger man who struggled to his feet.
"Damn it Itachi a little help." Sasuke groaned, clutching his face.
"Now where's the fun in that?" It was my first time hearing the mysterious older man's voice. It was cold and suave and everything else you could imagine it to be.
"Why'd your boyfriend hit me?" Sasuke demanded, glaring at the way he probably did to intimidate other students at school.
I replied with the one I used to use to intimidate the officers at the precinct.
"I think we just have a bit of a misunderstanding." Naruto spoke slowly, putting his hands up in defeat.
"A bit." I ground out, satisfied when the raven broke eye contact to look at the sea, anywhere else by my gaze.
Now, somehow we'd proceeded from a scene where Sasuke was complaining about being assaulted to one where the four of us sat in The Leaf and drank our beverages of choice.
"Erase any negative assumptions you've made about me." Sasuke stated, pushing Itachi's arm away. "I can do it myself." He bit, taking the ice from the man and holding it against his swollen jaw. "Like I was saying, I'm not here to hurt the little bastard; I just want to get him home."
Itachi thanked Sakura as she dropped off a plate with a single large, ripe tomato; picking up a knife and beginning to slice it.
"I don't have a home and you know it." Naruto growled, slurping away at a bowl of steaming ramen.
"Our home is your home, you know that." The blond ignored his statement to gush about the quality of the ramen here and to wonder why he had yet to try it. "Naruto! You can't keep running off, this is real life, remember?"
After the tomato was perfectly sliced, Itachi slid the plate over to Sasuke who proceeded to eat it plain.
"Big talk from a man who's still babied by his big brother."
Don't laugh.
"Where are you even staying? There aren't any motels around here; you're not sleeping on the streets again are you?"
"I'm staying wherever I want."
Their voices had begun to rise.
"And you're okay with this?" Quickly the attention had been drawn to me, all eyes waiting for an answer.
"Why do I have to be okay with it?" I took a long sip of cider. "If it's what Naruto chooses to do I don't have to right to say otherwise." This had Naruto smiling and Sasuke in a grimace.
"You've trained him well." He bit before standing angrily and storming out, leaving Itachi in his wake.
"You'll have to excuse his behavior," The older brother offer a half smile. "He really doesn't know how to control himself." Without allowing us to protest he paid our bill and sought after Sasuke, offering us a final wave.
By this point I knew that he was no mermaid hunter (thankfully) and actually took a moment to feel bad for hitting him.
The moment passed when I realized that although not intending to harm Naruto, he had intended to take him away from me; something equally unacceptable.
Something that lingered more than it probably should have was the question of where was he trying to take Naruto back home to? As far as I knew the blonde had never really been settled anywhere before… then again, who knew how long Sasuke had been chasing him?
"He's my oldest friend, you know." The blonde admitted, scratching his head in almost shame. "I should have mentioned sooner I guess."
I spared him a softened gaze, really not angry at all.
"You should have." I spoke reflexively, not pulling away as he leaned in to my shoulder.
"I'm just sick of him and everyone else in my life acting like they know what's best for me." His voice was slightly muffled in my shirt but that was okay.
I think it also hid a few brimming tears.