Honesty
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I realize this is a pairing that hasn't really gotten a lot of attention. So I treasure each one. This chapter will be more from Jugo's side of things. I hope you all enjoy it.
Chapter Notation: This is a very fluffy chapter, but perhaps not in the way you might expect. No character bashing is intended. It's just that one character's more playful personality clashes with Sasuke's less playful one. This story will get more intense/sexy later on.
Chapter Two
"How long have they been going at it?" Sasuke asks when he walks back into his home.
"About two hours, give or a take a few minutes." Jugo answers.
It was two weeks later. Sasuke and Jugo had settled in. They were now both official Jonin for the Leaf Village. People were gradually getting used to seeing Sasuke and Jugo around. Though it was obviously going to take some time before they were fully accepted by the general population.
The villagers were understandably still wary. Jugo didn't particularly care for some of the dirty looks that Sasuke got. It was always a combination of fear, hatred, awe, and another emotion that annoyed him. The last emotion was definitely lust.
"What are they fighting about this time?" The last Uchiha inquires as he watches Karin throw pots and pans at Suigetsu.
"Karin claims that Suigetsu used up all the hot water in the shower." His roommate replies.
Sasuke sighs. Yeah, that would do it. Very few things set Karin off more than an icy shower. He could certainly sympathize with her there. No one liked a cold shower.
"So she decided to destroy my kitchen because of that?" Sasuke asks dryly.
Jugo nods. He really wished that Suigetsu and Karin would learn to get along. They bickered far worse than any married couple. He wasn't entirely certain if it was unresolved sexual tension or if they really were just like oil and water. Either way, it stopped being amusing after the first ten minutes. After that, it just got annoying.
"You are way too nice to them." Sasuke muses.
"I figure they'll get tired eventually." The other man informs Sasuke and shrugs.
They were both used to this bickering. Sasuke tended to put his foot down rather quickly. Jugo knew better than to get in the middle of Suigetsu and Karin's fights, if he wasn't in a rage.
"FIREBALL JUTSU!" The last Uchiha thunders as he sends a fireball sailing right at the heads of his teammates.
Suigetsu and Karin manage to dodge. That didn't surprise Jugo. They were used to this sort of treatment. If Sasuke seriously wanted to hurt them, he would use something more lethal than a fireball. (Which was perfectly lethal on its own, but nothing compared to some of his other attacks.)
"You're both annoying. Suigetsu, stop hogging all the hot water. Karin, stop destroying my kitchen because Suigetsu is being stupid." Sasuke snaps at them.
"She's being a crazy bitch! It's not my fault!" Suigetsu protests.
"He's so inconsiderate! I'm sorry, Sasuke. I just…he makes me so mad!" Karin exclaims.
Jugo just shakes his head. This was just another day for Taka. If they ever stopped fighting, he would be worried. The former S Class Criminal would wonder if they were sick or if he was dealing with imposters.
"I don't care who started it. I'll finish it. Both of you clean up this mess. Come on, Jugo. I'm going to take you to see Kiba." Sasuke says.
"Why are you taking him to see dog boy?" Suigetsu asks.
"Jugo's good with animals. Kiba's Clan raises ninja dogs. I figure if they hit it off…it'll be a good way for him to start assimilating into the village." Sasuke reasons.
Suigetsu nods. Well that made sense. It was also almost suspiciously nice of Sasuke. Sasuke didn't really do nice. Something was up. He was going to find out what it was!
"That sounds like a fine idea to me." The orange haired man says as he follows Sasuke outside.
He was relieved. If nothing else, at least he wouldn't have to hear Karin shrieking at Suigetsu like a banshee or Suigetsu taunting her. He really should buy some earplugs. Yes, that was going to be the first thing he did as soon as he got paid for his first mission.
Jugo allows Sasuke to lead the way for two reasons. The first was because he had no idea where Kiba lived. The second was he liked walking behind Sasuke. The view was quite nice.
"Hopefully, you two get along well. It would be nice if you could find a task that you enjoy doing, while you are here. You really do have a way with animals." Sasuke muses as they walk.
"I hope so as well. It would be nice to make some friends." He replies.
Jugo didn't consider himself to be like Karin. He wasn't going to steal Sasuke's towels or attempt to steal his toothbrush. His admiration for the last Uchiha was far more…normal. (Well at least to him anyway.)
Initially, he had followed Sasuke's orders and been soothed by his presence because of Kimimaro. The ill man had risked everything to retrieve Sasuke. It would be spitting on his deceased lover's last wishes, if he didn't make sure that Sasuke was safe.
"I imagine that you'll have an easier time of it, than Suigetsu and Karin." Sasuke offers.
That had quickly changed. Sasuke was just like his Clan's element. Terrifyingly beautiful. Most of the time, he fairly quiet and not particularly social. An introvert, like himself. When he got angry though, he was like a volcano. All unbridled passion. Generally, that included more fury than anything else. Still it was he was magnificent in his fury.
Like Jugo, Sasuke was a survivor. Sasuke had channeled his rage into a "productive goal." (Well he had thought it was productive at the time, how was he supposed to know the truth about Itachi?). He had locked himself away voluntarily in the prison because he was afraid of hurting others. Maybe that was why he was drawn to Sasuke. He was absolutely fearless.
"We're here." Sasuke says.
Jugo nods. He would have been able to figure that out, even if Sasuke didn't tell him. The sounds of dogs barking would have given it away.
He sees a young man cautiously approach him. Jugo assumed this was Kiba. He didn't appear too thrilled to be walking towards Sasuke. To his credit though, his knees weren't shaking. (Most people's knees did shake around Sasuke.)
"I didn't think you'd actually show. Hey. I'm Kiba." He introduces himself.
"I'm Jugo." The orange haired man replies politely and shakes the canine lover's hand.
"Right. Well have you ever worked with dogs before?" The Inuzuka asks curiously.
Jugo shakes his head. Most of the time, he communicated with forest animals. Usually birds, squirrels, deer, and creatures of that nature. Predators tended to be somewhat more independent minded, but once in awhile…he could persuade a wolf or another carnivore to help him out.
"Maybe we should start with the puppies then." The Leaf Ninja suggests and Jugo nods in agreement.
The two of them head off. Sasuke follows them at a respectful distance. He liked dogs well enough. Sasuke just didn't see him becoming a ninja dog trainer. Still he figured it was a good idea to stick close. If Jugo lost control, he didn't want the man to take it out on a bunch of puppies (or Kiba. Though Sasuke felt more sympathy towards the puppies, honestly.)
"Yeah. We had a couple of really big litters this year. Lots of pups." Kiba says happily.
"Their very cute." Jugo says and Sasuke tries to suppress a snort of amusing.
He didn't know why, but for some reason it was hilarious to hear Jugo talk that way. Cute. He didn't know that word was in Jugo's vocabulary.
Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched. Kakashi had decided to follow them. Tsunade wanted to be kept informed of the current situation.
So far nothing unusual was going on. Kiba was showing Jugo the dogs. Well to be more precise, he was showing him puppies. They really were such adorable furballs. Maybe he should look into getting one. Pakkun was getting up there in years…
"Sasuke, I think that one likes you." Jugo muses as one of the puppies makes its way over to Sasuke to investigate.
Sasuke raises an eyebrow. He saw a black fluffy furball sniffing at his sandals. Sasuke wasn't an expert on dogs, but he recognized that breed. It might be little now, but that was going to be one massive canine in a year or two.
"He's just a puppy. He doesn't know any better. He doesn't realize what an antisocial bastard you can be." Kiba muses.
"Oh fuck you, Inuzuka." Sasuke hisses at the other man for that little remark.
"No thanks, Uchiha. I prefer women and you are way too bitchy for me." Kiba says with a smirk.
Oh that was it. Sasuke steps away from the dog and begins channeling Chidori along his body. Kiba was asking for it. The last Uchiha had had it with his smartass comments!
"Sasuke, calm down. He's just engaging in some trash talk. It doesn't mean anything." Jugo says.
On some level, Sasuke realized that Jugo was right. Unfortunately, he was already seeing red. His Sharingan had activated due to his irritation with the Inuzuka.
Jugo sighs. Sasuke had just received a pardon. He couldn't let the Uchiha throw that away because Kiba wanted to bite off more than he could chew. The large man quickly grabs Sasuke and grunts in pain.
"Jugo! Damn it! Let go of me! I don't want to shock you." Sasuke growls and thrashes in the other man's arms.
The other member of Taka held Sasuke firmly though. Eventually, Sasuke had to dispel his Chidori. He didn't want to hurt Jugo. Kiba was the one who needed his ass kicked, not the man currently holding him.
"I don't want to get shocked, but you know you can't attack him. You just got pardoned. Do you really want to throw that all away because Kiba is in denial about his sexuality?" Jugo asks.
"EXCUSE ME?!" Kiba roars at him.
Sasuke snorts. He highly doubted that Kiba was actually gay. Still it was pure genius of Jugo to push that button. He doubted there were very many things that set the Inuzuka off faster than that.
"I'm certain you realize that Sasuke was not offering to be your lover when he said that to you. Yet that was the first thing on your mind. There's no shame in it. Lots of men prefer other men." Jugo informs him.
"…" Kiba is speechless.
"I'll take the black puppy. Come on, Jugo. I think your Jonin uniform should be ready by now." Sasuke says as he scoops up the dog and heads off.
As he was heading off, he tosses a pouch of money at Kiba. He didn't know how much the dog cost, but he figured that would more than cover it. Jugo shakes his head in amusement and follows him.
"Do you even like dogs?" He asks in amusement.
He had never heard Sasuke express an opinion about canines one way or another. He knew that Sasuke's family was closely affiliated with ninja cats though. Frankly, he would have expected the last Uchiha to get a ninja cat instead of a dog.
"I like them well enough. Besides, the Uchiha District could use a guard dog. Keeps the fan girls away." Sasuke says with a shrug.
"Sasuke, I really don't think an adorable puppy is going to keep anyone out of the District." Jugo points out.
"He'll get bigger. I know that breed. They grow fast." Sasuke says with a nod.
"I think you just got the pup because you knew it would annoy Kiba." Jugo observes.
"I'm not going to deny that, but I always wanted a pet. I couldn't have one though. Our family had ninja cats at the fortress, but my father was allergic to almost anything furry." Sasuke says.
Jugo shakes his head. It as adorably childish really. He hadn't expected Sasuke to have such a mischievous streak to him.
"Alright. Well maybe this will distract Suigetsu and Karin from fighting." Jugo suggests.
"Ha. We both know that isn't going to happen. You were great back there by the way. Do you really think he's gay though?" Sasuke asks.
The other member of Taka shrugs. No, he didn't think Kiba actually liked men. The Inuzuka had just been teasing Sasuke and it had backfired. That was all.
"He's straight as an arrow. Honestly, I just said that to annoy him. I knew it would calm you down." He admits.
"Good thinking. KAKASHI, COME OUT OF HIDING. I KNOW YOU'RE THERE." Sasuke suddenly yells.
"Damn. What gave me away?" The silver haired ninja asks as reveals himself.
Kakashi sighs. Damn. He'd been caught. The CopyCat Ninja had followed them after they left Kiba's place. He just didn't think that Sasuke was going to notice him. He was pretty wound up.
"You were laughing. Quietly, but I still heard it." Sasuke informs his former Sensei.
"Well it was a rather amusing scene." Kakashi admits with a shrug.
Sasuke's eyes narrow. He didn't particularly care for being spied on. More importantly though, the older ninja might tattle on them to Tsunade. That wouldn't end well.
"Are you going to tell Tsunade that I almost attacked Kiba? You saw what happened, he provoked me." Sasuke demands.
"I wouldn't call playfully teasing you, provoking you. Still it's not worth causing a scene over. Jugo stopped you from actually attacking him. I can't exactly argue that she should punish you, for something you didn't do." He states.
"Thank you." Jugo says.
Kakashi chuckles. He smiles and pats the puppy's head. Maybe Jugo would end up being good for Sasuke. He wasn't afraid to get shocked, to keep the Uchiha from doing something stupid.
"I suppose you should get this little guy home." He muses and they nod.
Fortunately for Suigetsu and Karin, when they arrived home…the kitchen was once again spotless. That was a relief. Jugo was pretty sure that Sasuke would go postal, if his family home was trashed.
"Are you two done acting like children now? I bet the dog will be better behaved." He mutters.
"Wait. Dog? What dog?" Suigetsu asks.
"This one. Jugo and I got him at Kiba's." Sasuke says with a shrug as he sets the puppy down.
"You got…a puppy? Who are you and what have you done with Sasuke?" Suigetsu asks.
"Stop being annoying." Sasuke says and rolls his eyes.
Karin darts over to Sasuke's side and grabs his arm. She smiles. He was back and now maybe Suigetsu would stop being an idiot!
"Karin, did you choose a room yet?" Sasuke asks as he tries to yank his arm away from her.
He was eventually going to allow all of Taka to live in the Uchiha District. It was really too big for one person or even two. Jugo would be the only person who was going to live with him in the long-term though. Suigetsu and Karin were fine, in small to moderate doses. Otherwise, their bickering would drive him nuts.
"Oh of course! I picked the room right across from yours!" She says happily.
"…" Sasuke is speechless.
Jugo blinks. Uh oh. The room right across from Sasuke's had been his parents' room. This wouldn't end well.
"Pick another." He says flatly.
"But it's a really nice room! It's so big! Oh and the bed is amazing." She protests.
Sasuke twitches. There was no way he was going to allow anyone to take his parents' room. He knew that he wasn't being fair. Karin couldn't possibly know which room belonged to his parents, but it was setting him off anyway.
Jugo felt his own irritation grow. He pulls Karin out of the kitchen and into the living room. First of all, she touched Sasuke. He wasn't particularly happy about that. Sasuke wasn't his lover, but he had made it rather clear he wasn't interested in Karin. So he felt somewhat justified in his displeasure. Secondly, she wouldn't just accept Sasuke's "request" to choose another room. Third, she was obviously upsetting the last Uchiha, but persisted anyway.
"That was his parents' room. That's why he doesn't want anyone to take it." He whispers.
"Ohhhh. I had no idea. Alright. I'll pick another room." She agrees.
"What are you flipping out about anyway?" Suigetsu asks Sasuke back in the kitchen.
"Karin wants to use my parents' room. I don't want her to. I know she didn't know, but still…" Sasuke trails off.
Suigetsu blinks. Yeah, that would do it. He supposed he wouldn't fancy having someone sleep in his dead parents' room either. He watches as Jugo comes back with Karin.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't know. I'll just take another room." She says and Sasuke nods.
Later that night, Jugo wakes up to the sounds of someone screaming. He heads towards the source of the screams. He walks into Sasuke's room and sighs. He was having a nightmare, it looked like.
It didn't take a genius to realize what the last Uchiha was likely dreaming out. He kept calling out for his parents. It was hard to reconcile those desperate cries with the fact that Jugo knew the man on that bed could probably level a mountain if he wanted to.
"Sasuke, wake up." Jugo calls out softly.
That didn't do the trick. The large man sighs. He gets into the bed next to Sasuke. He gently shakes him. When that didn't get the desired response, he decides to lay next to him. Maybe it would calm him down. Being around Sasuke calmed him down, the reverse might be true.
A few minutes later, Sasuke stops thrashing and his calls for help finally subside. It was probably the most heartbreaking five minutes of Jugo's life. He knew it was five minutes because there was a rather large clock in Sasuke's room. Apparently, five minutes could feel like a lifetime.
"That's better." He mutters and not long after, he falls asleep as well.
The next morning, Sasuke burrows into the warmth of his blanket. He didn't remember his blanket being this warm, but his still sleepy mind wasn't going to overanalyze it at the moment. He was comfortable and that was all that mattered.
That's when he noticed his pillow was harder than usual. It was also moving slightly. Sasuke frowns in his sleep. Pillows were not supposed to move! He immediately opens his eyes. Sharingan blazing. He blinks when he realizes what was going on.
"Jugo?" He asks.
Jugo was sound asleep. He was curled up next to him, with his arm draped around Sasuke in a way that looked far too intimate. It looked more like they were lovers than comrades.
Sasuke was smart enough to realize what had just happened. Jugo wasn't Orochimaru or even Karin. He wouldn't try to sneak into his bed because he was trying to seduce him in his sleep. There really were only two logical reasons why he would have done this.
The first was Jugo might have feared her was going into a rage. So he sought out Sasuke's company and didn't want to rouse the last Uchiha from his slumber. The second had to do with his own personal demons. He remembered having a nightmare. The same one that he had had probably thousands of times before. Maybe Jugo had heard him cry out in his sleep and tried to comfort him?
"I can't be mad at him for either." Sasuke mutters to himself.
Jugo looked so peaceful. He really didn't have the heart to wake him. Sasuke had never really looked at Jugo this close up before.
When he wasn't in a rage, he had what Sasuke considered to be a friendly face. There was no denying that he was big. But in his normal state, he was no more threatening than the puppy. Sasuke had never really thought about it before, but Jugo was also well…hot.
"Not going there." He mutters to himself.
Other than Naruto, Jugo was really the only other person that Sasuke trusted completely. Just because he had now noticed that he was physically attracted to the other man, didn't mean anything. He was also going to ignore the fact that Jugo was also surprisingly good at cuddling.
Yes, the smartest thing that he could do at the moment was to let sleeping dogs lie. Speaking of dogs, the puppy didn't have the same courtesy as Sasuke. He just jumped right up on the bed and promptly licked Jugo's face until the other man woke up.
"Sasuke…why are you licking me?" Jugo asks in confusion as his eyes slowly opened.
"I'm not! It's the dog!" Sasuke grumbles.
"Oh. That makes more sense." Jugo says and proceeds to start rubbing the dog behind the ears.
Sasuke sighs. This was going to be awkward. He hated to ask, but he knew he had to. There was no way he was going to let anyone else know about his nightmares.
He was just grateful that Suigetsu and Karin slept like logs. They never heard him when he cried out. He usually slept far away from Jugo for that very reason. Jugo was a light sleeper.
"Either you went into a rage or you heard me…which was it?" He asks.
"I heard you cry out in your sleep. I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't wake. So I laid next to you. You eventually quieted down. I'm not going to tell anyone, Sasuke. It's normal to have those kinds of dreams. Anyone who went through what you did, would." He assures him.
"Thanks." Sasuke mutters and turns his head away to hide his embarrassment.
If it had been anyone else, Sasuke never would have believed him. Sakura would have run straight to Tsunade in concern about his mental health. Naruto probably would have told Kakashi. Kakashi would have told Tsunade or maybe even Guy. He mentally goes down the list. Sasuke sighs when he realizes that anyone else would have pitied him or mocked him. Not Jugo though.
Sasuke found himself grateful for the other man's honesty. At least, he could be sure that Jugo wouldn't tell anyone else. That was a relief.
"Come on. Let's go make some breakfast before Karin and Suigetsu ruin the kitchen, again." He mutters and heads out of the room.
"Good idea." Jugo replies and follows the last Uchiha, while carrying the puppy in his arms.