Naruto tried to busy himself by cleaning up the fragmented table but that did little to ease his troubled mind. He knew he was being an idiot; Kurama was telling him as much —though in far more colourful words— but everything felt utterly fucked. That dream had fucked him up more than any he'd had so far. He wasn't oblivious, he knew that it was his brain processing and substituting his own fears and experiences with the previous day. It wasn't a coincidence that after meeting with the young band he'd get thrown into a cacophony of mental fuck yous. That didn't make it any easier to process though.
Staring at himself in his dream was terrifying because what if his mind was telling him his existence was just going to hurt everyone around him. That part of his dream was right thus far, and while he knew he wasn't a monster, what he was could definitely been seen as such to others. Others had been hurt all because they'd been associated with him, and while he knew it wasn't really his fault, it didn't stop it from being true. If he didn't form bonds, no one else would have to get hurt.
Sasuke had been hurt by him now, and regardless of how painful the thought of not having the man who was literally his other half was, in the moment he couldn't help but feel that it would be for the better. If Sasuke feared him, he'd leave and if he left, he'd remain safe from the chaos that comes with Naruto's existence. Thanks to Naruto's violent outburst, the groundwork was already laid. No matter how well Sasuke could hide it, Naruto still saw the brief flashes of uncertainty in those glassy depths. Sasuke had a sliver of fear for him now, but as he sat outside watching the horizon begin to brighten over lake Konoha, he couldn't help but want to erase it.
Stupid. He knew that was what he'd been when he'd left Sasuke in his room and told him to go. Sure, he'd lived without Sasuke before, but he didn't ever want to do it again. Never had anything ever felt so right before, and here he was wallowing in self-pity instead of facing everything head on.
Naruto was terrified.
Sure, he put on a brave face and pushed everything down but that's only because he had no idea how to sort through the mountain of shit festering inside of him. Naruto learned in the past that once Sasuke started to ask questions, his curiosity wouldn't be benched. His inquisitive mind would push until finding exactly what he sought out. In this case, it was the deep, dark parts Naruto never wished to bring light to again. The shit he'd buried so deep, bringing it up would rip entirely new wounds.
Naruto felt a bit of ease from his heavy thoughts as he listened to the birds sing their pretty songs to the world as they cheekily swept in and out of the surrounding tree tops; they were already beginning to migrate. They appeared utterly free as they lost themselves in their beautiful melodies. On some wave length he understood them; when he performed, he too felt free. Music had always taken him away, gave him a safe place to mentally be, but so did this very vantage point.
It was times like this that he appreciated being able to purchase this land. Naruto had sat overlooking lake Konoha countless times, but it had been a very long time since he sought the solace it brought him. Unfortunately for Naruto, it seemed that Kurama wasn't going to make it easy for him to brood in peace.
"You have no one to blame but yourself. I wouldn't be doing this if you'd get your head out of your ass," Kurama grumbled smugly as he looped Chum Drum Bedrum in Naruto's head. It really was way too much fun; Naruto's brow would twitch irritably every time Vita did that thing with his tongue. Sure, it was catchy, but Naruto really wasn't in the mood for something so obscure.
"Can you just knock it off!" Naruto snapped. "Don't you think I know I'm being irrational?"
Kurama halts his auditory assault with a scoff. "Well, do you?" He couldn't help but point out that his jinchūriki sure had a funny way of showing it.
"Of course, I do," Naruto grit out.
"Then why are you out here instead of straightening this whole thing out with your mate?" Kurama asked not so humbly.
"How can I? I hurt him, and as long as we're together I'll continue to do so," Naruto's tone was low and morose.
"Bull shit," Kurama growled. "You and I both know that's utter shit. You just can't sack up and talk to him about your shit."
Naruto's jaw clenched. "Why the fuck do I need to say anything? It's all a matter of public record. What I went through was broadcast loud and clear. Sasuke and everyone else already have a pretty good clue as to what I've lived through."
Kurama narrowed his large eyes at him. "Oh yeah? So, if that's the case, why can't you verbalize it?"
"Why should I have to? I've opened up to Sasuke more than anybody and he still can't leave it alone," Naruto answered briskly.
"Pretty sure that's part of loving someone. You know, shouldering each other's burdens. Anyways, if you'd just listened to me after that first dream you wouldn't be in this mess to begin with," Kurama sounded somewhat exasperated.
"Well excuse me for thinking I had it under control," Naruto's voice was tinged with annoyance.
Kurama sighed. "Look, I'm not trying to make you feel bad, all I'm saying is that you can't just leave things the way they are now."
Naruto let out a breath that was as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. "I know. But what the hell am I supposed to do?"
Kurama raised his brow as if it were obvious. "Talk to him?"
Naruto's scowled. "And say what?"
Kurama's lips pulled up into a shit eating smirk. "Here's a crazy thought-"
After Naruto left the bedroom, Sasuke sat in bed for a while, trying to wrap his head around what had transpired. One second, they're basking in post-coitus bliss and the next Naruto was pretty much kicking him out. Sasuke knew Naruto didn't like to talk but he couldn't help himself, after what he'd witnessed it was only natural he'd be curious.
Sasuke knew before the words ever slipped past his lips that he should've never brought up Naruto's mother. He wasn't above admitting that was a low blow, and the longer he sat in bed processing the more he felt like an asshole. Being with Naruto, Sasuke was like a different person and sometimes he forgot just how much of a bastard he could be. That's not saying Naruto didn't overreact by walking out, but he couldn't really blame him for it either.
It was ironic, the only person the great Sasuke Uchiha actually wanted to talk openly with, ran at the first sign of vulnerability. Sasuke would've actually laughed at the revelation had he not been so wrapped up in the current cluster fuck. Giant mess aside, Sasuke was certain of one thing, he wasn't fucking leaving. There wasn't a force in existence that could drag him away.
When Sasuke finally got up and got dressed, the sky had begun to glow dimly as the sun commenced its ascend on the horizon. If he had to guess, he'd estimate that he spent a couple hours in bed going over everything, which meant he'd given Naruto's thoughts entirely too long to fester. Sasuke had to go find him; hopefully Naruto hadn't decided to leave himself.
Sasuke quickly cleared his mind as he set out in search of his most precious person. The one place he was almost guaranteed to be was his studio. Even after all this time, Sasuke knew that Naruto still found music to be a therapeutic way of unwinding, so he was a little distraught to find the elaborate room empty. As Sasuke searched the house, fear quickly began to grip him. What if Naruto actually did leave?
Sasuke had one more place to search before he began panic calling Naruto, and that was the cliff out back. Sasuke's gait seemed to increase as he set forth full speed to check the last place Naruto could be. The relief that gripped him when he noticed that glowing head of blond hair was surely palpable. Sasuke was so happy Naruto hadn't left.
Not wasting a moment Sasuke calmly walked over and made his presence known. "There you are," Sasuke's smooth voice immediately pulled Naruto from his inner mind. From the slight jolt Sasuke witnessed, it was clear Naruto hadn't sensed him approaching. "I expected to find you in your studio."
Kurama chuckled mischievously. "And that's my cue. Good luck."
Naruto internally cursed as he felt Kurama's presence fade into slumber. "Goddamnit Kyu." It was clear that Kurama took advantage of Naruto being out of it and didn't tell him Sasuke was approaching when he felt him.
Sasuke didn't hesitate to take a seat next to him.
"What are you still doing here Sasuke?" Naruto asked with a rough voice, completely ignoring the comment regarding his location.
Sasuke scoffed at him. "You can try to push me away, but I'm not leaving."
Naruto sighed. "Look Sasuke I-"
"No Naruto. You're going to sit there and shut up. I love you and I'm not going anywhere. I don't know what's going on in that thick skull of yours but it needs to stop. You can push but I'll push back twice as hard. I lost you once and I'm not going to lose you again."
"How can you say that after what I did to you?" Naruto's voice came out barely louder than a whisper making it nearly imperceivable to understand, with how deep it was.
Sasuke turned to face him and lifted his hand to gently brush his fingers over the scar over Naruto's left brow that he caused. "I gave you this, are you scared of me?"
Naruto scoffed. "As if."
Sasuke smiled gently. "See? I feel the same way with what happened last night. I'm the one that scarred you and you still returned to me. There is nothing that would make me turn my back to you. You are mine and I'm not going to let you lock me out. We are in this together."
Naruto brought his hand up to hold onto Sasuke's and let his eyes drift close as he soaked up the gentle affection. "I don't like that I hurt you," he finally admitted.
"I know. But what I did to you in the past was worse than this. There is nothing that you and I can't overcome together." Sasuke said with such conviction.
Naruto couldn't help the small chuckle that passed his lips. "Since when did you become this optimistic?" These fluffy words were nothing like the stoic man everyone knew Sasuke to be.
Sasuke just snorted. "Don't get used to it."
Truth be told, it was only Naruto that made him feel this way and brought this side out of him. No one else mattered. Okay, maybe his family did, but he still reserved this level of care for the love of his life. It was hard to believe that not many months ago, he was wallowing away in booze and rando's. The day that Naruto came back to him was the day he vowed to never let him go again. This was just a little blip in what was going to be a long life together.
Naruto brought Sasuke's hand down from his scar and held it on his lap, allowing his thumb to stroke the soft flesh. "And here I was, thinking you were going soft," he smirked.
Sasuke gently shook his head with amusement. "As if," he scoffed fondly.
The familiarity soothed Naruto like a salve on a wound. It made him think about what Kurama had suggested to him, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to open up to Sasuke. It's funny, moments ago he'd been filled with so many conflicting thoughts and emotions he was ready to put distance between them but the moment Sasuke sat down beside him, it was like he had washed every possible issue away.
The two sat there, letting the sounds of nature wash over them. Both were uncertain of what to say. They both had things they wanted to articulate but neither knew where to start. Finally, it was Naruto who cleared his throat. "Kurama didn't stop my dreams before because I thought I could handle them."
"What?" Sasuke asked slightly confused at the seemingly random statement.
"You asked before why Kurama didn't stop my nightmares," Naruto repeated, licking his dry lips as he looked out over the lake. "I told him not to interfere because I thought I could handle them."
Sasuke finally understood. Naruto was answering the last question he'd asked before he walked out. Knowing Naruto, the way he did, Sasuke knew this was Naruto's way of showing he was willing to open up. He wasn't sure just how much Naruto was willing to share, but he'd gratefully take anything Naruto was willing to give him.
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Sasuke quickly replied. He wanted to know everything, but he didn't want to force Naruto, especially after the events that had just transpired.
"No, I have to or I might lose my nerve," Naruto answered honestly. Just because he'd decided at this moment that opening up might now be so bad, that didn't mean in an hour he'd feel the same. It was better to get this done and over with.
Sasuke would never admit it, but it took him a second to build up the nerve to finally ask. "What are your dreams about?"
Sasuke expected Naruto to hm and ha, never once did he think Naruto would answer without hesitation.
"Mostly the past merging with the present," Naruto paused to nervously bite at his tongue ring before finally continuing. "The ones like last night are particularly bad. They make it impossible to differentiate between what's real and what's a dream. Sometimes, after waking from the really bad ones, I worry that I'll turn out like him."
Sasuke's eyes never left Naruto's face. "You're not him,' he said resolutely. "You are a good person Naruto. I've never met anyone who has more kindness in them than you. Even after everything you've been through, you still turned out to be an outstanding man. Even on your worst day, you'll never be like him."
Naruto laughed mirthlessly before turning to look at Sasuke's soft eyes. "If only I had half the faith in me that you have."
Sasuke's grip tightened as he entwined their fingers together. "I'll tell you as many times as you need for you to get it through your thick skull," he smirked playfully.
Amusement tickled Naruto's insides. "Ah, there's my cocky bastard."
As Naruto spoke openly for the first time, it was like a dam broke, causing a torrent of words to come cascading out freely. With all his barriers broken down, Naruto found it liberating to talk to Sasuke, and Sasuke listened to everything patiently, absorbing the mountain of information Naruto unloaded on him. It was odd to feel so warm while listening to the horrors that Naruto had been through, he couldn't help it though. Naruto was sharing things with him he'd never dared share with anyone —including Shikamaru.
Naruto told him about the mental and physical abuse Minato subjected him to. He told him how he'd offered him up to others to fulfill their twisted desires. It was horrendous and had Sasuke fighting the urge to vomit. Sasuke imagined an adorable little blond boy, being tainted and tormented in the worst ways; it was hard not to beg Naruto to stop. It was no wonder he'd never opened up about this before.
With the upbringing Naruto had, it was a wonder how he turned out to be such a kind, well rounded individual.
Naruto had even touched on all his fears with Yuki's band. Sasuke did nothing but reassure him that they may be similar, but they are two totally different groups of kids. Naruto may be powerful, but even he couldn't control the future. Sasuke was trying to drive home the fact that living life in fear of what could happen was no life to live.
They talked for hours; Naruto found that finally breathing life into his trauma was oddly therapeutic. By the time he'd finished it was already mid-morning.
"Would you come with me?" Naruto finally asked. "I think I'm finally ready."
Sasuke had just apologised for bringing up Naruto's mother, and Naruto easily forgave him, but still brought up his avoidance of her grave. It was true, Minato being buried next to her had influenced his decision to avoid the cemetery like the plague.
"Of course, but are you sure you want me to tag along?" Sasuke asked carefully. He didn't want to come off as uncaring, there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for his love, but he also didn't want to intrude on a private affair.
"Yeah, I mean you don't have to if you don't want-"
"No, it's not that," Sasuke quickly interrupted, not wanting Naruto to get the wrong idea. "I just don't want you to feel pressured into inviting me."
"Sasuke, I just told you my darkest shit. Inviting you to my mother's grave for moral support sorta pales in comparison, y'know?" Naruto smiled awkwardly to try and cover up his uncomfortable vulnerability.
Sasuke's eyes softened; he understood how hard this must be for Naruto. "Well, if you're going to be a baby about it, I guess I can come," he smirked teasingly.
Sasuke's jab was the exact response Naruto needed because he immediately barked out a deep laugh. "You're such an asshole."
"Hn," Sasuke acquiesced, his eyes gleaming with mirth and adoration. This is how he wished to always see Naruto; light and care free. He couldn't help but lean in and steal a kiss from those soft, plump lips.
Naruto sighed softly against Sasuke's lips, loving the way their lips fit together perfectly as Sasuke cupped his scared cheek. It wasn't torrid or sensual, just gentle and tender, neither of them had a desire to deepen the kiss as their lips moved softly in sync.
When Naruto finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against Sasuke's. "Thank you."
The rest of the morning went by quickly. They got dressed and headed out to grab an early lunch before stopping off at the flower shop. Naruto wanted to make the trip today, he couldn't put it off any longer or he might reconsider his decision. It was a little strange stopping by the Yamanaka flower shop after such a long time. Ino may have been a terror, but her family always had the finest floral selections in the region. After Naruto picked out his white carnations, he waited patiently for them to be elegantly wrapped. It was clear that even after all these years, the Yamanaka's shop still maintained a higher standard than most.
Sasuke waited patiently for him in the car. He offered to go in with him but Naruto didn't want to take the chance of someone recognizing Sasuke. It was probably for the best because Sasuke's mind was still reeling from all the new information rattling around inside his skull now. Not once did he think Naruto would completely open up to him like he had done that morning. Sasuke wanted to bask in the warmth that blanketed him —from the knowledge of just how much Naruto trusted him— but he couldn't. The warmth was being canceled out by an equal iciness that made his insides churn.
Naruto had lived through what could only be considered hell. And he had contributed to it. Sasuke couldn't help but play over part of their conversation in his head. Sasuke had asked why Naruto kept all his scars if he had the ability to heal them.
Naruto's answer broke his heart. "I keep them because I don't want to forget where I came from. Sometimes they're the only things that remind me that I lived—that I survived and even after going through everything I'm still standing here today."
The car door opened and retrieved Sasuke from his thoughts. Naruto slid into his seat effortlessly. He took extra care fastening his seat belt so as to not squeeze the elegant ivory paper that wrapped his flowers. With the sunglasses obscuring his cobalt orbs, it was hard to tell what Naruto was thinking, but Sasuke could read how tense Naruto was just by slight stiffness in his posture.
Sasuke wanted nothing more than to reassure Naruto that he didn't have to do this today. Naruto still had all the time in the world, and Sasuke would be there for him whenever he needed him, but he knew Naruto would deny needing more time. So instead, he asked, "you ready?"
"Yeah," Naruto nodded stiffly, his voice sounding rough.
Naruto was eternally grateful for Sasuke offering to drive. Right now, his mind was elsewhere and it would make paying attention and following road rules nearly impossible. Naruto was so mentally taxed he couldn't even be bothered to put on enjoyable music.
Sasuke finally pulled out into traffic, Naruto silently took in the scenery, desperately trying to center himself. The closer they got to the cemetery, the more Naruto found himself slipping. Could he really do this? Could he face his mother's grave after being absent for so long? Could he stand so close to where the monster who tormented him lie?
Suddenly, warmth enveloped his free hand. He wasn't sure when he'd begun clenching it but when he looked down, he saw that Sasuke's hand freed his grip and proceeded to intertwine their fingers. An unexplainable comfort immediately enveloped him and he realized that, yeah, he could do this. Naruto was no longer forced to handle his old traumas alone. With Sasuke by his side, there wasn't anything he couldn't concur.
When Sasuke felt Naruto relax instantly, he felt a sense of pride that it was him that could bring Naruto comfort. There was just something about knowing that Naruto trusted him to see him so vulnerable. It was a privilege Sasuke would never take for granted.
When they finally arrived at the cemetery, Naruto felt like he was a teenager again. Though, this time he had a very different type of guilt weighing him down. Not only had he not visited his mother, but he hadn't visited the other three either. It wasn't that he was religious. In fact, he was the farthest thing from it, but he couldn't deny that talking to a place where they rested had always made him feel closer to them. It was like they lived on with every word he shared with them. Even though the dead wouldn't know how long it'd been since he'd visited, he couldn't help but feel ashamed at being absent for so long.
"Do you want me to wait here?" Sasuke's softly spoken question brought him back to the present. He didn't want to assume that just because Naruto wanted him to tag along, meant he didn't want any privacy.
Even in such a heavy situation, Naruto couldn't prevent the slight upward curl of his lips. People would lose their shit if they knew how considerate Sasuke could really be. "No, I'd like it if you came with."
That was all the assurance Sasuke needed. He gave Naruto a reassuring hand squeeze before letting the man go and shutting off the car. Both men were quick to exit the vehicle. Sasuke walked around to the passenger side where Naruto stood rooted in place.
Naruto remained unmoving as Sasuke approached. Sasuke was sure that behind Naruto's large sunglasses, a dozen different emotions swirled around in those sapphire pits. That just wouldn't do.
"Hey, you got this," Sasuke bumped Naruto's shoulder playfully.
Naruto took a deep breath before nodding curtly. "Let's do this," Naruto held out a hand for Sasuke to grab.
Sasuke took the offered appendage without hesitation and the duo walked towards the large, black, iron gates that read, "Konoha Cemetery," overhead.
They made their way through the lot, stopping at Moegi's, Udon's and then Konohamaru's graves. Visiting those three was just as important to Naruto as visiting his mother. He felt the need to tell them about his own success and his new task of taking on Yuki and his band.
Sasuke remained silent as Naruto placed a single white carnation on each headstone and spoke openly about all his fears regarding the promising young band he'd currently taken under his wing. There was something about hearing Naruto talk to them about the nightmares that had Sasuke's stomach knotting up. He knew Naruto felt guilty, but he didn't know he felt that guilty.
Naruto hung around a little longer at Konohamaru's grave. It was evident to Sasuke that Naruto was dawdling, but he didn't dare bring it up.
As Naruto carried on, telling Konohamaru how much he would have loved the touring life he couldn't help but feel uneasy at the groundskeeper who was marking out a plot not too far from them. The man was of average height, a cap covered his head so that his greyish hair was mostly obscured, but what stood out was the man obviously had vitiligo. The rare condition gave the man a perfectly symmetrical division of ivory and ebony skin running vertically down his front.
Naruto had on sunglasses and his customary black beanie to disguise himself, but the man still made him feel uncomfortable. That feeling was the final push Naruto needed to bid farewell to his old friend —with promises of returning soon— and move to the other side of the cemetery where his mother was buried; far away from the shifty groundskeeper.
Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand without even realizing what he was doing and began wordlessly leading him away. They passed row after row, a mixture of well taken care of and forgotten graves all blended together after a while. The walks seemed to never end, but as they finally made it up the final hill and towards the aged trees, Naruto suddenly felt like the walk ended entirely too soon. There in sight was a familiar tomb stone and beside it one not so familiar.
The last time Naruto was here, Sasuke had been with him. It felt like a lifetime ago while simultaneously feeling like yesterday. Today was nothing but contradiction after contradiction.
As if he were entranced, Naruto walked forward, taking Sasuke with him. There he was.
Minato Namikaze.
With fists clenching around Sasuke's grip and his remaining flowers, Naruto stood there, glaring ferally. He could still feel that familiar fear building, and the anger, so, so much anger it was almost suffocating. He resented that he had avoided visiting the woman who birthed him, gave her life to bring him into this world because that thing lay there beside her.
"All the shit you did and you still got to be where you wanted. How is that fair and just? What right do you have being here? You don't deserve to rest near her. You don't deserve to fucking rest at all!" Naruto's growl gradually got louder and more fierce, startling Sasuke as he let go of his hand and dropped the flowers.
"What right did you fucking have, huh? All that shit—every fucking thing—I fucking hate you!" Naruto yelled ferociously as his arm swung about in a crude furry.
Sasuke could barely swallow around the hard lump that formed in his throat as he watched Naruto sink to his knees and used his large fists to pummel the ground in which Minato was buried beneath. It was excruciating to see the strongest man he knew, so utterly broken.
"Naruto," Sasuke whispered pitifully, but Naruto didn't hear him.
"After all this time, you're still in my head. You've prevented me from visiting my own mother. What gives you that power huh? What gives you the fucking right?!" Over and over again, Naruto's fists hit the ground with tremendous force that his knuckle cracked under the trauma.
Sasuke, was lost. He'd never seen Naruto in so much agony before. Sure, he'd seen him hurt but this was a whole other level. Naruto's emotions were swirling around and boxing them in. The emotions Sasuke was saturated in were enough to choke off his breath. Sasuke desperately wanted to comfort Naruto and stop the surging chaos whipping around them, but he found himself rooted to the ground, unable to move.
Eventually the walls Naruto had built finally crumbled and his boldly slumber forward lethargically. "I hate you! I hate you! I fucking hate you!" Naruto cried out in agony.
As soon as Sasuke heard Naruto's strangled sob it was like the tie holding him back snapped. Sasuke immediately rushed to his side and dropped down to embrace his broken love. It destroyed Sasuke to see him this way. "Shh, shh. It's alright, I got you. I'm here. I'm here," he murmured softly as Naruto clutched onto him like his life depended on it.
"Why? Why can't I let it go?" Naruto's voice quivered. Even with his face buried in Sasuke's chest you could hear how small and fragmented he sounded.
Sasuke was tempted to pull his beanie off so he could soothingly massage his scalp but he resisted. Instead, he chose to place a firm yet tender kiss on the crown of his head while rocking him gently. He whispered sweet reassuring word in Naruto's ear until he had finally started calming down.
"I can't begin to know what you're going through, just know that I'm so very proud of you," Sasuke's own voice was raw with emotion.
"I let my emotions get the better of me and acted like an angry child. That's nothing to be proud of." Naruto mumbled through the odd sniffle. It had taken everything in him not to crack the earth beneath them with the flurry of painful wrath he had felt. He'd been more out of control in the last 24 hours than he had been in many years. It was terrifying.
"This is the first time you've let out years of pain and trauma. I don't think anyone would expect you to handle it calmly." Sasuke tried to soothe him.
"I'm supposed to be better than this," Naruto's voice was barely a whisper.
Sasuke quickly pulled back and used his finger to lift up Naruto's chin so they were face to face. Sasuke couldn't see his eyes clearly because of the sunglasses but that didn't stop him from boring his gaze into Naruto's. Naruto penalizing himself irked Sasuke to no end.
"You don't need to be better," Sasuke's voice was firm yet gentle as his thumb caressed Naruto's tear-streaked cheek. "You're already perfect."
Naruto didn't know why, but when Sasuke said it this time, he believed him. Sasuke actually thought he was perfect. A whirlpool of fluttering opened up inside his chest as he took in the warmth in Sasuke's endless orbs. Naruto didn't know why, but Sasuke really thought he —a walking storm of self-loathing and chaos— was perfect.
Naruto said the only thing that would slip past his lips. "I love you."
Without warning, the softest sweetest kiss was bestowed upon him. Sasuke kissed him so lovingly that it almost hurt. When Sasuke pulled back, Naruto was rewarded with the most beautiful smile in the world. "I love you too."
After that there was a lot of back and forth between them, but Naruto's mood had improved. Sasuke felt his chest swell with pride that it was he who could bring Naruto back from the brink. Comforting someone wasn't something Sasuke would have done for anyone else, but with Naruto he had an undying need to blanket him in love and affection. It boosted his ego to know that Naruto wouldn't allow anyone but him to see him so vulnerable. No one else would experience the privilege of calling themselves Naruto's most precious person. Though, the same could be said with reversed roles as well.
They finally got off the ground when they could no longer feel their lower extremities. Their legs and asses were numb while their feet had painful jolts of electricity shooting through them as blood flow began to reestablish itself. Two grown men sitting on the hard, lumpy ground for hours wasn't exactly the wisest decision, but hindsight and all that.
Once Naruto's legs were finally cooperating relatively normally, he walked over to where he zeroed in on his abandoned flowers and picked them up. Sasuke was still wobbly, but by his side none the less as they walked hand in hand towards the grave marked, "Kushina Uzumaki".
"Hey mom," Naruto smiled softly with a pause. "I know it's been a while, but look," he whipped the flowers up with jumbled shyness. "I brought you flowers this time."
Sasuke smiled. Naruto really was the strongest person he'd ever know.
After finally accomplishing what he'd set out to do, Naruto and Sasuke made their way back towards the car. Emotional exhaustion was quickly overtaking both of them. Tonight, would be a night where they intertwined themselves so extensively, no one would know where one man started and the other ended.
Little did they know the groundskeeper had followed them and stayed to witness the whole scene from safely behind the tree line. After finally seeing Naruto and Sasuke leave, the man snuck off to make a call.
"Speak," came a firm, raspy voice after the third ring.
"Boss, I have something very interesting to report."
Yay an update! I can't guarantee it's any good, but it's finally up. I wish I had more time and motivation to get chapters out quicker but it seem impossible with the craziness that is life right now. Anyways, hopefully there aren't any discrepancies in this chapter. I find that the longer it takes to update, the more I forget about my own story. Oh well.
Hope all is well and I'll see you next month!
-GrimTopography
