Okay so I know I took forever to post this and I also know is really short hehehe, but I promise the next one will have smut on it I promise!!
Thanks to S.H. Nina for the super awesome editing she did on this chapter and for being so pacient when it took me forever to finish this up
Thanks to all the people faving this story, I really appreciate it! Is because of those messages on my mail that I tryed my hardest on this chapter... not necessarily succeding hehehe, but I did try and I'll keep trying to improve a lot more and come up with a better chapter each time.
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The hushed conversations resonated in the otherwise silent room.
He wanted to believe he was young, but he wasn't...
He had somehow grown old, grown tired of life.
Had it all started that rainy day in August? Was that day in which he had to look into the coffins of his parents that he had started to move towards loneliness and depression?
Or had it been any other time…?
He turned around to see what he normally thought to be green like spring fields eyes now changing into autumn; leaves falling and chilly wind blowing on now dying eyes.
And then dark haunting eyes, the color of the clear nocturnal skies of the winter night turned colder than glacier winds, barren lands with no stories to tell.
He could not hear a sound as lips moved in front of him, shouting almost, he could sense it, but not hear it…
Thump, thump, thump… The slow beating of his heart was the only thing that reached his ears.
It was deafening…
And a contrast to the actual fear he was feeling; his heart should be speeding, pumping blood throughout all of his body, pushing him to move, to run, to seek for shelter, but it didn't…
He heard his own dying voice calling out for somebody, anybody…
Everybody, the entire world was fading into dark and cold, but he wouldn't, couldn't move. A sea of red surrounding him, everything was so red, so red… And in a sick way it was so soothing, it would all end soon…
He woke up gasping for air, looking for red around him; finding nothing but the faint light of the sunset light filtering through the curtains.
The living room was silent and only the erratic breathing could be heard.
-"What the fuck was that?!"- mumbled Naruto surprised, still looking for something else to concentrate on that would help him come back from his frightened stupor.
He tried to concentrate on the slowing of his breathing, the calming of his accelerated heartbeat and the erasing of the haunting images.
Footsteps could be heard, muffled conversations in adjacent rooms filtering in through the thin walls.
Yet Naruto failed to hear the click of a key on the lock and the sound of the door being opened startled him once he turned around to see the one entering.
Green and blue collided…
They could both see it in their eyes, there was something lingering in between them, some dark secret never to be told was standing mockingly in between them pushing them even farther apart.
-"Na-Naruto…?"- asked Sakura calling out his name with a broken voice.
The blond had not realized how long had it been since he last heard her voice until he had heard it again.
-"Sakura, hey! Long time no see! How is old Lee? "- he asked trying to ignore the pang he felt somewhere in between his chest: -"We've…" - he stopped himself when he heard the "we" echoing through the room: -"I've been thinking to going over to visit"- he chatted on, pretense was once one of his fortes.
-"He's doing… fine"- she answered dumbly, not really caring anymore.
How would she know how he was, if she had made everything in her power to avoid seeing him? It reminded her of her own mistakes, of her own stupidity. Here she was, being worshiped by Lee, an amazing man that truly loved her and…
-"Great! I'll go see him sometime soon"- answered Naruto and Sakura could sense he was forcing it, trying to hide something. He sensed her hesitation, but again deciding to remain a coward, he didn't ask her anything…
But, wasn't she doing the same thing? She would not call his bluff in fear of having hers called, she still had some things to sort out… it had been quite an eventful evening, trying to chase away the past that had finally caught up to her.
But it was okay, it was finally okay. She would just accept it for what it was, the perfect escape route.
She wouldn't even need to hide it, they would be too busy to notice.
Green eyes fell on the mess at the living room's coffee table; spread about were pictures from their Hanami in April, smiling faces, toasts and food… and in the middle, a picture of a smiling Sasuke…
Naruto followed her eyes to the mess on the living room table, smiling at the memories, allowing himself to forget, even if only for a moment, the roughness that now resided in her eyes, the complete opposite to her smiling emeralds on those pictures.
It felt like an eternity had passed in between them… but it had only been a couple of minutes.
He was about to say something, anything that could come out of his mouth to scare that oppressing feeling; but instead a ringtone could be heard from her purse.
She perused nervously through her bag, casting shy glances at Naruto not saying what she wanted to say, but he could see it in her dulled eyes.
-"Hello?"- she answered already walking away from the blond male.
Naruto chose not to acknowledge the pang in his chest as she moved from the living room area to her own room, already giggling as she opened the door.
It had sounded like a male's voice on the other side of the line, but who could get a giggle and a poorly hidden blush from her cheeks with only a few words? It couldn't be Lee, could it? Maybe it was, but, they had just seen each other a few moments ago, before she left the hospital, had they not?
Maybe he was trying to read too much into her actions...
He turned around to see the wall clock read 9:27pm.
Sasuke shouldn't be long and since Sakura had made it back just a few minutes ago, he could guess they could enjoy a shared hasty meal, like they usually did.
She looked at him, really looked at him, as she had wished to do in such a long time.
Her hand on the phone speaker while she formed the phrase in her head.
-"I'm tired honey, so I'll get some rest now"- she chanced a blatantly fake smile and noticed blue eyes look away from it.
'Guess he doesn't really care'- she thought to herself, fake smile still plastered on her lips.
Never had a sound been so deafening to his ears as the sound of the door to Sakura's room and he had this ominous feeling this might have been the last chance he would have to come clean and confront her about her late attitude.
But he didn't…
Laughter - one he had never heard from her - came from Sakura's room and he fought the jealous feeling he got. It was odd to have those sorts of feelings, since it had been a long time ago that he had forgotten his crush on her.
His feet finally moved, unconsciously taking him to the kitchen.
He sighed guiltily and leaned against the fridge.
He could always blame the cut on his upper arm as a kitchen accident… as long as Sakura didn't see it, he was sure Sasuke would believe it.
And another wave of guilt invaded him.
He had not pried on her odd behavior lately in fear of her finding out about his relapse…
That thought felt strange in his head, as if it didn't belong there.
And it felt as if he were talking about drugs of some sort. It wasn't a drug, it wasn't anything bad… But then again, why hide it? Why had he not come clean about it?
He had decided after some questioning with his inner self that Sasuke didn't necessarily need to know about this.
Besides, he did it only every once in a while, only when he was more stressed out.
Everyone had their quirks right? Everyone had his own way to deal with stress and it was just that… And why, oh why did it sound like he was justifying himself?!? Because he wasn't! He did not need to justify himself.
He was just trying to relieve a little stress; nobody could blame him for it!
The ticking wall clock kept him company for what felt like an eternity as he sorted through his conflicting emotions and thoughts.
He gazed into the fluorescent light of the fridge, not really sure why he had opened the damned thing and more than certain that he was not going to find anything inside the now mostly empty fridge.
He had not made any shopping lately, mainly because he had spent most of his free time making out with Sasuke and the rest he had been trying to figure out what to do next with his life.
Normally the three of them would do the shopping together, always finding a moment to do this menial everyday activities; but with Sakura behaving odd most of the time and actually avoiding the apartment like the plague – Naruto avoided the thought of her actually trying to avoid THEM – and both him and Sasuke trying to figure out how to tell her without actually talking about their WE situation, really the prospect of having a normal day looked appealing right now.
He grabbed for the remnants of orange juice, not really because he was thirsty, but because he wanted something to distract his mind with.
When had his life become so, well, it felt like a fucking crappy soap opera!!!
He tossed the empty container to the trash-can and wearily eyed his wrists.
He had had a moment of true; again…
It was all so fucking messed up right now! Everything seemed so out of place. Naruto had just wanted a normal life.
But no! Everything had to go and get complicated!
He growled in frustration at the thought that he was going to have to come up with a lame excuse to hide his wrists from Sasuke, which caused him to think of another kind of frustration he was going to be having.
He had thought in the past he might be an odd ball, but hey! Everyone has his quirks!
Some people did drugs, some alcohol… He just cut himself.
The sound of the front door lock made him make the unconscious move to hide his maimed arms, nervously making his way to the kitchen doorway.
He found himself shocked, for some unknown reason, to see the other two people standing there.
Both the entrance and one of the room's doors were opened and on the threshold of both stood Sasuke and Sakura.
Three sets of eyes clashed in that instant…
The three of them had unreadable expressions plastered on their faces; it wasn't surprise nor liking, but what Naruto found most disturbing was that there was nothing, not a single trace of anything on their faces, not even on his.
It was as if three strangers were coincidentally standing in the middle of an unknown room.
And it gave then all the eerie feeling of standing in the middle of nowhere in front of strangers; because, honestly, what did they know about each other?
-"I'm… home"- mumbled Sasuke, not sure of the heavy air around them, but feeling as the other occupants of the room.
Green, blue and black made an odd combination while they stared at each other not sure of how to follow up.
-"Welcome… home"- ventured Naruto, while Sakura stood still; her expression unreadable and hey eyes lacking any kind of feeling, sort of lost in the past and without any intentions of coming back…
Perhaps that's exactly what she was aiming for…
Naruto wanted to say something, but the overwhelming feeling in the room suffocated him as if smoke was lingering around them.
This oppressive feeling of loneliness was more than he could take.
He leaned against the wooden doorframe to the kitchen, his eyes finally breaking contact with green and black ones, thus missing the pointed exchange Sakura and Sasuke had.
-"I'm going out"- stated Sakura; her voice sounded off, vacant, not hers.
-"Where? You just came in!"- and for the first time, the three of them were surprised to find Naruto calling her bluff from his spot; his body in a weird position, it almost gave the feeling of being broken, and Sasuke had this strange feeling that if she didn't answer he might, indeed, break.
He took two tentative steps towards the blond, but stopped himself when he saw something awfully sad and needy on the normal sky-clear blue eyes.
-"Out"- she finally answered after what felt like eternity, like a millennium had passed them by and make them incredible old and tired.
-"Out where?"- this time it was Sasuke's strong voice that resonated on the living room.
-"Out of this place, out to the park, out to the movies, out. You take your pick"- she said condescendingly looking down on the younger Uchiha, something that Naruto had never seen her do before. Sasuke, on the other hand, had.
-"You're hiding something Sakura"- said Sasuke, gritting his teeth in irritation.
-"Well, so are you"- she said while eyeing him pointedly, and turning to Naruto she added: -"We all are, I would say, right Naruto?"- and an uncommon sideways smile formed on her dry lips.
The three of them felt suddenly out of their own beings.
It wasn't like Sakura to say such a thing, but somehow the words had made more sense than anything else had in a very long time.
-"Get out of here!"- commanded Sasuke breaking eye contact with her, dark hard eyes glued to the wall in which rested the picture of their last vacations to Miami. They had planed that trip for months...
-"Fine!"- she answered, angry at him, but maybe even more angry at herself. She was afraid to see the deepest sadness in the baby blue eyes and so she avoided them as she made her way to the entrance door, tears already welling up on her eyes.
-"Wait Sakura!"- she heard the hint of need on that voice, the same hint of need she always had wanted to hear on it; but for some reason, now that it was finally there, she didn't want it anymore.
Her hand reached for the doorknob at the same time a tan hand pulled her by the arm.
On the other side of the now opened door, deep pools of darkness stood there, void of any emotion or feeling, void of life or even fear.
-"Sakura, I see you're ready"- said the pale stranger mockingly as he noted Naruto's hand on Sakura's elbow.
Footsteps were heard from the inside, approaching the door.
-"Oh, but if it isn't Sasuke Uchiha himself. Long time no see!"- exclaimed the other man, with disguised interest.
-"Sai...!"- mumbled the Uchiha and for a moment Naruto felt himself lost as to what was going on in this strange interaction.
-"What are you..."- Sasuke had started asking but Sakura beat him to it.
-"He came to pick me up. Let's go Sai"- she said sweetly, almost too sweetly to be believable.
-"But wouldn't it be lovely if Sasuke could come too. Like in the old good times. Remember Sasuke?"- said Sai and Sasuke had to fight the urge to gag and punch him at the same time.
Sakura couldn't stop herself to lock eyes with Naruto, seeing the desperation and fear on them.
It did not matter how much she would have liked to tell Naruto the truth about Sasuke and even about herself and finally let that heavy weight go off her shoulders, when Naruto had that expression on his blue eyes, the deepest of sadness reaching her through blue-sky summers', she decided she would take that to her tomb.
-"Let's go Sai"- she said with a security and firmness this Sai man hadn't known in her... but Sasuke and Naruto did...
-"Well, guess I'll be seeing you around then"- said Sai and grabbing Sakura by the waist pulled her forcefully out of the apartment.
When her green emerald eyes made contact with Naruto's blue ones, a small conversation happened between them, one that neither one of the other was conscious of, but was there still. Both male wanted to run behind her; but something in the last look she had sent them told them that they shouldn't.
Sasuke didn't even realize if he had closed the door or if it had been Naruto, but he came back to himself when he felt the cold wall on his back while he slid to the floor.
-"Sasuke?"- he heard the unasked question lingering in between them, but was thankful Naruto had not voiced it.
It could wait, it would have to wait...Right now, he just wanted Naruto.
No, not wanted him, he NEEDED Naruto, he needed him with such a strength he was scare of the intensity of it.
-"Naruto... I just..."- he started, but couldn't even finish his sentence.
Naruto knew the other man was about to say something that might change everything forever and he wasn't ready for that just yet; he wanted this to last a little longer, just a little longer...
Their lips met half way into their kiss, desperate hands started unraveling both clothing and soul alike, while they left hot trails in their wake.
If only they could feel each other, only each other and nothing else, not fear, nor sadness, nor pain; just the feeling of hot skin, just the smell of wind that came to Sasuke whenever he kissed and nibbled on Naruto's neck, the taste of coffee and cigarettes that lingered on Sasuke's lips.
There was the faint sound of Sasuke's cell phone ringing, but before Sasuke could reach for it, a tan hand stopped him.
-"Leave it. I feel like every time a phone rings in this place is bad news… And I don't wanna know right now…"- he mumbled his lips still so very close to Sasuke's own that he could feel more than hear what he said.
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If you like it and you know it drop your pants! hehehehe, just kidding; but if you DO like it, drop a comment!