A/N: I'm tired. I just got home from watching the new HP movie (I cried in joy when Dumbledore finally... yeah.)
So. Thank you for all the reviews! They're all simply amazing! (And a big thanks to you, Aoi Azarashi,for the 200th review!)With that said I hope you all feel good and are satisfied with my review replies. If you aren't, feel free to complain and I'll make them longer/shorter. Tell me what you want me to answer/say.
State of Shock
Endlessly
Kakashi had never really liked the memorial stone. It was so dark, so impersonal. All of the names engraved in the same curvy writing style. To some, it might have been beautiful. To him, it was boring. If one knew this, one would wonder why he spent his entire mornings in front of the oh-so-boring memorial stone.
To be honest, he didn't know. He shouldn't still mourn. He had to move on soon, before black sorrow ate him from the inside.
He put his hands in the pockets of his navy blue pants, taking one slow step back on the gravel road. With long steps, he began to walk back towards Konohagakure's centre. He didn't throw the stone a last glance.
He spotted a dark head in the crowd, and immediately recognised the hairstyle. He quickened his pace a little, falling into a comfortable walk. By the time he caught up with Sasuke, who was carrying a bag from Ichiraku's, the Uchiha had already sensed him.
"Good afternoon, Kakashi."
Kakashi didn't answer. The corner of his mouth twitched under his mask as he noticed that Sasuke had left out the suffix. Again. "Meeting up with Naruto?" He asked instead, wanting to think of something else.
"Yes," was the simple answer. Sasuke continued to walk through the mass of people, until he came out on the smaller road that led from centre to the part of Konoha where Sasuke lived.
"Is he at your place?"
"Yes."
Kakashi nodded slowly, his lips twitching into a smirk. It was the same thing as if asking if they had sex last night.
He knew about Naruto's episodes, wherein he refused to eat, but he couldn't understand why Sasuke would bring him ramen. It seemed to be too thoughtful for the Uchiha. Sasuke wasn't cruel; he was simply... not nice.
"Why the sudden urge to buy him ramen?" Why are you being nice?
"It wasn't sudden."
Kakashi smiled. Sasuke was very good at avoiding questions. Had Kakashi not being who he was, he would have fallen for the trick. Or, had he been reading his book, he would have fallen for the trick. Yet, now, it wasn't that easy to avoid Kakashi's curiosity.
"Why is he at your place?"
"Why the sudden interest?" Sasuke countered. Kakashi's smile grew.
"It wasn't sudden."
They walked in silence, and Sasuke didn't ask why his former sensei was following him. Kakashi wasn't sure himself, but a part of him wanted to see Naruto. He was one of the few that actually didn't fear of meeting Naruto when he was in one of his silly episodes.
Kakashi could see the small, nearly invisible bags under Sasuke's eyes. While no shinobi would get purple bags under their eyes from one single night without sleep, Kakashi understood that either Sasuke had sleeping problems or something important was growling in his mind.
Kakashi's narrow eye never left Sasuke's figure as they stopped in front of the red door that led to the staircase that would lead Sasuke to his apartment. With paper cups of ramen in the bag, it seemed foolish to climb up the wall or jump up to the balcony. Kakashi threw one last glance at his ex-student, and turned into a swirl of leaves.
He appeared on the rooftop of the apartment building, watching as Sasuke walked inside, the impassive expression never leaving his face. Kakashi sat down on the cement roof, wondering when the Uchiha had turned into the free, prideful man he was today.
He was not arrogant, in Kakashi's eyes. He merely knew what he was capable of, and what he was good at. Therefore, Kakashi was a little surprised that Sasuke was trying this new, unexplored thing. After all, he hadn't counted on that his former apprentice would try something that he couldn't quite grasp or understand.
Love.
Kakashi knew very well whom Sasuke loved. Naruto would always hold a sacred place in Sasuke's inky heart. He wondered how it would be to be loved by someone like Sasuke. Passionate, for Sasuke didn't do things half-heartedly. Inexperienced, for Sasuke had merely loved his family before. Hesitant, for Sasuke didn't have the courage to ask.
Kakashi didn't know for how long he sat there, on the roof, thinking about Sasuke's secret relationship with Naruto. Thoughts and questions popped up, gluing to his brain and tainting his mind.
Was it their affair that had Naruto stop talking? This thought led to even more questions, and Kakashi wished that he had never seen Sasuke in the crowd.
UAUAUA
"I'm home, baby." Sasuke put the bag on the kitchen counter, moving to the cupboard to get glasses. The guilt was gnawing on his arms, making his hands tremble. He knew that these episodes were his fault, somehow.
Who else's fault could it possibly be?
It might just be a way to get Sasuke feel guilty, or a way to make Sasuke take care of Naruto properly for once, but the shame was always there when Naruto didn't eat. To see his usually energetic blonde in such a state hurt, and he wished that he could just hide in the Forest of Death until it was over.
Maybe it was his punishment for cheating on Naruto with Sakura. Maybe it was his punishment for destroying Naruto's vocal cords. Somehow, he suspected that karma had something to do with it.
"Naruto?"
He walked out from the kitchen, finding Naruto where he had left him. Naruto's eyes were closed, his lips slightly parted as drool escaped his mouth. Naruto was wearing one of Sasuke's long-sleeved shirts, and Sasuke could only guess that Naruto was freezing.
He knew Naruto too well to even wonder why the blonde would be cold in such a beautiful summer day as this. He hadn't eaten in two days now, and his mood and energy was hitting rock bottom. Of course his body didn't want to waste energy on something as silly as body temperature.
"Naruto," he called out again. This time, the blonde shifted a little, closing his mouth and knotting his eyebrows together in irritation as conscious slapped him in the face. Sasuke would have rolled his eyes at Naruto's pathetic form, if he hadn't been the cause of it.
Instead, he walked up to the sofa, and kneeled by Naruto's head. The blonde blinked his eyes open, staring back at the Uchiha.
"Hi," Sasuke whispered. "Do you want me to help you up?"
Naruto reached out his hand, pushing on Sasuke's shoulder harshly. Go away!
Sasuke smirked, glad that the blonde was still himself. He didn't go away, however, and Naruto became annoyed with his presence. The glare Sasuke received was half-hearted, and the Uchiha understood.
Naruto held too much pride to ever ask for help. So Sasuke would have to do it without request.
"If that's the way you want it," Sasuke said, finality caressing his words. He reached out, his arms going under Naruto's form, and he stood up. He carried the meekly protesting blonde, bridal style, into the kitchen.
Sasuke put Naruto on the counter, which made Naruto seem one or two inches taller than the Uchiha. He spread Naruto's legs, standing between them. His rough, pale hands moved over Naruto's thighs, the jagged fabric of the pants against his palms.
Naruto put his hands, equally rough as Sasuke's, on the older man's shoulders. His touch was soft, however, as his fingers moved over Sasuke's neck. Tickling. Caressing. Teasing. Loving. A simple touch.
Oh, how Sasuke wished that Naruto would just open his mouth and speak to him. Say something. Those three little words that Sasuke longed after, those three little words that Naruto would never utter.
Sasuke had destroyed his vocal cords before Naruto had even got the chance to consider that he was in love with Sasuke. There had been no opportunity for Naruto to speak those words back then, and now he couldn't.
Bitter.
Sasuke was surprised that Naruto wasn't bitterer than he already was. Naruto certainly wasn't bitter – Sasuke knew that Naruto had moved on, more or less.
Sasuke closed his eyes when Naruto leaned down, pressing his lips against Sasuke's cheekbone. He breathed in Sasuke's ear, and the Uchiha climbed up on the counter, straddling the slightly smaller man.
"Eat. Eat for me," Sasuke demanded. He cupped Naruto's cheek, his other hand staying on the blonde's thigh. His fingers trailed the vague lines on Naruto's cheek, reminding him of whiskers. His hand moved lazily downwards.
Fingers tickling Naruto's jaw, going lower.
Slap!
Before Sasuke could reach Naruto's throat, the blonde had slapped his hand away. Sasuke almost flinched at the harshness. He hesitantly looked up, black eyes clashing with blue. Naruto glared down at him, all kind of emotions swirling in his expressive eyes.
Sasuke merely walked away, refusing to show shame in front of his most precious person.
UAUAUA
Hinata loved this place. Here she could sit, enjoy the silence, and even sometimes get company. This particular tree seemed to have the most comfortable branches to sit on, and the best view. Because from this tree, she could see anyone who wanted to train on this training ground.
She could see every move, every drop of sweat, without the Byakugan.
She loved watching this person, since he was almost the only one coming here. This training ground was nothing compared to the others – it was smaller, the trees were too many to get an actual ground – and yet, he came here almost every day to train.
Uchiha Sasuke.
How easy it would be for her to reach after her senbon and just aim. Aim and throw. And he would be dead. He would be lying on the ground, his crimson blood mixing with dirt and streaming between the grass straws.
Death. She could kill him. Her fingers were itching, but her mind would never allow her to do such a vile thing. Not many would miss Sasuke, but the only one who would was too important to her. She could – would – never take away his most precious person just because she wanted to.
She closed her eyes, listening to Sasuke's low sounds. He was throwing shuriken today. Every throw was carelessly aimed, and yet he managed to get them exactly where he wanted. By the time he was done, he settled for just sitting by a tree trunk and relax.
She knew that he wasn't relaxing much – he seemed to be deep in thought. He was probably thinking about her loved one. Her loved one who was making his way there. She leaned forward, so that she could see him better.
Naruto had gotten a little colour on his cheeks. From the walk here, she guessed. The sun was shining on them as vigorously as it did every day. He was wearing a long-sleeved, navy blue shirt though, that couldn't be his.
Sasuke didn't seem to sense nor hear Naruto's arrival, since he just sat there. His legs were spread, bent at the knee as his rested his arms on them. He looked slightly haunted, with his eyes closed, but she didn't care about that.
Naruto reached Sasuke, and the Uchiha opened one of his eyes. Sasuke spread his legs more, reaching out his arms. Naruto got the hint and sat down between Sasuke's legs, his lover's arms embracing him.
She saw that Sasuke was about to speak up and so, she immediately left. It was one thing to spy on them. She gladly did that every time they came to this training ground, but she would never listen to their conversations.
Whenever Sasuke spoke, he had something important to say, and she didn't want to disgrace his words with her presence. Maybe her presence would make them less meaningful.
UAUAUA
"Did you eat the food I brought you?" Sasuke muttered, not wanting to show his concern. Naruto nodded, grinning brightly in that way only Naruto could. Then Naruto stood up, pulling in Sasuke's hand slightly. The Uchiha stood up, following his secret lover.
They walked through the small training ground, ending up in the other side of the forest, where the grass was almost a meter high and the trees were few. There were clouds on the sky, but it didn't stop the vibrant sun to make them sweat before they even had reached their destination.
Naruto stopped in the middle of the field, putting his hands on Sasuke's shoulders. Sasuke smiled, putting his hands on Naruto's butt as their legs got tangled and they fell to the ground. The grass was soft enough to sleep on, Sasuke noticed, even though he had no intentions of sleeping.
He watched as Naruto took off the long-sleeved shirt and threw it away. It flew over the grass, only to land somewhere. Sasuke chuckled, knowing that they would have to search for the shirt later on. And when Naruto smiled big with him, he couldn't help but feel his heart ache.
UAUAUA
Shikamaru had no interest in interfering with others' business. He liked not to get involved in anything. Drama and rumours didn't amuse him. He just liked watching the clouds here. He had been there first, so it wasn't his fault.
He wasn't the one who was supposed to find a new place.
It was they, Naruto and Sasuke, who should be more careful with what kind of places they choose for their... activities. Shikamaru couldn't see them, since the grass was too high, but he could hear them.
He was lying there, stiff, listening as Sasuke gave a dark chuckle. It was as close to laughter the Uchiha would ever come, Shikamaru understood, but it sounded so genuine. For two seconds, he had to fight the urge to sit up and see what had Sasuke chuckling.
UAUAUA
"What's got your panties in knot, Kiba?"
Kiba spun around, rolling his eyes at the sight of his older sister, Hana. She sat down next to him on his bed, her eyes gliding over all the boxes. She was a few years older than he was, and had yet to move from the compound.
From what Kiba knew, Hana wanted to stay there. "What do you want Hana?" He wanted her to leave. He wanted to stare at the boxes for awhile before he started to move them to his new apartment. It was pretty close to Naruto's place, so he was a bit eager to get going.
"I was just wondering... Mom said that she heard from that Yamanka-girl's dad that the Uchiha brat is nailing your Naruto. Is it true?"
Kiba stared at his sister in shock. "What's wrong with you?!"
Hana merely raised her brows in mild surprise. Kiba was loud by nature, so it wasn't unusual to have him yelling when he got upset or excited. "Nothing's wrong with me. What's wrong with you? You interested in Uchiha or what? I mean, I can understand that. For a brat, he is–"
"Hana!" Kiba got off the bed, his face scrunched up in disgust. "I'd wring Uchiha's neck if I got the chance. And I'm not going to confirm anything just so you can go around and gossip. Naruto's my best friend, Hana!"
Hana stayed silent, staring at her younger brother. Kiba stared back, unable to understand what had gone wrong with his sister. She was exactly like his mother – brash and too curious for her own good. So what if he shared those qualities with them?
She chuckled. "Good luck with the blonde kid, brother dearest. I'm sure you'll have him interested as soon as you have wringed Uchiha's neck."
She left the room without a second glance at her brother, leaving Kiba more confused than ever.
UAUAUA
Sakura leaned down, picking up the small child from his bed. He was light as a feather, but his cheeks were just as chubby as hers had been when she was a baby. He was a beautiful boy, she had to admit.
Yet, she found herself depressed by the mere thought of her child.
She held him against her hip, a steady grip, as she moved across the kitchen to prepare lunch for herself and Sai. Sai was sitting by the kitchen table, painting something. The strokes of his pencil against the paper made Sakura shiver, and she had to close her eyes and stop.
"Could you please stop that?" Her voice was weak, and she barely felt the grip on her baby loosen.
Sai looked up, wondering if his former teammate was talking to him or to the small child. He tilted his head at Sakura's back. Her pink hair seemed to have paled and was in a mess. She had long ago put away her red dress and the green shorts she usually wore. They didn't fit her body anymore – too tight, like a cage.
The dark cargo-pants and the pale yellow t-shirt just didn't seem right on her; even if she had changed since she gave birth to the precious boy she was holding.
Sai's narrow eyes moved up to the baby, noticing the slack grip her baby boy was held with. He stood up, abandoning his picture to walk up to Sakura. He took the child in his own arms, and with that, seemingly taking the last that kept Sakura from breaking.
She fell to her knees, hiding her aging face with rough hands. The sobs she emitted appeared to awake something in the boy, as he also started crying. Sai's eyebrow ticked, but he immediately found himself. He kneeled next to his friend.
Hesitatingly, he wrapped his free arm around the girl. He tried to be as gentle as possible, for he knew that girls were fragile.
Sai knew exactly how to describe women – he had met his fair share, but had yet to understand anyone. Therefore, he would like to refer them as papers.
Thin, beautiful papers. Filled with words. If you knew the language, perhaps you could understand them. Perhaps there were too difficult words for you, and you could never understand, even if you spoke the language perfectly.
Thin, beautiful papers. If you weren't careful, your finger would soon bleed prettily. For Sai knew that paper cuts stung badly.
UAUAUA
"More? You want more."
Naruto nodded slowly, his lips parting. He shifted a little in his position; straddling Sasuke's lap. He could feel the Uchiha's bulge against his bottom, but it didn't bother him in the least. He looked down on Sasuke, taking Sasuke's lower lip between his sharp teeth.
He wanted Sasuke to kiss him again and again, but it seemed that Sasuke had other ideas. He bucked his hips up, his hands wandering over Naruto's naked back, caressing, touching. His lip hurt a little when the blonde let it go, breathing out in Sasuke's ear.
Naruto closed his eyes, his nose rubbing against Sasuke's in a vain attempt to have the Uchiha kiss him again. His breath was hot against Sasuke skin, and Naruto pretended not to notice the way Sasuke opened his mouth to inhale his lover's breath.
He put his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, one hand coming up to nestle in the black bird nest that was Sasuke's hair. He tugged a little, making Sasuke groan and push Naruto closer. The blonde tried to press his lips against Sasuke's, but failed.
He was pressed backwards, falling down on the bed. Sasuke was soon over him, pinning him to the bed. He didn't move to do anything, though, and Naruto wrapped his legs around Sasuke's waist. They were still wearing pants, which were uncomfortable in more than one way, but Naruto wasn't sure that he wanted to be completely naked yet.
Sasuke's hands ran over the back of Naruto's thighs, stopping right under the blonde's butt to massage and caress. The Uchiha looked back on Naruto's face, licking his lips and waiting for any kind of sign. It was easy to read Naruto's body language, and Sasuke had always found it simple.
Naruto did something very unusual then, and Sasuke's eyes widened. The blonde leaned his chin up, looking at Sasuke with something childish in his eyes, and with a small smile on his lips that seemed to be ready to bloom into a full grin.
Naruto moved his hands from Sasuke's hair, resting them on the bed above his head. The palms were facing upwards, so that Sasuke could clearly see them. It took the older man a few seconds to comprehend what Naruto meant by such a gesture, since he had never seen it before.
Smirking, Sasuke leaned down and captured the – for now – submissive Naruto. He was hell-bent on savouring this moment, as Naruto would be back into his proud, dominant ways of living in mere hours.
He unbuttoned Naruto's pants hurriedly, as if afraid that the blonde was just messing with him. Sasuke bit his tongue, not wanting to destroy this moment by talking – for how many times hadn't he told Naruto that his talking ruined the moment?
Some would say that a submissive Naruto was plain boring. They would be right, and Sasuke would agree with them. He enjoyed the strong man that Naruto was – his equal. Yet, he also enjoyed those few occasions when Naruto would rely on him completely, let him do all the work.
Sasuke was a perfectionist, and often wanted everything done in his way. Naruto was often there to screw his plans up, though, or to do things in ways Sasuke hadn't even considered. Most of the time, it was okay, boarding to annoying, but it was something that Sasuke had gotten used to.
So he would have to take his chance now that Naruto let him do what he wanted, for once.
As soon as he had Naruto fully naked, he started to undress himself. His pants and boxers ended up hanging from one of his ankles over the bed's edge. He grabbed one of Naruto's legs, putting it on his shoulder as he guided his cock to Naruto's hole with the other hand.
Naruto sucked in breath, throwing his head back as Sasuke slowly went inside. His hands were still thrown over his head, the slender fingers twitching now and then. Sasuke took pleasure in knowing that Naruto could be so utterly relaxed around him.
Ever since he came back, people had had a hard time accepting his presence or loosen up around him. It suited him fine, though. The only one he needed was Naruto. And at the moment, Sasuke didn't care if every other shinobi started dropping dead on the ground.
He supported himself on his elbows as he leaned down to kiss the blonde. "Suck," he whispered. His lips brushed against Naruto's as he talked, and it made him shiver. He moved his hips slowly in small movements, so that Naruto got the chance to suck his tongue.
Naruto obeyed, parting his lips and taking in Sasuke's tongue in his mouth, sucking. Sasuke closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of his tongue in Naruto's mouth. His dick went in and out of the blonde, and he broke free from the younger man's kiss in order to lean his forehead against Naruto's neck.
The legs wrapped around Sasuke's waist tightened their grip, but otherwise, Naruto lay completely still as the Uchiha fucked him. He closed his ice blue eyes, his fingernails leaving marks in his palms and his toes curling.
Sasuke groaned lowly in Naruto's ear. Each time he pulled out, he could feel how Naruto clenched to keep him there. He thrust back in, having Naruto arch up from the bed, their chests touching. He put one of his hands on Naruto's outer thigh, a firm grip, and leaned on his free elbow.
Naruto gasped, arching and his muscles tensing. He parted his lips in a silent scream, his eyes widening as he climaxed. His cum spurted out over his and Sasuke's stomachs, and his hands, still thrown above his head, were now fists.
Sasuke continued to move, knowing that he would orgasm anytime soon, seeing as Naruto was now satisfied. The sperm on their stomachs was rubbed out over their chests as Sasuke kept moving.
Deeper. Harder. Faster.
Naruto inhaled sharply as Sasuke ejaculated inside of him, tickling his insides. He closed his eyes, relaxing as the Uchiha rolled off of him. Sasuke looked over at him, his eyes clouded. They stayed like that until Naruto felt as if he was going to fall asleep any second. It was then Sasuke finally regained his strength and sat up.
"Naruto... About the other night, with Sakura..."
Naruto opened his eyes again, wanting to forget about what Sasuke was talking about. The Uchiha, however, had no plans to shut up anytime soon.
"Maybe it would be the best for both of us if we told the others."
Naruto sent Sasuke a sharp look, which soon melted into a questioning one. He didn't understand why that would be the best. What good could possibly come out from going public? He sat up, pulling the covers up over his privates.
Sasuke tugged the cover off of him, throwing it on the floor. "Don't cover up for me, moron," he spat harshly. Naruto glared back at him, and Sasuke gave up. He sighed. "I'm going to come out with our relationship, Naruto. It was meant to happen. Sakura was just a sign to get our asses out of the carriage."
No! Naruto shook his head, bangs of gold sticking to his sweaty forehead.
"And how are you going to stop me?" Sasuke let out a dry chuckle. "You're going to tell them that I'm lying? How are you planning to do that, Naruto? Are you going to write it down for them?"
The blonde's eyebrows furrowed, confused and wondering why Sasuke was saying such awful things. He reached out to touch Sasuke's shoulder, try to persuade him into staying silent about their affair.
"Stop it!" Sasuke snarled. "I can't stand this secrecy anymore! It's sickening."
Naruto gasped, flinching back from Sasuke as the Uchiha stood up, towering over him. He shook his head, but Sasuke merely glared at him. While he couldn't understand why it was so important for them to go public, he also understood that Sasuke didn't want to hide.
"Knock it off. Don't look like that – it's pathetic. Go to sleep, for fuck's sake." Sasuke sent Naruto a last glare before he walked out of the room, closing the door calmly behind himself.
Naruto sat there, left to figure out why Sasuke was being so mean.
To Be Continued
