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Chapter 9
Naruto stared at the mirror. She had been up since five am, digging through her closet like a madman to find the appropriate attire. But nothing fell to her liking. The discarded clothes piled up in humongous piles on her bed, and she had given up all hope. What outfit could even begin to express the amount of turmoil and apprehension she felt towards this date? It seemed that no matter how far she tried to run away from Sasuke, there would always be hidden factors that forced them together. First Itachi, now Kaira and Shiro. A huge part of her was begging to forget this foolishness, to flake, to turn tail, to leave Konoha. What did she ever do in her past lives to bring such misfortune upon herself?
The blonde grit her teeth in frustration and dove for her bed, burying her face deep into her pillow as she despaired.
There was a hesitant knock at her door.
"Naruto?"
Itachi entered the room. He quickly took in the disarray of clothes that had been flung in every direction possible before smiling gently, "Little one, it is too early for spring cleaning."
Naruto sat up on her bed, hugging her orange pillow tightly. "Do you have to go?"
"I'd stay, but you would not let me."
The blonde sighed in dejection. "Konoha needs you badly. More than I do."
"That can be argued." Itachi made his way to Naruto's side, where he took a seat next to her and gently brushed away the bangs that framed her face. "I will miss you."
"How long will you be gone?"
"At least a week."
"What!" Naruto angrily crossed her arms. "Itachi, are they throwing you on every harebrained mission they can think of? What about Sasuke? He's not gone nearly as much as you are."
"My baby brother is given missions that are completed with a team. But I am more of a solo act."
"Why?"
"I have been given one-man missions since I can remember."
"I think that's stupid."
"I don't mind."
Naruto's blue eyes flashed irritably as she snapped, "You're not assertive enough. Who knew the great and mighty Uchiha Itachi is actually a pushover? You're being weak." The blonde's expression softened, however, when Itachi laughed freely, and she recognized the Uchiha's light spirits. "Why are you here so early in the morning?"
"It is your birthday," Itachi replied. His obsidian eyes gleamed. "I wanted to see you before I left."
Naruto couldn't hold back her smile as she became infected with the Uchiha's good mood, and she climbed into his lap.
"I love you," she said.
He brushed his lips against her forehead in response. "I have a present."
"Itachi! You did not - "
"Of course I got you a present. Open it." He pulled a small box out of his pocket and placed it deftly in Naruto's hand.
The box itself was intricately crafted, and Naruto's hands trembled as she undid the pink bow. Slowly she took off the lid, and she stared at the beautiful anklet gleaming inside. A gasp fell from her lips.
"I-Itachi..."
"Do you like it?" Itachi reached into the box and pulled the anklet out. Its white jewels glittered in the light, mesmerizing to behold. "This anklet has been passed down in my family for generations. My mother used to wear it."
"I can't have it!" Naruto immediately said, horrified. "Itachi, I can't accept this present. It's your heirloom."
"I don't suppose I could wear it, could I?"
"Give it to Kaira."
Itachi raised an eyebrow. "She's ten, Naruto. And you are her mother, so by all means, this is yours to keep."
"Itachi - "
"Please don't make this difficult."
Blowing out a frustrated breath and knowing full well that she had lost the argument, Naruto brought up her left leg and watched in wonder as Itachi hooked the anklet on securely. She was dazzled by its delicate yet simple design, and she saw the essence of the Uchiha clan captured in its beauty.
"I love it," she said. "Thank you."
"Weak, am I?"
Naruto scowled fiercely, but she quickly fell into a fit of small giggles as she saw the smirk on Itachi's lips. Itachi watched her lovingly before a rare grin broke upon his handsome face, and Naruto's heart melted.
"I must've done something right," she said as she sat up to face the man once more, "to have you here with me today." She threw her arms around his neck. "God bless you, Uchiha Itachi."
"Don't make this about me," he said. "It's your birthday." He looked at the blonde still in her pajamas. "I thought you were going out."
"I am!" Naruto said.
Itachi studied the blonde's uncomfortable expression and the way she nervously twiddled her thumbs. "What is bothering you?"
"I..."
"What is it?"
Naruto stayed silent, her eyes unfocused as she stared into space. She then tucked her hair behind an ear and twisted the mane of blond tresses. Another moment passed before she shifted and cleared her throat.
"I dreamed about Kiba last night," Naruto confessed quietly. She looked up and saw the worry in Itachi's face. "It's okay, I'm okay."
Itachi didn't believe her for a second. Last night's conversation was still fresh in his mind. "I can take today off if you ask, Naruto."
She poked him in the chest. "And I'm not going to because that would be selfish of me and destructive to all of Konoha. Now stop tempting me. I won't change my mind no matter what you say. Or how worried you are." She crossed her arms. "You're going to be late, Itachi."
"I still have five more minutes."
"Well..." the blonde said. "If you would like to do me a favor, help me pick an outfit. I really don't know what to wear."
"Fair enough." Itachi stood up gracefully and made his way to her closet. Naruto watched the Uchiha affectionately as he combed through the selections. His face was emotionless as he concentrated on his task. Her mass of clothes was not near as close as the amount most Konoha women possessed - probably because Tsunade had only been able to salvage a small portion of what Naruto owned before the horrid landlady tossed all of Naruto's belongings out onto the street - and Itachi pressed deeper and deeper into the back of the closet before something finally caught his eye. He reached for the farthest item hanging on the rack, and with interest in his normally impassive eyes, he brought it out into the open.
Naruto could not help the sharp intake of breath when she saw the dress Itachi was now holding in his hands, but the Uchiha was too preoccupied to notice.
It was a gorgeous blue dress, and its condition looked almost new. It had a simple enough design, but the v-cut neckline pronounced the elegance of its figure. The material was high quality, soft as silk and durable as nylon. There was no doubt the price of the dress would've reached multiple digits.
"Where did you get this?" he asked quietly.
Naruto kept her gaze focused on the ground. "It was my mother's," she said.
"Naruto." There was a strange inflection in the Uchiha's voice that Naruto could not identify. "This dress is the same color as your eyes."
Naruto bit down hard on her bottom lip, and she was grateful that she had been sitting on the bed, for she felt her legs go weak. Of all the things she had expected Itachi to say, this was not one of them.
"My mother liked to match with my father." Naruto inwardly cringed at the lie, and she knew she could not fool Itachi. Judging by the way he was intensely looking at her, she didn't think he was going to drop the matter either.
"Naruto..."
"Please, Itachi," she pleaded gently. "I promise to tell you someday, but not today."
Itachi nodded. He carefully placed the dress to the back of the closet before pulling out a snug white sweater and a pair of light blue skinny jeans. "These would look lovely on you."
Naruto smiled, and gratitude lined her voice when she said, "Thank you, Itachi."
He walked over to her and hugged her firmly. "I'm sorry for prying."
"I'm sorry for being so sensitive," she responded.
He gently pulled away from her. "You won't tell me who you're going to be spending the day with?"
Naruto smiled weakly. "It's a surprise."
"Promise me you'll have fun."
"Promise me you'll be safe."
He placed his hand on the top of her head. "Happy birthday, Naruto."
She laughed. "Thank you, Itachi. Now go, before you're late!" She gave him a friendly push towards the door.
Itachi took a lock of Naruto's hair and rubbed it tenderly between his fingers, and with a ghost of a smile on his face, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Naruto then slumped against the headrest of her bed. She felt fatigued and completely drained of energy.
I could let you borrow some of mine.
Kyuubi!
Stop moping.
Naruto stayed silent.
You can't blame the Uchiha for picking the best damn thing in your closet. You brought this upon yourself, dumbass.
I forgot I had it.
The demon growled. Sure you did.
Kyuubi, what have I gotten myself into? I don't know what to do.
I told you before you even stepped foot inside this Manor to rethink your actions. You wouldn't listen.
I'm starting to forget I hate him.
Why is that a bad thing?
He hurt me so much... I can never forgive him.
What exactly did he do, chibi?
Kyuubi saw a flash of red as memories stirred onto the surface before Naruto's conscious immediately stamped the event back into oblivion. But the fox demon didn't need a second glance to know what he saw was a pool of blood.
That's neither here nor there, Kurama!
The only times when Naruto used the demon's birth name like that was when she was completely on edge, and the fox knew better than to aggravate her. Kit... you don't have to hate him to stay away from him. Just treat this like you would a mission.
Naruto stayed glum. I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Kyuubi.
Happy birthday, snot.
She smiled a small smile and slipped into the clothes that Itachi had picked. It didn't come as a surprise to her when she noticed that they were the next best things in quality after the blue dress.
XXX
Naruto followed Sasuke's chakra signature to the front door, where she realized that he was standing outside the Manor's big gates. Quickly grabbing a piece of bread from the table and slipping into some sneakers, she jogged her way down the front path to where Sasuke waited.
"Morning," she said.
"Hn."
She saw he was wearing a navy blue shirt and black denim jeans, and she couldn't help but comment. "So much for matching."
"You didn't say which shade of blue."
"Well obviously I didn't mean funeral colors!" Naruto said. She glared at him, but he pointedly kept his stare fixated in the opposite direction. She then took note of the rigidity in his body language and the tension in his shoulders, and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Are you still mad at me?" she asked.
He didn't bat an eyelid. "Don't flatter yourself."
She grit her teeth in frustration, but remembering Kaira's words, she counted to ten in her head and released her anger. "I guess we can be yin and yang," she offered.
He didn't say anything.
"Sasuke, let's pretend like we're good friends, just for today. For the kids."
The expression in his face had still yet to change, but he relaxed his shoulders somewhat. "Where to?"
"I don't know." She saw a flash of annoyance cross Sasuke's face, and she scowled. "This is so stupid. I'm turning twenty-five, it should hardly be a celebration. Let's just go home and get two people to henge into us and I'll snap some quick shots to show the babies."
Sasuke was quiet for a few seconds before he shifted his gaze to stare at the horizon. "There's a small town nearby that recently opened in the past ten years."
"And?"
"They have horseback riding."
Naruto felt her jaw drop. "Horses?" To a shinobi, horses were things from stories and picture books. Naruto had always wanted to ride a stallion, but these animals only lived in the plains, and having grown up in Konoha and its woods all her life, she had never even gotten the chance to see one. "Do you really mean horses?"
"Hn."
Naruto remembered irritably that Sasuke was never one to repeat himself. "I would like to visit. Do you know the way?"
Without a word, Sasuke jumped onto a tree branch, and grumbling darkly to herself, Naruto followed.
XXX
They arrived at the town shortly before noon. After an hour of leaping unceremoniously through treetops and dodging large tree branches obscuring the path, Naruto found herself in a grumpy mood.
"Goddammit, Sasuke," she muttered as she plucked dead leaves out of her long blond tresses, "can't you have any consideration for me? I'm not wearing ninja attire and I'm not near as graceful as you are." She patted her white sweater, which had black dirt patches smudged all over. "This will take forever to clean out!"
The Uchiha didn't say a word as he made his way to the village gate.
It was a quaint town, and although the village was still in the Land of Fire and under Konoha's protection, there were almost no sign of shinobi presence. The civilians were kind and carefree as they moved about doing their daily business, and Naruto notice that the nearby restaurants were getting ready to serve lunch.
"Sasuke, can we stop for a quick meal?" she asked. He was quite a distance ahead of her and she had been trudging behind his back the whole time, but she knew he had heard her. "That looks like a nice place."
Sasuke turned to see where the blonde had pointed before nodding once. He was about to walk towards the restaurant when he felt the blonde grab his wrist.
"Wait," Naruto said. She blushed and quickly released his arm. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." She cleared her throat. "I'm going to find a hidden photographer."
"A what." If Sasuke's voice had any less emotion, he would've been dead.
"One of those photography agencies. You know, for spying and behind the scenes work." Naruto saw that Sasuke didn't understand, and she went on to explain. "Some people really like to take pictures of special days and events, but sometimes, they want to take pictures of their friends without being seen or noticed. For candids I guess. That's where these secret photo companies come into play. I think a lot of agents actually have shinobi backgrounds, possibly even kekkei genkai, since they're really really hard to detect."
"You've used one before?"
"I've never personally hired one, but someone once payed an agent to follow me and Gaa - " Naruto choked on her words and coughed loudly. She noticed from the corner of her eye that Sasuke seemed to have guessed what she meant to say, and his fists clenched angrily at his sides. "Well, basically they take really good pictures and I think it would be nice for us to spend the day without worrying about taking the pictures ourselves."
"Hn."
"Go in and get a table for us, I'll be back as soon as I can! I think we passed by a shop earlier." She waved at him and turned to leave, hoping that in the time she was gone, Sasuke would have calmed down. "He has absolutely no right to be angry," she muttered to herself.
Finding the photography agency wasn't hard, but Naruto knew she wanted to hire the best agent for the job; it would be extremely awkward if she and Sasuke noticed a random stranger in the room snapping photos of them. To be honest, there were probably no agents for miles around that could take pictures of her and Sasuke without them noticing, but Naruto prayed that the day would have enough distractions to keep their shinobi instincts busy.
"Ma'am?"
Naruto broke out of her reverie and shot the manager her best smile. "Good morning, sir, I was wondering if you have any secret agents available today?" She ruffled her hair sheepishly. "Your best agent too, I might add."
The old manager smiled warmly at the girl, before waving her towards the room in the back. "Kenta," he called out. "You have a customer."
Naruto stumbled through the doorway and almost tripped over the bench that was dangerously placed in front of the door. She heard someone chuckle in the corner and her attention snapped to the only other person in the room. He had catlike yellow eyes, and they were hooded lazily as he swung on a hammock. His brown hair was tied into a loose ponytail over his shoulder, and a long scar ran from his hairline down his left cheek.
"Hello," Naruto said weakly.
Kenta shot her a feral grin and jumped off his bed, landing silently in front of her. He was tall and lithe, and Naruto couldn't help but take a step back.
"Wow, you're a pretty one," he purred. He grabbed a strand of Naruto's hair and held it towards the light, watching the golden color glitter. "What pretty hair you have."
She twisted her hair out of his reach and glared. "I didn't come here to be complimented. The boss said you were his best agent."
The impudent man rolled his eyes. "I'm also his only agent." He took a seat on the bench and yawned, his long canine teeth glinting. The resemblance this man had to a cat was uncanny. Though, Naruto winced as she thought of Kyuubi, she wasn't one to judge.
"Can you do this job or not?" she asked peevishly.
"Such a temper," Kenta teased as he shot her a provocative grin. "Maybe someone needs a good rubbing."
Naruto felt the blood rush up to her cheeks as embarrassment engulfed her, and she whipped around to leave. What she didn't expect was for Kenta to grab her arm and pull her into his lap.
"Wh-what!" she spluttered. The blonde was about to thrust a full blown Rasengan into the man's chest when he pulled out a piece of paper from an open drawer and forced it into her hands. She glanced it over and saw that it was his license at this trade, and he had scored full marks on his test.
"You used to be a shinobi," she then stated flatly. There was no other way he could've gotten a perfect score on the exam.
He shrugged nonchalantly and pressed his face into her hair, breathing in her scent. He felt her struggle. "Stop moving. This is part of the job."
"Sexually assaulting your clients? I don't think so!"
Kenta chuckled. "How else do you think I follow you around? By sight? Suppose I lose you in a crowd, hmm?"
Naruto ceased her squirming, and she frowned. "I'm sure there's another way to do it."
"Yes..." he purred again. "But I really like pretty girls." He then licked one of her cheeks before she could react.
"PERVERT!" Naruto yelled. She broke loose and jumped to her feet, about to pummel Kenta's face in, but he had already escaped to the safer corner of the room and was now rummaging through his cabinet's drawers for some equipment. She angrily wiped her cheek and made a face. "Were you a Konoha shinobi?"
"No," Kenta replied, his back still to her.
"What made you quit?"
"Fighting wasn't for me." He turned around to shoot her a cheeky grin. "As I said, I like girls. But you are a rare beauty. Those whisker markings on your cheeks, are they a Bloodline Limit?"
Naruto's hand self-consciously came to touch her cheek. "You could say that."
"No wonder I'm so attracted to you." He winked. "I like cats."
"I can tell," she muttered. She reached into her purse and brought out Kaira's camera. "Is this okay for the task?"
Kenta took one look at the camera before snorting. "You insult me."
"So you have your own?"
"Of course." Kenta raised his black camera up in response. Its lens were huge. "This can take crystal clear images even at a far distance. I made it myself."
Naruto was impressed. "That's pretty cool, Kenta-san."
"And what shall I call you, princess?"
She rolled her eyes. "Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."
"Na-ru-to," Kenta repeated, having the name roll off his tongue. He grinned at the blush that appeared on Naruto's cheeks. "Who shall I be following today?"
"Me and a friend."
Kenta cocked his head to the side. "What's the point of hiring me if you already know I'm there?" he asked. "Unless you're tricking your friend into doing something bad and trying to catch the act on film. Which sounds like something only naughty girls would do..." His voice had dropped to a low purr again.
"Stop that," Naruto snapped. "Your sexual advances are tiring." She sighed and crossed her arms. "My friend's name is Sasuke, and he knows you're going to be there too."
Kenta raised an eyebrow. "There are photo shoots for couples, you know." He then stood up and walked to Naruto, sniffing the air around her.
She raised her hands up defensively. "Wh-what are you doing - "
"You don't smell of another man."
Naruto's cheeks burned. "I'm not married nor am I in a relationship!" She rubbed her temples and decided to take a seat on the bench. "My daughter - "
"But you just said - "
"My adoptive daughter and son think we are together, and since they're too young to understand, I've resorted to going on this half-assed date."
"Are they his?"
"What?"
"Are those children Sasuke's?"
Naruto glared at Kenta. "Why does it matter if they're his or not?"
"Well, are they?"
"Yes, yes they are," she replied irately. "What's with these personal questions?"
Kenta grinned and sat down next to Naruto on the bench. "You're a good person, Naruto-chan. Your sacrifice is very noble."
Naruto's blue eyes softened. "It's not a sacrifice," she said softly. "I love them." She then shook herself out of her stupor. "Anyway, no more small talk. Now that you know of the situation, try to capture the happier moments. Not when we're pissed off or mad at each other, okay? I don't want the kids seeing any of that."
Kenta's sharp teeth flashed as he grinned. "Roger, Naruto-chan."
She took out her wallet. "Now, how much do you charge?"
Kenta's grin grew larger.
XXX
"The nerve of him," she muttered loudly to herself, drawing the inquisitive looks of people around her. "I don't believe it. Half the price if I sleep with him? Fucking pervert." She turned around and shook her fist in that direction. "You heard me, you manslut!" People were now definitely staring. But still, Naruto had to give it to Kenta. She honestly couldn't feel his presence - though she wasn't trying too hard - and she was assured that in due time, she and Sasuke would even forget that they were being followed by a secret agent.
She came to the restaurant where she saw Sasuke last, and the girl inwardly cried as she patted her near empty wallet. Poor Gama-chan was emaciated. She hadn't expected the photo service to be that costly, but she had no choice (according to the old manager, Kenta had already given her a hefty discount), and she was almost broke. Lunch was probably all that she could afford today.
Naruto entered the restaurant and she immediately recognized Sasuke at a window seat. Her mood lifted slightly when she realized that Sasuke would rather die than touch her, and that brought her much relief, seeing how Kenta's sexual advances were enough to scar for a lifetime.
"Hey," she chirped as slid into the seat across from the Uchiha.
Sasuke looked up from the menu he held in his hands. He had not expected her to be in such a cheery mood. "It's been thirty minutes."
"I know, I'm sorry," she said as she picked up her own menu. "There were... miscalculations." A dark look flashed through Naruto's face as she remembered said 'miscalculations,' but she brightened when she began to flip through the menu. "Let's order!"
Sasuke, who had already decided on his order twenty minutes ago, studied the blonde as she read the menu. Her hair, which had been neatly brushed and straightened just earlier that morning, was now mussed and messily curled at the bottom. Her glittering white sweater was clumped with dirt patches, and her face was flushed pink from the autumn wind. She hadn't bothered to put on any makeup so the whisker markings on her cheeks were more visible than ever and her tan was a stark contrast against Sasuke's pale skin, but he noticed she was still easily the prettiest woman in the restaurant. Her flaws only enhanced her exquisite beauty.
Naruto, on the other hand, was too busy flipping through the menu to realize that Sasuke's attention had been riveted on her for the past few minutes. She bit the inside of her cheek as she had to skip past the ramen selections due to her money problem, and finally she found something she could afford.
"Naruto, that's the vegetarian page."
Naruto grimaced. "I'm on a diet." She saw the I-dont-fucking-believe-you look on Sasuke's face, and she fought the urge to stick her tongue out at the Uchiha. "What, you don't think I have that kind of self-control?"
Sasuke was about to respond when their waitress suddenly appeared. Naruto analyzed the waitress' pretty, black-haired skinny figure. She looks like a female Sasuke, Naruto thought. The waitress - her name tag said "Patii" - had her attention focused only on Sasuke, and she had bent down seductively and was now looking at the Uchiha with bedroom eyes when she asked huskily, "What would you like to order, sir?"
Naruto turned her attention from Patii to Sasuke and almost flinched when she realized that Sasuke was still staring at her; he hadn't spared the waitress a single glance.
"Number sixty-five," he said emotionlessly, his eyes never leaving Naruto's face. He sat back in his seat and crossed his arms; Naruto could almost see the dare in his eyes as he waited for her to order.
"And you, miss?"
Naruto broke eye contact from the Uchiha and smiled as bravely as she could. "I-I'll take the caesar salad."
The waitress' smile looked horridly fake as she began to write down Naruto's order.
"Naruto, you hate greens."
"You don't know that," Naruto snapped. God, had her voice really gotten that high?
Sasuke glared. He saw Naruto purposely avoid his eyes and fix her gaze at the salt and pepper condiments on the side of the table. He turned to the waitress. "Excuse me" - a glance at the waitress' name tag - "Patii, could you change that order?"
"O-of course, sir! What would you like?"
"Get the dobe some shrimp dumplings. But make sure to replace the shrimp with crab meat. She's allergic to shrimp."
Patii beamed, her eyes almost becoming the shapes of hearts as she stared at the handsome Uchiha. "No problem, sir! But that would cost extra on the bill."
Sasuke waved a nonchalant hand at the waitress. "So be it."
Patii hurriedly bowed before reluctantly making her exit.
Naruto's cerulean eyes were still wide with shock. "Sasuke," she finally managed to choke out, "I didn't order that!"
"I know you didn't," Sasuke said calmly. "But I'd rather spend the next thirty minutes having a decent meal than watching you choke down greens."
Naruto's cheeks colored. "Seafood is too expensive for these parts. We're not near Water Country at all. It's worth triple what it'll cost there." She fidgeted uncomfortably. "I appreciate the gesture, but - "
"Dobe, I'm paying."
Naruto paused and she studied Sasuke's face for any sign of emotion, but his expression was impassive and blank.
"You don't have to," she muttered.
"Unless you want to get arrested for not paying the bill, I do."
"Th-that's why I said I'll get the salad!"
"Naruto." Sasuke's exasperated voice reminded her of Itachi. "Please, just enjoy lunch."
She blinked. Wasn't that her line? Twiddling with the paper wrap of her chopsticks, she smiled sheepishly at the man and said, "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."
"Hn."
The silence that followed was a comfortable one. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get rid of the silly little smile she had on her face. She would keep making eye contact with the Uchiha, and although one of them would always look away immediately, she began to feel tiny butterflies in her stomach every time it happened. She was blushing profusely now, and when the food finally came, she was so grateful to have something else to focus on other than her hands and Sasuke's face.
The shrimp dumplings were everything she had dreamed they'd be. She knew that she wasn't eating real shrimp, but the crab meat replacement definitely could've fooled her. She noticed that Sasuke had a simple order of natto beans with rice, and she almost rolled her eyes. Of course he would.
Sasuke blinked as a platter of shrimp dumplings was thrust into his face. He looked up at the blonde.
"Take some!" she said.
He frowned at her. "I don't want it."
"Your food looks bland. And you're paying for this anyway. Take some."
He paused for a bit before giving in and taking a couple dumplings.
Lunch was finished at top speed. Both shinobi were used to wolfing down their food, and since no small talk was being made, all efforts went to their plates. Soon enough, Sasuke was leaving Patii's tip on the table, and the two of them walked out the restaurant's door.
"Sasuke?" Naruto tugged at his arm. "Can you buy me some ice cream?"
He looked down at the blonde, who was a good head or two shorter than him. His expression was unreadable, but after a moment, a quiet "Stay here" came from the stoic man.
Naruto watched Sasuke as he made his way across the street to a brightly colored ice cream stand. She hadn't expected this date to go so well. Sure, all this pretense was for the kids, but there was a small part of her that was screaming for her to get real. Although it pained her to admit, Naruto was warming up to the Uchiha again, and against her better judgment she remembered how he had looked that first time when she met him after Momo, Kaira and Ryuushiro had left the room. He had asked for her forgiveness, and she so vehemently denied it. It was safe for her to assume that he still had feelings for her, if his many jealous moments weren't a constant reminder, but...
Was it possible for her to trust him again?
"Here."
Naruto instinctively grabbed the ice cream cone that Sasuke held in front of her, and she grinned. "Strawberry!" she exclaimed. "You remember!" She then winced at her comment, not daring look up at Sasuke's face. She mentally kicked herself in the butt for making such a foolish remark.
"The horse stables are further down this path," Sasuke then said, acting like he hadn't heard her at all. "We should be able to get there in fifteen minutes."
She nodded numbly, clutching her ice cream as she tagged a few feet behind Sasuke once more.
XXX
"I change my mind."
Both Sasuke and the horse trainer Nobu looked at the blonde.
"Naruto," Sasuke said. He sounded indifferent, but his body language gave way to his irritation. "We didn't come out here in the middle of nowhere for you to chicken out."
Naruto turned red and she snapped indignantly at the Uchiha, "You never told me they were so big!" As if on cue, Kana, a soft brown mare that was calmly eating grass by the fence, neighed loudly. Naruto flinched. "She could easily stomp me to death."
Sasuke found himself at a wit's end. Naruto had no problem throwing herself into the most dangerous of situations without a single concern for her life - who's to mention the many Tailed Demons she had befriended - but she couldn't find the courage to approach a tamed horse?
The horse trainer Nobu cleared his throat. "You know, sir, you can accompany her also."
Naruto brightened. "You mean this horse can take two people?"
Nobu laughed. "No, not Kana. But you look like a lightweight, and I'm sure my strongest stallion is up for the task. I call him Black Beauty."
"Then you'll ride with me, Nobu-san?" Naruto asked hopefully.
"Me?" Nobu let out a bellow and patted his round belly. "Many many seasons ago, perhaps. But not today. Though your husband is definitely in shape to ride Beauty with you."
Naruto inwardly grimaced at Nobu's words, but she didn't try to correct the trainer. "If Sasuke is okay with it... I might consider it."
Nobu glanced at Sasuke for the Uchiha's approval, and when the raven-haired man made no protests, the horse trainer Nobu called for his wife. "Honey, can you bring out Black Beauty?"
Nobu's wife soon came out of the stables, one hand holding their three-year-old son Naoki and the other leading the most glorious beast Naruto had ever seen. Naruto gasped slightly as she saw the muscle ripple underneath Black Beauty's gorgeous black hair. The beast shook itself and neighed once before walking to its owner and playfully butting his nose against Nobu's back.
Nobu fondly patted Beauty before turning to Sasuke and Naruto. "What do you think?"
The look of wonder in Naruto's eyes did not escape Sasuke's notice, and he nodded grimly. "We'll take him." He walked over to Beauty and carefully grabbed the horse's reins in his hands. "Dobe, come on."
Naruto was too scared to notice the insult. "Sasuke, I'm really not sure about this."
"Dobe, this horse is not going to hurt you."
"I don't - "
Sasuke had walked over to Naruto and grabbed her hand, now leading her towards the direction of the horse.
"Sasuke!" she whispered in a panic.
Before she could react, two strong hands clamped around her middle, and in an instant she was straddling the horse. Another second later and Sasuke was seated comfortably behind her.
"You won't get hurt," he said. Sasuke's voice was low and persuading, and Naruto had to repress a shiver that tickled her spine. "Trust me, Naruto."
Trust? It was so ironic how she was wondering the exact same thing just a while ago outside the restaurant, but she bit her lip and nodded.
"Nobu-san," Sasuke said, taking Black Beauty's reins. "We'll be back in an hour."
Nobu smiled warmly up at the Uchiha. "Of course, Sasuke-san."
When Black Beauty and its two riders disappeared around a curve in the path, Nobu felt his wife's hand on his shoulder. He took her hand lovingly.
"You remember him, don't you?" she asked.
"Of course. It's been a few years, but I wouldn't mistake his face for anyone else's."
Nobu's wife smiled. "He's never taken the two-rider option before. That blonde girl... She must really mean something to him."
Nobu smiled in return. "That's something only Black Beauty would know."
XXX
Out of respect for Naruto, Sasuke had kept the horse at a walking pace, though he could sense the beast was itching to start a gallop. The Uchiha smirked, impressed at the horse's stamina and strength. Nobu had every right to boast of the stallion's power. Sasuke then realized Naruto had been deathly quiet for the past few minutes.
"Dobe."
Naruto shifted in her seat. She couldn't see Sasuke, but she heard the question in his voice.
"I'm okay, Sasuke," she said. "This - this is honestly the coolest thing I've ever done." Naruto closed her eyes and felt the fresh wind blow against her face, trying not to think about how her back was pressed up lightly against Sasuke's chest. She suddenly realized that her hair must've been blowing into his face. "Ah, I'm sorry, Sasuke, I forgot to tie up my hair." She quickly grabbed a rubber band from her wrist and braided her long blond locks into a side plait that fell halfway to her waist. She frowned slightly, wondering when her hair had grown so long.
"If the horse began to run, would you be scared?"
Naruto instinctively flinched. "Not if you can promise me I won't fall off."
Without warning, Sasuke immediately quickened Black Beauty's pace, and soon the horse was on a wild gallop through the open fields. Naruto yelled in surprise, but her yell turned into one of exhilaration as she realized that Sasuke's arms braced her in a secure hold. She began to laugh and shout, and although Black Beauty's speed would never match one of a high-ranked shinobi's, there was something about it that made her heart dance and soar in freedom.
A river soon appeared in the clearing, and Beauty slowed down, indicating to Sasuke that it wanted a drink. Sasuke complied and as Beauty stopped by the small stream, the Uchiha dismounted gracefully. He raised a hand to help the blonde, and with a little bit of squirming, Naruto soon found herself standing on her own two feet again.
"Whoa," she said, as her knees gave out. Sasuke's hand shot out to steady her. She muttered a quick "thank you" and rubbed desperately at her legs to get her blood circulation flowing. "Ow."
"It's normal."
Naruto stared at the Uchiha like she was suddenly seeing him in a new light. "Sasuke, I didn't know you could ride horses."
He never blinked when he responded. "Sakura liked to come here a lot in the summers."
"Oh."
Naruto knew it was jealousy that knotted her stomach into a twist, and she hated herself for it. "Nobu-san didn't say anything,' she said as indifferently as she could.
"I doubt they remember me."
"Have you ridden Black Beauty before?"
"I preferred him over the others."
Naruto bit the inside of her cheek and didn't meet Sasuke's eye as she walked to the riverbed. She saw her sadness reflected in the surface of the water, and it made her want to cry. She wasn't supposed to feel like this, like there was a green snake of envy coiled tightly in her chest. That couldn't possibly be right; she wasn't jealous, because how could she be jealous when she didn't give a rat's ass for Sasuke. But then why did this hurt so much? Why did she feel so absolutely crushed, this sudden reminder that Sasuke was still married to Sakura - and had been married to her - for the past five years?
"I never rode with Sakura."
Naruto began to wash her hands in the water, keeping her gaze focused on a small, gray pebble in the stream. When had Sasuke gotten behind her? She felt so vulnerable and lost, and she wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow her whole.
"Dobe."
She never ceased her washing, praying with all her might that he'll walk away. He didn't.
"Dobe." His hand came out to touch her shoulder. "Naruto, look at me."
"Leave me alone!" Naruto quickly twisted her shoulder out of his hand. She shakily got up and hurried past him, her eyes blankly staring straight ahead. But just when she thought she had gotten out of reach, he grabbed her arm and tightened his grip.
"Naruto."
She struggled vainly but couldn't not break free of the iron hold he had on her arm.
"Let go, Sasuke," she demanded as steadily as she could. Her voice sounded shrill to her ears. Her throat was tightening as she tried hard to not let tears form in her eyes. She had shown enough weakness in front of him already.
"Why do you do this?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Please look at me."
Naruto hesitated at the pleading tone in Sasuke's voice. The seconds ticked by, and when she realized that he wasn't going to let go of her arm any time soon, the blonde let out a breath of defeat and slowly turned to face Sasuke.
His cauldron black eyes were clouded with pain and emotion, and Naruto found herself falling into their midnight depths. She saw regret, hurt, sorrow and so much tenderness reflected in those black orbs that she stumbled back a step.
"Naruto," Sasuke said quietly. "Can we talk about this?"
"About what? There's nothing to talk about." She wanted to run away, but Sasuke's hand was still grabbing onto her forearm, locking her down as his tortured eyes pinned her to the spot. Her heart throbbed painfully in her chest.
"About us," he said. He took a step closer to her but stopped when the blonde visibly stiffened. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "You keep hiding from the truth."
"What truth?"
Sasuke looked hurt at her words. "You know what I'm talking about."
"No, I don't."
"Naruto..." He hesitated for a moment, then continued. "I lo - "
"DON'T SAY IT!" The anger, confusion and panic she held at bay seemed to have snapped all at once, and Naruto shoved Sasuke as hard as she could. His back slammed forcefully against a tree trunk, and she wanted to sink her fist into his heart.
"Dont - you - dare - tell - me - that." Naruto spat out every word, and her body shook uncontrollably. Kyuubi's chakra was beginning to engulf her in a sea of red. "You have no right to say those words to me. Let me remind you, Sasuke, that you burned that bridge years ago."
Sasuke's eyes flashed crimson as he instinctively activated his Sharingan. "And I'm telling you, we need to talk about it!"
"THERE IS NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT!" Naruto stalked towards the Uchiha and jabbed a finger into his chest. Her eyes were almost as red as his Sharingan. "Just because I love your two brats more than life itself does not mean that love extends to you, Sasuke. Remember your place and I'll remember mine."
"Naruto, listen to me. I'm sorry for hurting you, but - "
"But nothing! We shouldn't have come today. I thought we could handle this situation professionally, but apparently not." The blonde gritted her teeth in frustration. "This conversation is over."
"Naruto, you know that I love y - "
She cut his sentence short as she slapped him across the face. Tears ran down her cheeks as she stared at him with grief-stricken, horrified eyes.
"How could you still have the audacity to tell me that?" she whispered in disgust.
Sasuke barely felt the sting of her slap on his cheek. He wanted - no, he needed - her to believe him. "Naruto, I don't know what happened all those years ago! That's why I need to talk to you - "
"You don't know what happened?" She had narrowed her eyes when she repeated his sentence, and an angry shudder went through her body. "I've heard a lot of sorry excuses in my life, Sasuke," she hissed, "but after yours, I think I've heard them all."
"Naruto, I never wanted to hurt you. Trust me when I say - "
There was a small swoosh sound as Naruto suddenly retracted the red chakra from her body and directed it back into the seal. Her cerulean eyes were dull and blank when she looked at Sasuke, and after a few moments she shook her head and stumbled a couple steps back. She had a vacant, deadened expression on her face.
"Let me make this clear for you," she said flatly. "It was the worst mistake of my life to trust you. I don't want to talk about this anymore, Sasuke. Please don't bring it up again." She turned away and started walking to where Black Beauty was grazing in the distance. "Let's go back."
Sasuke stared after her retreating figure. His hand slowly came up to touch his cheek, where the slap mark now burned on his face.
XXX
School has started for me again so it may be awhile before I get back to this story. Please leave a review because you have no idea how much it means to me! Also constructive criticism is much appreciated. I write at sporadic times so it's very easy for simple things to slip my mind, and I always try to correct my mistakes whenever I can.
Thank you for reading and thank you for all your support :)
QUESTION: should Sasuke find out about Kakashi and Naruto?
leave your answers behind in a review!