Author's note: Hey there, and thank you so much to those of you following this story as I do my best on updates! Before you start to wander why this fic is rated M; let me tell you that my nose is itching up a storm and there will be intense smut in the next chapter! This story is flowing a little differently than I had originally planned- but hopefully that's okay, as I'm mostly satisfied with the results. Let me know of any kinks, details or story twists you'd like to see added and I might just see what I can do about it! As always, read and review to let me know how I'm doing and what you think of this fic!
Ja ne!~
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters therein- they all belong to Masashi Kishimoto. However, this story is entirely my own.
Sasuke POV
I exhale and stretch as I open my eyes to the early morning rays of light. I know we have a mission to begin today, but it's so warm and cozy in bed that I can't seem to do more than close my eyes again.
A moment later I feel the bed move and a warm hand rests on my chest. I look over to sleeping figure beside me and it warms my heart; sleeping on his stomach with his head turned to face me -a bit of drool escaping his parted pale lips- my best friend reached out in his sleep to touch my skin.
I don't mind, it feels really nice.
Acting on instinct, I slide my pillow over and snuggle closer to him under the embrace of his strong tanned arm. It feels like the most right thing in the world to be beside him and I don't question it. I've missed our time together. This is a bit closer than we have ever been before but he hasn't acted appalled by anything I've done this far, so I don't pull back.
As if he could feel my eyes on him, his open and he looks confused; murmuring, "Sas?''
I chuckle under my breath as I swipe a strand of shaggy hair out of his face and wipe some of the drool from his mouth with the sheets.
"Morning, Dobe. You've got a little mess there.."
"Teeeeeeme!" He groans and rolls over, dragging the pillow over his head as he does, likely embarrassed and hiding a blush.
"Well that's no good. We have a mission to start today, you can't lay around in bed forever," I retort as I stand up and look over my shoulder at his prone figure.
"Says the guy who was trying to cuddle a minute ago. You didn't look like you were going anywhere- oompf!" I effectively cut him off as I rip the blankets away and leave them on the floor.
"Bastard!" Naruto exclaimed in mock horror at the loss of warmth.
"You were saying?"
I duck as his slobbery pillow is lobbed at my head with unnecessary force, colliding with a picture of us mounted on the wall.
"Do you want breakfast? You've got a free fifteen until it's done. Go shower and brush your teeth." I hear a horrified string of curses as he complains about my healthy breakfast foods and hollers to remind me about the food he brought over.
Less than an hour later, we're dressed to kill and Naruto is tying his hitai-ate into position.
I look him over, taking in the young man he's grown to be. We've both changed a lot over the years and I'm happy we can still remain close.
We gather up our supplies and head out of town, the blonde saying his temporary goodbyes to Genma and Raido who are guarding the gates.
It's supposed to be a quarter year long mission to the lands in Whirlpool Country, we've been instructed to dig up information regarding the last of the Uzumaki.
Apparently Lady Tsunade is interested in the Uzumaki's scrolls and sealing techniques. We have been tasked with tracking down and recruiting any willing clan survivors into the village and if we find none, we are to bring back anything relating to their secrets that may be of use to the village.
Within the first couple of weeks, we came across an orphan in Kusagakure who specialized in forbidden healing techniques named Karin. She previously had relations with Orochimaru, a shinobi who is despised in our village for many treacherous blunders and refused to return home with us for fear of her own safety.
I had no problem with that.
Her eyes lingered on me any time she was not directly speaking to Naruto and her hands always seemed to find themselves on my body. Disgusting. It pisses me off to see that people will try continuously, even after consent is revoked, to manipulate and use others. I held no interest in her or any female. I did not know her and she did not command my respect. She was little more than a raspberry slut with powerful capabilities.
After parting ways, I got over my sour disposition quickly.
However, Naruto had adopted a rotten attitude at some point while my attention was diverted and it was not going away. Maybe Karin got under his skin too.
Later that evening, exiting a tavern run by a cranky boar of a woman who held a policy against "nosy underage shinobi" aka me and the blonde idiot that offended her, we finally went off to find a place to make camp for the evening.
I pulled Naruto along behind me and laid out my packs under a Sakura tree, glaring my best friend down and daring him to complain. I've had just about enough of getting the run around today and I need a damn break from all these people with attitudes.
Within the last hour Naruto confessed that one of the things he is upset about was the possibility that there were so few scattered survivors that we may not find any others.. or at least not any worth returning home with. Then, he refused to let me console him even though I know how it feels to be the last survivor of your clan!
His only comment was, "You just don't understand. That's not my entire issue, but it's all I'm going to say. You can't help me with this."
Anyways, the blonde was impatient and testy all day today; hunting our meals alone and refusing to hold solid conversation with me. When we finally got to a halfway decent village that would provide us a meal and shelter for an evening, he showed his ass and got us booted out.
Currently he is sitting up in a barren tree forty paces away digging through a pack and looks to be talking to himself.
'Fine. Whatever, if he wants to behave like a priss instead of being excited that we have a chance to get something done here then I'll just wait for him to come around. If he can forgive me for losing my shit and pushing him away, I can surely do the same for him and his damn attitude..' I looked up from laying out my bedroll and used shunpo to put myself directly in his personal space.
"So, you gonna help me gather firewood, or nah?" When he just blinked at me, I leaned forward and flicked him on the tip of his strangely delicate nose, earning a high pitched, ladylike sneeze for my efforts.
"Hey, what the hell was that for," he whined, giving me puppy dog eyes.
'That was too great!' I silently congratulated myself.
"Be useful. Help me grab some bundles of firewood or something... or, if you want to bathe I think there is a waterfall just west of here that empties into a stream. Go do something besides brood," I retort with a sinister smirk, "otherwise you'll wind up with unattractive stress lines that look like Itachi's."
I chuckled at that, but as Naruto's eyes widened and it dawned on me what I had just said, I wanted to punch myself in my face.
Bless his heart, he tried to play it off instead of prying, confused as he was that I would openly talk about Itachi like that.
"What? Surely you don't think a wrinkle would dare find homage on this handsome face," he laughed awkwardly and looked away, running his fingers through his overgrown, mop of silken hair.
"I guess I could go down to the water and relax for a bit."
Sighing and standing to give him some room before I left to gather kindling, Naruto looked up at me and laid his fingers on the back of my hand, making the spot tingle. I shifted my body slightly to peer down and meet his gaze.
Quietly, the blonde spoke, "I'm sorry about earlier, but I'm good now. I swear it." He looked so earnest and guilty about something that it made my heart pound harder.
"We're good. No worries," I told him, giving his fingers a quick squeeze.
The warmth of his hand and the expression on his face lingered in my mind for a bit, making my stomach feel funny. Well that was Naruto for you, always making you feel some type of way. Be it proud, hopeful determined or what have you.
Once the fire was blazing properly, I headed off to bathe as well. I was not about to let this grime build up and give me a zit.
Naruto POV
Sasuke met my eyes with his beautiful and captivating jade ones, taking my breath away. I must have caught him off guard because he grabbed my fingers tightly before assuring me that we were okay.
Once he was gone, I leaned back against the trunk and waited for my thundering heart to slow its rapid pumping. It's crazy that even just that small amount of attention from him can shift my world right on its axis.
Shaking my head to hopefully clear my thoughts, I went into sage mode to locate the waterfall my friend spoke of.
Reaching the edge a few minutes before the sun set, I stood in awe. This place was so beautiful... and tonight the view was all mine. The waterfall stood roughly twice as tall as the Hokage monument back home. Shimmering in the last light of the day, it reflected various shades of blue, magenta and orange. I swear I felt butterflies in my stomach and at that moment, I was weightless. It was like euphoria to be here.
A small piece of heaven on earth.
Slowly, I tugged my shirt over my head, revealing a natural tan as well as defined back and shoulder muscles earned from years of training, activity and combat.
Threading my fingers through my hair, I inhaled deeply and stretched some, before I brought them back down to rest on my hips, pushing the waistline of my grey pants down, ever lower until bypassing my taught backside and exposing the corded muscles in my thighs, the material finally fell to my feet.
I straightened up and stepped out of them, into the water.
Four steps in, I found the drop-off and came up for air laughing as the pleasure I felt in this relaxing place consumed me. I peered up at the sky and could see the moon clearly. Luminous, she seemed so impossibly close and large tonight. A sigh escaped my lips and I relaxed, letting myself simply float for a bit.
Sasuke POV
I arrived to such a scene, it took me a bit to fully comprehend what my eyes were seeing. Pleasing my aesthetic tastes were a million shades of grey and blue. A waterfall taller than any other I'd ever seen shimmering as it released water that stole my breath and created a nearly obsidian stream that reflected the stars shining above, interrupted only by the ripples caused by Naruto's movements.
It was stunning to behold him, as naked as he came into this world, standing on a low cliff and diving off it with perfect form. The moonlight reflected off his lithe and graceful body and I felt like this moment was meant to be a painted picture, a glory for all the world to view.
Then it dawned on me. We would be the only ones to witness tonight's beauty.. and perhaps Naruto wanted this spot to himself for the time being.
'What if he found out I had seen him without his consent..'
I blushed furiously, though I hadn't any intentions about what I'd witnessed. 'It is not my business to be eyeing my friend like that.. not in any manner. Knock it off Sasuke.'
But then I had to remind myself that neither of us owned this place or had more of a right to it than the other. And after all- though it is gorgeous, Naruto has already been out here for a good while. If he doesn't feel inclined to share, he can leave. It's not like I need permission to be here.
I slipped out of my clothes and took with me the homemade soap from the village I brought for our journey.
Leaving it on the bank of what turned out to be a particularly deep spot, I jumped into the water, almost coming back up in Naruto's face.
"Eeeeeeek!'' I scared the crap out of the boy who flailed around, before using his chakra to emerge and stand on the water, taking up a fighting stance.
Breathing heavy, once the water descended and was once again calm, his look of panic changed to one of being highly pissed. A wrinkle formed in his brow and his lips thinned as he looked at me.
Suddenly, as if realizing he was naked, Naruto shrieked again and covered his junk with both hands, quickly plummeting back into the water.
I was laughing so hard at this point I couldn't breathe, let alone speak. But Naruto had other ideas. He balled his fist and thumped me across the top of my head, "What the hell, you bastard!" His face was so red it reminded me of a tomato. My laughter died down some after that, but he kept a good ten foot distance from me at all times, glaring at me from his position and eyeing me so that I wouldn't surprise him again and freak him out.
I finished washing myself and tossed him the soap.
"It was an honest accident, I promise. I jumped into the water and swam a bit of a distance before coming up. There was no way I could've known you were right there, the water is pitch black!" I argued, knowing I hadn't purposely scared him.
Changing my tone, I continued before he could interrupt me, "To be honest, it was kind of adorable. I mean you're creeping up on eightteen and you still lose your shit when something pops out of the darkness?"
"You try something coming out of the water to get you at night, man! That was so not cool! What if I'd tried to kill you and since you weren't expecting it, you really got hurt? That would crush me!"
My ears burn at what my best friend just confessed out loud, but since I don't understand exactly what feelings were meant behind it I don't follow that line of conversation.
I climb out of the water, trying not to feel ashamed of my nakedness since we were bathing, and I grab my blanket out from the mess of discarded clothes to lay down on it, letting the night air dry the water from my skin.
Not long after, I hear my impulsive friend emerge from the water and his quiet voice, asking, "Can I lie with you for a bit?"
It wasn't too awkward, since we had both had the sense to drag on our boxers before stretching out. His were loose and a pale blue. Mine were a tight, form-fitting onyx that clung to me like a second skin.
"If that's what you want," I reply and continue gazing at the stars, "It's a lot like being at home together by our lake in Konoha. I can still see some of the same constellations... their locations have just shifted," I murmur, hoping to prompt him into conversation.
"These things always seem nicer when you're with the people who matter..." Naruto began, "I'm glad that I'm here with you," and he closed his eyes.
His declaration left me with nothing to say, but he probably knows I feel the same, so I remain quiet.
Thinking about what I overheard at the lake between Naruto and his blonde kunoichi friend, I start to feel unsettled.
"But I'm not your only close friend, am I?"
I turned my head to the side to look into his eyes, which were still shut. Inhaling sharply, but otherwise giving away no indications as to what he's thinking or feeling, I start to think he isn't going to reply.
In a rather defeated tone, he tells me, "You got me there Sas. I'm also close with Kiba and Ino... I'm surprised you noticed."
At his change in demeanor, I'm both slightly shocked and appalled.
"Why the hell wouldn't I notice? You're my best friend. You've been my friend since before they came into the picture. I know everything about you!" I didn't mean to sound so defensive, as if he was my friend more so than theirs. I know you can't actually claim a friend as only your own, but that's exactly what it felt like I was trying to do.
At that, Naruto opened his eyes and gave me a searching look. "Then why? When I got to my lowest and I was depressed or angry or wanted to kill myself... Sasuke, so many times you weren't there for me." His words tore my heart to pieces. He swallowed audibly and spoke again, "I found a couple of friends who could take my mind off all the bad shit. Friends who could help me. We used each other to relieve stress and to work off the heightened emotions we were feeling at the time. Sometimes it was just the comfort of knowing another human being was there to offer acceptance and comfort regardless of the rest of the bullshit that goes on in this world... but I can't apologize for any of that. There were times where that was the only thing that got me through the stress."
A couple tears leaked out of his eyes and I felt so fucking bad for not trying harder in the past that I just wanted to hold the boy and chase away his demons.
Lowering his voice a little more and sounding somewhat hurt, he spoke once more, "Not all of us can just go apeshit and clock out when things in life take a wrong turn. The rest of us usually turn to eachother for support..."
"I thought I had lost you, Sas. When you seemed to be drowning in your demons and you pulled away from me, I thought I had lost you..."
Knowing I needed to open up myself and be honest with him, I drew him close and buried my face in his hair- needing as much comfort as I knew he likely did.
"I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you as much as I could and should have been in the past. I'm so sorry that I drew away from you and the others. I know I could have handled the situation better... but, Naruto, I was prohibited from telling you the information that fucked me up so bad. I was specifically ordered not to share any of the knowledge I hold until given permission to do otherwise. With Danzo still in the village, I was afraid if I was close to you I would have told you, and he would've found out from one of his spies in Anbu. My mind has cleared a little since then and I'm confident that if you choose to know what happened, you'd understand my reasoning for what I did. I trust that you won't share that knowledge with anyone. I just couldn't bring myself to let you in before because if he found out, he would discipline you for my actions."
Naruto POV
Level headed and trying to explain something to me, Sasuke kept talking but I was so confused.
"Okay, okay whoa. I don't think were on the same page here.." I use both palms against Sasuke's warm chest to push off and give us some distance. I shoot him a questioning look, wanting to understand.
"Do you want to know what set me off earlier this year?" he asked me quietly. The look in his eyes was pained, but determined.
"Well, yeah. That was huge and it broke my heart to see you so messed up.." Waiting on a response, I prompt him gently. "Sasuke?"
He took a deep breath and turned over on his stomach; resting his chin on lean folded arms. He looked out into the forest as he finally opened up and told me what he'd been dying to share since the day he found out.
"Tsunade sent me with a team of Anbu to raid some of Danzo's hideouts. There have been rumors circling about him right and left.. so we were sent to investigate. We came across a lot of forbidden shit he was doing... and one scroll that we found among the many was the sealed order for the Uchiha massacre. It was signed by Danzo Shimura and the Konoha Council."
Sasuke breathes out, breathes in again, and says very softly, "Twelve years ago, the Uchiha clan was planning a coup to regain power in Konoha, since they felt like they were being ostracized by the rest of the village. The Sandaime and Danzo caught wind of it. Saroutobi wanted to find a diplomatic solution, but... Danzo didn't. He went behind the Hokage's back and..."
"He used Itachi," I finished for him, feeling like utter shit that Sasuke had to deal with finding out this shocking and horrid information alone.
I placed my hand firmly on his bicep and tugged, jostling him so that I could wrap my arms around my friend and show him that he wasn't alone. After a minute, he sniffed and buried his face in the crook of my neck. His now freezing hands went around my back as one gripped my side and the other fisted into my hair. Sasuke cried quietly as I held him and some of my tears made their way down my face to get lost in his damp raven locks. Sasuke hiccuped and moved his hands to wipe his face as I maneuvered myself onto my back and held him a little more fiercely.
I guess I was trying to make up for the time we had lost earlier on. All the time we had spent separated when all we needed was some genuine comfort from the ones who matter the most. I refrained from kissing his head when he relaxed and said, "Thanks, Naruto."
It was the most comfortable I had ever been. I awoke with Sasuke moved slightly away from me, but my arm under his head and our foreheads touching. It felt far too intimate for 'friends' so I tried to get out from under him without waking the boy. The sun was almost completely out this morning by the time I had gotten my clothes on and my face splashed with water.
Upon returning, Sasuke was finally sitting up- but his eyes were still closed.
He reached up in an effort to smooth his awry hair, "Ugh. Last night was rough. Why'd you let me do that? You know crying gives me headaches," I chuckle as I kneel beside him and set his clothes in his lap.
"We both needed that and you know it." Right at that moment, both our stomachs growled and Sasuke and I laughed at the sound.
I gave him a small smile and ran a hand through his mussed up morning hair as I stood. He really did look great in the mornings. I wish I were in a position to forget everything else and just eat him for breakfast...
"You gonna stare at me or are you gonna go rebuild that fire that that we wasted last night?"
"I am not making you breakfast. I'm not your bitch."
Contrary to what I just said though, I fashion a spear with a sturdy wooden rod and one of my kunai and set to work catching us fish for breakfast. We could spend all day talking shit to each other, but that isn't going to feed us.
After we move back to our original campsite- where I was relieved that nothing was ransacked or stolen- I built a fire for the two of us while Sasuke stripped the fish of their meat.
We eventually grew out of eating the entire fish and leaving the bones. Neither of us are big on scaly fish skin or their guts... crispy and burnt or not.
These days we just catch a little extra and eat only their meat.
"Ne, Sasuke? Why did you finally decide to tell me now? You could still get into trouble if Danzo finds out you told me. Not that I have a big mouth, but he has spies literally everywhere," I asked, a bit confused. Sasuke is a strong and tough guy. I know he didn't just tell me because he was tired of keeping it bottled up inside. While that may have been a prompting factor, I knew there had to be a bigger reason.
Boy, Sasuke sure doesn't disappoint.
"Lady Tsunade has set up a trial period while we are gone... She will have both him and the council on lockdown until the trial is over. Of course, the trial is just a formality. She's going to have them executed," he revealed all of that to me while chewing on a bit of fish. Never once making eye contact with me.
"Does this mean your brother will be welcomed back to the village?"
He thought for a minute before setting down the leaf that was holding his charred meat slices. "That is up for debate. Tsunade was not happy to find all this out, but she knew that the trial had to happen, to appease the members of Root and the Konoha citizens. She had me added me to your mission of tracking down the last of the Uzumaki's because it is likely that the village won't be trusting any of the Uchiha right now. Perhaps she is afraid that I'd get stoned in the street by them for my family's wrongdoings. First, is a coup planned by nearly all the members, and then one of them is crazy enough to go against their own flesh and blood- slaughtering them because they were told to?"
"All I know is, it should have blown over by the time we get back. If you or I want to extend our mission, we are free to, so long as we send a messenger to Tsunade and update her about it."
Sasuke finally looked at me then, "Part of me doesn't want to go back. Sometimes I'd love nothing more than to go out and make a new home, a new life for myself... but I swore that one day I'd watch you become Hokage and that I'd be at your side as you create a better future and city for our people. That's exactly what I'm going to do."
My eyes felt blurry after that and it was a good while before I was able to clear my vision again.
"Well then, I won't be letting you down will I?" I remarked playfully with my head tilted to the side and giving him a genuine smile that overtook the entirety of my face.
To be continued... xXx