A/N: So, here I am with a short little one-shot in which Naruto gives Sasuke one hell of a guilt trip. lol. No, seriously, I dunno. It just popped in my head and I wrote it down. It's more of an implied SasuNaru thing...but I still hope you enjoy it.
On a seperate note, I want to thank you all for your heart-warming comments before. It means a lot to me that you'd stay loyal even with the long wait. I really needed this hiatus and, even though my life is still upside down and inside out, I have my stories to keep me going...and wonderful people like you to make me feel some light in a dark situation. XD Thank you.
One-Shot #76
What If?
"What if you would have stayed?"
Sasuke glanced over at the blonde, not fully understanding the question. It wasn't unheard of for Naruto to come off with a question out of nowhere. Especially when the last thing he had said to Sasuke was about which flavor of Ichiraku ramen sounded good.
"Stayed where?"
Naruto began using his chopsticks to cut the noodles into miniscule pieces. It was a sign that the following conversation was difficult for him to talk about. He always got fidgety when he talked about something personal.
"Here."
Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "Dobe, what are you talking about?"
Naruto took a deep breath before replying. "What if, instead of going to Orochimaru, you stayed here? Here, in Konoha, with me?"
"Oh." A pale hand ran through his dark hair. "I…I don't know."
"Would you have been happy?" His blue eyes began shimmering with unshed emotion. "I mean, you still would have gotten stronger, but you just would have been here…with Sakura, Kakashi-sensei…and me."
"Yeah…maybe."
"I got stronger, and I stayed."
Sasuke snorted. "You left, too, dobe. Jiraiya trained you."
"Yeah," Naruto glanced at Sasuke. "But I didn't deflect."
A few moments passed, with neither boy saying anything. Their ramen bowls began looking like someone ran the contents through a blender, everything was mashed up and cut into tiny pieces. Finally, Naruto broke the silence.
"Did you miss us?"
"Yes. Everyday."
"But you didn't come home? Even when you missed us the most?"
"I couldn't, Naruto. I had something I had to do."
Naruto turned in his seat, facing Sasuke. "But you regret it now?"
"Yes."
A small smirk crept up on Naruto's face. "I think that, even though you missed us all, you knew we were okay, which is why you could stay away. Right, 'suke? You just knew we'd be fine. It's the only way you could stay gone."
Sasuke snorted again. "Yeah, sure, Naruto. Whatever."
"We love you, Sasuke. All of us. We're just glad you're home."
A light blush crawled across his pale cheeks as Sasuke bowed his head forward. "Thanks, idiot."
"Still," Naruto went on, "I wonder, sometimes, 'what if', ya know?"
"Yeah." Sasuke glanced at the bright blonde beside him and sighed. "Me too."
Short, yet kinda cute. I hope you all agree. XD See ya next time!
