Chapter 9

Goodbyes taste sweet and sour

The first thing he noticed when he woke up was the pain in his neck. His eyes were still closed, and he wanted to fall back asleep, so he ignored the pain. He kept ignoring it, until he was forced to awaken.

The half lidded gaze didn't need to go far to find the reason why his neck was hurting. Naruto's face was an inch from his, and the tight embrace of his arms around his neck seemed to be protective.

"Are you ok?"

The demons voice was awfully low and full of worry. He, however, couldn't find the strength to comply. Cursing mentally, he regretted having used Chidori, remembering why he only used it as a last resort. Not only Chidori, but all his lightning spells.

They consumed a lot of both physical and spiritual energy, even though he had trained for years to control the energy used. Of course, when you use it as a last resort, it was hit or die. He had experienced that with other demons who weren't Kakashi. The difference was that he had always killed them, because if he hadn't, he wouldn't be alive.

"I will be," he finally replied.

The demon shifted slightly so he could see Sasuke's features fully.

"Good. Now tell me what the hell Kakashi-sensei did to you so I can kill him without feeling guilty."

The human arched one of his brows.

"Sensei?"

Like a switch that had been turned on, the silver haired demon appeared in the room in a fog of white smoke as soon as he said the word.

"Yoh!"

Sasuke's brow twitched.

"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei taught me a lot of spells. He comes once in a while, but normally he just keeps his nose in the perverted books that Jiraiya writes."

The raven haired teen sat up, observing the one eyed demon. A memory from his 'fight' with Kakashi made him realize his stupidity. Kakashi had referred to the Kyuubi as Naruto. It suddenly became clear to him. He couldn't believe he fell for that trick.

Kakashi had wanted to test him, he had never meant to take Naruto's power. But what was the purpose of it?

"It was just a test, Naruto." Kakashi confirmed his suspicions."And you'll be pleased to know that Sasuke passed."

The grin that the human imagined on the silver haired demon's face made a shiver run down his spine. Faster than a flash, the epiphany came. Kakashi wanted to know if he would give his life to protect Naruto. He wanted to find out if he loved him!

"You and your stupid tests should rot in hell. Sasuke could have died."

God, he felt so dumb!

But isn't that what love does to you? Leaving you so blind that the only thing you see is the one that makes your world spin?

He paled at the thought.

He could never tell the demon how he felt. They could never be together, even if this love wasn't one sided. He was a human, he would age, and Naruto wouldn't. The demon could live for thousands of years, and at best he would barely live more than fifty. It was selfish to say he loved him; it was unfair to the demon. How could any of those humans who married demons have lived happily if they were responsible for their lover's deaths?

He shifted uncomfortably; he felt sick to his stomach and his heart was racing. He almost jumped when he felt a hand over his forehead.

"You look sick, Sasuke. Aren't you feeling better?"

He must have look like he was dying because Naruto rushed out of the room, probably to get Tsunade.

"Please, don't tell him," it was the first time he ever begged sounding heartbroken, fighting the tears he felt forming in the corner of his eyes.

"I won't," the silver haired demon said soothingly."But he will eventually find out."

Sasuke remained silent; this time he couldn't find the will to hold in his soundless tears.

"You really don't want him to know," it wasn't a question."If he loved you back, wouldn't you let him know?"

The human bit his lower lip, hands clenching the sheets. His bangs hid his crying face.

"I'll take that as a no. Won't you regret it?"

Still shedding salty tears, he thought about it. Would he regret never revealing how he felt to the only person (demon) he had ever loved? Probably. Would he regret that Naruto would live after his death? No. Would he resent that Naruto would be fine without him? No. Would he resent the fact that after he passed away, Naruto would find someone else to be his toy? No, he shouldn't. He actually hoped that the demon would find someone else to be his partner for the seasons to come, and this was because he wouldn't be staying longer than tonight.

The tears stopped flowing. He used a steady hand to dry off his soaked cheeks. Stabilizing the rhythm of his heart, he cleared the sadness that haunted him, and looked directly at Kakashi.

Said demon sighed.

"I guess that is for the best. You're the second Uchiha I know that fell in love with a demon and didn't burden him with the consequences of their feelings."

The one eyed demon uncovered his left eye. The surprise didn't show in the human's features, but the red sharingan eye had caught him off guard.

"It's a funny story actually. I saved the girl your ancestor loved, and in the end he ended up falling for me. I never knew, even though I started to like him after that. He ended up dying to save me, and gave me his eye when I was fighting another wolf demon."

There was a pause.

"Are you a wolf demon?"

"Yes."

"Were you hurt?"

"A lot," was Kakashi's answer, understanding what the human meant. "I was never the same after I realized my feelings for him, knowing that I would never be able to be with him. To see your fated mate die is the worst pain a demon can experience. That's why demons go insane when their mates are killed. Life has no meaning after that."

"But you're still alive."

Silence fell upon them again for what seemed like an eternity.

"Just don't die too suddenly. I don't know if Naruto could take it."

"Naruto is strong."

"But unpredictable. If you were to die, he would most likely go on a rampage."

"You're saying that assuming I'm more than a fancy toy to him. You don't have to worry about that. At worst he would resent me for dying, but he would eventually forget. Demons' track of time is different from humans. He probably wouldn't remember me two hundred years after my death.

"You're saying that assuming that he doesn't love you."

"Yes."

"I just hope your assumptions are correct."

Sasuke nodded slowly, understanding the implications.

Everything would be alright, as long as this was a one sided case. However, he couldn't stay any longer, fearing the pain in his chest would break him the next time he stood near the fox demon. He was going to leave that same night. His brother was somewhere in the land, and he could occupy his time looking for him, for a change.

Naruto chose that moment to barge into the room, leading Tsunade by the hand. The female demon looked like she was about to kill the blue eyed demon.

Sasuke mentally smiled. He really would miss them.

A new moon ghosted through the midnight skies. Both Naruto and he were lying in the same bed, like they had gotten used to in those couple of weeks. Sasuke was still; his onyx gaze falling on the demon's sleeping face. His heart felt heavy in his chest.

Slowly slipping away from bed, he tried to not wake the blonde, even though he knew that said blonde slept like a baby. He moved silently around the room, trading the simple sleeping kimono for a normal yukata. He had finally managed to find a closet with mountains of clothes, including a big amount of feminine kimonos. It was probably Naruto's sexy kimonos' vile hideout.

He then gathered his katana, and prepared to leave. His foot was about to step out of the room, when he stopped. Sasuke turned away from the door, and walked on the tip of his toes to the bed. He kneeled right beside the sleeping blonde.

His heart was racing like a maniac at the thought that crossed his mind. It was only a kiss to the forehead, nothing more. It was just a goodbye kiss.

Ignoring his dry, lips he leaned in and quickly kissed the demon's forehead. He noticed that nothing happened. The blonde hadn't woken up, and the walls were still standing.

I guess it's safe then.

The second kiss he gave Naruto was prolonged, lasting an eternity. His lips had ghosted over the demon's hair taking in his scent one more time.

He liked the way it felt.

So this is what loving someone romantically felt like?

The human then left the room without looking back. The trip to the back gates of the Kyuubi's castle was quick and soundless. The maple trees' leaves were already starting to fall. Before he stepped out of the gate he stopped.

"If Naruto asks, I went to find my lost older brother, and I won't come back any time soon. With luck, he'll forget me before fall ends."

Kakashi, who stood on the top of the gate, nodded of his head.

"I hope he doesn't, because it will be my head he'll be after for losing his fancy toy."

"It's your problem now, not mine."

"This is payback for the test, isn't it?"

The demon hunter smirked.

"Ara, ara," the silver haired demon sighed, while watching the human dash down the mountain path.

"Good luck, Sasuke."

So Kakashi isn't evil, just a pervert and a sucker for surprise tests...

I hope you liked the story until now, I'll try to update as soon as I can.

Reviews are welcome.

And finally a big thanks to DiscordiaCruentus, for revising my lowsy grammar.