Author's Notes:
Thank you all for your beautiful reviews! I'm sorry for the delay, there were some technocologies. But everything is well now! *Grins*. A major thanks to my amazing Beta, Missbip0lar, for her work. And I'd leave you all now to enjoy this chapter! It's my personal favorite, so far anyway.
Naruto stuffed the blue handkerchief deep inside his pocket and looked with uncertain eyes to the raven dribbling the ball across the court. As his eyes watched the smooth moves replay, he released a sigh. Sasuke was really amazing, his skills and strategies have made the desire to win in the other players die down. And even though Shikamaru and Neji weren't playing, they had already scored a win. It was in fact a gift game, given to the first years to check their progress and how they'd perform in an on-spotlight actual game, of course with Sasuke as to insure the wining. He bit his lips, if only he wasn't holding a broken arm, he'd have been there with them, sharing the lights instead of cheering like a helpless fool on the benches.
A slap on his back pulled him out of his self-pity to the teen sitting beside him; he turned to find an obviously unhappy Neji glaring at him.
"Naruto! We are entering the fourth quarter now and I've not heard your voice come out this whole damn time! Don't think just because you're now sitting on a bench that you can't do anything for the team! They need our voices to support them, so let your voice out this instant! Cheer!"
Naruto gave his Senpai an apologetic smile and with a head shake to his inner-agony, he started cheering. As he did so, the players sitting beside him began to cheer louder. Naruto felt a sense of comfort wash over him at their support and silently, he sent Neji a thanks. Even if he wasn't playing right now, in two weeks, he would be. There was nothing to feel down about.
Of course, their team won one hundred and five to eighty seven. It was a slam dunk victory in which they decided to celebrate to. Their next match was the day after tomorrow, and with their spirits in the sky, they were sure they'd win it, too. Clearly, they needed to beat three opponents out of five to get qualified to the semi-finals. This was their first game; they still had four more to go. And although they came as the runner-ups in last year's Interhigh, Naruto was sure they'd get first place this year. 'Cause second just wouldn't do.
The cold night's air hit the players as they stepped outside the big stadium.
"Alright everyone, get into the van. We're going to the hotel that I told you about."
Naruto looked at the Chinese girl holding the charts, he'd come to learn her name to be Tenten, she was their supposed manager. Apparently, she was hospitalized for an injury that she'd gotten in her track team, and that's why he didn't meet her when he first enlisted. Naruto thought that she was a nice girl, but would turn into a demon at practice. There were times that he thought he'd seen her horns poking out of her head alongside the fork she used to poke their asses with. She was one fierce and scary girl in his opinion.
Naruto followed his other teammates inside the van and it started rolling. He noted the absence of Neji and Sasuke, then shrugged it the next second. Right now, the last person he wanted to see was Sasuke, and it had nothing to do with the incident that had happened between them a while ago. No, it was because he was too chicken to face the raven, and thinking of him didn't help in the fact that he was trying to avoid him. Naruto sighed.
"Naruto, hey, listen, I need a favor."
Naruto turned his head from the window to the red-haired sitting beside him, he smiled at his friend. "Anything I can help with."
"Great! I want you to switch beds with me tonight."
Puzzled at the request, he knotted his brows. "Is there something wrong with your bed?"
"Naaah, it's just…." Gaara frowned and sat right on the tight chair, cursing his manager for getting them such a tight van. "This will be my first night here, and I just know that Neji is up to something. He was smiling too much today, nothing good happens when Neji smiles."
"Aren't you being overly suspicious? I don't think he'd do anything to you here, we're out of his territory."
"You don't know him as I do, so please leave the judging up to me."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Okay, let's say he is up to something, what could he possibly do in a hotel room with me rooming three meters away from your bed?"
"A lot! So, will you switch with me or not?"
"If it's bothering you so much, sure, nothing forbids it."
Gaara released a sigh. "Thank you, I hope with this, I can be saved."
Naruto gave the other a compassionate look and hoped for whatever their beautiful Senpai was plotting to not hurt Gaara too much, for after all, they still needed him for their next match.
The rest of the evening was peaceful. They reached the hotel, glad to see it was as Tenten had described, nice, fashionable, old and cozy. The group had their dinner in peace and each two were taken to their assigned room after. One room had three players because Tenten refused to share hers with a guy. And of course, not wanting the wrath to fall on him, Lee took his stuff and went to bunk in Shikamaru and Kankuro's room. Before she could go to sleep, Tenten slipped a training paper under the rooms of her players, reminding them verbally that they'd need to wake up at seven exactly to start the training. The guys who played the game groaned but kept it quiet; knowing that if she heard them, whatever exercises she had in mind would triple.
Naruto turned on the lights and put his sports bag on the comfortable bed that had the label 'Gaara' on it then took a seat.
"I'm not sure why I'm here….I can't play yet."
"But you're still a member of the team; we couldn't just dump you there."
"Guess not, but it's boring. You guys can go do all these wonderful exercises while I'm just left to study basketball on TV."
"Well, those are the orders; you can go negotiate with Tenten if you like."
Naruto's face twisted in despair. "No thank you, I want to see the light of tomorrow."
"I thought you might, too. Anyways, I'll go take a shower before I sleep, you coming?"
"Nah~ go ahead, with this arm it takes me a while to be able to shower right."
Gaara smiled at his friend and slipped out the door. Naruto threw himself on the bed and closed his eyes. It was a very exhausting day. Sure he didn't really play, but screaming and shouting was really taking a toll on him, he didn't know that it was this tiring to scream your lungs dry till he did it. But….his left hand felt the inside of his pocket; he brought the beautifully designed handkerchief to his line of sight, and smiled at it remembering its owner.
Sasuke had looked marvelous today. Naruto wasn't counting from the start, but from the time he started, the raven alone had scored close to forty five points. Such amazing skill, he felt bad knowing that this year would be its last time getting showed to public.
He still didn't know of the reason that Sasuke was quitting basketball, and he wanted to find out. But, he wasn't ready for a face-off just yet. That day, when Iruka had came back and started cleaning; he came across Sasuke's handkerchief. Naruto was a bit happy to have something of the raven's 'cause now he had a reason to go see him, but as many chances as he'd had to just walk right up to Sasuke and hand it to him, his feet refused to budge. He knew that if he did, there would cease to be something that connected them together, and he didn't want to see that happen.
Naruto sighed and returned the handkerchief to his left pocket. This wasn't a matter that needed to be solved right this instant. He had more important things to do, like changing.
Just when he took off his low cut shirt, the door to his room flung open revealing his grinning Senpai. Naruto sweat dropped.
"If you're looking for Gaara, he's already left."
"Oh cute Naru-chan no, I'm not looking for that big bad wolf, I'm looking for you~"
Neji closed the door behind him and made his way towards the now seriously confused blond.
"Me? What for?"
"I want to make a little deal with you."
"A deal?"
"Yep, I want you to trade rooms with me; this shall go undetected to Tenten's ears, of course. And in return, I'll tell you anything you want to know about Sasuke."
Naruto's eyes got excited for a second at the sentence but then returned to their normal size when he remembered just who he was with.
"What makes you think I want to know anything about him?"
"Oh nothing, just the fact that you stare at him almost every second of every practice we have."
Naruto turned his head away from the observant raven blushing.
"T-That's not true."
"AHA! Just now you stuttered! Stuttering is the first proof that you're lying….you know, I'm the only one who knows almost everything about Sasuke. After all, I have been with him since we were kids and through Middle School years and I was the one who recruited him for this school. Even if you search, you'll never find a better information center than me."
The tempting lilac orbs were drawing him; Naruto's mouth opened to approve, for this was a chance presenting itself to him, but….
"I'm sorry, Senpai." He winced at his own words. "Even though I really, really want to take you up on that offer, I can't. Nothing I learn on my own will do, he needs to tell me stuff about himself on his own. If not, it doesn't matter to me."
"You sure about that?"
"Yes."
"One hundred percent sure?"
"Yes."
"Nothing would change your mind?"
"For God's sake, yes! So drop it, Senpai!"
Neji sighed and returned a stray hair back to the place it dropped from when he sighed. "I didn't want to do this, but you're leaving me no choice here."
"Do what?"
"Seeing as you've refused my first offer, there is a second one but it's not much of an offer. If you refuse to trade rooms with me, I'll make sure you're not to play in any game after your arm heals, and make no mistakes Naruto, I can pull you off the team with a flick of my finger."
Horrified eyes faced him. "You wouldn't!"
"Wouldn't I? I save no means to get my prize. It's up to you to decide your basketball future."
It didn't take long for Naruto to crack after that, and as he packed his stuff to go to Neji's room, he sent a silent apology to his red haired ex-roommate. Gaara was in for a hell of a ride, he prayed silently for him not to be eaten whole since the devil was now tailing him with all his fangs bare.
Room thirteen. That was the room Neji told him he should go to. Although Neji didn't tell him who he was rooming with, Naruto thought it to be Shikamaru. Wasn't it kinda obvious for the Captain and the Vice- Captain to room together? Not wanting to come off as impolite, he knocked on the door.
There was no answer for five minutes, and Naruto was really getting tired of waiting. He calmly checked the knob and it was open, he turned it and sure thing, the door opened. Naruto was shocked for a minute at finding the sleeping form of Sasuke splayed on one of the beds. As the door behind him started squeaking to close, Sasuke started moving. Swiftly, Naruto was jolted out of his shock to close the door more quietly and not wake the sleeping raven. Happy that the obviously exhausted player didn't wake up, he made his way to the bed that was supposed to be his.
Getting switched into his sleep clothes was his next step. Carefully, Naruto pulled his shirt over his head and pulled a comfortable one on his bare chest. Next was the big problem, unbuckling and getting his pants off with one hand. It was a fight, a tough one at that in which he had to remain silent. But he did it; he gritted his frustration and was able to get the jeans off. Reminding himself mentally to switch to baggy pants from now on. No matter how uncool he looked in them, they were hell of a lot easier to take off compared to these damn jeans.
When done, he pulled the handkerchief out of his pocket and placed it under his pillow, this time, he was sure to return it to its owner….just not now, but first thing in the morning. With that scheme in mind, Naruto postponed the thought of showering to the next day –he wasn't all that dirty, turned off the lights, put a blanket over Sasuke and surrendered to sweet sleep.
He was unaware of the black orbs that glittered in the shadows watching him with a puzzled expression.
Gaara told himself he was becoming a lot like what Naruto had said, overly suspicious, and paranoid. But through his shower, he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something that he wouldn't like waiting for him in his room. He swallowed hard and took an extra long time showering, just to avoid getting to his room and facing whatever his stomach was doing flip-flops for. Still, it was inevitable for this to happen, if there was anything bad waiting for him, then he'll face it like a man.
He shook at the notion.
As he neared the door to his room, he told himself to stop with this childish fear and just go to sleep, that the smile on Neji's face meant nothing. Oooh how much he wished to be one of those people who lie and believe their own lies right now.
With shaking hands, Gaara opened the door, and at that moment, he felt his stomach drop.
"What took you so damn long! I was getting tired already."
"Wha…." Gaara took three deep breaths then found his voice. "What are you doing here!"
Neji smirked. "I'm your new roommate. Naruto switched with me…"
Gaara swallowed the sudden lump that appeared in his throat, but it refused to budge. "How did you do it? Tenten clearly clarified that no rooms are to get exchanged!"
"What she doesn't know won't hurt her. Just come inside, I won't bite….well not much anyway."
As he made his way to his bed, Gaara cursed Naruto. "That traitor, I can't believe he sold me out like that!"
"If it's any condolences, it was either you or his basketball future. He went for the latter."
"Tsk, that's an obvious bluff, no matter how rotten you are….and make no mistakes you're a bad apple to the core, you'd never pull something as cheap as that."
Neji left his bed and walked to the other smiling. "Yes, but he doesn't know that. And I'm sure you won't want him to get hurt. 'Cause even if I can't pull him out the team, I can still hurt a bone or two in his body."
Gaara didn't fight the tender hands cupping his face, nor the soft kiss to his lips.
"Why are you doing this?"
Neji put his hands on Gaara's neck and pulled him closer to his face. "Isn't it obvious? Because I love you."
"Love doesn't do this."
"Mine does. And I'll do everything I can to make sure you know that."
Neji pushed Gaara on the bed then climbed on top of him.
"I'm dead tired, Neji."
"No you're not. What do you think all my hard training to improve your stamina was for?"
Gaara gritted his teeth at the teen undressing above him. "Basketball!"
"Yeah, that's one. But my real goal was this."
"Sex?"
"Not just any sex, sex with me! Delicious hardcore sex! You'll need all the stamina in the world to satisfy me."
Putting his pale hands on his face to hide his frustrated features, Gaara spoke. "Regardless, I can't move a muscle, did you forget that you had me training like a freaking dog last night and before the game had started!"
Neji brushed the sentence aside and started removing Gaara's shirt off his body, exposing the pale flesh beneath.
"Gaara, didn't you know that the sweetest sex you can ever get is when you're extremely exhausted?"
"Where the hell did you hear that bull from! Besides, in this condition, I can't even get it up!"
Smirking at the obvious challenge, Neji slipped one of his hands inside Gaara's boxers, while his other hand started playing with the soft red locks –Gaara's sensitive spot. It didn't take long for the member in Neji hands to come to life and his smirk turned to a tease.
"Who said he can't even get it up?"
"That 'cause you're touching!"
"So….if anyone touches you, you get hard?"
With that lusty expression and those sexy eyes watching him, Gaara lost it and walked right into the tarp that was perfectly made for him.
"I'll pound you so hard; you won't be able to get outta bed tomorrow!"
Neji laughed and let the red haired take the lead, for after all, he wasn't about to ruin his perfect basketball fingers in sex when there was someone out there who was ready to walk him into elegant hard-core ecstatic sex without him moving a muscle.
"Yay, that's my Gaara~"
And no matter what the other guys have heard that night coming from the room next door, none had the courage to go and question the two teens.
Naruto yawned and stretched his left arm to remove what was left of his sleepiness away, he looked to his right ready to meet with those beautiful sharp eyes but no one was there. His eyes switched to the alarm clock presented on the nightstand beside his bed. It read ten thirty five AM. Remembering the paper that was passed to them by Tenten the previous night, he slumped back on bed. Sure thing Sasuke would have gone to training by now and with his broken arm, he wasn't enlisted with the rest of the players.
Naruto sighed and got out the bed, shuffled through his bag and got out a change of clothes along with his toothbrush and headed towards the bathrooms. The only things that this nice hotel didn't have were bathrooms in every single room. They were made together in another section. Naruto rubbed the drowsiness out of his eyes and decided to explore his way to the bathrooms. But, he didn't have to stray long, for he ran into another member of his club.
"Kiba! What are you doing here?" At the hasty look, the ruffled bed hair, Naruto understood. "You slept in late."
"That stupid ass Shino! He just left me there without fucking waking me up!"
"There are alarm clocks in the rooms, you know."
"Alarm clocks are useless to me. Their sound doesn't wake me."
"Maybe Shino didn't know."
"Oh he knows, believe me the fuck knows! Aghhh! Sorry Naruto, I need to rush in now!"
Naruto nodded and watched the late brunet run for his life, he didn't blame him one second, for Tenten's punishment for tardiness is hell. He reached the bathrooms, took his time and then headed down to the restaurant to get some breakfast. Unfortunately, Tenten had a special menu for them to eat, and his had nothing that he'd call delicious. Not being able to change the order since Tenten would find out and then his head would turn up on a stick somewhere, he said his thanks and started digging in, grimacing at the tasteless, flavorless breakfast.
Finished, he pulled the handkerchief from his pocket and decided that today and right now, he'd go search for the raven and give him his handkerchief back, and perhaps catching him in a nice mood so they could speak some more and Sasuke would see that them being friends wasn't really a bad thing. He hoped.
His feet took him to the training center Tenten had also reserved for her team, he got in and soon the sounds of his teammates being tortured came to his ears. He followed the stench of agony to locate them. As he opened the doors, he was greeted with his red haired friend glaring daggers at him. Naruto cringed and sent him an apology sign then swiftly made his way towards their calm Captain; Gaara won't kill him if there were witnesses around, right?
"Yo, Captain, how have you been?"
"The same as last night. What are you doing here?"
"Can't I come watch practice like any normal player?"
"No you can't, you're banned from here and from touching any ball till your arm heals."
"I know, but I got bored! Just let me do some training with my left arm!"
"No. The doctor clearly said to rest from any type of sport, and last time I checked, basketball was a sport. I'm not about to jeopardize the time required for you to get well by unnecessary training."
"It is necessary; I'll be a total failure if I just sit on my ass for three whole weeks!"
"Two and a half. Learn patience, Naruto. You don't want to extend the deadline now with a new injury, or do you?"
Naruto frowned at his composed leader. "You know I don't."
"Then stop nagging at me to let you play, go back to the hotel like a good boy before Tenten spots your ass."
Naruto sighed at his failed attempt, then remembering the true reason why he was where he was, he asked, "Before I leave…..where is Sasuke, Captain? I don't see him here."
Suddenly Shikamaru's calm face twisted into a frown. "How troublesome."
"Huh? Troublesome? You mean something happened to Sasuke?"
"Nothing out of the usual, but he won't be attending today's practice and won't be participating in tomorrow's match, as well."
Worry was so easily taking over him and Naruto with all his might told his growing heartbeats to quiet down.
"Then something is wrong with him! Where is he now?"
"Hey, idiot, calm down. There is nothing wrong with him. Sasuke is perfectly fine, not all people are as dumb as you to get hurt during these days."
"Then why isn't he attending practicing or tomorrow's game?"
"That is something I have decided. I can't reveal the reason to you, since it's his business. But take my word for it; you shouldn't dig this one out."
Naruto knotted his brows. "Is it something that he doesn't want people to know of?"
"Yes."
"Where is he?"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the blond standing before him. "Didn't I just say not to dig this one out?"
"I know, but I can't just leave it be….if there is something that's stopping Sasuke from basketball, I'll take it out! I'm already aware of the fact that he is quitting basketball at the end of this year, he told me so. But I can't agree, unless he gives me a good reason, I can't let him throw something like this away!"
"Naruto….believe me, the answer you're looking for is best left hidden."
"That will be for me to decide, Captain. Where is he? Where is Sasuke?"
Shikamaru scratched his hair and pointed up. "He is supposed to be with Neji at the doctor on the third floor."
"You said he wasn't injured."
"And he isn't."
Before Naruto's mouth could open to protest the contrast, Neji came running to the two teens, stopping whatever sentence Naruto wanted to say for later.
"Shika-chan! It's terrible! I can't find Sasuke anywhere!"
"Huuuh? Weren't you just with him?"
"I looked away for a few seconds and then he vanished; he isn't in any condition to do that, either."
"It's getting worse, right?"
"Yeah…I'm afraid there really isn't much we can do."
"Hey!" Naruto shouted to get the two's attention. "What's going on here!"
"Oh, Naruto-kun, I didn't see you there…"
"What happened to Sasuke?"
Neji crossed his arms and a worried look crossed over his face. "I'm afraid he's gone missing. And he isn't in any condition to wander around alone either."
"I…I'll go search for him!"
Not sticking around to hear the complete story was always one of Naruto's bad habits; he dashed out the door with his two Senpais looking at the dust he left behind.
"I hope he finds him."
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Drop the act, will you? Naruto is already gone."
Neji's mouth broke into a big cheesy grin. "OH! That's expected of our dear Shika-chan, you saw right through me."
"That's 'cause there were a lot of hoops in that lie of yours. So, where is Sasuke really?"
"He is chilling by the back gates. But I really want Naruto to find him."
"He'll get mad if he knew you leaked some information to Naruto."
"Arraa, you are just like the pot calling the kettle black."
Shikamaru released a small smile. "Well, I couldn't just leave him be, I'm their Captain, after all. And…"
"And Sasuke needs a person like Naruto around him, correct?"
"On the dot."
Naruto felt his arm throb in pain from the running he was doing, he ignored his body's cries for comfort and continued his search for Sasuke. Till now, he had searched the whole training centre they were in, the parameters around it thinking that Sasuke may not have gone far and finally, he got back to the hotel, to their joint room wishing to see Sasuke's intoxicating form laying on his bed. But there was no trace of him in all three places.
He kneeled to catch his breath and bit his lips when the pain in his arm increased. Maybe running around aimlessly really wasn't the best way to go around solving this little mystery. He should've stuck around to get more information from Neji about Sasuke, and maybe ask them to pitch in the search, too. Still, he had nothing to do while they had a match tomorrow afternoon and thus; it wasn't fair to get them out of practice.
"Uchiha, where the hell did you go?"
A nice aroma floated to his nostrils, Naruto's head automatically turned to the meat-booth a few meters away from where he stood. The view of the barbecued meat on skewers made his mouth water and his stomach grumbled wanting it. Unconsciously, he walked towards the seats and sat, ordering an amount of beef and pork that would suffice five other human beings beside him.
After finishing the tasty meat, Naruto pulled his wallet out to pay the man. He walked to the counter inspecting his money.
"How was it, boy?"
"Oh, just delicious."
"Hahaha….you won't find any better barbecues out here than mine!"
"Y-Yeah…" Naruto sweat dropped when the money inside his wallet wasn't enough to pay for all the meat he'd consumed. "Umm….Oji-san, I...umm…this is all I have on me right now. If you'd give me five minutes, I'll run back to the hotel and will get you the rest of the money."
The nice smile the man was giving Naruto turned to an angry scowl the next second. "No way in hell! You want to just eat and bail! No one does that in my booth!"
"I won't run…look, I'll give you my ID card as a proof!"
"Are you taking me for a fool, boy! This is a fake! Get my money now, you bailer!"
"I won't bail! I seriously have no more money!"
"Why you little…!"
Naruto closed his eyes at the spatula that was coming down his head, but the contact never came. He opened them again and saw a pale hand holding the wooden spatula away from him.
"Violence isn't good, Oji-san."
Naruto felt his heart throb at the calm voice coming from behind him. And he feared if he turned to meet those eyes, they'd vanish the next moment as a figment of his imagination.
The spatula was yanked out of Sasuke's palm, the man glared at him. "Then let him pay for what he ate!"
"Here, this should be enough."
An amount of money that was more than enough to pay for ten more other dishes Naruto didn't eat was given to the old man; he looked with wide eyes at the money then started collecting it with a happy expression. Sasuke humphed and took the dumbfounded idiot's hand to lead him away.
"You are the dumbest person who has ever walked this Earth, you know that?"
"Umm….I wasn't paying attention to the prices when I ordered." Naruto answered hazily. In his current startle, his brain didn't recognize that he was being insulted and not questioned about what had happened to him.
Sasuke let go of the warm hand he was holding and returned his to his pocket.
"You should return to the hotel, I'm going to train."
At this, Naruto woke up from his trance remembering the real reason why he was out.
"No, you're not."
Sasuke raised a brow and stopped in his tracks. "Excuse me?"
"I've been to the training centre, and Neji said you went missing after he took you to the doctor. You've no practice today and won't be playing in tomorrow's match. So, there is no way you're going to the training centre."
"Just who told you all that bullshit?"
"Shikamaru."
Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and continued walking. "Let's say your words are true, it's none of your business where I go."
"It might be, but I just can't leave you be! I don't know what's wrong with me, but I really, really, really want to be your friend! No matter how many times you mock, insult or belittle me, I still can't stop the desire in me to want to become your friend."
"You-"
"I know what you're going to say, you don't want to be my friend. But why? We didn't even try it; you can't know something will be a failure without trying it!"
Sasuke's eyes turned cold, he came closer to Naruto and stood a few inches away from him. "I can't become your friend because I don't like you. In fact, I hate you. The way you think the world is always a good place, how you like basketball endlessly and how bright you are. I hate it all," His hands came to rest on Naruto's throat and Sasuke closed his grip on it. "Every time I see you I just want to take that light inside your eyes and crush it!"
Naruto eyes widened and he felt his core shake at the lifeless eyes and the cold hands on his throat.
"So, never say anything stupid about being friends with me again. You and I will never have that kind of relationship."
Sasuke removed his hands from Naruto and walked away, in the opposite direction of their hotel. He was sure of it now, no matter what, Naruto would stay away from him for good. As he came upon his expression on a passing mirror, he tried to convince himself that what he did was for the best. For after all, nothing good ever happens when people associate with him.
Gaara rolled his eyes at the grinning raven behind him and clicked open the door to their room. He'd kept his mouth shut about the secret exchange with Naruto, and even though he hated to admit it, a small part of him was actually glad he was bunking with Neji, well….a tiny petty witty part that is.
"Naruto! Why are you here?" Neji was the first to voice his surprise after the door was opened.
The blond gave them a tired smile. "I'm sorry, Senpai. I know I told you I'll switch with you….but, I can't go back to that room tonight."
Neji sighed and signaled Gaara to step out, with confused eyes and a signal that he'll have to get an explanation later, Gaara did as told.
"Sasuke said something, didn't he?"
Naruto pulled his legs close to his chest. "He hates me."
"Naruto….Sasuke doesn't hate you,"
"He said it to my face; he wants to kill me every time he sees me."
Neji had to stop his eyes from rolling at the exaggeration that Sasuke must've used. He put his hands on Naruto's shoulder for comfort.
"Listen, Naruto. I've been around him long enough to read him like an open book, and believe me, the emotions he shows to you, doesn't come from someone who hates you. Regardless of what he may have said to you today, be sure that most of it was lies."
Naruto raised his head at the words. "Lies? Why would he lie?"
"To keep you away. Sasuke feels threatened by people like you, 'cause you can warm your way easily into his heart. And he doesn't want that."
"Your words don't make sense. Why doesn't he want me to get close to him?"
"Because then you'll have to learn about him, his family, his life. And he doesn't want that."
"If he doesn't want me to know, I won't ask."
"Aha, but he is afraid that he'll want you to know. He is scared that once you know, you'll walk away from him and betray him. Like many people have done so in the past. So, before you leave him, he left you."
"That's stupid; I won't leave him just because I know more about him!"
"Sasuke's brain doesn't work like ours. To tell you the truth, if our families weren't doing business together, we would have never become friends, since he doesn't allow people to get close and will shut them down at all costs."
"Then…..what am I to do?"
"There was something on my mind, and your answer now will decide whether I will do this thing or not."
Naruto's attention was caught. "What?"
"Do you want to know the reason why Sasuke wants to quit?"
"Yeah, but only if he lets me."
"He won't. And judging from the events of today, the walls that I thought were damaged turned out to still be well and standing, so him opening up to you won't be easy."
"I have no interest in knowing from you, I told you that."
Neji frowned. "Why be so stubborn? You know if you knew it would be easy for you to get to him."
Naruto stood from the bed and gave the other a smile. "Even so. It has to come from him, but thank you anyway, Neji."
A few minutes after Naruto left the cozy room, Gaara came in; he raised a brow at his lover who was puffing his cheeks with crossed arms. Gaara smirked.
"You've been dumped."
Neji threw a pillow at his long time childhood friend slash lover. "Shut up."
Naruto took a deep breath, prepared his heart and mind for what he was about to do then swung the door of the room wide open. Emotionless black orbs faced him; he started talking before he chickened out.
"I'm not afraid! Whatever you want to do to me, I'm not afraid of it! And I won't leave! I won't betray you! Regardless of anything that you may be hiding from me for my own good, I won't leave you. So...so, you don't need to shut me out or decide on a stupid thing like leaving me before I leave you, because I won't! And if you refused this and decided to continue running, then I'll only keep coming back after you till you get the idea through your head!"
There was no motion, not even a blink after he finished his speech, and Naruto felt a little bit disappointed inside, he wanted Sasuke to at least give him a reply, be it good or bad, some voice to indicate he'd heard Naruto. Not this awful silence that was condemning him.
"I….did you hear me, Sasuke?"
"Close the door, and lock it."
At that, Naruto felt his throat dry, what was going to happen to him? Will he turn into a missing picture on the side of the milk carton or what? He swallowed hard at the echoing steps behind him.
Two strong arms rested on his shoulders and he felt himself being pulled into the firm chest.
"You talked to Neji."
It was more of a statement than a question and Naruto didn't know how to react, but he was always one honest rat.
"I did. But I didn't find out anything about you from him; since, it's meaningless unless you tell me."
"And? What will you do once you find out?"
"I…." Naruto turned making the arms holding him from behind, switch to hold him from the front. "I won't leave you."
"Yes, we established that fact already. I mean what will you do with the information, it's not like getting to know me will help your basketball career or anything, or is it, you want money?"
Naruto gently pushed against the board chest. "Sasuke….it's actually sad to hear you say that. There are more to human relationships than fame or money. I'm not after you because I want something in return. I just wish to be beside you."
"As a friend."
"That's one way."
"I told you, we can't be friends,"
"But why? You don't really hate me, right? And even if you did, I will still peruse you. So please don't say hurtful things like that again."
Sasuke removed his arms from Naruto's shoulders, and walked towards his bed.
"Naruto, do you know what will happen to you if you get close to me?"
"I don't, and I don't care."
"But I do care. My family, it's not as sweet as yours, and I don't want to pull you into its clutches, so if you understand and don't want to waste your life, stay away from me."
Naruto walked towards the other and sat beside him on the bed, looking at the stoic expression. His heart squeezed, feeling that even though Sasuke's face refused to show it, he was struggling with something hard deep inside his soul, Naruto put his left hand over Sasuke's.
"Why not let me decide that?"
"You won't know what you'll be deciding."
"Sasuke, forget your family and my personal safety for a sec, what do you want to do? Do you want to be friends with me?"
When Sasuke answered with as a shake of his head, Naruto told the faint candle light of hope not to disappear from his heart.
"My mind is all messed up, around you I don't act right…can't think right, there is a roller-coaster of emotions running inside my head. That's why I don't know what type of relationship I want to have with you."
Naruto gave him a soft smile. "Me too. But my emotions are all pointing me in the direction of getting closer to you. And if we are the same, I think your emotions are doing that, too."
"I don't know."
"I think you'll know in time, and when that time comes, you will tell me, right?"
"…"
Naruto smiled at the tender pressure the pale hand in his palm made, he oh-ed when something hit his memory hard.
"God, I can't believe I almost forgot that! Wait, I have something of yours," Naruto took his hand from Sasuke's and searched inside his back pocket then got the beautifully made blue handkerchief out. "You forgot it at my place the other day."
Naruto passed the washed and ironed handkerchief to its owner. Sasuke's eyes widened for a minute, then a small serene smile that Naruto had never seen fell on those beautiful red lips.
"I thought I lost it for good."
"I….now that I see how dear it is to you, I'm shy to say this, but I've had it for a while now. I wanted to give it back to you, but….it felt like if I did, there will be nothing to tie us together. And that scared me."
Sasuke looked from the visibly freaked out blond to the blue silky piece in his hands. Quietly, he said.
"It was my mother's. She liked this handkerchief, it was her favorite amongst all others, she used to always carry it anywhere she went. It is my last memory of her, so, I'm taking the fact that you had it over it getting lost any day."
Naruto felt himself blush when that smile was given to him. And without feeling it, his hands entwined gently over Sasuke's, aimed to turn that icy hand into a lukewarm one.
Naruto cracked his neck and stretched his legs. Their second game had just ended with a victory, he grinned, there will only be three others and they'll be scored for the semi-finals. He pulled the heavy bags that Tenten had him carry over his shoulders as he made his way towards the van. But before he reached it, the sound of horns going off pulled his attention to the blue car three meters away from their van. He quickly threw the bags into the van and jogged to his trail-friend.
"I thought you wouldn't be coming today."
"And I am not; I just came to pick you up. Hop in; there is a place I want to take you to."
Not losing any time, Naruto put himself on the passenger seat as Sasuke drove them before any of their teammates, manager, or their club adviser caught them. Naruto turned the AC off, seeing as his bones started shuttering against each other and looked with dreadful eyes outside the window.
"Seems like it's going to rain."
"I listened to the forecast this morning and they promised a clear sky, no rain for today."
Naruto wrinkled his nose. "This doesn't look like a clear sky to me, they must be wrong, wouldn't be the first time anyway."
"I normally wouldn't disagree but around this area their predictions are normally correct."
Opening the window, Naruto smelled the air. "I don't care about their stupid predictions, I only trust my nose, and it's telling me it's going to rain!"
"Are you a dog?"
"Nope, but my nose is as sensitive as one." Naruto grinned goofily to him.
Sasuke shook his head with a smirk soon coming to rest on his lips. "Fine then, if you trust your nose that much, how about a small bet?"
"Sounds interesting, what's your bet?"
"If it rains, I'll allow you a question, but if it doesn't, you'll sleep with me."
Naruto was almost about to hit his casted arm with the door beside him if he wasn't paying a close attention like he was. "Sasuke, are you crazy! Why would I sleep with you?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Dobe, I'm not talking about sex here. I mean you'll sleep in the same bed as me."
"I don't think that'll work. Our beds are too tiny for two people to sleep on them."
"Who said we are going to sleep on our own beds?"
"What do you mean?"
Sasuke smirked. "That's for later, if it doesn't rain. So, taking the bet?"
"Yep! Since I'll be winning for sure~"
"I would prepare the white flag if I were you."
Naruto stuck his tongue out. "That should be my line!"
His azure eyes turned to the window when the smell of something fresh hit his nostrils, his mouth stretched into a big grin and his eyes sparkled.
"The sea! Look, Sasuke, it's the sea!"
"Yes, I know. Hold on tight!"
"Huh?"
Suddenly Sasuke went out of the main street and rolled his car down the sandy hill, Naruto had to close the window to stop the flaring dust from entering and ruining the clean vehicle. He wanted to shout at Sasuke for the reckless act he was doing, but his mouth was too busy shouting to people to jump out of their way before they get hurt and Sasuke goes to jail for murder. Finally, they got down and the car stopped moving.
Glaring eyes faced the raven.
"Sasuke! I can't believe you just did that!"
"It would have been a long drive if we took the main street. Think of this as a shortcut."
"Shortcuts don't cut through people!"
Sasuke took his keys out and stepped out of the car with a teasing smirk. "Then why did they call it a cut?"
"I'm sure they didn't mean cutting people!"
"Yes, yes. Just get out already; we still have a long walk ahead of us."
Naruto got out of the car and closed the door behind him. He watched as Sasuke pushed the safety button on his car and they started walking. He did everything he could to avoid the glares that came from the people present at the sandy beach and released a sigh when they were finally at a safe distance from the loathe.
"Wow, no matter how long I look, the sea is always beautiful. Such a pity the rest of the guys couldn't come, I'd like to share this view with them."
"They will."
"You mean they're following us?"
"No. Tenten had arranged for them to come to this beach after we qualify for the semi-finals. It should be her gift to them."
"But you are ruining it right now."
"I figured taking you wouldn't hurt, as long as you keep your mouth shut. And besides," Sasuke nodded to the ocean. "It's not like you'll mind coming here again."
"You're right, I won't." They passed an ice-cream man with kids swarming him from all sides, Naruto smiled at the cute view. "So, this place you're taking us, is it still far away?"
"See those rocks?"
"Yes."
"That's our goal."
"Oh, but what could we find exactly in a place like that?"
"You'll see."
Not half an hour later, the two were beside the rocks. Sasuke started climbing, signaling Naruto to do the same. Reluctant at the clearly dangerous sharp rocks, Naruto followed. Still puzzled as to what they could find hidden in a place like this, he trailed Sasuke who disappeared behind a big rock. Getting behind it, he started coming down on the other side of the rocks. His eyes widened in surprise at the full pledged basketball court looking at him. Rapidly he jumped down the rocks into the sandy court surrounded by rocks from all side.
"This is amazing, Sasuke! How did you find it?"
"Didn't find, made."
Sasuke walked towards the distal part of the court, he removed a few rocks and a basketball emerged from underneath. He twirled it in his hand then threw it to Naruto who luckily was able to use his left hand to catch it.
"What do you mean made?"
"When I was a kid, I loved basketball so much that I asked my father to help me build a secret court here. It was impossible though, 'cause the beach belonged to the people, not my father. But I didn't understand it back then, and so, I talked Neji into helping me build it." Sasuke put his hands on the now rusty pole. "It's been a while since I last came here to practice."
"It doesn't look like it was built by kids, though."
"That's because Neji pulled some strings, and don't ask me how, but he got us people who could build it right."
"Wasn't your father upset that you went against him and built it?"
The look inside Sasuke's eyes darkened for a second and Naruto thought that maybe he shouldn't ask about the parents' subject anymore, for every time he mentioned anything about Sasuke's parents, the other would coldly ignore him.
"…We didn't tell him. This place, only five people know about its existence, and you're our sixth."
"So, it's like a secret base?"
"More like a secret basketball cave."
"Cool!" Naruto jumped and used his left hand to try and score a three pointer, unfortunately, that didn't go as planned. "I won't tell."
The ball missed and he tripped his steps on his way down. If Sasuke wasn't there to stabilize him, Naruto thought that another bone would break but this time in his leg.
"It's dangerous to do stuff like that with that arm."
"Y-Yeah….sorry, maybe my arm isn't as healed as I want it to be."
"Of course, it's only been a week. Learn to be patient."
At feeling strong arms hold him from behind, Naruto felt his heart quicken and the blood run to warm his cheeks. He quickly pushed himself away from the raven avoiding the dark orbs questioning his sudden movement.
"Umm…not to sound rude or anything, but why did you bring me here? You know I won't be able to play, right?"
Sasuke ran a hand through his messed up hair and shrugged. "It's not like I'm being cruel to you or anything, I just wanted to show you this little secret of mine. You've already shown me your house and your family. I can't do that. So, at least I wanted you to know something….it's unsettling to stay in the dark."
"I don't really mind, it's fine for me as long as you're comfortable." Naruto picked up the ball he had thrown a few minutes and missed and gave it to Sasuke. "But if you really want to take me out of the dark, shoot some balls for me."
Sasuke looked at the grinning idiot, he humphed and took the ball.
"You really are a basketball-freak."
"Oh, you've just noticed?"
"Dobe."
Iruka looked outside the window to the rain that was starting to wallow his front yard and wondered if his so-called son was doing fine over there or not. It had already been two days without Naruto, and he was feeling the gloom tail on him already. Iruka was actually against the blond going off with his club to the Interhigh competition seeing as how he was still in recovery, but an insistent and a hard-headed Naruto was always a Naruto he couldn't handle. Iruka huffed on the glass and the humidity formed.
"You don't have to look so depressed."
The deep voice came from being him; he turned to find his tall pale boyfriend coming to him with two cups of black coffee. Iruka gave a smile.
"I'm not, just worried."
"He'll be fine. He can look after himself."
"I'm not too sure; Naruto is the type that gets himself into trouble instead of getting out of it."
He left the window seat and walked to the sofa, soon he was engulfed in a strong hug.
"He'll be fine," Kakashi repeated his former sentence. "Sasuke is there, I've told him to keep an eye on Naruto."
He used the opportunity when Iruka turned to the dismal window and nipped on the earlobe that was calling him to, earning a soft moan from the man in his arms.
"I hope Naruto doesn't cause Sasuke-kun too much trouble."
"He can handle it."
Kakashi laid them on the comfortable yellow sofa and used his legs to tackle Iruka's. While his hands started reaching for different places inside Iruka's clothes.
"Unnmm…Kakashi…not now."
"Your body has a sweet way of disagreeing with your mouth, love."
"But, the coffee will get cold." Iruka released a soft protest.
"We can always reheat it…."
With the lights off, the nice aroma of coffee surrounding them, the rain falling in the background and the seducing sounds his silver haired boyfriend was making, Iruka chose to throw his self-control out into the rain. For right now, he needed anything to get his mind of the grave that Naruto was sure to dig for himself in a place he couldn't even see. And what's better than a mind-blowing sex with the skilled Hatake. Iruka grinned and pulled the lips opposite his into a crushing battle.
Sasuke cursed the seven skies, the seven seas and the Dobe he was with. He looked at the drowning puppy, the crying girl and the idiot who had jumped into the raging waves so thoughtlessly. He cursed once more before stripping off his shirt and jumping to rescue the two drowning dogs. Sasuke was lucky that his family was strict into shaping him into the perfect athlete and therefore, helping his body to cope quickly to the waves' pressure. He let himself be swayed by the water 'till he was closer to the puppy without exhausting his muscles.
Once he got the small dog in his arms, he started searching for his own puppy. Sasuke bit the inside of his gum, with water coming from above and below, it was very hard to spot Naruto's form and he was sure that with that arm, there was no way in hell Naruto could've swam back alive.
Quickly, he made his way to the shore, returned the puppy to its crying owner then dipped himself back into the sea. This time, he took a deep breath and went under water. He closed his eyes then opened them to adjust to the salty water. Looking everywhere, he felt his spirit lift a little when he spotted the red cast holder Naruto wore. Speedily, he made his way towards the fainted blond. Sasuke dragged him out but found some plants hooked on Naruto's legs.
Bubbles of air started escaping from the blond's mouth. Sasuke brought the red lips to his and gave some of his oxygen to Naruto in hopes to sustain the other 'till he could untangle the weeds holding Naruto's leg. It took a while, but he finally got them cleared. As he swam up, he felt his lungs burn with the lack of oxygen, he closed his lips firmly and held tightly to Naruto's lifeless body as the way to the surface cleared.
Finally out the water, Sasuke dragged the blond to the shore and slumped with the motionless body beside him. He took a deep breath then turned Naruto's body over when there was no sign he was breathing.
The girl holding her dog started weeping again and asking for Sasuke to do something to help the kind big-brother who threw himself in there for her dog. But he didn't need to be begged so he could help Naruto.
"Dammit, I'll freaking kill you if you die on me now!"
Sasuke started doing CPR to Naruto and with each passing minute, he would grow wearier than ever. He pulled Naruto's lips apart again and pushed air into his lungs, just when he was about to lose all light of hope, the blond opened his eyes and coughed the water out of his lungs. The girl laughed, overjoyed, holding her dog close.
Sasuke breathed a sigh then pulled his hand and slapped Naruto hard on the cheek.
"Don't you ever do that again!"
With that, Sasuke strolled towards his car, ignoring the little kid that frightfully removed herself out of his way. Naruto looked at the retreating raven with a sad look, he stood up, smiled at the girl who gave him a tight hug and a happy thanks then ran to her family, and then he started walking, following the clearly pissed off raven.
Naruto felt his leg buzz with a bit of pain, he looked and traces of a bruise were forming. He bit his lower lip, maybe jumping in without thinking wasn't the best idea there was. He didn't just burden his own body, but Sasuke, too. At the view of the car and the wet man inside it glaring at the sky, Naruto had the momentarily thought to turn and leave Sasuke. But it evaporated into the rainy weather when Sasuke's mouth moved calling him. His legs shifted before his mind could tell them to and the next second, he was inside the leathery seats with his head down.
"I'm sor-"
A towel was thrown on his face. "Dry with this."
Naruto nodded and Sasuke started the engine, unfortunately for them, the wet sand beneath was making the car's movement hard, and so they burned a lot of benzene just to get to the main street. Sasuke maintained a calm exterior and drove with care. Ignoring the rain that was hitting his windshield like there was no tomorrow, fuck those failed weather reports!
"Umm….Sas-"
"We're not going back to the hotel, since it would be a bother to explain things to Tenten. I'm taking us to my family's hotel."
Naruto wanted to question the other about the hotel, but with Sasuke always cutting him off, the message he tried to convey to him came across loud and clear. Naruto tightened his hold on the towel and let the drive continue in silence.
Along the way, Sasuke tried to light a cigarette but his whole pack was wet. He cursed and threw them to the backseat, flinching Naruto more to see just how mad he actually was. Finally, the hellishly silent ride came to an end, they pulled over beside a huge grand hotel that Naruto never thought he'd be able to afford eating in, let alone sleeping in one of the rooms.
They walked inside with all eyes on the two drenched boys that came waltzing in like they owned the prestigious hotel. Before they could walk any further inside, a man came running to Sasuke.
"Sasuke-sama, your room is ready."
A golden card was given to Sasuke, he waved his hand to the man and swiftly he vanished. Awing Naruto to the huge gap in financial situation they had between them. They entered a nice looking elevator; Naruto had to hold his awe again for he'd never seen an elevator as magnificent as this except on movies. And the red carpet on which they walked, he was sure that if they were to sell his whole house, its price wouldn't even come close to the carpet's. Blindly following Sasuke, they stopped beside a door. Naruto watched Sasuke get the golden card and pass it through what looked like the lock.
It opened with a click. Sasuke walked inside signaling him to tag along then closed the door.
At the spacious, beautiful, majestic suite, Naruto's mouth lost the sadness it was harboring since his so called incident. He ran towards the black windows and the whole city lit beneath his feet. A huge grin plastered on his face.
"This is stunning!"
"Hurry up and get into the shower or you'll catch a cold and I don't want to be blamed when that happens."
Naruto's smile dropped the next second; he nodded and walked to where the shower was located. He opened the door to another magnificent room, this in his sight, looked nothing like a bathroom. It was just another room where you should take pictures, not bathe. But he was forced in for the latter. Naruto sighed; he unzipped his wet hoodie then his wet trousers and placed them in the basket where he thought laundry should be placed.
As he made his way further inside, his eyes widened in joy at seeing the big Jacuzzi bubbling with hot air. He smiled and thought to relax in it after getting a nice shower. Getting inside the pleasant shower, Naruto flicked the water on, but after he placed a bag over his cast. He didn't know how, but there was one plastic bag inside the bathroom with the same size as his cast. He shrugged the preparations as just a coincidence and started scrubbing the salty water off his skin.
Happily clean now, Naruto stepped out and made his way to the hot waters. He stood startled at the view of the raven sitting there with a cigarette held firmly in hand.
"Get in."
Naruto blushed at his nakedness and tried to hide his member from sight. "Um….I'll go get something to wear first."
"It's not the first time I've seen your balls. Get in."
He felt his blush darken at the vulgar words but the ordering tone made his body obey and again, without meaning to, he did exactly what he was told. Luckily for him, the bubbles didn't allow anything to be seen from above, and so he relaxed into the warm water.
They stayed in another fit of silence, with only the additional smell of smoke as Sasuke let his insides crumble to the intoxicating drug. Naruto felt like he'd lost the right to tell the other to stop smoking.
"This is my room. In this hotel anyway."
Naruto looked for the first time to the other in the eyes, and those sharp orbs were unfortunately looking elsewhere.
"Umm….so, you come here often?"
Sasuke's eyes turned from the ceiling to Naruto, jolting him. He pointed a pale finger to Naruto then said.
"The shit you pulled today, I never want to see it again. If you have a death wish, do it where I won't be able to see."
Naruto felt a cold chill run down his spine, and he wondered where it came from since he was surrounded by hot air from all sides.
"It's not like I wanted to die or anything, but I just couldn't leave him to die like that. It's too sad."
"And it wouldn't be sad if you died!"
Naruto was startled with the way he remained calm towards Sasuke's words, and he spoke from his heart. "Honestly speaking, I didn't think about that then, all I saw was a crying kid and a drowning puppy. You could say my instinct took over my mind right then."
Sasuke released a cloudy air. "Humph, instinct my ass. You were jumping to your death, and if I weren't there, you'd be sleeping with the fishes tonight!"
"But you were, and I'm sleeping with you tonight." Naruto retreated with a smile.
"No, you're not. It rained. You won; you can ask anything you want to know."
Sensing a sudden disappointment at the raven's words, Naruto nodded. "Right now, there is only one thing I really want to know about you."
"And that is?"
"Why are you quitting basketball?"
Suddenly Sasuke stood up, Naruto felt his face turn beat red at the manhood that was suddenly made aware to his sight, he turned away with a vivid memory of the huge size he'd just seen. A second later, cold fingers pulled his flushed face up and the face of his rival was brought extra close to his. Sasuke puffed the air he held on Naruto's face then backed away.
"Get out; we are going to bed right now."
Naruto coughed the polluted air out of his lungs and stood to follow the other. Even though he wanted to remain a few more minutes inside the relaxing Jacuzzi, he was an arms-length away from the answer he was searching so hard for, and no amount of hot water would stand between him and that goal.
So, pulling a towel around his waist, he exited the grand bathroom. A set of pajamas were placed on the huge queen-sized bed before him. Naruto blinked.
"Is this mine?"
"Yes," Sasuke closed the windows alongside the lights, he clapped and the four nightstands that were on the sides of the two beds lit, showering the room in a cozy, warm orangish light. "I'll button it up for you."
Wanting to reject the offer, but knowing that he wouldn't be able to button the shirt, made Naruto zip-up his mouth. As the pale fingers pulled the shirt over his frame, Naruto felt that strange heat move to his face, and why the hell was his heart beating out of his chest! He took a deep breath, and shifted his eyes to the floor, seeing as it was the safest spot to look at right now.
Sasuke finished buttoning and then put his hand over Naruto's wet locks.
"Why didn't you dry it off?"
"Umm….I was getting to that later."
"If you leave it like this, you'll catch a cold. Wait here,"
Calm footsteps made their way inside the bathroom; Naruto took the private moment to put the boxers that were prepared for him on. He knew that Sasuke obviously felt no shame between them, but for the love of him, he did!
Luckily, it took a while before Sasuke could get his hands on a towel, and Naruto was given the needed time to pull the pants up as well. Instead of being handed in the towel to dry his own hair, Sasuke started over the task.
"I can do it myself, you know."
"With that arm, you won't be able to do it properly."
Naruto wanted to argue that he's lived a whole week with the said arm and was perfectly well able to dry his own hair, but when those heavenly fingers started working on his scalp, the words flew off of his tongue.
"Mmmnnn, Sasuke, that's good."
Naruto leaned forward into the board chest and let himself be pampered. Suddenly, the fingers playing with his hair stopped working; Sasuke removed the towel from Naruto's hair and stood back.
"Your hair is well dried up now."
Naruto blinked then nodded, he released a smile a few minutes after touching his hair. "Thanks, I guess I'll be taking that bed then."
"Yeah…"
Getting under the warm covers made Naruto realize just how tired he was, he sighed at the luxury.
"Good night, Sasuke."
"'Night."
Smiling regardless of the soft tiny reply, Naruto closed his eyes and welcomed sleep to work on his eyes.
He was tired, his brain hurt and every bone in his body cried for him to sleep, but he couldn't. Naruto rolled on his other side to try and force his tired body to sleep, but it ended up with the same result. He sent a look to the other side, finding Sasuke asleep like a log. Naruto sighed and stepped out the bed. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but nevertheless he was dead tired, he just couldn't sleep. His eyes wouldn't close.
He walked towards the fridge and hoped to get some milk to help him sleep. It always did the trick when he was over at his house. Happy to find a carton of fresh milk, Naruto searched for the glasses and poured himself one.
Getting back to his bed, he tried to sleep again. But this time, when he closed his eyes, images of the water being forced down his mouth jolted him to sit up. Naruto shook his head, and took a deep breath. Why was he thinking about his last moments right now? He was perfectly fine earlier, then why now? He spared pleading eyes to the raven and turned back to his own hands. There won't be a use to even wake Sasuke up right now. This was his problem and he needed to solve it…..somehow.
He pulled the covers away from his body and headed towards the windows, looking down, the city was still awake, even though it was past one in the morning, the city's lights were still on. Naruto wondered what people did this late at night, drinking maybe, or having a late dinner. Oh, what was his guardian doing right now? Sleeping? Writing another script? A book? Or children's songs? Maybe he was sleeping. The idea that he was sleeping with the silver haired man was soon pushed to his mind's garbage can.
"Can't sleep?"
The once deep and now husky from sleep voice pulled Naruto out of his mental struggle. He turned to the raven that was getting up of bed and nodded with a sweet smile.
"Things just keep rolling around in my mind, and I can't force myself to sleep."
"Then come here."
Sasuke removed the thick blanket revealing the empty space for Naruto to take. The blond's expression turned from surprise, to trying to contain himself and refuse the offer, to suddenly jumping in at Sasuke's signal. He cursed his weak self when he was engulfed by the warm heat.
"What were you thinking about?"
"A lot of things."
"The recent one."
Naruto gave his back to those beautiful black orbs fearing that he would do something to regret later on.
"Iruka and Kakashi."
"Aha. Well, you may not believe me when I tell you this, and I don't believe that I'm saying this, but he isn't a bad person. He is a perv, but he'll never hurt the person he loves."
"I know and I don't hate him, am just irritated."
"That your guardian fell into his clutches?"
"Exactly, Iruka should do better."
Sasuke pulled the covers over them and laid on his back, facing the ceiling. "From the look in his eyes, he doesn't want better."
Naruto fisted his hands on the feathery pillow under his head. "I know that, too."
"Then stop thinking about things you can't change and sleep."
When he was pulled into that firm warm chest, Naruto flinched. Strong arms held him in place and he couldn't move even if he wanted to. He sighed at the awkward hug, and closed his eyes, who ever thought that the day when he is comforted by the infamous Sasuke Uchiha would ever come. He smiled; Sakura would surely have a fit if she saw them right now.
"Your hair feels nice, soft and a little wet," Sasuke mumbled to his ears, setting Naruto's face and heart on fire. "I like it this way."
Naruto didn't know what to respond, so he gently put his left hand over Sasuke's right hand that was thrown over his waist. Feeling his heart relax into the touch, Naruto watched as sleep tried to invoke his soul once more and this time, he freely let it.
After making sure the heart rhythm he was holding were getting stable, Sasuke drew himself closer to Naruto's ears and so tenderly whispered the answer to Naruto's earlier question.
"Because I'm going blind."
Then fell back into his original position, ignorant to the startled blue orbs that shone in the darkness.
Done and done! I'm most proud of this chapter. It's cute and I love every piece in it. Can't stop gloating over it, soo cuuuute! XD Anyhow, ignore my heart's inner cries, and tell me what you think. I'm waiting for your wonderful reviews, everyone! =D
