Disclaimer: I don't own nor have I contributed to Naruto in any way! Nope! None!
Sky-eyed Kitsune: Well a new season of writing has started for me. I've been very lazy, yes, but prepare for a big influx of updates in the summer time! :spazzes:
For those of you just joining the madness now, I have stopped replying to reviewers because I've got so many that it tends to take an hour to do so! X0 But please know that I treasure each review I get, and read them all. In fact when I read them they made me smile in the way that a writer does when they've realized that they have a reason to write! So sincerely, thank you all who take the time and read and review! I will though be answering questions if someone doesn't understand one part of the story or something along those lines. ^^
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Chapter Fifteen:
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"Favor?" Sasuke said as impassively as possible, belying his inner cheering.
Tsunade nodded.
"I haven't bought Naruto's new apartment yet, and since he broke up with Sai he needs a place to stay. Your mansion is more than capable of doing so. Please let him room with you until I can buy him a new apartment."
Sasuke nodded, and Tsunade carefully transferred Naruto over to him, flopping one of the blond's arms around the Uchiha's shoulder.
"Tsun…" Naruto murmured, trying to blink away the haze over his eyes from the alcohol in his system.
"It's ok Naruto, Sasuke is going to take care of you," Tsunade said, ruffling Naruto's hair gently.
Naruto didn't respond, his head dropping limp once more.
"You lay one finger on him and I'll rip your balls through your ass, Uchiha," Tsunade hissed, before disappearing in a cloud of white smoke.
Sasuke's eye twitched slightly.
He knew Tsunade wasn't bluffing.
Sasuke hoisted Naruto farther up, gripping his waist. Naruto groaned, and Sasuke just decided to heave the blond into his arms and carry him bridle style.
Sasuke shut the door with his foot as he carried Naruto. The blond was much heavier than he looked…
After trudging up the stairs and readjusting Naruto in his arms several times, Sasuke finally reached the guest bedroom.
He laid Naruto down gently on the dark navy covers, brushing a few stray golden locks from his face. He looked over the blond and decided to take at least his Hokage robes off. He wanted Naruto to be comfortable, but he also didn't want the blond to wake up in a frenzy and think that he had done anything to him in his inebriated state.
After lifting Naruto carefully and removing his robes, he leaned down and pressed his lips against the blond's forehead gently before walking to the door.
Naruto's eyes opened slightly, then halfway, misted over with the daze of alcohol.
"S'uke?"
Sasuke turned, and saw Naruto sitting up slightly, supported lazily by his arms.
"Go to sleep, Naruto," Sasuke said, and the blond shook his head.
"S'uke," he said again, this time stretching his arm and fanning out his fingers as if attempting to pull Sasuke over to him.
Sasuke walked forward, reaching out his own hand until his palm met Naruto's. The warmth of their combined skin rippled in composed waves through his body, and he interlaced their fingers.
Sasuke gasped slightly as he was suddenly tugged forward, and he crashed on top of Naruto, their lips clashing together.
Naruto blinked, his intoxicated brain working ten seconds too slow. His eyes finally widened after a moment, and he closed them and groaned.
Sasuke used his arms to push himself up, their mouths disconnecting with a smack. A string of glistening saliva still connected their lips as if trying to bring them together again, before swiftly breaking.
"S'uke," Naruto breathed, entwining his fingers in the hair on Sasuke's neck and pulling him down for another kiss.
It was a little sloppy at first due to Naruto's smashed state, but Sasuke quickly felt his supporting arms buckle as Naruto pleaded entrance to his mouth.
Should he? Naruto was obviously drunk, and Tsunade's threat still lingered ever so thickly.
Sasuke didn't have time to decide as Naruto pulled the Uchiha down more and forced his way into the hot cavern above.
Sasuke could taste the twang of sake, but also the almost undetectable hint of sweetness that could only be described as purely Naruto.
Naruto moaned lightly as Sasuke kissed back slowly at first, before they gained speed, their tongues dancing and entwining. Sasuke lured Naruto's tongue into his mouth, sucking on the appendage and rubbing the muscles together in delicious friction.
"Sasuke," Naruto gasped as they parted momentarily for air, before Sasuke dove back in for more of that taste, more of Naruto. He wanted to hear the blond say his name again so breathlessly, so pleadingly. He needed more of this beautiful man.
"Sasuke, I missed you," Naruto breathed as they parted again, and Sasuke paused. He finally saw the thin transparent lines running down Naruto's cheeks in the light of the setting sun spilling in through the window.
"I-I missed you…so much," Naruto said brokenly, more tears rolling down his cheeks.
In all the time Sasuke had known Naruto, he had never seen the blond cry, not once. Naruto always seemed too strong for that. And yet here he was, the Rokudaime, overcome with so much emotion…
…and over him.
"Sasuke!" Naruto cried, pulling Sasuke against him, the Uchiha's head resting in the corner of the blond's shoulder. Naruto's fingers nestled themselves in Sasuke's hair as he sobbed openly.
"I missed you…I missed you…I missed you…" Naruto chanted, his eyes shut tightly, gripping Sasuke as if he would slip through his grasp and into oblivion unless he clutched onto him.
Sasuke felt a pang of guilt hit him square in the chest. He knew that he had caused Naruto pain, but now he was aware of the extent of it.
Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's shoulders, embracing him tightly.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm here now."
Naruto didn't answer, and Sasuke felt the warm wetness of tears sinking through the fabric of his shirt and to his skin.
Sasuke sighed as he pulled away from Naruto, releasing the blond's grip on him.
"You're drunk, Naruto," he said.
"I know," Naruto admitted.
"I don't want you to wake up tomorrow and be angry with me for kissing you."
Naruto shook his head.
"I'll probably remember this. I'm not that drunk…just kinda tipsy…"
Sasuke moved to leave, but was stopped when Naruto's hand shot out and gripped his arm.
…well the dobe's reflexes definitely weren't slowed by the alcohol.
"Stay…" Naruto asked quietly. "I…I promise not to be mad in the morning…"
Sasuke sighed and sat back down on the bed, his arm still in Naruto's tight grip.
"I will if you tell me something," Sasuke said, and after a pause, Naruto nodded slowly.
"Why did you and Sai separate?"
Naruto blinked, his hand slowly releasing Sasuke to drop into his own lap. The question caught him off guard, even in his smashed state.
"I won't tell anyone you don't want me to," Sasuke reassured, gently running his fingers through the soft blond spikes that he had longed to touch, to stroke, to feel, for countless days and nights.
Naruto licked his lips, looking downwards.
"Sai is very possessive," Naruto started slowly. "He…he didn't like me bein' touched by someone else, even if it was by my best friend. I guess he felt like any kind of "mark" he had made on me was gone. So he raped me."
Sasuke had to rewind what Naruto had said at the moment at least a thousand times over before his brain had processed it.
…raped? Naruto? Sai!?
Sasuke's eyes automatically bled into a deep maroon red, sharingan spinning wildly. His murderous gaze flicked to Naruto when he felt a hand press down none too lightly on his shoulder.
He didn't need to ask Naruto anything, since it was apparent by the expression on the blond's face that he had no intent of letting anyone harm Sai for what he had done.
"Aren't you upset? Angry at all?" Sasuke asked as he attempted to cool his nerves and failing miserably.
Naruto shrugged. "Shit happens," he said. "There's no point in livin' in the incident since there's nothing I can do about it now. It's already in the past. I don't need this affecting my role as hokage."
"You can't keep it all bottled up inside, Naruto," Sasuke said, his eyes fading back to a deep coal.
"O' course not. Why else d'ya think I'm drunk?" Naruto chuckled slightly, and Saske couldn't help but smirk a little. Not the best way to let out one's emotions, but while you're drinking it always seems like it is.
"You should get some sleep. I think the alcohol is wearing off, and you shouldn't get a hangover before sunrise or else you'll feel ten times worse."
Sasuke had kept his promise, and stayed with Naruto for the night. He carried in a futon from one of the closets, and made himself a place on the floor.
It wasn't till the dead of night that Sasuke felt some thing nudge against his side once, twice, before he was kicked swiftly.
"Shit!" Sasuke cursed as he held his throbbing side. He looked up, ready to slap a bitch, when his expression cooled as he saw who it was.
"Naruto, what's wrong?" he asked. Naruto scoffed.
"I thought Uchiha brats were supposed to have better vision than everyone else, but apparently not. Big surprise."
Sasuke took a double-take. No, this wasn't Naruto, The body was Naruto's but everything else wasn't. Blond spikes of hair were replaced by a flowing red mane, loose down to the waist. The grown-out bangs framed a pale milky face, jagged and very pronounced whisker scars on each cheek, almost like they had been torn there. From each fingertip a black claw sprouted, gleaming in the light shards the moon cast through the window. A pair of blood red eyes stared down at Sasuke with an air of superiority and blatant sarcasm.
"Who are you?" Sasuke snapped, eyes bleeding to sharingan for the second time that night.
"Oh geez. It's like the evolutionary clock ticks backwards with you, isn't it?" the redhead scoffed, rolling his eyes. He bent down until he was eye level with Sasuke. "I'll give you some hints. I'm 143,972 years old, I used to run the land free until I was sealed away, I was the most powerful demon in existence until a certain blond stepped in while I was having fun, and I live inside said blond's son. Ring a bell?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Kyuubi?"
"Damn you're slow."
"You shouldn't even be here now. How did you get out?"
"I didn't. Why else do you think I look like a human? Naruto created a chakra barrier three years ago to keep me from over shadowing his body, even while he was sleeping. Seems that being drunk caused the barrier to weaken some. I'll be damned if I won't stretch my legs for the first time in three years. That and I wanted to talk to you."
"About?"
"About the kit."
Sasuke paused. "…kit?"
"Naruto!"
"……kit?"
"We've got a special like relationship, so shut the hell up. " Kyuubi plunked himself down on the ground cross-legged in front of Sasuke. "I'm sure you are still curious as to why Naruto gave you up."
Sasuke's interest sparked immediately, and he nodded at once.
"I think it's important that you know anyways," Kyuubi said. He took Sasuke's arm before the Uchiha could protest, and made a slit over the pale wrist.
"Hey!"
"Calm down pretty boy."
Kyuubi slit his own wrist with his claw, and pressed his own bleeding wound against Sasuke's. A red chakra seal imprinted on the top of their hands, before Sasuke's vision became whitewashed and he shut his eyes from the sheer brightness that engulfed him.
Sasuke didn't open his eyes to his guest room. Instead he saw the Konoha training grounds where team seven passed the bell test with Kakashi when they were twelve.
"Where are we?" Sasuke asked as Kyuubi appeared beside him, hands linked behind his back. He didn't answer as his eyes were trained on something else.
Sasuke looked forward and saw Naruto, standing in front of the pole he had once been tied to. Only this Naruto was much younger than what Sasuke knew, no older than sixteen. Dried blood clung to his skin, and tears were apparent in his jacket and pants.
He still wore his famous orange and black jacket ensemble, his hair shorter and more spiked. He gripped his headband loosely in one hand as he stared at the pillar wordlessly.
"Naruto-kun."
Naruto turned as did Sasuke, to find a younger Sai walking up to the pillars. Sai didn't say a word as he stood beside Naruto in front of the poles, respecting the blond's silence.
"Is this right?" Naruto finally broke the silence. "Trying to force Sasuke to come back…it's not right, is it?"
Sai shrugged. "In the book I just picked up on relationships it said to never force another person into doing something they don't want to because it acts against their free will."
"Free will," Naruto chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "Seems like Sasuke's got a lot of that…but not me."
Sai gave Naruto a questioning look.
"I don't have any freedom, Sai," Naruto sighed. "It seems like I'm one of the most free spirited ninja in Konoha, but it's all just a guise. Ever since I was a kid Tsunade gave me special missions that were below my skill so that the village didn't feel like I was getting too strong. I can't afford to be myself around anyone and have had to act as the village idiot because the villagers would fear that I'm too smart. I've had to live far on the outskirts of Konoha so no one feels threatened by my presence. I can't just go up and make friends with whoever I want without being cursed and spat on."
Naruto looked away from the pillars to stare hard at Sai.
"And everyone expects me to chase Sasuke because of the stupid promise I made to Sakura to bring him back."
Sasuke blinked.
How did he not know all this? Why had Naruto not told him any of the restrictions he was under when they were younger? And how could Sasuke have fallenl for the village idiot mask so easily?
What was this…?
"I didn't know," Sai stated simply. "If you want more freedom, why don't you just take it?"
Naruto looked down and squeezed the Konoha headband in his grasp.
"That's what Sasuke did."
The white light abruptly struck Sasuke again, and he shielded his eyes from its fury. He only opened them again when it faded into a new scene. This time Sasuke saw the forest right outside of Konoha, fresh with the premature blush of spring.
"I know where we are," he said to Kyuubi, once more beside him. "We're in Naruto's memories, aren't we? And that was after our fight at Orochimaru's base."
"Pretty boy finally pieces it together," Kyuubi grumbled, before his attention focused to the trees where a rustling was coming from.
Sasuke watched as Naruto climbed through a patch of bushes, arm clutching a wound on his opposite shoulder. He walked slow, bloody and battered, leaning against trees for support and struggling for breath.
"That was our third battle," Sasuke said as he took in the appearance of the blond, and estimated him to be around eighteen. He was taller and more muscular, his spikes of hair starting to calm and dip down his neck. "And our last."
"I can't keep doin' this Kyuubi," the young Naruto said to the air.
"He talked to you?" Sasuke asked Kyuubi.
"He always has," Kyuubi said. "I told you, we have a special relationship."
Naruto leaned his back up against one tree, slipping down it into a dilapidated sitting position, head lolling to one side as of he were to pass out at any moment.
"It happened at the Akatsuki base," Sasuke said. "We fought so much that we ended up destroying it. We really almost killed each other that day. I thought I was going to die."
"How is this right Kyuubi?" Naruto asked as he closed his eyes in pain. "How is forcing Sasuke to come back home considered right? Even if I did bring him back, he would just try to leave again. What's the point of bringing back a person that doesn't even want to be here anymore?"
There was a pause as Naruto no doubt listened to Kyuubi.
"My feelings don't matter Kyuu," he said. "I…why am I even bothering anymore? I want Sasuke to come back so much…but I want him to do so when he actually wants to be here, not because I forced him to. If I forced him to be here, I think the empty space I feel inside would still be there."
Another pause.
"I know that I could take Sasuke back easily."
"What?" Sasuke said to himself.
"But I…I just can't bring myself to use my full power like that. I don't want to hurt him, Kyuubi."
Sasuke jerked his head to look at Kyuubi who watched the scene impassively with crossed arms.
"He could…he could have!?" he suddenly shouted. "He could have fucking brought me back!?"
"A thousand times over brat," Kyuubi responded, not taking his eyes off Naruto.
"Why!?"
"Are you deaf along with blind too Uchiha? He just said it. He didn't want to seriously hurt you."
Sasuke gripped his hair down to the roots in frustration.
He knew Naruto better than that! He could tell when the blond was faking a fight! He could!
Sasuke didn't bother to shield his eyes as another flash came on, and he found himself back in his guest room.
"Don't know Naruto as well as ya thought, ne?" Kyuubi chuckled bitterly, and Sasuke blindly whirled his fist forward to punch the bastard demon smack in the face.
Sasuke hissed and couldn't hold in a growl of pain as Kyuubi caught his fist and the skin on his fingers and knuckles sizzled under a tremendous blazing heat.
"Didn't that snake teach you anything?" Kyuubi bit out. "First off, do not even think of touching a fire demon, even when overshadowing a host. Second, this isn't my body brat. You mash me in and Naruto will be the one waking up sore in the morning and rearing to slap a bitch."
Sasuke groaned under his breath as Kyuubi talked. The smell of burning flesh was nauseating, and knowing that it was his own made Sasuke feel even sicker as the aroma sifted into the air.
"Third, do ya think that maybe I have a point in showing you all of this Uchiha?" Kyuubi released Sasuke's fist and the raven snatched it back quickly. He winced and bit his lip as he tried to flex his fingers and the burns there seemed to split open his skin further.
"How about I just break it down so you don't waste the precious energy you need for your brain to function?" Kyuubi sighed, aggravated. "To put it point blank, you don't know what Naruto went through while you were gone, you don'tknow what kind of ninja he really is, and youdon't know him! And you never did! You know that village idiot act that Naruto put on for you and the rest of the village when he was a kid. The only time Naruto was ever himself around you was when you two were fighting each other."
Kyuubi's words seemed to peel off him and pool on the floor at Sasuke's feet, then suddenly sprung to life and rammed him one after the other in the chest until they were embedded so deeply that they couldn't have been scraped out with all of the will power in the world.
"How about for once stamping down your pride and admitting that you're wrong?" Kyuubi said as he crossed his arms, his expression set firm.
But Sasuke didn't need Kyuubi telling him he was wrong, because he already knew it from the moment the demon had opened its mouth. It was an incredible blow to Sasuke's ego and it made his stomach churn in bitterness, but he admitted it. He was wrong. Simple.
But if it was so simple how had he not seen it before?
"You should do what you should have done ten years ago, and genuinely get to know Naruto. Maybe then he can look at you in the light that you see him in now." Kyuubi said. Once he saw Sasuke's tight expression loosen, he knew that the raven had accepted the facts, no matter how grim a diagnosis for his ego.
Sasuke rose an elegant eyebrow. "I thought you hated me?"
"Hell if I don't, but that's just the way things go. I didn't decide Naruto's mate; I'm not that omnipotent!"
"Wait, what?"
"Why are you so stupid!?"
"I'm Naruto's mate?"
Kyuubi looked up at the ceiling and sighed exaggeratedly. "I'm gonna be here all day at this rate," he whined. "Yes Uchiha, you are Naruto's mate. End of story."
"Did you tell him?" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes.
"In…so many words," Kyuubi said, scratching his claws against each other. "But I also encouraged him to be with Sai."
"Why?"
Kyuubi glared at Sasuke. "Because you've already hurt him enough."
Sasuke paused.
Kyuubi sighed again. "Nonetheless, Naruto belongs with you. Call it demon intuition. But you don't deserve him, and at this rate you never will."
"What do you suggest?"
"Huh?" Kyuubi said. Sasuke's head was tilted down to the floor in submission.
"What should I do," he said. "I'll listen."
Kyuubi smirk. "Finally the Uchiha asks the wise demon what to do. For now give Naruto some space. I'll talk to you again later."
"How?"
"Don't worry, I'll find you," Kyuubi said, grinning and winking. His body suddenly went limp and his red mane vanished from him as Naruto's characteristics returned.
Sasuke stood and picked up Naruto gently, placing him back in the bed once more.
Sasuke flopped down on his futon and sighed, staring up at the ingrained dots on the ceiling.
"You'll find me, eh?"
Hm now tell me, how many of you think Naruto will wake up and not know where the heck he is? XD
Sky-eyed Kitsune
Translated by Gomi-kun