Disclaimer: Characters and concepts of Naruto belong to their wonderful creator.
Warnings: Angst, Swearing, Yaoi, OCC. Lime in this chapter
Authors Note: Having read all the wonderful reviews and relied upon my own intuition, I've decided to pick up from the last scene and continue from there. I've also decided to reward all of your patience with a few gifts! So hold on to the edge of your seats folks, cos you're in for a hell of a ride! (Not literally, of course...)
But before that, I have two things I want to say.
First of all, to my wonderful new Beta, who is amazing for taking on the painstaking and frustrating task of keeping me on track. Just wanted to say THANK YOU! and you are my new hero, Chibikoi! Hope you enjoy this!
And secondly, the new review count is 851 and the hit count is 110,058. Word count is currently 99,862 as of the last chapter. And every time I write that about the review count, it goes up again and I have to change it! Not that I'm complaining or anything
Chapter 21: Someday
Naruto glanced over at Sasuke. They were walking side by side along the deserted beach, the dying sun enfolding them in golden light and the breeze gentle and cool on their backs. The sand beneath his feet was cold, but it felt nice.
He was fairly sure that he was glowing. Sasuke had a way of doing that to him, of causing him to forget everything else and just make him live in the moment as himself. It was an alien feeling to him, just existing, and he still wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do with himself.
Sasuke's eyes were distant, but his earlier frustrations seemed to have disappeared. Bathed as he was in the sunset's light with the sound of the waves as in the background, Naruto felt as if his heart would explode with all the love he felt at that moment.
Still, Sasuke looked a little too lost for his liking. As they wandered, he moved closer and tentatively slipped his hand into his. Sasuke started in surprise, but then enveloped his hand with his own larger one, and sent a brief smile in his direction.
"What's bothering you Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "Maybe I can help?"
Sasuke seemed to shake himself from his thoughts and come back down to earth at his offer, and Naruto was immensely relieved. He blushed when Sasuke smiled slightly at him and pulled him closer.
"Ah, it's nothing that really matters."
Steeling his nerves and strengthening his resolve, Naruto stopped walking and pulled Sasuke to a halt. The Uchiha looked back at him in confusion and surprise.
"I don't need you to shelter me, Sasuke, if you think it'll upset me. I'd like to help, if you'd let me," he told him quietly.
Sasuke was considering him sharply, and Naruto wanted to shift under his direct gaze but he forced himself to stay still and be patient.
Eventually, Sasuke nodded at him.
"Okay. We'll talk." he said. "Let's sit down."
Sasuke led him over to a small grassy rise that looked out over the beach and the ocean beyond. They sat down together, close enough that their shoulders were brushing. Naruto shivered as Sasuke's heat pressed against his arm.
"So, what's going on?" He prompted after a few minutes of silence.
Sasuke sighed and pushed some loose hair away from his face. He was sitting with his legs raised and his elbows resting on his knees as he looked out over the dark gray of the sea. Naruto was entranced; Sasuke was picture perfect in every way, and he wished he had a camera to take a picture of him as he was in that moment.
"This is getting complicated, you know?" Sasuke said, finally looking down at the grass and pulling some loose to play with. "I was just thinking that if we want to keep doing this, me and you I mean, then we're going to have to make sure that it doesn't reach my father's ears. Or Itachi's for that matter."
Naruto chewed his lip as he turned this over in his mind. So it seemed that they were worrying over the same things. Fear of being found out, anxiety about what would happen when people did. It wasn't something that could just be ignored. They would have to come up with some sort of solution to the problem and soon if they had any chance of surviving what fallout would come from.
"Sasuke..."
"Whatever it is, just say it, Naruto. There's no one here but you and me, and you know that I want to hear what you think," Sasuke said, sounding tired.
Naruto supposed that he must be tired of always telling him the same thing. But he was always afraid of saying something to anger Sasuke, and as a result driving him away forever. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did that.
"You do want this, right? You want...me?" Naruto asked shyly looking down.
Sasuke didn't reply for a long moment, and Naruto had to look up to see his face.
"Yes."
Relief flooded through Naruto like a dam opening, and he smiled at Sasuke, joy screaming to explode from his chest. Sasuke wanted him.
A warm hand caressed his cheek, a rough thumb rubbing over his cheek bone, and Naruto was captured in the soft darkness of Sasuke's eyes.
"That was never in doubt, Naruto." he murmured. A moment later, the hand dropped away, and he missed the contact immediately.
"My point was that we need to be careful about the way we handle this. If we want to keep this going, then we need to watch the way we act around each other." Sasuke continued.
Naruto nodded, plucking at the grass and contemplating telling Sasuke about Tenten. He didn't want to make him upset, and jolt them from their pleasant world they had created together, but he felt that he had a right to know.
"Ten-ten knows," he blurted out, then winced at the crude phrasing of what he had wanted to say. "She saw us together."
Sasuke didn't react for a long moment, and Naruto watched him anxiously.
"You're not angry, are you?"
The dark head next to him shook, but Sasuke was shredding a piece of grass meticulously with his fingernails, and wasn't looking at him.
"Can you trust her?"
"Of course," he answered instantly. "She won't tell anyone."
"Good."
They sat in silence for awhile, Naruto thinking about how much easier this whole thing would be if they didn't have to run around hiding. He would still feel awkward and shy, and no doubt somewhat embarrassed, but it would be a weight off his shoulders, that was for sure.
He jumped when Sasuke took his hand and started to play with his fingers, stroking along the back of his hand and running his thumb along the end of each ragged nail. Naruto relished the contact, loving the way it warmed him down to his toes, and set his body a buzz with swirling emotions. He realized after a few moments that Sasuke wasn't paying attention to what he was doing. It seemed like he was always needed to be doing something with his hands. It was like he couldn't just keep still and rest; he always needed to be moving, like he would break apart if he wasn't.
It was a curious habit, and one that intrigued Naruto. But it was just one of the many little things that made up Sasuke, and Sasuke was a mystery to him. If he had a million years, he didn't think that he would ever discover exactly what it was that made him tick.
He hesitated for a moment before he rested his forehead on the broadness of Sasuke's shoulder.
"Why don't you want your father to know about this?" Naruto asked. As he'd guessed, he felt the instinctive tensing of Sasuke's shoulder beneath him, and he shifted slightly so that it was his cheek resting against him instead. The absentminded exploration of his hands didn't stop though, and Naruto was glad. It was relaxing, and Naruto let himself slip further into the sleepy contentedness that he had felt when Sasuke had woken him previously.
"Because he wouldn't understand. Neither would Itachi," was the predictable answer. "Father would never approve of me mingling with the hired help, not to mention another male. He has big plans for my future."
"I'm sure he means well," Naruto said, trying to ease Sasuke's tension and anger.
Sasuke sighed. "I know he means well. But it doesn't matter to him what I want. All that matters is that I fit into his plans and not do anything to fuck them up."
"I don't think you should write him off so easily. You shouldn't take such things for granted," Naruto said softly. "Sometimes I wish..."
Sasuke looked down at him, his eyes alight with curiosity now. At least it was better than animosity and bitterness, he decided.
"You wish what?"
Naruto sat up, although he didn't pull his hand away. Part of him was bursting to tell someone about what had happened with his father, not only because it was Sasuke, but also because he just needed to get it off his chest. He needed someone to just listen to everything that raged within his mind constantly, and not judge him for it.
But the other part of him was screaming at him not to push away the one good thing he had found for himself. He couldn't lose Sasuke to something so dark that was in the past.
But, he reasoned with himself, who said he had to tell the whole story? If he told parts of it, a bit at a time, then maybe he could ease him into knowing the full story. He desperately wanted Sasuke to know everything about him, all his secrets, all the dirty lies, because he wanted just one person to know him inside and out, no exceptions. But he was dirty, too tainted for the pure person sitting beside him.
Naruto had to force his next words carefully out, needing to get his point across, but also needing to shelter himself at the same time.
"Sometimes I wish I still had parents to worry about me," he replied, focusing intently on their entwined hands.
Sasuke's thumb was stroking the back of his hand, an action meant to soothe, he was sure.
"Your parents died, didn't they?" Sasuke asked after a moment.
Naruto nodded.
"My mother passed away not long after I was born. I never knew her. And I don't remember anything about her, just what my father told me when I was younger."
"And your father?"
Naruto was trying desperately to quell the flow of words but when Sasuke asked like that, when he listened without judgment, he just couldn't seem to resist. He thought that if Sasuke asked for his very life, he would give it in an instant.
"My father...was killed," he forced out, a lump forming in his throat. Because of me, he wanted to add.
Even after years had passed, the guilt and grief hadn't faded in the slightest. He had thought that it would get easier to live with as time passed, but that was just another lie he'd disillusioned himself with. False comfort, some people would have called it. And it was false. There was nothing real about the lies he had used to reassure himself over the years, and he knew that there wouldn't ever be. It seemed like he would have to live on with the raw and gaping wounds that had been inflicted by his own naive actions all those years ago.
He jumped when Sasuke turned over his hand, and used his free one to push up the sleeve slightly, revealing the countless jagged white scars that marred his wrists. Naruto froze, wanting to pull away and run, but there was no way he could force his body to move with the fear he felt. No one had ever seen his physical scars. They were a visible reminder of all the wrong he had done, all the sins he had committed and everything he wanted so desperately to forget.
Careful fingers ran over the raised ridges of his scars, tracing a few very gently.
"Is that why you've got these?"
Naruto couldn't speak for a moment, staring as he was at his wrist. Sasuke knew. He was stunned completely, but made an effort to pull himself together once more. This was just another test, he told himself. It was a test to see if Sasuke would reject him, and push him away because he had a shadowed past.
"It's one of the reasons," he whispered hoarsely. That old familiar shame was flooding him once more. He shouldn't be with Sasuke. He was trash, unworthy of anything good or simple now.
A firm hand raised his chin, and Naruto looked into those dark eyes with his heart in his throat and tears in his eyes.
"You shouldn't ever be ashamed of who you are, Naruto. These are a part of you, and whatever the reason for them, they are a part of your past that you should accept." Sasuke told him. Then he raised Naruto's wrist and brushed his lips over the marred skin, never once breaking eye contact.
Naruto's breath caught on a sob and he couldn't hold Sasuke's intense gaze anymore.
"I'm not as strong as you are. There's no way I can ever take back what I did..."
"Bullshit," Sasuke said, his voice taking on a hardened quality. "Maybe one day you'll be able to tell me all about what happened. But there's no way I'll believe that you're not as strong as me. If anything, you're stronger."
Naruto whipped his eyes up to Sasuke's in shock.
"There's no way..."
"You've survived this long with whatever caused this. You're a fighter Naruto, and that's more than I'll ever be."
Naruto didn't quite know how to respond to that, so he shut his mouth and stared at the way their fingers were entwined. Tan and white, a strange combination, but it seemed right. Sasuke was aristocracy, and he was working class. It was completely unheard of for the two to mix, and it was a scandal, yet they seemed to complement each other just fine.
A strange sort of peace had settled over Naruto. The sorrow was still there, as was the guilt and the shame, but Sasuke's words and faith in Naruto had touched something within him.
Another few moments passed before Naruto worked up the courage to move closer and press his face into Sasuke's shoulder once more. He inhaled the wonderful clean scent of Sasuke and marveled at the comfort that flowed into him. A hand came up and long fingers tangled in his hair, stroking and scratching slightly.
This was right, Naruto realized. No one could ever tell them differently. How could something that felt so pure and so untainted be wrong? It wasn't. Love was never wrong and it had been his father who had taught him that, and he was only just beginning to learn what that meant.
His heart was pounding in his chest, a result of the whirlwind of emotions and the closeness of Sasuke. He lifted his head after a moment, and shivered as the hand playing with his hair trailed off down his neck.
This time it was him who kissed Sasuke, brushing his lips softly over the porcelain skin. When Sasuke turned his head towards him, he leaned forward, surprised by his own forwardness and pressed his lips to Sasuke's.
Sasuke seemed surprised but pleased with his advances, and Naruto sighed as his arms enfolded him in their warmth. As he slipped his arms around Sasuke's neck, the kiss deepened, and Naruto tasted Sasuke on his tongue. If he had all the time in the world, he knew that he wouldn't ever get tired of the way he tasted, or the way it felt when Sasuke was holding him. The Uchiha pulled him closer, his arms tightening around him as the kiss grew hungrier and more desperate.
Sasuke bit at his lips teasingly before kissing him once more, their mouths dancing a slow dance as they started to relearn the way the other tasted. Naruto didn't know much about what they were doing, or what they could do, but he knew that he wasn't so afraid anymore, and he trusted Sasuke to the bottom of his heart. Sasuke would never do anything to hurt him. In the short time they had known each other, he had come to learn that quickly.
And god did he want Sasuke. He wanted those hands on him, wanted to experience the same burning emotions he felt whenever Sasuke touched him, or kissed him. And he wanted to make Sasuke happy too, wanted to make him feel good, and help him forget whatever demons were haunting him.
With this in mind, he slid his hands under the hem of Sasuke's shirt and ran his hands up the smooth length of his back, his mind buzzing with mind-numbing pleasure at the feel of all his soft skin, and the heat of his mouth. His hands mapped out the muscled expanse of Sasuke's long back, his gut tightening at the feel of his hardened muscles.
Sasuke groaned softly into his mouth, and moved away slightly, trailing his mouth along his jawline before going to work on the skin beneath his ear, sucking and biting gently. Naruto gasped and clenched his eyes shut at the heat this created. Bolts of pure pleasure rushed down south, and before he knew it he was achingly hard and wanting as much of Sasuke as he could get.
Naruto turned his face into Sasuke's silky hair, and slid one of his hands around to Sasuke's side.
"Naruto..." Sasuke murmured. "If you want me to stop, now would be a good time. I don't think I could..."
"Don't stop," Naruto interrupted. "I don't want you to."
Sasuke pulled back and looked at him, his eyes searching. Naruto met his gaze squarely, trying to convey all the trust and love he felt for Sasuke in that one glance.
One day I'll tell him, he thought, losing himself in the impossibly dark eyes before him. Never had he seen anyone as beautiful as Sasuke. His lips were moist and full from their kisses, his hair mussed and his eyes burning with hunger and an intensity that never failed to light Naruto up with want.
But he understood Sasuke's hesitation well enough. If they took this as far as they could, then there would be no going back. It was a big step to take and a hard line to cross. The only question was, were they brave enough to do it? Were they honest enough to admit that this was more than just an infatuation, more than just lust and curiosity?
Naruto thought he was. And at least on his side, he knew that it was more than lust. He was in love with Sasuke, and he knew that he always would be. The fear he had once felt towards the youngest Uchiha had been transformed into a soul deep, heart binding love that would forever be with him. Sasuke was a part of him and he always would be, no matter what happened in the future.
He leaned his forehead against Sasuke, not breaking the eye contact. Sasuke closed his eyes, still holding Naruto close. He wondered if Sasuke looked as beautiful when he slept as he did at that moment. Naruto felt his heart ache with the love he felt for Sasuke. He wanted to show Sasuke just how he felt, but had no idea how to do so. So he remained where he was, feeling Sasuke's warm heat, and the pulsing of his blood and his love and want, wondering if anything could ever feel as good as he did at that moment.
Sasuke had yet again made him forget his troubles, and he hoped with all his heart that he had returned the favor. Sasuke had told him that he needed to get away for awhile and Naruto was insanely glad that it had been with him.
He pulled Sasuke a little closer, tracing small patterns on the warm skin of Sasuke's back and smiling when he felt him shiver minutely.
A moment later he was on his back, staring up at the night sky behind Sasuke. Surprised, he looked at Sasuke, and was treated to a wickedly sexy grin for a second before that devilishly sweet mouth was back on his, and those warm hands were undoing his jacket and shirt with swift and sure hands that had Naruto gasping into Sasuke's mouth.
He was on fire, his emotions ebbing and flowing and all he could concentrate on was Sasuke's hot, wet mouth on his own, working his cool dark magic.
Moments later, Naruto moaned when Sasuke's hands began to brush over the bare skin of his chest fleetingly, trailing fire in his wake. He shivered and whimpered, shocked at how wanton he sounded, but not really caring much as Sasuke continued to touch him. A pinky caught on one of his nipples and he cried out at the zap of tingling pleasure this caused. Sasuke started at his reaction, but chuckled as he pulled his mouth away slightly.
"You have to keep quiet. Someone might hear you," he mumbled against his mouth. But, knowing this, he repeated the action on purpose, catching Naruto's ragged whimper in his mouth.
He whimpered again when Sasuke pulled away for a second time, but was gasping a moment later when that hot mouth latched onto one of his nipples and began to suck slowly, nipping and licking in a way that had him wanting to scream but was unable to, reduced to wordless moaning and gasping by his actions.
His hands were buried in Sasuke's long, dark hair that had fallen free from its pony tail, and he was heaving for breath in a way that he never had been before. It was all so new and startling, yet it felt familiar in a way to him that nothing ever had been. But he didn't have long to think about that because a moment later Sasuke had pulled away and covered his body with his own. Naruto's gasp of surprise was swallowed by Sasuke's mouth as he claimed it in a fierce kiss. Naruto's legs had automatically parted to accommodate Sasuke's weight, and Naruto (he) arched up as Sasuke pressed down on him there, creating delicious pressure on his impossibly hard arousal. He'd never imagined that having someone covering him, pressing against him everywhere so completely would ever feel so good, but Sasuke was. Pressed chest to chest, stomach to stomach and hip to hip, he could feel every breath, every heart beat of Sasuke's and it made his head spin giddily.
Sasuke broke off the kiss and looked down at him.
"You okay?"
There were no words to describe just how okay he was at that moment. There was no fear, no hesitancy anymore. Just heat and pressure and a desire so strong he felt he would choke on it.
So he just nodded, and Sasuke lowered his mouth to tease his neck with wet, open mouthed kisses on his over sensitive and flushed skin.
Naruto cried out a moment later when Sasuke rocked his hips ever so slightly, experimentally. He was in Heaven, he was sure. He could feel the hard length of Sasuke pressing against him, and he needed more, needed Sasuke's hands on him again and he thought he was going to die if he didn't feel him soon.
Sasuke rocked slowly again, and Naruto slid a hand down onto Sasuke's ass without thinking, needed to feel him pressed closer, presser even more tightly against him.
"S-sasuke..." he breathed pressing a desperate kiss to the hot skin beneath Sasuke's ear.
Sasuke raised his head and stared down at him as he deliberately rolled his hips once more. Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip in a futile attempt to smother his whimper.
He felt Sasuke lower his head again as he continued his rocking motions, and soft lips rested against his mouth. Not kissing, just resting there as he moved.
"Don't close your eyes," Sasuke breathed.
So Naruto had to forcibly open his eyes, unable to believe the incredible sensations flowing throughout his body as he met that heated gaze. Sasuke's hair hung down around them, and Naruto held that gaze, although he kept biting his lower lip as Sasuke continued to rock and slide against him.
"Touch me, Naruto," Sasuke murmured. "I want to feel your hands on my skin."
Obediently, Naruto slid his hands up Sasukes back, feeling the sweat damp skin under his hands and marveling at how astoundingly perfect this whole thing was. If he could capture the feelings somehow, then he would have, and he would have treasured them forever. As it was, all he had was this memory, the memory of Sasuke moving against him, and Sasuke's wickedly sinful mouth, and his breathtaking beauty. It was all he had, and all he ever wanted to have.
With a sudden, blinding rush, he was arching under Sasuke, his eyes closing themselves and he was seeing stars, vaguely aware of Sasuke's mouth claiming his once more as he shuddered uncontrollably, sticky heat spreading in his jeans. Nothing had ever felt so intense before, and when he had bought himself to orgasm before, it had never felt so amazing. Sasuke was still moving against him, but Naruto was beyond awareness at that point, clinging helplessly to Sasuke as he was taken away on the waves of pleasure.
Moments later, Sasuke was collapsing on top of him, the weight of him trapping Naruto underneath him. But he didn't mind in the slightest. The weight, and heat of him was keeping Naruto grounded, and reminding him that it was actually real, and that it had happened. He hadn't realized that Sasuke was so heavy before, nor that he was significantly taller than he was, and Naruto was in awe of everything that was Sasuke.
As he slowly came back to reality, he became aware of several things. The first was that Sasuke was like a furnace on top of him, the amount of heat he was producing was incredible. He could feel warm, sweet breath fanning his neck gently, and he tightened his arms around Sasuke's back fractionally, never wanting to let go.
The next thing he became aware of was the fact that he had just come in his pants, and with very little stimulation. Embarrassment and mortification was slowly creeping over him, and he knew that he would be unable to look Sasuke in the eyes for a couple of days at least.
Sasuke must have sensed some of this, because he raised his head and looked down at him, looking flushed and attractively rumpled. He looked at Naruto for a long moment, calculation clear in his eyes.
"Don't go getting all weird on me now," he said eventually, his voice slightly hoarse.
"I wasn't..."
"This is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about," Sasuke told him critically. "This is you and me, and there's nothing wrong with what just happened."
Belatedly, Naruto realized that he was speaking the truth. Why did it always take someone pointing something out that was blindingly obvious for him to realize the truth? He cursed himself silently, looking at Sasuke's neck instead as he tried to think of something to put things right. But it was hard to even think straight when he was lying beneath Sasuke, warm and safe and feeling treasured beyond belief.
"Besides," Sasuke continued, his voice dropping several octaves into a sensual drawl as he lowered his lips to Naruto's neck. "I like making you come."
Naruto shuddered, closing his eyes as Sasuke brushed his lips gently over his burning skin before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips.
"So..." Naruto swallowed when Sasuke broke away, and tried to concentrate. "What happens now?"
"Well, now we clean ourselves up and head back home. It's starting to get cold."
"No, I meant..."
"I know what you meant." Sasuke interrupted quietly. He was looking down at Naruto once more, his eyes soft and warm. "Now we go on as we always have. Except now you'll be thinking about me all the time."
I'm always thinking about you anyway, Naruto thought to himself, but he didn't say it out loud. He loved the way Sasuke was teasing him playfully, and wondered if he was always like this after sex. He was so open and willing to please and talk. It was a wonderful feeling, being with Sasuke like this. Now that the fire and urgency had faded, he found that he wanted Sasuke more than ever. He wanted to get to know this different person that was before him. And this different version of Sasuke was probably what he would be like if he wasn't so burdened by propriety and obligations all the time. It was now his task to try and unmask this real and solid version of Sasuke.
Naruto smiled up at Sasuke and Sasuke was smiling back openly for once. Naruto focused on his dimples, and reached up to touch one reverently. Sasuke reached up and caught his hand, holding it and entwining their fingers.
"I don't want you to worry about this, Naruto. This is natural, and it's right, and whatever else you might believe, believe that as well."
He already did, and there was no way he could doubt what had just happened between them. And he wanted Sasuke all over again, but he was growing cold, and the dampness in his pants was growing uncomfortable.
"I know. I won't." he promised, then hesitated for a moment. "Will I see you again? Soon?"
He cursed himself for sounding clingy, because he knew that Sasuke hated that, but Sasuke didn't seem bothered. Instead, he smiled down at him once more.
"Of course." Sasuke lowered his head again so his mouth was next to Naruto's ear. "And the next time we're alone together like this? It's going to be even better. I can promise you that."
Naruto shivered deliciously at the hint of dark pleasures to come in Sasuke's smoky voice, and pulled him closer, raising a hand to run his fingers through his silky smooth hair.
After a little while of just simply existing against one another, Sasuke pulled back, with something like regret written on his face.
"We should start heading back. Everyone will be wondering where you are."
Before Naruto could reply, warm lips were pressing against his, and he lost himself once more in Sasuke's kiss. It was the sweetest torture that had ever been invented, and Naruto wanted more than anything to spend the rest of the night with Sasuke, but even after everything they had just shared, he wasn't sure if he was quite ready for that yet. He was happy to just be with Sasuke as he had been, and even if he couldn't always touch him when he wanted, just being able to look at him and hear his voice was enough to warm Naruto through.
Eventually though, Sasuke ended the kiss and carefully lifted himself off of Naruto. For a moment he just lay there, cold and missing Sasuke already. But Sasuke was standing above him, offering a hand up.
Forcing his body to move, Naruto accepted his hand and got to his shaky feet. Sasuke made sure that he was standing steadily before letting him go. He looked down at his business pants with a grimace of distaste as he brushed himself off.
"Been years since I've come in my pants like that," he grumbled. "I forgot how disgusting it feels."
Naruto smiled, and silently agreed. He was sticky and uncomfortable, and wanting another warm shower, and he was pretty sure that he could smell the mingled scents of himself and Sasuke and sweaton his skin, and the very thought sent warm shivers down his spine.
But he brushed himself off and straightened his clothing before looking up at Sasuke. The dark man was watching him with something close to a smile on his face. Naruto colored self consciously before standing on his toes and pressing a kiss on Sasuke's chin.
Sasuke let out a full smile then, and wrapped an arm around Naruto's shoulders.
"You ready?"
No, he wanted to say. I don't want to go back. I want to stay here with you.
But instead he nodded, and let Sasuke lead him back to the car. Even the uncomfortable dampness in his pants wasn't enough to diminishhis happiness at that moment.
- - - -
Somehow, he managed to avoid everyone as he slipped back into the quarters. He grabbed some clothes and fled for the shower, sighing in relief when he found the bathroom empty.
When the hot water was pounding down on the skin of his back, Naruto looked down at his body and smiled at the thought of the magic that he and Sasuke had created that night. It was something special, he knew. Something drastically different. And he wondered if Sasuke thought it was as special as he did. He suspected that Sasuke wasn't a virgin, and that he had had his fair share of lovers and partners in the past, and it made him wonder if Sasuke didn't see him as just another lover, and nothing out of the ordinary.
But he had seen the intensity in those eyes, and the way Sasuke couldn't quite wipe the smile completely off his face on the drive back. And it made him think that maybe Sasuke did feel something for him. He wasn't bold enough to call it love, but something in his gut was telling him that, and while his head might not believe it, his heart most certainly did.
Steam had filled the room, and Naruto had finished washing the remainder of the night's activities from his skin, but he didn't turn the shower off just yet. Instead, tilted his head back and looked at the bathroom light through half lidded eyes and a cloud of steam.
Things were changing, and he was starting to think that it was about time. He had always been afraid of change, and had feared it instinctively. In the past, change had bought nothing but pain and fear and guilt, but not this time. Sasuke had bought him hope, as well as love and faith, and Naruto knew that there was no way that he could ever pay him back for that gift. And with hope came a desire to see the future and what it held. He felt like he could start making plans, instead of just taking it one day at a time.
The arrival of Sora had created a spark of an idea within his head that he was still turning over in his mind, considering it from all the different angles and wondering if it was feasible. It wasn't at the moment. But it could be. In the future. And he was starting to wonder just what the future held in store for him. Not only that, but he was looking forward to it as well.
He was startled out of his lazy thinking by a loud and sudden thumping on the bathroom door.
"OI! Naruto! You in there?"
It was Kiba and Naruto hesitated to answer. He didn't want to break the spell that Sasuke had made for him, but he knew that he had to eventually and that he may as well do it. He had to learn to live with this new, wonderful change and figure out where it fit in with his normal life. It was just another change he had to adjust to, and he was actually looking forward to doing so, instead of dreading it completely.
"Yeah," he answered.
There was the sound of a scuffle in the hall way, and then Sakura's voice come through the door, drowning out Kiba's muttered complaints.
"Genma's back. Kakashi just bought him back from the station." She called out to him. "Everyone's in the sitting room, if you want to join us!"
Naruto jolted and hurriedly turned off the taps.
"Okay, I'll be out in a second."
He stepped out of the shower and quickly toweled himself off, swearing quietly at himself for forgetting that Genma had been due to return that night. He pulled on a pair of tracksuit pants, and a long sleeved plain shirt before finger combing his hair briefly and throwing the door open. He braced himself to face whatever disaster Genma had endured, and told himself that he would be there for one of his oldest friends, no matter what. If Genma needed him, he'd be there. If Genma needed him to help shoulder some of his burdens, then he could do that too.
The sounds of talking and laughter from the sitting room made him hesitate for a moment, but he steeled himself and stepped into the room. The group was crowded around Genma, who was talking calmly, seeming relaxed and at ease, and Naruto sighed silently with relief. It seemed that whatever disaster he had been facing had been averted and he was ridiculously glad. He couldn't ever bear to see anyone suffer the pain off loss, and he was pleased that Genma seemed alright.
"Naruto!"
When his friend saw him enter, he beamed and stood up, crossing the room in long strides and wrapping him in a bone crushing hug. Naruto hugged him back, pleased to see him and unable to keep the smile off his face.
"Hi Genma," he murmured into the warmth of his friends chest. "Is everything okay?"
Genma set him at an arms length, though his hands remained on his shoulders, a comfortable and warm weight.
"Yeah. He pulled through just fine. He's a fighter all right." he grinned. "But how have you been? Keeping busy? Been looking after yourself?"
Naruto couldn't help laughing. Genma was back to being his protector and caretaker all at once. The older man had always been keeping a close eye on him, and it seemed that it came naturally to him.
"Yeah. Everything's fine."
Better than fine, he thought to himself, and while he desperately wanted to share his secret with his closest friend, he knew that the time wasn't right just yet. But he would one day, he was sure of that, and he used that to keep his guilt at bay.
Genma was studying him with narrowed eyes, but after a moment he smiled once more, wrapped his arm around his shoulder and guided him back to the circle of their friends. Naruto leaned against him as they sat on the couch, half listening to the various conversations that were going on around him, and wondering if things could possibly get any better than they already were.
- - - - - -
The next morning Naruto felt more alive and energetic than he could ever remember. The sun was shining brightly despite the chill in the air. The others seemed to be more lively and happy as well, and went about their early morning chores with their usual playful banter and chatter.
Naruto smiled as he tipped the last of the buckets into a hungry horses feed bin; he felt...amazing. And he couldn't stop thinking about last night. It played itself over and over in his mind until he felt dizzy and breathless all over again.
"Oi Naruto," Kakashi called. "Get Sora ready. We'll fit her assessment in before I have to leave for town."
Naruto hurried to comply, feeling excited at the prospect of riding Sora again. Sora had been settled into her stall last night earlier than the other horses in order to give her time to adjust properly.
She hung her head over her stable door as he approached, watching him expectantly. She seemed calm enough as he backed her up so he could open the door, and she didn't do anything worse than trying to nip at him and lay her ears back as he fastened her halter over her head.
Naruto tied her up and set to work grooming her. As usual, he settled into the familiar routine with an ease that still surprised him. Grooming was a way to connect with a horse, his father had always told him. If you can show a horse that you trust them, and that you're willing to listen to them, then they will respond.
To Naruto, grooming was much more than a chore. When he groomed a horse, he could truly relax. It was just him and the sweet smell of warm horse, dust and sweat and fresh straw. Sora seemed to be enjoying his attentions, for she stood with half closed eyes and her ears flickering lazily. Naruto used the soft body brush first, brushing with one hand and following it with the other, feeling the silky coat beneath his fingers and watching the dust and dirt get worked out of her coat.
She had beautiful color, bold and true just like her personality. He worked his way slowly down her body, keeping up the routine of brushing and stroking to let her get accustomed to his presence.
"It's just you and me here treasure. Just you and me," he whispered.
Naruto worked his way around her hind quarters before starting on her other side. One she was groomed until she gleamed on both sides, he went about picking up her feet. Sora resisted a little at first, shifting her weight reluctantly before eventually picking up each hoof as if it were the biggest effort. He smiled as he supported her right foreleg and used the hoof pick to clean all the muck and small rocks from under the metal shoe. As he cleaned out each one, he inspected her shoes carefully, wriggling each to see if any were loose. It all seemed in order though, and she had no signs of previous foot injuries.
Satisfied, he set down the last of her hooves and straightened, stretching out his back as he did so. He gave her a pat as he went over to her stable door and picked up the saddle blankets and her saddle pad.
"There now. That wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked as he approached her once more.
She merely looked at him with pricked ears and he smiled. Even if horses couldn't talk, he was often pretty sure he knew what they were thinking.
She stood steady as he placed the blankets and the saddle pad in place and pulled them up over her withers so they were sitting in the proper position.
"We're going to take it nice and easy today, girl. This is a test, to see how fit you are, so no bad behavior, understood?" he asked her with mock sternness. "The manager is going to be watching, so we'll have to show him what we've got. Right? Right."
She turned round to nip at him as he settled the saddle on her back, and he pushed at her neck lightly.
"Here now, none of that. Remember what I said about good behavior?"
She snorted and looked away, lowering her head and scratching her face on her foreleg.
Naruto smiled to himself as he reached under her belly and grabbed the girth. She didn't react in the slightest as he did up the girth and tightened it until the saddle didn't move around. He gave her a pat on her shoulder and decided that the biting thing was just something to show she was interested, and not malicious in any way. Just a token resistance, he told himself, and just another small vice they'd need to work on.
Now came the tricky bit. The bridle. It appeared to him as if she had good days and bad days when it came to anything involving her head. On good days she would merely toss her head about and make in difficult to do anything involving her face. On bad days she would kick up a storm, and an angry one at that. Rearing, dancing, stamping and biting, it wasn't anything to be surprised by. Obviously she had been mistreated or had an accident that had left her head shy in her past. It could have been something seemingly insignificant that had left the fear with her, or it could have been a major accident, though he knew he would never find out which. He would have to figure out a way to solve the problem and soothe her fear.
He considered the bridle in his hand for a moment before looking at her again. She was watching him alertly, eyeing the bridle in his hands. She obviously knew what was about to happen, but she seemed calm enough for the moment.
"There's no helping it, I'm afraid," he murmured, half to himself. "You need a bridle, and I need to saddle you. We might as well get it over with."
He moved forward, but approached her body rather than her head. He stroked her shoulder and her withers, scratching his hands through her mane and talking quietly to her. Gradually, he worked his way up her neck, stroking and patting gently, showing her that he meant no harm. When he reached her head, her ears automatically went back, but she didn't protest any more than that. With a silent sigh of relief, he carefully undid the nose piece of her halter and offered her the bit, not touching her head at all. She shifted uneasily, and threw her head up, snorting before grudgingly accepting it into her mouth.
First step over. Careful to make as little contact with her head as possible and keeping his hands away from her eyes, he slid the halter into place and backed off, undoing the rest of her halter so she was freed.
"There. That wasn't so bad was it?" he said, pleased. He patted her neck proudly. Obviously today would be a good day.
TBC
Authors Note: This chapter was incredibly hard for me to write, but once I got going, it all seemed to come together. This is my first official posting of anything even vaguely lemony, and I hope it was realistic and not too corny for you guys. Let me know what you thought, and any suggestions and tips would be very welcome!
The next chapter will continue off from where this one left off, as it will contain some important parts of the plot.
By the way, I forget to mention this in earlier chapters. Sora's name means "sky". I thought that was nice when I was choosing from my list of names.