Summer Affair: Bonus Chapter
"Alright, that's it for today," the blond man relaxed out of his stance. After half a second, the little girl did the same. Her chest was heaving and her brow was furrowed and beaded with sweat. She breathed deep for a moment and then bowed at him.
"Please, let me try once more, Uncle Naruto!" Uchiha Hana begged.
"Relax, Hana, you don't have to push yourself," Uzumaki Naruto smiled and waved off her bow. "But if you'd like to try once more, then that's fine with me. Want me to talk you through it?"
"Mm," she nodded. "Just once more, and then you don't ever have to explain it to me again."
"I told you, that's okay," he laughed. "Come over here." He waved her over, she came and he crouched down, grabbing a stick from some nearby growth. "Now then, here's you and here's your opponent," he drew two circles in the dirt at their feet. "Sometimes, you may get caught off guard, and when that happens you use the kawarimi jitsu to save yourself by pulling something out of the nature around you and putting it in your place." He drew arrows to illustrate his point and she watched carefully, her amber-black eyes straining to fixate the diagram in her memory. "You can use a log, a rock, an animal, and sometimes even another person. This technique uses speed to work. Understand?"
"Speed…" she kept staring at the dirt circles and lines, her eyes pounding and pulsing. "No one's faster than me…"
"Okay then! Prove it!" Naruto stood up and stretched a bit. "I'm going to come at you, and I want you to use the kawarimi jitsu to avoid my attack. Got it?" She kept her head down, eyes on the drawing, for another moment, then nodded and straightened, jumping back a little and crouching into her father's fighting stance. Farther back, by the lake's edge, Uchiha Sasuke and his son Haku sat cross-legged and facing the sparring match. They had been meditating, and now, Sasuke opened his eyes and Haku instantly did the same.
"Watch," he told his son, looking up at his daughter. "Watch Hana. See what she does. I want you to focus, to see it, do you understand?" Haku nodded wordlessly and furrowed his eyebrows, staring intently at his twin sister. He saw her chest rising and falling, he saw the sweat trickling down her face and neck, he saw the smudges of dirt and the bruises from where she had been hit and fallen. He saw her clothes rippling in the almost-unnoticable wind, the strands of her hair sticking to her skin, lifting gently in that almost-wind, he saw the pulse of the thick life vein in her neck. He saw it all. Concentrate. Concentrate. See it. See it. He chanted to himself, staring, his eyes burning and hurting, his head aching. Still, he watched her.
Naruto crouched, took in how she was standing, and gave a thin and humorless grin. Exactly like her father. He leapt forward, pouring no chakra into his movements; he didn't want to seriously hurt her. He dashed toward her and she didn't move but merely watched him come closer, her eyes wide and red-rimmed. He thought she was straining them. His fist came up and he aimed for her stomach, pulling the strength from it, not wanting to cause her any more pain—they'd been at this trick all day, and seeing her fall and writhe in pain made his heart break. But she had asked him to teach her, and he would, no matter how much it hurt either of them. His punch connected. Her eyes got impossibly wider. Spittle dripped from her mouth as her body arched inward against his loose fist and she got sent sprawling backward. She hit the dirt, defeated. Naruto stopped over her, a sad look on his face.
"Sorry, Hana," he mumbled.
Haku watched his sister watch her attacker. He watched her fists tighten, her knees bend just the tiniest bit. He saw the dirt at her feet shift slightly and he knew that's when it had happened. He couldn't follow her speed though; it was beyond anything he'd ever seen her do before. Naruto's blue eyes widened as the girl at his feet exploded in a cloud of smoke and a log sat in the dirt in her place. He instantly scanned his eyes around for where she could have been. Haku did too, trying to see where his sister had gone. Both of them saw her in the underbrush behind her uncle, crouched and waiting for an opening. Naruto scooped up a rock and threw it into the bushes, knocking her out of her crouch and off balance and she tumbled into the clearing, her eyes wide with surprise. And then she turned into a log. Naruto cried out in surprise and Haku blinked, not expecting her to do it a second time. The blond turned to look for her and she was there, her small body arching through the air at him, her fist clenched hard. He had no time to counter—she punched him in the face and Naruto fell onto his back with a surprised cry. Hana stood over him triumphantly, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Ha! I did it! I hit—" she exclaimed and fainted mid-sentence. Haku started and got to his feet but Naruto sat up and caught her before she hit the floor, smiling gently.
"It's okay, Haku," he called to the boy. "She's just expended a lot of chakra. She'll be fine after a nap." Haku nodded and relaxed, standing. Sasuke stood too, placing one hand on his son's thick hair.
"Did you see it?" he asked.
"I saw when she first substituted herself," he admitted, "but I couldn't follow her after that. And I wasn't expecting her to do it a second time."
"You have to remember that every person is different, and you can't actually predict what they'll do. No jitsu in the world can let you read minds," he shook his head. "That's why we train our senses as well as our muscles, to see, hear, smell, and feel when something happens. That way, we're prepared for it when a situation like this occurs." He thought for a moment, then said: "Your aunt, Sakura, did something similar once. She used the kawarimi jitsu twice to fool an opponent and the third time she attacked, he mistakenly thought she would use it again, so after he hit her he started looking for where she'd appear again. She had let herself get hit, and she successfully landed a blow on him."
"Did she win?" Haku asked.
"It takes more than clever tricks to win a battle," Sasuke shook his head. "Although, sometimes, that's all it seems to come to." The two of them went over to Naruto and Hana. Haku took his sister from the blond's arms and carried her slowly back to their tent. Sasuke reached down and hauled Naruto to his feet. "Good job, sensei," he teased with a grin.
"I feel so horrible though," he sighed. "I had to hit her all afternoon for her to finally learn it." He laughed slightly. "Sounds bad if I put it like that, doesn't it?"
"Hana's tough, she can deal with it," Sasuke shook his head. "If you tell her that, she'll say something like she wanted to get hit." He laughed a bit too. "She reminds me a lot of you sometimes."
"How so?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"She doesn't know when to give up," Sasuke answered simply and made his way back toward the tent.
"Wha—? HEY!" Naruto yelled after him. "What are you trying to say? Sasuke, you bastard! Come back here!" The blond gave chase, red-faced.
"Hey, Daddy? Uncle Naruto?" Hana put her plate down and stared intently at the two adults.
"Hmm?" Sasuke looked up, his spoon still in his mouth.
"Y-yes?" Naruto blinked, surprised at her sudden intensity.
"I wanna watch you two spar," she stated.
"You want to…watch us…" Naruto repeated.
"Spar?" Sasuke finished, taking the spoon out of his mouth. "Why?"
"I want to see how two masters fight," she admitted, her little face turning redder than the firelight between them. "I… I want to see how far behind I am."
"Hana, you can't become stronger overnight," Sasuke frowned. "It takes years and years of hard training and studying. You know that."
"I know, but…" she pouted.
"I'd like to see it too, actually," Haku jumped to his sister's defense. "I want to see you two spar as well. I don't think I've ever seen Daddy or Uncle Naruto fight seriously before."
"A serious spar?" Naruto exchanged glances with Sasuke. "Well, I mean…"
"Why not?" Sasuke shrugged. "I haven't had a good sparring partner for some time now. How about it, Naruto?"
"I…" Naruto's eyes lowered to the fire before him, one hand going automatically to his stomach. Sasuke's look darkened. The twins exchanged confused glances.
"If it really bothers you to spar, then nevermind I asked," Hana shook her head.
"We're sorry, Uncle Naruto," Haku nodded.
"No, it's okay," he smiled weakly. "I'd like to spar, but…"
"Did you forget, dobe?" Sasuke spoke roughly, putting his plate down on the log beside him. "About the power these eyes of mine have?"
"Ah…!" Naruto looked up at the other man. "You mean…the Sharingan?"
"We get to see Daddy use the Sharingan?" Hana squealed in delight. "Oh, please!"
"Hana, what if Uncle Naruto doesn't want to…?" Haku frowned at her.
"No, it's okay," Naruto shook his head and stood up. "We'll do it. Right, Sasuke?"
"Yeah," Sasuke stood as well, a dark look on his face hidden by his lengthening hair.
They stood in front of one another. They had put out the fire and now only the light of the full moon illuminated their figures. The two children watched intently from the safety of the tent, which—for some reason—the adults had deemed an "off-limits" place. The adults were out of earshot.
"Is that why you don't spar anymore?" Sasuke asked in a low voice, aware that sound travels.
"Huh?" Naruto didn't care if his voice carried or not. "What are you talking about, Sasuke?"
"The Kyuubi. That's why you never spar anymore," he stated more than asked.
"Ah, that's because…" Naruto faltered.
"I knew it," Sasuke shook his head. "How long's it been since you last fought anyone?"
"I…" Naruto looked away.
"Look, dobe, you can't be scared of that thing forever!" Sasuke glared at his stomach as if he could actually see the Kyuubi's head poking out of it.
"I'm not!" Naruto shot back. "I'm just… What if I lose control again?"
"You won't," Sasuke sighed. "Not while I'm here, at least."
"But…"
"You won't, okay? I promise I won't let that happen."
"What are they saying?" Hana whispered to her brother, straining her ears to hear a snippet of their conversation.
"Something about Uncle Naruto not wanting to fight anymore," Haku informed, closing his eyes and opening his ears, like his father had taught him to do earlier. "It's like, he doesn't want to hurt anyone."
"But it's just sparring!" Hana wailed.
"I don't think it's the act of sparring they're talking about," Haku frowned, furrowed his brow, and concentrated.
"It's a demon, Sasuke," Naruto sighed. "You can't control demons. Especially the nine-tailed one."
"The Uchiah Clan can control them, though. Have you forgotten what I told you?" Sasuke snapped.
"Control demons?" Haku repeated. Hana looked worriedly to the two figures standing alone in the moonlight.
"Why are they talking about demons?" she asked herself quietly.
"I can't catch enough to understand their conversation," he explained to his sister.
"Well, are they gonna spar, or aren't they?" she pouted.
"Sasuke…I don't want to hurt Hana and Haku. I don't want to hurt anyone else with this power," he argued weakly, his hands clenched across his stomach, as if trying to hide the seal marking from the other man's eyes. "I don't want to use it; I want to be strong with my own power, not with the Kyuubi's."
"This is another reason for your odd behavior, isn't it?" Sasuke asked. "You don't want the people to judge you anymore, so you just cover up the fact that you have a demon inside of you!"
"Don't remind me," Naruto looked away.
"No, I have to remind you!" Sasuke snapped. "Because you've forgotten! That Kyuubi is part of who you are!"
"How can you say that!" Naruto burst out. "I'm nothing like the Kyuubi! We're not the same at all!"
"I'm not saying that, Naruto!" Sasuke reached forward and grabbed one of Naruto's wrists. "You're just turning words around to justify this to yourself!"
"Ah!" Hana saw the movement and got excited, but her happiness quickly faded. "They're still just talking."
"I think it's important, what they're talking about," Haku looked over at his sister. "I think we should just wait until they're done."
"Man, this is boring," she lay her head on her knees and watched the two silhouettes arguing back and forth.
"Naruto, without the Kyuubi, you and I would have both been dead a long time ago," Sasuke spoke angrily but quietly, his eyes flashing in the dark.
"I know, but…" Naruto tried to pull away.
"No," Sasuke pulled him back. "It's the truth, and you know it. Of course you're not the Kyuubi, I know that, all your friends know that, and you know that—that's the important thing! Never lose yourself, Naruto. You're you, no matter what happens."
"Sasuke…" Naruto tried hard to fight the tears rising in his eyes.
"If you're afraid of it, that means the Kyuubi's winning," Sasuke said, a bit sadly. "You can't turn away from it; it's inside of you. Your father put it inside of you for a reason, right?"
"Did he?"Naruto frowned.
"I'm sure he did," Sasuke nodded. "You have to live with the Kyuubi, but it never has to be you, do you understand?"
"It's like a roommate you can't get rid of," Naruto tried to joke and gave a pathetic laugh. Sasuke's brow furrowed. "I get what you're saying, Sasuke," Naruto assured him. "Don't worry, I get it."
"So then, are we going to spar, or are we going to let my kids watch this drama any farther?" Sasuke asked with a slightly amused raise of an eyebrow. Naruto looked over at the two tiny figures framed by the tent and blushed despite himself.
"Alright, but—" he started.
"Don't worry, dobe," Sasuke grinned and released his hand. "I'll know what to do when the time comes."
"Thanks, Sasuke," Naruto smiled.
"Hey, Hana!" Haku sat up straighter. "It looks like they're really going to start now!"
"Huh?" Hana lifted her head. When she saw the two shadows crouch and lift their arms she awoke instantly, hugging her knees to her chest and leaning forward.
"Yes!" she grinned. "It's about time!"
"We'll stop at first blood. That okay?" Sasuke asked.
"We should have stopped at first blood back then too," Naruto commented.
"Smart ass."
"Bite me."
"Whoa!" the twins chimed.
"I think they moved," Haku blinked.
"Are you sure?" Hana squinted.
The twins sat in stunned silence, their eyes wide and reflecting the low-hanging moon as they continued to watch. The two shadow-figures stood apart, their stances weakened from weariness but still alert and ready for the next move. Naruto made hand seals, and seven more Narutos popped up beside him. Sasuke's Sharingan turned and turned, canceling out one after another until he found the real one hiding in their midsts. His hands flew in their seals as the eight Narutos leapt forward to pound on him. He darted backwards, lifted his fingers, and inhaled deeply.
"Katon! Goukakyuu no Jitsu!" he shouted and exhaled. A stream of vivid yellow-orange-red fire burst from between his fingers and congealed into a swirling fireball for a half-second before roaring forward and engulfing all the Narutos. Puffs of smoke indicated where seven kagebunshin evaporated under the powerful chakra flames. The eighth, real Naruto was nowhere to be seen. Sasuke swayed a bit on his feet, light-headed from the use of so much chakra in one go. In truth, he was a little impressed. Even after not fighting at all for several years, Naruto was still able to keep up with him. Sasuke supposed Naruto did train on his own still, but fighting another person was something different. Huh. Maybe he really is better than me, Sasuke mused to himself, finding it slightly amusing how he wasn't upset over that thought like he would have been before. His eyes slowly deactivated on their own. Uh-oh. I'm out of chakra, he frowned. But if I know Naruto, only making seven kagebunshin means he's pretty low too. I've gotta find him and finish this. Sasuke turned and searched the area for Naruto. He used the trick he had taught his son earlier, and began to close out his senses. It was too dark to use his sight and Naruto hid himself like an Anbu, so hearing was out of the question. He wasn't from the Inuzuka clan, but if he concentrated, he could almost smell Naruto's sweat and exhaustion. He focused on that now, eyes closed and waiting.
"What's he doing?" Hana whispered fiercely, her fists clenched on her knees. "Uncle Naruto's gonna attack him if he's just standing there like that!"
"He's sensing," Haku explained, watching eagerly. "He's closing off his other senses and focusing on one that will help him find out where Uncle Naruto is."
"Mm…" Hana pouted but kept watching.
Sasuke didn't hear the rustle of leaves as Naruto rose from his hiding place, nor the zip-whisper of cloth and skin ans Naruto reached into his hip pouch and brough out one kunai, aiming it carefully at Sasuke's left bicep, not wanting to really hurt him and jab him in the back.
"Looks like first blood's mine," he chuckled to himself and flung it.
Sasuke smelled Naruto's scent from the trees behind him. He loosened his concentration in time to hear the kunai whipping through the air and he jumped straight up in time to avoid it.
"Ah!" Naruto exclaimed aloud, mentally cursing himself. He sprang into the air to persue the other man.
"Whoa!" the two kids threw back their heads to watch the battle in the sky.
Sasuke grinned. Naruto had fallen for it. He dropped out of his jump and started to fall back as the blond continued to ascend. They passed each other. Naruto started and looked down at Sasuke, who concentrated his last chakra reserve into his palm and made it burst, hurling himself back up toward Naruto, leg extended with a kick. "Lion Rendan!" He caught Naruto in the jaw. The blond toppled from the sky and Sasuke chased him down, throwing out his leg and hitting Naruto a second time, this one in the stomach. Quickly, he grabbed Naruto's shoulder and flipped them both around, bringing his elbow up and out, adding a backhand to the combo. Sasuke used the momentum from that move to throw himself over Naruto and punch him hard in the solar plexus, sending the blond rocketing to the ground where he landed with a bone-shattering thud. "Here I come, Naruto!" he cried and flipped around again, finishing the move with a devastating kick to the stomach that would have had anyone bleeding instantly. Sasuke recovered and landed on his feet beside the defeated blond, a superior grin on his face. "Looks like first blood is mine—"
A poof of white smoke revealed a small crater in the earth. Sasuke's grin dropped off his face and he whirled, cursing his blind assurance. "A kagebunshin, Naruto? That's always your trump card!" he called out bitterly, trying to summon up his Sharingan eye but his tired body denied him.
Back at the tent, Hana and Haku could only gape in silent amazement.
"Did you see it, Haku?" Hana whispered dreamily. "Did you see that amazing move?"
"Where's Uncle Naruto?" Haku's eyes darted back and forth.
Sasuke felt him coming, but he couldn't tell from where. His eyes darted back and forth, trying to cut through the darkness. A rumble shook him where he stood. Sasuke looked down; a hand was clamped firmly around his ankle. Down he went. Naruto popped up in his place, grinning. "Doton! Shinjuu Zanshu no jitsu!" he crowed, crouching down to look at Sasuke's head—the only body part left exposed after the jitsu. And it did not look happy. Sasuke glowered. "Success!" Naruto flashed him a victory sign. "Now don't squirm, it'll be over in a second," he pulled out a kunai to mark up Sasuke's cheek. But then there was a poof and Sasuke was gone.
"You're not the only one who knows how to use bunshin, dobe!" Sasuke's voice came from behind and Naruto spun to see a fist coming at him. Quickly—and because he couldn't think of anything else to do—Naruto muttered words and clapped his hands together and another smoke puff appeared.
"You wouldn't hit a girl, would you Sasuke-kun?" a sweet and pouty voice came from the cloud and it dispersed, revealing a beautiful blond haired, blue eyed girl with a full-lipped pout on her angelic face. Sasuke froze, rolled his eyes, and dropped his fist.
"Forget it. I can't be serious when you look like that," he sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, making his way back to the tent.
"What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" her sweet voice called to him as she rushed after him. "Am I not pretty enough for you?"
"Naruto, I swear to any god that'll listen, if you don't change out of that form, I really will punch you," Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. They reached the children and the tent. The twins leapt to their feet and gave curious glances at the woman that somehow resembled their uncle.
"Daddy, that was amazing!" Hana exclaimed. "But…" her brow furrowed at the blond woman.
"Uncle Naruto, is that a henge jitsu?" Haku studied the woman closely.
"That's right!" the woman crossed her slender arms over her chest and laughed. "Want me to teach you?" WHAP! "Ouch!"
"I said change back, dammit!" Sasuke's eyebrow twitched again and he raised a threatening fist. "And stop trying to teach my kids your perverted tricks!"
"Does that mean I can change into a guy?" Hana asked out of pure curiosity. Sasuke sighed in defeat.
"Maybe I'll teach you guys some other time," Naruto changed back in a swirl of smoke, winking. "When your father's not around."
"Please don't teach my children your perverted tricks," Sasuke rubbed his temples wearily.
His eyes opened of their own accord. His surroundings were unfamiliar and for a moment he we confused, but then he remembered: a tent—they were camping in the deserted woods near the outer border of Konoha. It had been a little over a week now. Hana was progressing beautifully but Haku seemed to be stuck in some kind of mental block that he could not overcome. Sasuke believed it had to be the dreams the boy still had every so often of the mysterious Raikage and her black-clad pursuers. Sometimes, the dream woke him up screaming and covered in sweat. It had yet to happen on their trip, but it didn't mean the boy wasn't thinking about it. Now, laying together beside him, Hana and Haku slept soundlessly and peacefully, wrapped within each others arms. Their small sleeping bags were snuggled between his and Naruto's, but when he looked over to glimpse the blond in his sleep, he was nowhere to be seen. This gave Sasuke a fright (although he would never, ever admit that out loud) and he sat up fully in the dark, his eyes and ears open. And after waiting several tensed minutes he made up his mind, got up and got dressed, opened the tent flap and stepped out into the night, casting a hesitant glance back over his shoulder at the half-open entrance and at his children. As a last-minute precaution, he reached back inside and into his pack, grabbing his hip pouch and pulling it out into the moonlit dark. He opened it and unrolled it fully to expose the multiple pockets and selected two blank tags and his ink brush and bottle. Quickly and skillfully, he scrawled a protection jitsu onto each of them and attatched them to either side of the tent opening, finishing off by placing everything away again and zippering it shut. Then he made a seal with his hands.
"Release," he whispered. His body tingled and the tags glowed suddenly with small blue fire and he became satisfied. Hands in his pockets, his bare feet stepping silently on the cool grass and dirt, he went searching for Naruto. However, he didn't have to search hard or long. He found the blond in the next clearing over, neck deep in the dark blue lake that reflected the dark blue sky, dark blue eyes turned up and reflecting his thoughts. Sasuke stood by the small heap that were his clothes and waited for himself to be noticed. He toed at the water; it was ice cold. His foot shrunk away from it and at the same time, Naruto spoke.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking about everything," he said softly, deeply, as if he were entranced by the sky above him.
"About?" Sasuke prompted, sitting down by the lake's edge.
"Everything," he shrugged, the water sloshing as he moved in it. "The Wave Country, Gaara, the Raikage, you…"
"What about them? And what about me?" the black-haired man turned his own face upward to look at the sky with Naruto, a tiny part of his brain longing to look back down but knowing there'd be some consequences, most of which would involve getting wet. And admittedly, the Uchiha was like a cat when it came to cold water.
"I was thinking that maybe we forced the Wave into saying no, you know?" he rolled his head on his neck but didn't look down at the other man. "Like, we put too much pressure on them, and this was the result. And also, Gaara seems restless. I think he's going to return home after the Chunin Exams."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Sasuke said. "I mean, he has to go back sometime, right? And we've heard nothing but good news from Temari and Kankuro, so I'm sure it'll be safe there."
"Mm," Naruto nodded. "I'm happy he'll finally get to return home, but sad at the same time, you know?" He sighed. "It was nice, having someone to talk to all the time."
"You can talk to me, you know," Sasuke muttered, trying not to let the sudden prick of jealousy come out in his words. Naruto heard it anyway and smiled softly, still looking at the sky above.
"Yeah, I know," he said, "but talking with Gaara is a little different. He understands some things that no one else does."
"You mean the jinkurichi thing?" Sasuke tried to clarify.
"Mostly," Naruto affirmed. "It was really nice to see him again, and for such a long time too." There was a comfortable silence between them for a few moments.
"Well?" Sasuke prompted.
"Well, what?" Naruto finally looked down with a confused blink. Sasuke lowered his own eyes to return the stare.
"What have you been thinking about me?" he pressed.
"Er…" Naruto's cheeks turned red and Sasuke saw, even through the darkness between them. "I was just…you know, your family and stuff…"
"Are you thinking about me or are you thinking about my life?" he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Well, I…" the redness spread to his neck and ears, burning hotly, even in the icy water. "Your kids are really talented, Sasuke," he said and followed it with a string of nervous laughter. Sasuke frowned and got up, slipping his hands into his pockets and walking forward. Effortlessly, he focused chakra into his feet and without stopping he walked onto the water and over to the blond who watched him come, the nervous look on his face increasing with every step. Sasuke stopped when he was directly over him, glaring down.
"That's not what you were thinking about," he stated.
Naruto slipped farther into the water, until only his eyes and the top of his head were showing. "Not really," he mumbled through the water. Sasuke leaned down and flicked him none too gently on the forehead. "Ow! You bastard! What was that for?"
"Because you're a dobe," he said and started turning away.
"I am not! Stop calling me that!" Naruto's hand snatched out and grabbed Sasuke's ankle. He shot a burst of his own chakra through his hand and cancelled out the energy beneath the other man's foot. He was off-balance; Sasuke fell into the water with a startled and angry cry. Naruto blinked as the ripples washed against him, a kind of dread growing in the pit of his stomach. "Uh-oh," he murmured. Sasuke rose out of the water like an old-school classic movie monster, dark water dripping from his hair and clothes, his eyes shining dangerously in the fading moonlight glowing from his left, Naruto's right. The blond laughed nervously, scratching his head. The Uchiha grabbed Naruto's uplifted wrist, clamped his other hand on the opposite shoulder, and pushed him back down into the water forcing his weight onto the other man and they tumbled backward into the cold depths of the lake, Naruto sqwacking in surprise and indignation.
They drifted down through the dark, Sasuke's hands somehow burning hot on Naruto's skin. He yanked the blond closer, crushing their mouths together, letting his tongue and a rush of icy water flood the other man's mouth. Naruto fought him weakly, his eyes beginning to close of their own accord. He moaned through the water and slipped his wrist out of Sasuke's death grip, letting his arms sink down and land on Sasuke's broad shoulders, encircling them. Sasuke's hands released him and like twin snakes his own arms darted and slithered around the naked blond's waist, pulling him close and tight against him. The wet clothes felt uncomfortable between them and Naruto's hands tugged at them as their tongues caressed each other and down they sank deeper into the darkness of the lake. They were running out of air but they didn't care. The lack of it made the kiss more desperate; hands groped and tugged and clenched, teeth clicked against one another as their heads shifted and they fought for dominace of the kiss. Somewhere in the jumble of limbs and spinning thoughts, Sasuke's hand ghosted across Naruto's hip and he twitched toward the touch impulsively and longingly, no breath left to moan his want.
Their bodies were floating back upward and they let the water cradle them and carry them back up, kissing, sucking, holding, touching anything and everything they could reach. They broke the topwater and both pulled apart, gasping, sputtering, coughing, gulping in huge lungfuls of air. Halfway between being comprehensive and being ready, their lips met again and Sasuke's hands became bolder, Naruto whimpering and squirming within his touch. He fought the waves of seduction being cast over him fiercely, dragging his nails through the black tangle of wet hair, ripping the neck of the dark, soaked shirt, hissing and struggling and sinking his teeth into the thick and solid muscle of the other man's neck. Sasuke hissed and stopped moving, letting Naruto's teeth cut into him, savoring the pain and marveling at it at the same time. He let the other man rise up over him and hungrily trail his tongue and lips up along the line of his neck and jaw, across his lips and around his face, his hands clenching and tearing the black shirt even more. The ripping sound mixed with the panting, lapping, grunting noises hypnotized Sasuke, and he let his shirt get ripped away and now they were bare chested and pressing together and their slick wet bodies slid against each other but he was still clothed from the waist down and from Naruto's impatient growl, he assumed that was a bad thing.
In the water, Naruto's shaking hands fumbled clumbsily with the belt around the Uchiha's waist and he growled his frustration again, two seconds away from ripping the whole thing to pieces (although something in the back of his head reminded him that he couldn't break leather with his bare hands but he ignored that). Suddenly and without warning, Sasuke loomed over him again, his hands flying out and gripping the back of Naruto's blond head, the other plunging down through the water between them and grabbing Naruto's erection. The blond threw his head back and howled at the sky as Sasuke's long and cold fingers wrapped about him, and he could already feel a huge swelling building in his gut. Not yet! No, not yet! Naruto thought wildly in the haze of his spinning thoughts. We haven't even started! Don't even think about it! His cry fell to a mewling plea and he thrust his hips into Sasuke's steady hand, all of his muscles suddenly turning to jelly. Sasuke released him and the other man's cry boardered on heartbreaking, but now the black-haired man was struggling with his belt in the water, making incoherent curses at it when it chose not to come undone instantly. He wrestled it off with Naruto's help and almost instantly, his pants were ripped away. Now they were both naked, and their intensity suddenly quelled and silenced. They held each other close for several moments.
"I… I don't know what I'm doing," Naruto confessed quietly, shyly.
"Neither do I," Sasuke admitted with his own blush, looking away.
"You have more experience at this sort of thing than I do," Naruto confessed, his own face darkening.
"Once," Sasuke shook his head.
"Are you serious? Only once?" Naruto blinked up at him.
"Once was all it took," the raven-haired man nodded.
"…what if I do something wrong?" it was the blond's turn to look away.
"We'll improvise," Sasuke said with a shaky grin. "Besides, we have time. The sun won't come up for a while, and we—" His eyes suddenly glazed over and he fell forward, his head dropping onto Naruto's shoulder. He made a soft, defeated sound in his throat and then was still.
"Ah, Sasuke!" Naruto jumped and held onto him before the other man crashed into the water. "Sasuke, what happened? Snap out of it! Oi!"
Sasuke's eyes drifted open. He was looking up into a pre-dawn sky, the pinks and oranges and greys mingling with the blues and purples as the stars winked out slowly one after another. The moon was nowhere to be seen. He sat up, a hand coming to his head and he shook it to clear it. Naruto was sitting beside him, hugging his knees to his chest and looking up at the same sky, a thoughtful look on his face. "You're awake," he looked over when he caught Sasuke's movements. "Are you okay now?"
"What…happened?" Sasuke blinked dazedly. "We were in the lake, and now…"
"Mm," Naruto grinned and nodded, a soft blush painting his cheeks. "You passed out right before we got to the good part." He chuckled with mirth. "Honestly, if you weren't ready, you could have just said so."
"I passed out?" he repeated, blinking in confusion. "Why?"
"You were probably chakra exhausted from yesterday's fight," Naruto shrugged. "Hell, I'm still beat. But to pass out like that…"
"I left a barrier around Hana and Haku," Sasuke explained, nodding. "And then with that water walk and…well, everything that was happening, I guess I overdid it."
"Oh man," Naruto chuckled again. "If the old you could hear yourself now, I think he'd kill himself."
"Not funny," Sasuke wrinkled his nose. They stayed side by side for a few moments. "I'm sorry," the dark-haired man broke their silence. "If I hadn't have gone and fainted, we'd be…"
"Still going at it," Naruto nodded agreeingly.
"Sorry," Sasuke managed to wince and blush at the same time, which was an odd look indeed.
"It's okay," Naruto shook his head. "Just be careful with how you use your chakra next time. Admittedly, it is mostly my fault," he laughed. "If we hadn't have sparred so long yesterday, we would have had more energy today."
"Mm," Sasuke nodded and silence settled between them again. Somewhere above them, a bird chirped its greeting to the rising sun.
"Come on, let's go back to the tent," Naruto stood with a grunt and offered a hand to the other man who took it and stood as well. They brushed themselves off and turned toward the next clearing, where the tent was waiting.
"Naruto," Sasuke spoke.
"Eh?" the blond turned his head to look at his companion.
"This isn't over, you know," he chuckled as they made their way through the trees. "Now, I'm definitely going to have my way with you, and sooner rather than later."
"This is coming from the man who passed out mid-way," the other man retorted with a snicker.
"Are you challenging me, dobe?"
"What if I am? And stop calling me that!"
"Make me."
"My god, since when have you been this immature?"
"Oh please. Look who's talking."
"What a retort! And you call yourself a grown man."
"I'll show you who's a man," Sasuke threatened quietly, a dangerous glare in his eye—although it was a different type of danger this time. Naruto gulped down his comeback and avoided his eyes but began to laugh at the same time. And the two of them reached the tent as a small head poked itself out from the flap and glanced down at the two seemingly random sheets of paper on the grassy floor, and then up at the two adults coming closer.
"Good morning," Haku stood and left the shelter of the tent, stumbling himself over to the other two and rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"Come on, Haku," Sasuke put his arm on the boy's back and steered him around to the tent again. "We're all sleeping in today."
"Because rest is just as important as training, you know," Naruto looked over with a sly smirk and Sasuke made a threatening gesture with his free hand. The half-asleep child merely nodded and crawled back inside and to his sister's side, curling up in her arms once more and sliding his own around her waist as he closed his eyes and he was instantly asleep again. Naruto went in next and Sasuke bopped his underside with his bare foot, making the blond tumble inside with a sqwack. Grinning to himself, Sasuke ducked into the tent last and closed it behind him.