Confluence
By Violet Garnets
Chapter Six: Flipside
o-x-o-x-o
Considering that he'd been gone for two years, to say that Naruto was enjoying his time back would be an understatement. He considered every day a blessing, to be back in a place he would always call home. He had missed the smell of the trees found only in the village, the taste of Teuchi's ramen, the sight of Hokage Monument towering over everything, the sound of Sakura's laughter, and the feel of sparring with Kakashi once more. He had missed that last one most of all.
During his travels (although everyone else called it an exile, Naruto had always firmly believed otherwise) with Tenzou, he had a lot to think about. After all, he couldn't spar or train much under the guise of a civilian, so he ended up musing over the state of things instead. Along with thinking about how he should approach the Akatsuki situation and how the hell he was going to get Sasuke back, the matters of love crept into his mind. A year into it, he finally figured out that he was in love. With Hatake Kakashi, of all people.
It took him another four months and twenty-two days to actually accept the idea.
It was just…absurd, really. He had always had a respect and level of admiration for his sensei. Of course as he came of age and began to distinguish what attracted him, then he found Kakashi's strong build and dark eyes very handsome, but…rather he just wished he looked as cool as his sensei. He never thought it would amount to love. But the world worked in mysterious, magical, incredibly stupid ways. And by the time Naruto figured it all out, he found himself far, far gone for the Copycat Ninja.
When the news came that the elders were allowing Naruto to come back home, he had it all planned out. With his new knowledge and skill, he would wow the council with his prowess and maturity, take Sasuke back home where he belonged, and win Kakashi-sensei's heart. He had repeated all the steps in his head on the way back, until he could say them in his sleep. Yamato had said that Naruto muttered "step forty-two: kiss sensei" once in his sleep. Naruto had turned a fierce red and shouted that he had no idea what the older man was talking about. Unfortunately, Yamato proved to be much more insightful than Naruto had hoped.
Yet, when he came back to Konoha, everything changed. The place or the people hadn't changed, but all his grand plans came to naught. He had forgotten that Sasuke wasn't a stagnant person. He had changed, and Naruto couldn't do anything to stop that. The exhibition for the council hadn't come up yet, but he was sure he'd mess that up somehow. As for his ideas about confessing his love…well, he had never been the most eloquent person in the world, and found himself saying comfortable things around Kakashi.
He really didn't have anyone to go to for help; although Tenzou knew of his secret, the Mokuton user wasn't exactly experienced in the ways of wooing. Naruto was too embarrassed and worried to bring it up to Iruka, and he had a feeling Sakura had somehow always known even before he did, but she had been so busy lately and he didn't want to bother her…
So somehow he ended up asking Ino for relationship advice.
He certainly hadn't intended to; the meal with Team 10 was supposed to be small talk, recapping all the moments they had missed in each other's lives. It had started out well: various missions where Shikamaru's reliable intellect, Ino's reliable charisma, or Choji's reliable hugeness saved them all, how Naruto handled being a citizen, and occasionally Sai would ask a question so naïve it made the others smile nervously. They were comfortable things to talk about. Easy things. Killing and fighting slipped off the tongue so much more fluidly than something like love.
"So, Naruto," Choji said between bites of a tender piece of peppered pork, "did you get a girlfriend? Being a civilian and all, I heard that's all they do since they don't fight and stuff."
"A girlfriend?" Naruto sputtered, his eyes widening.
Sai smiled, his eyes closed, and piped in, "I think Naruto's penis size is much too small for women to consider him as a sexual partner."
At that, Choji choked. He pawed the table with one hand for his water, clutching his neck with the other hand. Shikamaru shook his head. Naruto didn't even register Sai's words, the word 'girlfriend' still running through his mind.
Ino, obviously intrigued by the new conversation topic, leaned forward. Her chopsticks dangled in her hand, bobbing up and down. "Well?"
"Hell no!" He said, his smile so big even his molars were visible. "Shinobi don't have time for that, right? Hey, Choji, your beef is burning!"
Choji yelped and effectively turned their attention away.
But Ino was more persistent than he had hoped. "Naruto, seriously. Anyone at all?"
Naruto shook his head, filled with the greatest reluctance. "I didn't meet anyone special during my trip."
The blonde kunoichi pouted and her shoulders sank. "Seriously? You've never met anyone you thought was attractive?"
The strong chin of his sensei came to mind and Naruto shook his head again. "There's someone…"
Ino's eyes sparkled, reflective of her renewed excitement. "It's someone from Konoha, then?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Naruto huffed, crossing his arms. His face felt warm and he silently willed it to cool down. He failed terribly.
Shikamaru cut in smoothly. "Don't bother him too much, Ino. It'll be troublesome."
The girl waved him off with her chopsticks. "Maa, maa, I won't ask for details then! How long have you liked this person then?"
Naruto, despite his embarrassment, felt a sort of gratitude to Ino for showing such an interest in something he had never been able to talk about. "About a year, I guess," he muttered.
She grinned. "Must be love then. Why haven't you done anything about it?"
"What makes you think I haven't?" he retorted, feeling strangely defensive.
"You wouldn't mind sharing who it was if you had."
Sai nodded slowly. "She does have a point, the beautiful one." By now Ino had figured out that Sai's nickname for her didn't mean what she had thought it meant, but she had also gotten over the fact that he found her unattractive. That was just how Sai was.
Defeated, Naruto slumped into his chair. "They're kind of a hard person to talk about that stuff with," he admitted.
"Shinobi usually stick to the bare essentials. To think about love is more a privilege than anything," Shikamaru said as he reached for some grilled vegetables. "You had the chance to be 'normal' and actually consider such feelings. Whoever you like, he probably spent the majority of his life working."
"He? What do you mean by he?" Naruto barked, butterflies filling his stomach.
Shikamaru furrowed his eyebrows. "Is that what I said?"
Naruto blanched. "Er…didn't you?"
Choji wiped his mouth neatly with his napkin and decided to add in his two cents. "Yeah, you did. But Naruto-kun isn't gay."
"Or…is he?" Ino's eyes shone with a devious light.
Naruto's lips grew thin.
Considering the situation, Sai tilted his head. "It would make sense. The way he looks at him."
"Who?" Ino, Choji, and Naruto all balked.
The pale-skinned boy shot a look at Shikamaru, who slowly nodded. "I have noticed that. Good call, Sai."
The boy smirked in response.
Ino shook her head. "I don't understand how you two know more gossip than I do. This is ridiculous."
"We're breaking stereotypes," Shikamaru said. "And apparently so is someone else here."
He didn't look over at Naruto, but the blonde boy flushed darkly anyway. Naruto looked away and tried to focus his hazy blue eyes on something else. What he caught was a glimpse of silver spikes by a nearby building. Kakashi met his gaze and, although he looked a tad surprised, it was quickly replaced by the same relaxed expression he always had. The older man gave him a quick nod with his head and turned away.
Naruto stood up lightning fast and nearly bowled the table over while doing so. He gripped onto the edge with one hand and pulled out his wallet with the other, slapping a handful of money on the table. Well aware of how awkward he looked, he only spit out, "Got something to do, I'll see you guys later!" He ran off without another word, hoping he'd catch up with Kakashi. He did. As soon as he turned the corner, his nose made contact with a broad chest. He groaned, knowing full well his face was probably progressing from dark red to some shade of purple.
"You probably shouldn't run headfirst into situations you're unaware of." Kakashi said, his voice betraying no emotion other than a sort of bemusement. Naruto felt a gloved hand pat him on the head.
The blonde slowly brought his hands up to the other man's chest to push himself off, but he let his hands linger— just for a fraction of a second longer than necessary. When he finally pulled away, his fingers still tingled from the minute contact. He laughed, absolutely petrified in front of this man. "So, ah, Kakashi-sensei, did you need something?"
Kakashi's eyes turned cold, and Naruto felt a chilly wave creep into the alleyway. He shivered, despite the copious amount of sun shining on them. "The council wants to see you. Tomorrow," the jounin said. His voice only added to the frigid atmosphere.
"Kakashi?" Naruto asked, well aware he was dropping the normal suffix. "Is something wrong?"
Then, just like that, Kakashi broke out of his mood and the tension in the air dispelled. His eye curved to indicate his smile (although Naruto was pretty sure there were no curving lips underneath that mask) and he placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "It's nothing, Naruto. I was just thinking of strange things."
"Alright then." But Naruto didn't believe him, not for a moment. Despite the fact Kakashi was known to be Konoha's most prominent shinobi, something was bothering him so much he couldn't hide it from Naruto, known to be the village moron. Something strange...But he would leave it for the moment. Kakashi would tell him in time, if he deemed it necessary.
Sighing, he looked at the other man and beamed brightly. "Well, do you have plans for the rest of the day?"
"Um...no. Why?"
Seizing up the little bits of courage in him, Naruto grabbed onto Kakashi's arm with both hands and pulled him out of the alleyway, into the main street full of vendors and their wares. "You should come along with me, then!" A faux confidence filled his voice, despite the fact his arms shook uncontrollably. He bobbed his legs up and down to hide the involuntary shaking.
Kakashi tilted his head. "Where?"
Naruto shrugged, and the smooth cotton of his black shirt shifted softly, wrinkling the orange patterns on the sleeve. "I don't know. Where haven't you gone in a while?"
"Do you really want to know?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and Naruto wondered if it was meant to be skeptical, or a little suggestive. He decided to go with the latter.
"If it's about you, then I'll always want to know," he said, glancing to the side as he did so. He was still walking backwards, pulling Kakashi towards him. He silently hoped he wasn't turning red.
Kakashi seemed to have turned a faint pink, but the teen couldn't quite tell since he barely saw a fourth of the man's face. He muttered, "Wherever you want to go is fine."
Naruto grinned to himself, proud of the fact that he managed to stupefy the great Hatake Kakashi, and decided to let his feet go as they pleased and hoped they ended up somewhere interesting. Eventually he faced forward and walked side-by-side with the jounin. But he refused to let go of the older man's arm. Said older man didn't seem to mind too much. It was late afternoon, and the heat kept most people indoors for the day, relishing in the coolness of their homes. No one noticed Naruto's hand wrapped lightly around the forearm of his sensei.
Eventually they found themselves at Kakashi's apartment complex. The two of them looked at one another, the same perplexed expression on their faces- or at least the same perplexed eyes. Naruto couldn't tell if the other man's mouth was gaping. But he bet it was.
"W-why here?" Kakashi finally sputtered.
The blonde teenager had nothing to say. So he just shrugged and pulled the man up the stairs, coming up with something as he went along. He proceeded with a stream-of-consciousness ramble. "Well, you know, I haven't seen the inside of your apartment and stuff, sensei! I mean, the outside is nice and I bet you have this huge place full of crazy porno books and—"
"They're good works of literature," Kakashi interjected.
"—yeah, and I mean, I've known you since I was a little preteen and I haven't seen your place yet. That's kind of crazy!" He stopped and shifted his eyes back and forth. "Um...where exactly is your apartment?"
The man closed his visible eye and shook his head, chuckling a little. "Here, come with me," he whispered, his voice hardly audible. He pulled his arm out of Naruto's grip and then, as fluidly as rivers run, it founds its way around the young blonde's shoulder.
Naruto stiffened. His eyes grew to the size of large saucers. The world seemed to slow down. A single action, of placing an arm around him for no apparent reason, made a small feeling inside him multiply. Exponentially.
"You all right, Naruto?"
And time swung back into its normal pace. Naruto shook his head. "Yeah, I'm good," he said, a huge smile slipping onto his face. "Where is it?"
"Just down here. It's not much though, I'm warning you." With a gentle pressure, Kakashi eased him in the right direction. Pulling out some keys, the man unlocked the door and it opened with a whining creak.
o-x-o-x-o
Maa. I hope looking into Naruto's mindset was fine with you all. It just seemed suitable for the upcoming chapters. This one doesn't really move plot along too much, but transitions are necessary to a good story, ne? I hope this one was a good transition… Hmm.
I have a terrible habit of just focusing a story on the two main characters and hardly giving others a chance to be explored. My greatest apologies. I'll do my best to rectify that with visits from Team 10, Sai, Sakura, and the rest.
Anyway, thank you for the 35 favorites and 75 alerts, along with all the reviews! I appreciate every single gesture you all bestow on my little self.
As always, reviews are always heavily loved and appreciated!
Ja ne,
Vi
