Yo. Sorry for the wait. Enjoy!
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"Love, when you get fear in it, it's not love any more. It's hate."
[James M. Cain]
-x-
Naruto knew he could easily be replaced. There was always going to be a finer intelligence. At least, until absolute perfection was acquired. That was what it meant to be human, right? Humans were made from trial and error. Not cyborgs. Their purpose was to resemble humans, but in their own twisted way, to be perfect. Or as close to perfect as was possible. Naruto knew he wasn't perfect. What other reason could there be for Sasuke's obvious dislike of him? He tried to be polite, kind, funny, intelligent... but he couldn't execute perfection. To be honest, he'd once stood on a busy street, stopping pedestrians and asking whether perfection could be achieved. Most had replied with a 'nobody's perfect'. Others had said 'perhaps in the future'. But there was one person, just one... whose answer had absolutely shocked him.
"It has already been achieved."
But what did that mean?
-x-
The blonde spent his free time reading science magazines. Science had always been of interest to him, and the irony never failed to amuse him. He was science. His whole group of friends knew of his passion for the sciences and whenever his birthday arrived, would present him with something spectacular. One time they'd bought him a telescope, another time they'd bought him a subscription to each of his favourite science magazines, and another time they'd brought him to an observatory. He'd found each present to be surreal, and had profusely thanked each friend for their kindness. So, as expected, he was greatly looking forward to his upcoming birthday.
"Sasuke, when's your birthday?" Naruto spoke into the phone. He didn't really know how he'd gotten Sasuke's phone number. One day, him and Ino had exchanged phones. He'd spent the day texting strangers and probably screwing Ino over. Most of them would text her again, after the show Naruto put on. The next day, when he'd been scrolling through his contact list, he found Sasuke's name. Then he went to his inbox, and discovered a two hour long conversation. On science. As he looked through it, he realized how scientifically incorrect Ino had been. She'd been spouting nonsense on how humans had 47 chromosomes.
"Well yeah, if they have down-syndrome!" He'd confronted her as soon as possible, which led to a squabble, which in turn led to him thanking her for her generosity. She had, at least, left Sasuke's number on his phone. So now here he was, talking to the emotionless bastard himself.
"July 23, why?" Sasuke replied. He seemed preoccupied, so Naruto waited a bit before answering so he didn't sound so desperate.
"Just wondering. I like to plan ahead when it comes to birthday presents." The blonde said, allowing himself to become distracted by Ino's constant: "Get off of the phone with your boyfriend, you idiot. I want to go shopping now."
"Does that mean I have to get you something too?" Sasuke asked, amusement clear even through the static of the phone.
"Bastard. I gotta go. Ino's been pestering me to take her out to McDonald's for a while now." Naruto spared a glance at the female blonde, who was fuming on the couch. "I want to go SHOPPING. Not to McDonald's."
"Why, she can't order a happy meal herself?" The raven teased. Naruto smiled as he thought of what Sasuke could possibly be doing. Maybe he was reading, or maybe he was painting something. The blonde had been surprised when he'd seen Sasuke's paintings. In fact, he'd been surprised to hear the raven even painted.
"Apparently not." Naruto pursed his lips as his curiosity got the best of him. "Are you painting right now?"
"It's a possibility." Sasuke said, before softly muttering a curse under his breath.
"Are you going to tell me what you're painting, then?" The blonde asked, biting on the end of a pen. It was a nasty habit he'd developed a couple months ago. Shikamaru had been on his back about that one, too.
"...The sun." The Uchiha answered simply. "Weren't you leaving?"
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay. Bye. Good luck on your painting."
"I won't be needing it. Already been scrapped, anyways." Sasuke sounded disappointed, but Naruto couldn't be too sure. Despite Ino tugging on his arm with her full weight, he still managed to hold his ground.
"What? What do you mean?"
"It didn't work out. Now go. I can hear Ino whining all the way from over here." The raven muttered.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Sasuke. Later." Naruto hung up the phone, finally allowing himself to be pulled out the door. The two blondes reached Ino's cherry red corvette and climbed in. As Naruto was doing up his seatbelt, Ino asked the same question he'd been asking himself.
"It seems like Sasuke's been warming up to you, eh?" She looked over her shoulder as she pulled out of the parking lot of his apartment.
"Yeah, I've been thinking that too." Naruto grimaced as he continued. "I'm just scared he's going to snap at me again though."
Ino sent him a look of sympathy. "He certainly is a challenge..."
"I know." Naruto's face suddenly brightened. To Ino, that could only mean one thing. "You're thinking about him naked again, aren't you?"
"W-WHAT? No!" Naruto cried, his cheeks staining a bright red. He felt mortified by Ino's assumption. Covering his face with hands, he turned to face the window.
"Relax, sunshine. I'm just teasing." Ino smirked. She spared a glance at Naruto, who was huddled against the window. "And quit being so dramatic."
"I think my reaction is appropriate!" Naruto retorted, sending her a glare. She merely shrugged her shoulders, ignoring his statement.
"You know, you're really mean to me. I don't know why I allow myself to be treated this way." Naruto mumbled beneath his breath. When they stopped at a red light, Ino turned to face him. "Dude. I'm the sweetest bitch in town."
"You're not a guido." Naruto said through barely contained laughter. Ino grinned as the light turned green. It gave her a sickly appearance, so Naruto looked down at his hands. They had been tightly clenched in his lap until recently, when he'd been brutally embarrassed. On a more serious note, the whole Sasuke situation had been stressing him out. It really did seem like he'd begun to loosen up a bit, but you never know when he's going to give you the cold shoulder.
"Guidette. That's the proper term." The blonde chuckled, speeding past a red light.
"Ino! Watch your driving!" Naruto reprimanded, but his heart wasn't into it.
"Aw, are you stressed out about Sasuke?" Ino asked, raising a brow. "We can pay him a visit later on today, if you like."
"No! He'd... he'd be angry. No." Naruto shook his head. Ino rolled her eyes, a plan already formulating in her head. She wasn't as book smart as she could be, but she certainly had a knack for planning.
"Alright, alright. We're almost there." She muttered, looking into the rear view mirror to check her make-up.
"You look fine." Naruto sent her a genuine smile, one that very few people had seen. Not even all of his friends had seen it.
"Those are the smiles I like best." Ino commented, a sad look in her eyes. Naruto pursed his lips, looking out at the parking lot swarming with cars and people. He was all for avoiding awkward situations.
"So, why did you want to go shopping, anyways?" He asked. They climbed out of the car, and the male blonde waited for the female blonde to touch up on her make-up and hair. Two minutes later, two stunning blondes were making their way through a crowd that seemed to part specifically for them.
"You're hot." Ino stated absently. Naruto chuckled, raising a brow at her. "Just saying."
"You're not my type, sorry." The male teased. Ino bit her lip, most likely thinking up a comeback.
"If I was a guy would you date me?" Ino questioned innocently. Naruto's eyes widened, but he managed to respond.
"Not even then."
"What about if I was Sasuke?" She asked softly. This time Naruto was properly shell shocked. He chose not to answer, as Ino could most likely already tell what he was going to say. They stopped in front of a dark store. The lights had been turned off, but there were glow in the dark stars and the such to create enough light to see where you were going. It gave the store a gloomy appearance, and almost lured you in.
"Is this... open?" Naruto asked, frowning at the seemingly empty store. Ino nodded, leading the way in. She would stop every couple seconds to examine the merchandise. Most of the things she expressed interest in didn't seem to be her type. "Are you buying a present for someone?"
"Yeah." Ino dismissed the male's questions with a wave of her hand. She picked up a package of glow in the dark stars. "My friend really likes space and that kind of stuff. Do you think he'd like these for his room?"
Naruto took the package into his own hand, flipping back and forth between the front and back. "Yeah, maybe. How old is he?"
"Early 20s." Ino didn't seem to want to supply anymore information. They continued through the store, laughing every five seconds at an outstanding discovery. Naruto saw the cover of a book on space, and greedily took it into his hands.
"Oh, what's that?" Ino asked, looking over his shoulder at the pages he flipped through. "Space." Naruto replied, sounding dazed. He'd always been fascinated by the universe.
"I think my friend would like it." Ino said, taking the book from Naruto. He protested, but she eventually managed to pry it out of his hands. They finally reached the cashier and dumped Ino's assortment of items on the counter. When the female blonde had finished paying, she announced they would be heading home.
"What? Already?" Naruto said, incredulously. He knew from experience that Ino was a shopping fanatic that would stop at nothing to get her hands on a pair of shoes. So why would she only stop by one store at the mall?
"I'm tired, and by the looks of it, you're tired too." She answered, wrapping an arm around Naruto's waist. Immediately the warmth radiating from his body engulfed her, and she sighed in peacefulness.
"I love touching you." She nuzzled her cheek into his shoulder.
"Woah, woah. That was kind of creepy." But Naruto wrapped his arm around her anyways. To anyone who didn't know them personally, they would have looked like an adorable couple. Unfortunately, they were just friends, and were both in ridiculous love situations. With the same man. But no one needed to know that, right?
-x-
Naruto groggily opened his eyes. He quickly snapped them shut again when white light burned his corneas. "Hey, Ino, where are we?" He asked, covering a yawn with his hand. He vaguely remembered leaving the mall, getting in the car, and being given permission to fall asleep. So why did he feel so well rested? His house wasn't very far from the shopping mall.
"Oh, I needed to make a stop before I dropped you off." She replied. Her voice sounded far away. Maybe she'd drugged him? Nah, she wasn't that crazy. He straightened his back, as he'd fallen into an awkward position in his deep slumber. With an irritable sigh, he opened his eyes for good. His gaze immediately darted towards the window to find their whereabouts. The sky was overcast, bleak grey light filtering through the blanket of clouds. They were casually driving around a neighbourhood he didn't recognize. The houses were dark and beautiful, an easy sign pointing to wealth. Ino finally parked outside of a moderately sized home.
"Well, it's sleek and chic, I suppose." Naruto commented. "Yep! It's even nicer on the inside." Ino chirped. An uncomfortable silence fell upon them.
"Can you come with me?" The female asked in a shy tone. Naruto growled in annoyance, but got out of the car anyways. "Whose house is this?" He watched Ino walk up the pathway leading up to the front door with relative ease.
"A friend's house." For some reason, Naruto felt suspicious of her behaviour. She wasn't acting like her usual self.
"Okay..." The male leaned lazily against one of the walls framing the front door as Ino rang the door bell. It was only a few seconds before footsteps could be heard stomping down the stairs.
"What?" The person at the door took a step back as he realized who they were. "Oh, it's you."
"Ino? What? Why... why are we at Sasuke's house?"
-x-
The two were invited in... well, to be more specific, barged in. Sasuke had eventually shut the door on their faces when Ino failed to explain her reason for being there. Then, with a surprising exhibit of speed, managed to take the spare key out from beneath Sasuke's doormat and unlock the door.
"That's kind of creepy, Ino." Sasuke said with a sigh. He knew he couldn't prevent the blonde from finding her way in. Instead, he had simply made her triumph more difficult.
"I've been told." She grinned happily. She took Naruto's hand and pulled him inside despite his protests. She knew, however, that he hadn't even tried to resist. Had he even put in a smidgen of effort, Ino's attempts would have been futile.
"Hi." Naruto muttered, scratching his cheek in embarrassment. Sasuke didn't look amused, but he didn't look too pissed off either.
"Hn." Sasuke greeted with a nod of his head. And with that, Naruto was happy. The Uchiha left down a hallway to their right, leaving Ino and Naruto to fight for themselves. Ino apparently knew her way around the house and they managed to reach Sasuke's destination in a matter of seconds. He was sitting at the kitchen counter, concentrating deeply on a notepad. His hair, Naruto noticed, was glistening with beads of water.
"Were you in the shower?" Naruto asked, taking the seat next to him rather than waiting to (never)be asked.
"Yeah." Sasuke replied. His voice once again had that distracted tone, and the blonde eyed the notepad Sasuke was mulling over.
"What are you doing?" He questioned, craning his neck to catch a glimpse.
Sasuke frowned in response, looking up from his work. "I'm writing, stupid."
"Hey! There's no need for that, bastard." Naruto huffed, crossing his arms.
"Naruto. I'm trying to-" The sound of a cell phone ringing interrupted Sasuke. The blonde looked up sheepishly, taking his cell phone out of his pocket. He glanced briefly at the number, and found he didn't recognize it. Then again, he was never too good at remembering things. It was always a guessing game with him, despite his supposed "perfection".
"I think I'm going to take this. I'll be right back, okay?" Naruto said. The feeling of his phone vibrating against his hand irked him. Sasuke nodded, resuming his work.
"Hello?" Naruto breathed into the phone. In his search for a room to take the call in, he'd stumbled across the dining room. It was painted a startling grey, and the dining table was a shiny, dark wood.
"Naruto, is that you?" A voice replied. He felt his insides freeze in his shock. His grip on the phone tightened in fear of dropping it. Could it really be her? She was dead, wasn't she?
"M-mom?" Naruto whispered. He was scared. He was so scared it wouldn't be her, and at the same time he was scared it would be her. It wasn't possible. It wasn't true.
"Naruto, honey, it's me." Her voice shook as she spoke.
"It can't be!" Naruto cried, falling into the nearest chair.
"It's me, it's really me." She pleaded.
"No, it can't... you're... she's dead. W-who are you?" The blonde closed his eyes, and raised a hand to wipe at his cheeks. He hadn't even noticed the tears falling.
"I'm Kushina Uzumaki. I'm your mother, Naruto. You know it's me." Her voice no longer shook, it was no longer distorted by emotion. It was as clear as a window, as a drop of rain, as the sky itself.
"But... I saw you die, I don't understand!" He rested his head on the table, keeping his eyes focused on the light coming from the kitchen. Sasuke was in there. Just knowing that Sasuke was nearby calmed him down.
"You watched me die, so there's only one possible solution." Kushina said softly.
"You're... you've become a cyborg." Naruto mumbled. It was hard to speak around the knot in his throat. He was so upset his temperature was skyrocketing, and he couldn't control it. At this rate, he'd probably end up burning holes in Sasuke's furniture if he didn't calm down. He took a deep breath and concentrated on cooling off.
"You always were a smart boy." Kushina whispered.
The blonde whimpered quietly into his arm. "You're alive. Not as a human, but as a cyborg. You're alive."
"I'm alive." Kushina agreed. Naruto knew that if he had a heart, it would be beating so fast it could power an entire city.
"I missed you. I really, really, missed you." He heard his voice cracking, and he let out a sigh.
"I know, sweetie. I missed you so much too. But you turned out alright. You're okay. I'm so... so proud of you, Naruto." That tremor was back, and Naruto smiled as he heard it.
"I love you, mom. I never got to tell you that before you died. I'm sorry that we fought so much. But I always did love you. You were nothing but good to me, and I completely took you for granted." By this point, Kushina was sobbing on the other side of the phone. "Don't cry, mom. Please."
"Oh, Naruto. You never fail to move me. I love you so much, Naru." She managed to say, before another sob came from her lips.
"Sh, there, there. Don't cry." Naruto mumbled. He was horrible at comforting people. All his life, he'd been the one that needed comforting. And now, as he failed to comfort his own mother, he realized how useless he was. Useless at human emotion. He'd been a human once, but he couldn't imitate those precious emotions in his current state. He was a cyborg, and he could feel. He could feel, but he could not really feel.
"How did you find me, anyways?" Naruto asked in an effort to change the topic.
Kushina sniffled lightly before answering. "Your family? Is that what you call them? I found them first, and they led me to you."
"M-my family helped you?" Naruto questioned, trying to mask his surprise.
"Yes." Kushina said. Naruto could hear her talking to someone on the other line. "Naruto, honey? It's time for me to go. They want to limit my contact with you."
"What? No! I just found you! Mom!" Naruto raised his voice, hoping she could hear him.
"I love you, okay? I love you so much. I'm sorry." She said before hanging up. Naruto let out a frustrated sigh. His head was throbbing his questions. He hadn't known dead people could become cyborgs. Unfortunately, he didn't know very much about the process in the first place. He wiped furiously at his eyes, determined to not show Sasuke his weakness. He stood from his seat, pushed the chair into its original position, and entered the kitchen. Sasuke looked up at him, a question in his eyes.
"Were you crying?" He asked. Naruto sighed in defeat. Apparently, nothing could go right for him today.
"A little." He admitted, claiming the spot next to Sasuke again. The Uchiha pursed his lips, but didn't ask any further questions.
"Hey, Sasuke, do you know where Ino is?"
The raven looked up at him in surprise. "She left a while ago."
"W-what? What do you mean, she left?" Naruto panicked. Sasuke placed a hand on his shoulder to halt his flailing arms. The touch immediately stopped his movements, and he sat quietly as a fierce blush stained his cheeks.
"Shut up." Sasuke ordered. "She slipped out the front door when she thought I wasn't looking."
"I don't have a ride." Naruto bowed his head in embarrassment. Sasuke sighed, and flicked the blonde's cheek in annoyance.
"Ow!" Naruto yelped, looking up with a glare.
"You can stay for the night. I'm not going to drive you anywhere while it's raining."
The glare quickly disappeared and was replaced with a bright grin. "Thank you, Sasuke!" In a flurry of movement, he'd wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and somehow managed to knock them both to the ground. By sheer luck, and perhaps an interference by Benzaiten, ** they landed in a questionable position. The blonde has his legs around Sasuke's waist, and in turn Sasuke had his hands on Naruto's hips. They were both shocked into silence.
"Get off!" Sasuke finally yelled, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
Naruto did as he was told.
"I'm so sorry! That wasn't supposed to happen. All I was aiming for was a friendly hug-"
"Naruto."
"But somehow I put in too much force and sent us flying to the floor! And trust me; it was pure coincidence I landed on you-"
"Naruto."
"Even worse, we landed in that position! It wasn't on purpose, I promise! You're the person I'd least want to get intimate with-"
"NARUTO."
"It isn't that you're unattractive or anything, because seriously, you're a Greek god, but I'm not gay. Maybe if I was gay I'd get with you, but for the moment it won't happen. Once again, I am so, so sorry-"
"NARUTO!"
"Yes?"
"It's okay."
The best part was that he didn't sound remotely angry.
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Hi. I hope you guys liked it. I made it a bit longer than usual. Not very much happens in the chapter, but the plot finally gets put into play. It's going to be getting intense from here on out. Thank you so much for the reviews and favourites!
Benzaiten ** - She's the Goddess of love in Japanese culture? I google'd it, so I wouldn't really know if it was right. Please correct me if there's something better I could say. I guess it depends on what religion though. Forgive my ignorance! :'(
Review Reply:
i-got-m2m: Hi! Haha, the point of the story is for you to be confused! It'll all be clearing up as the plot continues. I think I might include a flashback next chapter to explain the process for you guys though. Oh, and it's because Shikamaru met Naruto as a child, and gradually began to introduce him to all of his friends. Sasuke never bothered to go out with his "friends" though, so he never met him. But there's another reason too, which will be explained later. Thank you for reviewing!
lowfat-yogurt: You're welcome, and thank you! Hopefully you'll keep reading.
NaruSasuFan: Thank you! One thing though. This is gonna be a SasuNaru. Well, I guess it could be a SasuNaruSasu though. You've gotta factor in Naruto's super strength/resistance to everything.