~ Twenty-Two: No One Sees Me For Myself; Could You Be Different? ~
Naruto was once again depressed, and Sasuke watched sadly as the blonde stared moodily at the waterfall near their campsite. Karin, Juugo and Suigetsu had gone off to do various chores – gather wood, hunt, and gather vegetables/herbs/fruits – leaving only Sasuke and Naruto in the camp.
Finally, Sasuke sat down beside his friend and waited.
"Is that all anyone ever sees?" he asked quietly. Earlier that day they had run into some Konoha shinobi aiming to return Sasuke to Konoha, and the shinobi in question had seen Naruto and instantly started up a rant about the 'no-good demon'. It had been Sakura, Sai and Yamato who had come to find Sasuke, and only Yamato hadn't said anything derogatory to the blonde Kyuubi-container. "The demon?"
"I don't see the demon, Naruto," Sasuke murmured, pleased when the blonde leant against his side. He wrapped an arm around Naruto's shoulders and pressed a kiss to the blonde's temple gently. "I see an intelligent, strong, kind person who's been dealt a bad hand. That is all." Naruto nodded once, and closed his eyes as he leant into his friend's warmth.
Sasuke was different than the others. For that, Naruto was glad.
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Twenty-two chapters down, three to go. Almost finished!
You know the drill now - please RnR!
~Ashuri