Chapter 8
"Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve."
The headache was gone. The tiredness was gone.
He hated to admit it, but he felt amazing since going to Hell and bringing Suigetsu back. He couldn't deny it. He had so much energy. He felt strong and like nothing could stop him. It was like a drug—a drug that lasted days.
It was Friday now, and he was getting ready to go out. He just wanted to let it out, all that energy. It was making him insane. He wanted to move, to be around people, to dance, to party—something, anything. He wanted to just have fun and forget about everything else. To lose control.
He was going out of his mind in this stupid boring apartment.
"They're having a special electronic music night at Laid-Back. I'm not missing that," Sasuke told Suigetsu.
Right now they were in the bathroom. Suigetsu was using the flat iron to straighten Sasuke's long-ish dark hair. Suigetsu had burned his fingers three or four times in the process but he insisted on carrying on with it.
Some pretty good party music was playing right now, from Suigetsu's laptop in the next room. Soundtrack from the movie Project X; okay movie, great music.
"Can I come?" Suigetsu asked. He was pretty much done with Sasuke's hair. Now he was just sort of… touching it. "God your hair is so soft. You're lucky."
"Stop it you're acting weird."
"Am I? Sorry." Suigetsu kept his hand in Sasuke's hair anyway.
"And no you can't come. It's a gay bar you won't like it anyway."
"But I want to come with you!"
"I can't stop you if you really want to…"
Sasuke pulled away and leaned against the sink counter. Suigetsu was acting a little… different. Ever since the incident. Well, different was a bit of a euphemism, actually. But Sasuke wasn't really worried, because Deidara had visited him since then, and he said the effects would fade with time. Also Sasuke felt too good to worry about anything right now.
"Awesome!" He touched Sasuke's arm, smiling. "We're gonna have so much fun. Drinks on me, okay?"
"I have two jobs and you don't even have one. Why would you pay for my drinks?"
"Because you're my best friend!"
Suigetsu rushed over to his bedroom and Sasuke heard rummaging around; Suigetsu was choosing an outfit.
Sasuke looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. Pale gray distressed skinny jeans, black belt with silver chains hanging at the sides, black zip up vest—he wasn't wearing anything under it.
He looked healthier than before, too. Like he was eating and sleeping properly. So that was good.
On a whim he went in his bedroom, shut the door and grabbed his phone, skimming through his contacts list. And he called Naruto.
"Hey, Sasuke," he answered in a careful voice, "what's up?"
"You want to go out tonight?"
"Tonight? Where?"
"Laid-Back."
"Where's that?"
Sasuke smiled, a hand lingering on his laptop keyboard as he leaned over his computer chair. "You know the place. First time we met, little fox. Ring any bell? The music's gonna be great tonight. None of that top forty crap."
"Why do you want me to come?"
"Does it matter? What I want to know, Naruto, is if you want to come."
"You sound different. Did something happen?"
"Maybe."
"Did you… use your powers, or something?"
"…Maybe."
"You shouldn't have."
Sasuke tilted his head. He was getting a little impatient. "Do you want to come, or not?"
"I can't go out tonight. I'm working really early tomorrow morning."
"Oh come on. Live a little."
"I really can't."
"Fine," he shrugged, moving away from the desk. He went to look at his shoes. He would wear his gothic boots tonight. Eh, why not? Who cares about modern fashion?
"Okay, then, have fun…"
"Yeah, I will. I'll just find someone else to make out with."
Silence. Sasuke bit his lip so he wouldn't laugh.
"Wow, okay…"
"What's wrong?" he asked innocently.
"I just wasn't expecting you to say that."
"What's the problem? You can still change your mind, you know."
"I don't want to go to that stupid club."
"All right. I'm not forcing you. Enjoy your night."
Naruto said nothing. But he didn't hang up.
Suigetsu walked in the room then. "Oh, hey, let me do that for you."
Sasuke had been struggling to put on his boots while talking on the phone. He leaned back as he let Suigetsu lace them up for him. He was being incredibly helpful lately.
Okay, so maybe Sasuke was enjoying this a little too much. But whatever. Suigetsu looked very happy. And Deidara had said it would fade… Besides, it wasn't even his fault.
"Who are you on the phone with?"
"Naruto. He doesn't want to come with us tonight."
"Boo!"
In the phone, Naruto said, "I thought Suigetsu was straight."
"Straight people can go to gay clubs if they want to, you know," Sasuke explained. "They don't ask you for your gay membership card at the door."
"I know that…"
"So, um, why are you still on the phone?"
"You're a dick."
"Hey don't insult him!" Suigetsu exclaimed. Apparently he could hear their conversation. "Sasuke is awesome everyone knows that."
Naruto hung up.
"Oh well, who cares about him?" Sasuke shoved his cell in his pocket, and looked at Suigetsu. He was wearing all black. It made his light hair look even brighter. "I like what you're wearing. All right, come on let's go."
"Yeah well I know you like black clothes, so…" Suigetsu looked all proud.
"Right. Anyway…"
"Won't you be cold?" Suigetsu asked as they stepped out and locked the apartment door.
"Oh, no," Sasuke said, smiling, "trust me, I won't be cold."
…
Everyone was there. Orochimaru at the bar, Yahiko with his crazy red dyed hair and piercings, and even Konan. She wore a tiny black skirt and a studded tank top, showing off the various floral tattoos all over her legs and arms. Konan and Suigetsu were standing at the bar and talking together while they waited for Orochimaru to make their drinks.
"How do you get your hair like that?" Suigetsu asked her.
"These days I use Manic Panic shocking blue," she said, "it's pretty great. I like all their shades, really…"
Sasuke was bored. They had been here a while and his friends didn't want to dance yet. Yahiko wanted to keep Orochimaru company. Apparently Konan and Suigetsu were keeping each other company. This was lame. The music was good, at least. But what was the point if they weren't even dancing?
He just stood near the bar counter, sipping his drink. At least Orochimaru's cocktails were amazing, as always. He always put extra liquor for Sasuke, said it was a little special just for him—but he probably said that to everyone. Orochimaru could be a flirtatious guy. Sasuke wasn't into him though. He wasn't really into anyone right now.
Well, there was someone. But that wasn't going to work out anyway, was it?
Some guys in the club were cute. Some looked toward him. But he didn't really feel like giving it a try, not right now anyway.
And suddenly Sasuke saw someone very familiar in the crowd, gracefully snaking his way towards him. Someone very skinny and androgynous with shiny blonde hair.
"Deidara! What are you doing here? Wait, am I going to look like a crazy person for talking to myself?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
But the reaper shook his head, smiling. He spread his arms. "Don't worry about a thing. Everyone can see me. I made a little effort."
And he had made an extra little effort with his outfit, too, apparently; instead of the all black reaper gear he wore animal print skinny jeans and an open neck ivory white shirt that looked like cashmere.
"Looking good," Sasuke said, somewhat mockingly.
Deidara pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "Some guy over there asked me if I was pre or post-op."
"You do look kinda girly," Sasuke said, sipping at his drink. "What do you have down there, Dei? Really?"
"Dei? I like it. You're in a good mood. And I have a fairy wand down there. It's quite magical. I can show you if you like."
"Maybe another time, partner."
Deidara winked. Then cleared his throat. "So… everything all right for you then?"
"Yeah, except that Suigetsu is a little—"
Speaking of which, he just showed up next to them. He handed a glass of water to Sasuke.
"You should really have some. If you just drink alcohol you'll get dehydrated, and you'll be sick in the morning."
"Thank you. That's nice."
"No problem! Is that guy bothering you?" He sent a suspicious glance at Deidara.
"No, it's fine. You can go back to Konan now."
"Okay. We're going dancing soon."
"Great."
"Okay," he said again, touching Sasuke's arm and… stroking it. He smiled. "You look beautiful, Sasuke, really."
Beautiful? "Right. Just… go back to Konan, all right? I think she's really into you."
That was just a lie to get rid of him—Konan only dated people covered in tattoos. But it worked. Sasuke sighed, and made to take a sip of his cocktail, and then thought better of it and drank some water instead. Suigetsu was right. That was smart.
"I see what you mean." Deidara nodded thoughtfully. "But like I said, it'll fade. He might be a tad smitten with you in the early days, though. Don't be too shocked if he tries to sleep with you."
"That would never happen. We're like brothers. Bros. Friends. Whatever you call it."
"Mates."
"I don't actually care what you call it. What are you doing here, anyway?"
Deidara shrugged innocently, playing with his hair. He had navy nail polish on. Sasuke also noticed he had eyeliner and mascara of the same dark blue shade. His eyes trailed across the crowded room, and the black and red décor of the walls, and they eventually settled on the DJ booth. Sasuke couldn't blame him. That DJ was pretty hot; all toned tan skin and cute face and that. The fact that he played good electronic music gave him bonus points, too.
Naruto was hotter, though.
Why was he thinking about Naruto right now? Whatever.
"I kind of wanted to invite you to a better party, actually."
"Really? In Manhattan?" he said disinterestedly. He imitated Deidara and let his gaze wander across the dance floor. Cute boys, good music, cool light effects and loads of artificial fog machines; they had a good thing going here. Why would they want to leave?
"No," Deidara nudged him, and leaned closer, "you know. That little place we call home. That little place I call home, anyway."
Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "You mean Hell?"
"We don't necessarily call it that, you know," Deidara said defensively.
"What do you call it then?" Sasuke looked at him, sipping his drink. He wasn't really feeling the alcohol yet. He would have to tell Orochimaru to make it extra special next time.
"Well, you know, some of us call it party town." He made some weird disco move with his arms, and it looked kind of silly.
Sasuke laughed. "Whatever you say, partner."
"So you do want to be my partner now?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not really."
"There you go."
Deidara thought for a moment. "So you do feel good right? I mean, after using your powers and everything."
"Would be pointless to deny it."
"So how would you feel about trying it again?"
"No."
"But Temari and Sasori—"
"I don't care."
"They have an army, Sasuke."
"Still no."
"We need to fight back somehow!" He insisted.
When Sasuke just shook his head, Deidara looked all discomfited. He just looked down at his feet. Sasuke was incredibly amused to notice that Deidara wore black furry boots.
"Were you planning on going to a rave?"
"You could call it that."
"You're serious."
Deidara found his smile again. "The parties in Hell, my friend. They're amazing. If you're V.I.P. of course. Which you would be, if you came with me. Come on, please say yes. Nagato wants to meet you."
"That guy who's kind of like your boss?"
"Uh-huh."
"I'll think about it, okay? I want to stay here a little longer. Come on I'll introduce you to my friends."
"What will you tell them?" Deidara twirled a strand of hair between his fingers. "You can't very well tell them that I'm a dark angel from Hell."
Sasuke thought about this for a moment, as they were halfway to his group of friends. "I'll just tell them I met you online or something."
"Okay."
His friends had just started dancing, so Sasuke went to meet up with them.
"Yahiko, Konan, Suigetsu, this is my new friend Deidara."
"Nice to meet you," Yahiko said.
"I like your boots," Konan added.
They just carried on dancing after that. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood.
"Where did you guys meet?" Yahiko asked at some point. He caught his reflection in one of the mirrors on the wall and ran his fingers through his bright red hair full of styling products.
"On the internets," Sasuke said. Unable to come up with any dating website for gay guys that wouldn't make it sound like he and Deidara had already had sex. There weren't really any for gay guys who just wanted to be friends.
"What do you identify as?" Konan asked Deidara.
He seemed confused, so Sasuke answered for him. "Genderqueer," he said.
"Cool," Konan said, nodding.
Deidara sent him a questioning look, but Sasuke just smiled at him.
"My party has much better music," Deidara said after a while, leaning closer.
"Give me, like, fifteen more minutes."
Deidara beamed. "But you do want to come?"
"I really don't know why. But yes, I guess I do." He felt excited and giddy and almost euphoric just thinking about going back there. It was completely insane. He didn't even understand it, not at all. But he wanted to go. It was instinctive; it was the only way he could explain it.
"So why do you want to wait fifteen minutes? Are you hoping someone else might show up?"
Sasuke glanced at the entrance of the club. "Maybe."
But he's not coming. Because he works in the morning. Pft. Excuses. He's just afraid. He won't admit that—
"Sasuke?" Deidara called.
"What?"
"Look."
Sasuke looked where Deidara was pointing; toward the back of the club, and the door giving to the staff only section. Someone had just walked in through there. Hands in his pockets, looking all nervous, glancing from side to side like he was afraid he was going to get caught.
"Little fox is here," Deidara said.
"Well, well. I'm impressed."
Naruto wore his converse sneakers with jeans and t-shirt, but he didn't need to wear anything special to look amazing. His slim jeans and t-shirt were respectively pale faded blue and dark orange with abstract drawings on it. The color reminded Sasuke a bit of the color on Naruto's bedroom walls. The color of sunset—maybe it was one of his favorites. It looked good on him, anyway.
It became clear that Naruto had seen him through the crowded dance floor, but that he was pretending otherwise, and that he was too stubborn to make a move and come talk to him.
"Be right back," Sasuke said.
He made his way toward Naruto, pushing through some tight groups of dancers—the place really was crowded. But he made it.
"You came." He had to shout to be heard over the music, since they were standing next to a huge speaker. Now, that couldn't be good for their eardrums.
"I just came to return your friend's clothes," Naruto replied.
"Oh, okay. Did you sneak in again? Did you transform into a fox?"
"No! Jee Sasuke do you think you could say that any louder?" He looked around nervously, his hands still shoved in his pockets. "It's not even the full moon I can't transform. In fact it's a moonless night tonight. I don't need to be a fox to sneak in. I just waited at the back while some guy that works here was having a smoke, and then I just caught the door before it closed and I walked in. Wasn't that difficult, actually."
"You know you could've just texted me, and I would've let you in."
Naruto said nothing.
"So it was just to bring the clothes back?" Sasuke asked.
"Yeah."
"But you're here now."
"Well, you know, I was already here, so I figured, I could maybe stay a bit, see what the fuss was all about."
"And?"
"The music's nice," he said evasively, "but I'm not nearly drunk enough to dance, so…"
"Oh, come on, you don't have to be drunk to dance." Sasuke took his hand and led him to his friends. Naruto let him.
At some point he leaned closer and spoke in his ear. "Sasuke… did you use your powers?"
"I'll tell you later, okay?"
Sasuke introduced him to his friends.
"Bringing a lot of friends tonight, Sasuke," Konan said.
"And attractive ones, too," Yahiko added appreciatively.
Suigetsu put a hand to his chest and smiled. "Aw, thank you!"
Sasuke wasn't sure Yahiko had meant him, but whatever.
"Hey Suigetsu," Sasuke said, "do you mind bringing some drinks for me and Naruto?"
"Sure, what would you like?"
"The ones Orochimaru called Starstruck earlier, I think? With the vodka and strawberry juice or something…"
"All right, cool." And he went to the bar.
Deidara laughed and leaned closer to Sasuke. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"
Sasuke couldn't exactly deny it.
"I see gay reaper is here," Naruto said in a lower voice, so that the others wouldn't hear.
"I'm not gay I'm just British," Deidara replied. And he just kept dancing, smiling at Konan and Yahiko.
"Uh-huh…"
Sasuke took Naruto's arm and stepped aside with him.
"How are you, though? Really?"
"I'm good. I'm better," he said, nodding. "I've been trying to forget about the whole thing, you know. I made a new friend, too, so that helps. Hinata. The girl from the coffee shop. I've been seeing her."
Sasuke's stomach did an unpleasant lurch, and he had to try really hard not to look troubled by this.
"That's great."
Naruto saw through it. "It's not what you think. It's not like that. She's a werewolf. She sensed that I was different too so she wanted to be friends, to share our experiences, you know? She said her family was really difficult to talk to, so she wanted a friend to confide in."
"Well it's cool that you guys can be friends—I've heard wolves and foxes don't usually get along."
Naruto shrugged. "We're the exception, I guess."
"Hey I saw Temari. Turns out she's not an agent. She's a demon. And she was never interested in my writing. Just to kill me. It was such a shame. I'd dressed myself all hipstery and artsy for nothing. I even wore a scarf."
"Oh… wow."
"Yeah."
"Sasuke I'm sorry. That sucks. But, well, I mean, I assume she didn't kill you. Unless you're now a demon roaming the Earth like your friend Deidara over there."
"You're kidding, right? Wouldn't you be able to tell the difference?"
"Not necessarily. His act is well rounded up." Naruto glanced toward Deidara.
But Sasuke grabbed Naruto and pulled him close, and he forced him to put his hand on his chest.
"Can't you feel my heartbeat? Do you think I'm dead now?"
"It's beating really fast," Naruto whispered, and their eyes met.
Naruto pulled away, and Sasuke let him.
"It does that sometimes."
Especially when I'm around you, actually.
Suigetsu came back with their drinks. Naruto thanked him and tried the dark pink cocktail, and he seemed to really like it. So he started drinking it pretty quickly. Sasuke smiled and drank some of his, too.
"So how many of those will it take for you to dance with us?" he asked.
Naruto shrugged, and he looked rather shy in a really cute way—he was one of those people who had no idea how attractive they really were.
"At least another one," he said eventually.
Sasuke was about to grab Suigetsu again, but Naruto stopped him.
"Hey, it's fine. I can pay for it myself."
So they went to the bar counter together and ordered some more expensive drinks.
"What's up with Suigetsu, anyway? Doesn't he have better things to do than to follow you here and buy your drinks? Doesn't he have some video games to play? Did he lose a bet and now he's your slave for the day, or something?"
Sasuke leaned his elbows across the slick black counter as they waited, but he turned to look at Naruto.
"You asked me earlier if I used my powers," he said in a low voice, and Naruto had to lean really close to hear him. "Deidara killed Suigetsu without telling me. But then I brought him back to life."
Naruto stared. He didn't seem that shocked. "So you're a necromancer."
"You knew about that?"
"I wasn't sure. I knew the demon who possessed your father had both reaper and necromancer powers. That's what made him so powerful. It was all in my mother's journal. She really did her research, you know? But you didn't want to read it."
"Naruto, it talked about her love life. Do you really want me to read that?"
"So? Just skip those parts, that's all! She didn't end up talking about it that much, anyway. She met my dad pretty early on and they were just one of those couples that knew there wasn't anyone else in the world for them."
Sasuke forgot to breathe for a moment as he heard Naruto say those words, and his stupid brain couldn't help but think that it would be nice if Naruto could feel that way about him.
Annoying secretly hopeless romantic brain. Right? Ugh.
Plus at that moment some drunk guy pushed Naruto out of the way to get to the bar, and he fell in Sasuke's arms as a result. Sasuke enjoyed it, even though it lasted only one brief moment—Naruto's skin was very soft and warm, and it made Sasuke's skin all prickly and electric where they touched—and even though Naruto was angry.
"Damn it, stupid drunk guy," he muttered as he pulled away.
Thank you, stupid drunk guy.
They got their drinks and held them carefully, turning around to walk back toward the dance floor. But it was so crowded that they would probably spill them all over the place even if they were careful.
"We should drink them now," Naruto said matter-of-factly.
"Maybe, yeah…"
"Just cause, you know, they were really expensive. Wouldn't want to spill them. Would be a waste of my hard-earned money, you know."
"Well, cheers, Naruto," Sasuke raised his glass, "I hope you can forget your problems a bit and dance with us."
With me, preferably.
They started drinking and they didn't stop until their clear glasses were completely drained.
"Gross," Naruto said, laughing.
"That was a bit much," Sasuke admitted.
They discarded their now empty glasses and they wandered back into feverish dance floor land.
"I like the light effects here," Naruto said.
"They're pretty nifty."
"And the music is really great. You were right…" His blue eyes met Sasuke's.
"Yeah," Sasuke smiled, "I know."
They met up with Sasuke's friends, and Suigetsu offered him some water.
"Awesome, thanks," Sasuke said, and after drinking some he offered it to Naruto.
"I can't believe you did this," Naruto whispered to Sasuke after Suigetsu had resumed dancing with the others, "and now what, he's acting all obsessed with you and stuff?"
"Pretty much, but Deidara said it would fade."
"And you trust Deidara?" Naruto stared at the reaper, making a face at his furry boots and animal print pants.
"Well…"
"I can't believe you're acting all friendly with him after what he did. He killed your friend, after all. He couldn't have been sure bringing him back would work."
"He seemed pretty sure," Sasuke said defensively.
"Whatever."
"Yes, Naruto, whatever. Let's just enjoy tonight, okay?"
He nodded.
After some time Naruto made an effort to start dancing. But he was still a little stiff.
"You want some shots?" Sasuke asked him.
Naruto answered right away. "Yes."
He was about to go back to the bar counter with him when Deidara stopped him.
"When are we going to my party?" he whined. "It's so much better, I promise."
"Give me like five minutes," Sasuke said. "Five minutes."
And he followed Naruto to the bar. He took out his wallet, and went to Orochimaru's section of the bar, where he knew he would be served right away. He ordered six tequila shots and indeed got them right away along with six lemon slices. He paid and left a good tip, before smiling at Naruto.
"You ready?"
Those almond shaped blue eyes stared right back at him defiantly.
"Yeah."
He wondered if this was Naruto's first time drinking shots.
They drank the shots—three each—and clearly it wasn't Naruto's first time after all. On a whim Sasuke stole Naruto's last lemon slice and placed it between his lips. After Naruto downed his shot he looked at him and Sasuke wondered what he was going to do.
He went for it. Their lips touched for the briefest moment as Naruto stole the slice back from Sasuke. Naruto gave a little smile as he put away the lemon slice in his empty shot glass. Then he looked up, licking his lips clean.
"Do you party a lot?"
"Sometimes," Naruto said.
"With your friends from school?"
He nodded. "Why? Didn't you go to parties in high school?"
"Oh, um, yeah," Sasuke lied, "lots of parties."
Naruto seemed thoughtful. "You didn't, did you? You skipped a year, so you were younger. And they didn't invite you."
"That… pretty much sums it up actually."
"Well," Naruto said firmly, finding Sasuke's hand and lacing their fingers together tightly, "tonight you're partying with a high school boy."
"My life is now complete," Sasuke said.
Naruto rolled his eyes at the sarcasm, but he was becoming a lot less stiff. It was Naruto leading them across the dance floor now. He seemed a lot more confident than before.
And it seemed he was ready to dance.
…
At first Naruto was a bit shy and hesitant, but then he got really into it. He even smiled when Sasuke looked at him. He was letting himself have fun, for once. His hair was all messy and tousled as it brushed his shoulders. A warm dark blonde shade; the color of honey.
It helped when so many other people danced really intensely all around them. That was what Sasuke really liked about these places. When the music was amazing like this, and when everyone danced together, it was okay to lose control, and it didn't matter if you looked silly or if you were a really good dancer, or somewhere in between. It was okay to be so close to so many other people. To be all together somehow. There was no point in being shy or nervous.
Deidara and Yahiko were dancing together. And then Konan joined them, dancing behind Deidara. He looked like he was having fun. Sasuke wondered if Yahiko and Konan had taken something tonight; they looked a bit high. Probably.
Then Suigetsu got behind Konan, dancing with his hands at her waist. He smiled as he looked over his shoulder.
"Come on, Sasuke, this is fun."
He highly doubted it. He usually preferred dancing on his own, and when he did want to dance with someone else—if they were really hot, for instance—well he sometimes had trouble matching his movements to theirs, which could be awkward. Drugs could help not caring about that kind of stuff. But he wasn't on drugs right now. He wasn't sure he could match his movements to four other people.
"Come on, Sasuke," Suigetsu insisted. "And Naruto, too…"
Well, if Naruto was going to join in…
Then maybe he could make an effort.
Sasuke held Suigetsu's hips and started to dance with him. And then Naruto stepped closer behind him. Sasuke held his breath. It was like everything else stopped existing. For a moment, there was only Naruto—only Naruto's arms slowly curling around his waist, pulling him closer until Naruto's chest touched his back.
And Naruto's hips touched his—
"Are you having fun?" Naruto asked in his ear.
Are you kidding? Fun doesn't even begin to describe it.
"Are you drunk?" Sasuke retorted, amused.
"Maybe a little. Feels good. Been a while."
Sasuke started being aware of everything else again—the pounding electronic music, the bass making their hearts beat in sync, the flashing spotlights, the sea of bodies… Some guys were taking off their shirts.
But Naruto was still his main focus. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
"I'm glad you came," he said heatedly.
He realized they had put some distance between themselves and the others. Suigetsu danced with Konan. Deidara and Yahiko were dancing together. Long chains of dancers like that never lasted very long, anyway; it sort of just got messy. Sasuke would much rather dance alone with Naruto.
"I don't even know why I came."
Sasuke turned around in his arms, and snaked one arm around his neck as they danced, reveling in the touch of his soft golden blond hair. He looked into those eyes. And he looked at his lips. He remembered what they felt like.
"You came to return my friend's clothes," Sasuke said, a mocking smile twitching his lips.
Naruto said, "Well, I don't know why I stayed." One of his hands was at Sasuke's hip, his fingers hooked in his belt loop.
"Maybe because you like this place."
"There's too many people though," he said. Some guys bumped into them then, as if to prove him right.
"Well it's a really good DJ. But if you want to spend some time just the two of us, I wouldn't be against the idea."
"I…" Naruto swallowed, and quickly looked way, but not before Sasuke saw the lust in his eyes. "I can't," he said.
"Because you're straight."
Naruto laughed, and they were so close that Sasuke felt the vibration of his chest against his.
"It's not that… I mean. I'm not fucking straight."
Sasuke gasped dramatically. "I am shocked!"
"It's not funny." But he was smiling.
"Why did you pretend to be?"
"That's a long story."
"That stuff you don't want to tell me about?"
Naruto nodded. He seemed nervous all of a sudden. Sasuke sighed, and made him turn around. "It's okay," he whispered in his ear. "Tell me when you're ready. No pressure." He hugged him from behind, squeezing him tight, and he felt Naruto relax and lean into his touch. He even took Sasuke's arms and wrapped them around himself tighter, like he never wanted Sasuke to let go.
…
Before they knew it, the bar was closing. Sasuke couldn't believe it was 3 am already. It felt like someone had hit the fast forward button. They hadn't kissed. They'd just danced, sometimes together, sometimes by themselves. At some point Sasuke realized he didn't need to worry about trying to match Naruto's moves when they danced together. It sort of just worked. So that was pretty cool.
They hadn't talked much. There was no need. They'd had some more shots. Orochimaru was in a good mood because he saw that his expensive clothes had magically returned in his locker, so he gave free shots to a bunch of people. With even more tequila in his system, Naruto was in a pretty good mood, too.
"No…" Naruto was holding Sasuke's hand as they slowly progressed to make their way outside through the crowded club. "Oh, no, this sucks… I don't want to go home…"
"Then don't go home," said Sasuke.
Once they were outside Deidara took both their hands. They stood on the sidewalk, just the three of them. Sasuke was craning his neck but he had no idea where his other friends were. Deidara looked all excited.
"The night isn't over gentlemen. We're going to my party now."
"Is it an after party?" Naruto asked, tilting his head.
"Let's just say where we're going, the party never ends." He threw his head back and laughed.
"Don't do the evil laugh thing," Sasuke said, "it doesn't suit you."
"I was trying it out."
Sasuke shook his head. "Don't."
"Come on, you guys," Deidara insisted. "You'll love it. You won't have experienced anything like it before."
Just thinking about it Sasuke's heartbeat picked up. He was vaguely aware of all the other people hailing cabs or walking around them. A very soft rain had started falling. But it was as if he felt disconnected from this world already. A fire was rising within him. He wanted to… He wanted to go with Deidara.
But Naruto was confused, of course.
"What are you talking about?"
"I know," Sasuke said slowly, "this is going to sound crazy. But with Deidara we were talking about it earlier, and we want to… explore the other side, if you know what I mean. And I'd like you to come with us."
Naruto winced and pulled away from them both. He almost stumbled on the sidewalk. But no matter how drunk, he was still scared.
"That sounds more than crazy, Sasuke. That's… insane. You can't possibly—"
Sasuke looked around, making sure no one was listening. The street was buzzing with life. With cabs taking people home. Some drunk girl was laughing way too loud. Some guy was shouting at his friend from across the street.
He leaned closer to Naruto. "I know it sounds insane. But you know it's real. We both know it is. We can't deny it. Not anymore. You just have to try again, and to ignore the fear this time. Just stay with me, and you'll be fine. It's completely different when you're not afraid. You just have to let go, and… I don't know, just… Just trust me. Do you trust me?"
"Last time some weird demonic black tree grabbed me and started rising up from the ground."
Sasuke stepped even closer, and he reached out to place his hand behind Naruto's neck, tangling his fingers in his hair. And he looked into his eyes.
"It'll be different this time."
Naruto was holding his breath. His voice was very low. "How do you know?"
"I just know."
Deidara slapped both their shoulders, making them jump. "Boys, relax. It's just a party. You don't have to stay that long, you know? I'll introduce you to Nagato. You'll thank me one day. It's good to have friends in high places. It's all about the contacts—in this world, or the next. Nagato can get you a job when you die, you know."
"How do you know I won't go to Heaven?" Naruto said, crossing his arms.
Deidara laughed. A lot. In fact, he held his stomach as though he was in pain from laughing so much.
"Oh, sweetheart. You're not going to Heaven."
"Why not?"
Sasuke just stepped back and watched the exchange, amused. He put his hands in his leather vest's pockets.
"They're pretty exclusive. They don't like immigrants."
"Whatever," Sasuke said, "guys, can we please go?" He felt very… agitated. Like he really needed to get moving, or he would go insane.
Deidara studied him. "You're addicted already, aren't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sasuke said defensively. "I just want to go to the party."
"All right," Deidara said, and turned to Naruto. "What about you? Made up your mind? It's a really amazing party—the best you'll ever have, probably. You'll regret it if you don't come. Besides, you wouldn't want to let Sasuke go alone, right?"
Naruto sighed loudly. "Ugh, whatever. I'm so going to regret this, but let's go."
"You won't regret it," Deidara insisted, smiling. He brought them to a small service alley between two buildings, where they wouldn't be so obvious. There was colorful graffiti all over the brick walls. And a tiny black cat that stared at them before scurrying off.
"I can't believe we're doing this," Naruto sighed again. But he looked somewhat excited, too.
"Last chance to change your mind?" Deidara shrugged one shoulder.
"Oh," Sasuke said, "no. No way. You're not changing your mind. You're coming with us." And he grabbed Naruto's hand. They all held hands.
"Shall I do it, or you want to…?" Deidara looked at Sasuke.
"You do it. You know where the party is."
"Very well."
For a moment it was like they lost their senses—nothing could be seen or heard—and then the world was different. Deidara brought them to a wide and long snowy white road that ran between two streams of calm black water. And at the end of the road a tall black building towered up in the sky. They could hear music coming from it, carried by the wind, but it was all a blur.
"There's different music on every floor," Deidara explained. "It's great, you'll see. But the best music is all the way upstairs. That's Nagato's party. Let's get going, boys. Just hold hands if you're scared." He winked at them, and then he started walking.
They were already holding hands. They followed him.
"Are you scared?" Sasuke asked quietly.
"A little," Naruto said, "you?"
"No. And you shouldn't be, either. You'll be perfectly fine if you stay with me."
"Why are you so confident all of a sudden? I'm scared because we didn't leave our bodies behind this time. We're really here. Isn't that dangerous? What if something happens?"
"Nothing will happen," Sasuke insisted, squeezing his hand.
They kept advancing along that white road, and that tall building was getting closer, and the music louder. Everything seemed to be black and white here. Except for the sky, Sasuke thought as he looked up; there were large clouds made of rich violet smoke, translucent red and dark blue.
"It's beautiful," Naruto said as he followed his gaze.
"It doesn't seem real," Sasuke whispered.
"None of it seems real."
"But it is."
"What makes you so sure?"
Sasuke looked down at their linked hands. "We're here together, aren't we?"
Smiling, Naruto glanced up at Deidara, who was a few steps ahead of them. "I don't know. It's less scary if I think this is a dream."
When they got closer to that high building—which seemed to really stand in the middle of nowhere and reach up to touch the sky—Deidara stopped. Sasuke craned his neck and almost hurt himself as he looked all the way up. He saw that there were giant dark birds—or creatures—flying around it. And some of them were perched on the top floor.
As Deidara deployed his wings suddenly, Sasuke realized with a start that those weren't birds.
"See you later, girls," Deidara said before kicking himself off the white fluffy ground and flying up, opening his enormous black wings completely.
Sasuke glanced to the side, and saw that Naruto was speechless and wide-eyed.
"So he's a dark angel," he said quietly. "I really thought he was just a normal reaper."
"It's pretty recent. Come on, let's go inside."
No one stopped them as they walked in, passing the heavy metallic double doors. The ground floor was almost empty; dark gray walls, wrought iron candle holders placed at intervals, with just a few people here and there talking and sipping colorful drinks they had gotten from a small glossy bar counter in the corner. Sasuke saw the beginning of a spiral staircase and led Naruto that way. They started climbing up. The stairs seemed to be made of a beautiful black marble.
"It should take a while getting to the top, no?" Naruto asked.
"What's the problem? Worried about your cardio, Mister swimming teacher?"
"Not at all. What's your sport, anyway? You seem to be in pretty good shape yourself. Or do you just go to the gym or something?"
"I never told you that?"
"What?"
"I do rock climbing. I teach it part-time too, to beginners."
"Oh… wow. So you hate swimming. And I hate heights. We're quite the pair, aren't we?"
"Isn't it a good thing? Means we can help each other. God, the music is amazing!" Sasuke said before he could stop himself.
They kept climbing up the shiny black stairs. There were candles in wrought iron holders here too, to light up the spiral staircase that seemed to climb up infinitely. Each floor they passed had better music than the last. Sasuke's brain would later try to come up with some kind of description for the music; a sort of mix between Infected Mushroom, The Chemical Brothers, and all his other favorite artists, except times a thousand. And every time he thought it couldn't get any better, this place managed to surprise him.
"You shouldn't use the name of God here," Naruto pointed out.
"Why not?"
"Well it's pretty obvious, Sasuke. Do I really have to say it?"
Sasuke grinned. "If he minds, he can just come and tell me himself."
"You're so arrogant."
"You like it."
There were small windows at irregular intervals. When Naruto looked outside, he faltered; they had gotten pretty high already.
"Don't be scared," Sasuke said softly, pulling at his hand, "come on."
They kept going.
The top floor was amazing. That music. It was beyond music. Sasuke felt it in his bones. He felt it in his blood. He wanted to get out there. But there was a door guy. Some tall guy with dark brown hair blocked the way to the most amazing place Sasuke had ever seen. The black walls seemed to be made of crystal. Yet people leaned on them and it seemed solid enough. There were giant windows through which the dark angels were able to get in and out easily. The ceiling lamps looked like huge Chinese lanterns; some were pure white, others pale blue and violet. Sasuke had no idea where the music was coming from. But it was perfect; loud and yet not too loud. And the whole room seemed to be vibrating with the entrancing rhythms. Beautiful yet frightening crimson red flames rose up from each corner, almost licking the ceiling, delicious warmth flowing from them.
And it wasn't so much the place, it was the people. Sasuke saw girls in flowing dresses and others in tight corsets and pants, and he saw boys in black reaper gear and others in normal, trendy clothes. But it wasn't their clothes either. Young people without a trace of smugness in their eyes. They just looked… free. Like they didn't care about anything. Like they would never even think of judging someone that would pass through that door and come party with them. They would just welcome them. They would just smile.
"Welcome. My name's Kiba," the guy said. He held a list and a pen in his hands. Next to him sat a big fluffy white dog. "Oh, and this is Akamaru," he added. At first Akamaru looked friendly, but then he started growling at Naruto for no reason.
"I'm Sasuke," he said, looking around to try and spot Deidara. But he didn't see him. "And this is Naruto. We're here to meet up with our friend… He just took off flying without waiting for us, but as you can't see we haven't got any wings, so we had to take the long way up."
"You're not on the list. Also, my dog doesn't like you." Kiba narrowed his dark eyes. He wore a gray and red striped tee and black leather pants with massive boots. His arms were clad in those same fingerless gloves Sasuke had seen on Deidara several times. But Kiba didn't wear nail polish. "Are you a wolf? We don't like wolves."
"No, um," Naruto cleared his throat, eyeing the white dog warily, "I'm a fox, actually."
Kiba's expression changed right away. "A werefox? Aw, that's adorable! Those are pretty rare. I've never seen one before. Akamaru, shut up. Stop growling. He's not a werewolf." He patted his dog on the head, and he stopped growling right away. Kiba looked up at Naruto and smiled. "If you transform I'll let you in. I want to see it! Please?"
"I can't… I can only transform on full moon nights."
"Oh? But I heard your kind can usually transcend that and transform whenever they want."
Naruto shifted his weight from one foot to the other uneasily. "I haven't quite… mastered that yet."
"Stop bothering him with your questions," Sasuke said. Although he was secretly curious to see Naruto transform as well. "I'm here with Deidara. He invited us. Do you know him?"
"Never heard of him," Kiba said with a straight face. When Sasuke sighed heavily, he burst out laughing. "Just kidding! Deidara's awesome. Everyone loves him. In you go, my friends…" And Kiba let them in with a curtsey.
They were in. Inside those shimmering crystal-like walls. Sasuke couldn't help but smile. He felt so excited and his head was spinning. Like anything could happen here. And that music made him want to move so badly. Made him want to dance with Naruto.
But first, a drink. They couldn't come to such an amazing place and not try the drinks, could they? There weren't any tables or seats, but against each wall were some counters with seemingly endless colorful drinks in what looked like tall champagne flutes. Sasuke stalked across the room to the counter that seemed to have the most impressive selection of drinks. It was quite close to those crimson flames, too.
While Naruto selected two fizzy turquoise drinks Sasuke approached the flames. They came out of a metallic urn on the floor, and they elongated beautifully in the air, but they produced no smoke. They were warm but not too warm. Sasuke reached up with a hand.
Naruto tried to stop him. "You'll burn yourself…"
"I don't think so."
His long pale fingers came in contact with one of the fleeting flames. He smiled; it didn't burn him, in fact the flames felt rather soft, almost like ribbons. Crazy.
Sasuke picked up the drink Naruto was handing him. "To being here with you. I don't know if this is a dream, but this is absolutely amazing, and I'm really glad you're here."
"I'm glad I'm here too," said Naruto quietly. Almost a whisper. Surprised by his own words, clearly.
They tried the drink. And it was kind of perfect; refreshing, light and fruity—though Sasuke couldn't tell what fruits.
"This is so good!" Naruto smiled and drank all of it at once. Then he grabbed another one and started drinking it, too. "I was so thirsty."
"Maybe you should slow down," Sasuke suggested.
"Relax. I don't think there's any alcohol in there."
Well, maybe not, but there was definitely something in there, because after a while of just standing together in the corner, fascinated by the warmth of the flames, this music, this place and these people—especially the ones with the wings; that wasn't something you saw everyday—Naruto became a bit more… talkative. Well, not just that.
He'd had three of those drinks. Now he wrapped his arm around Sasuke's waist, pulling him close. And he smiled. A different smile from before. He wasn't worried about anything anymore, Sasuke could tell.
"Sasuke… you're so hot."
"So are you," he said sincerely, "you're like, a ten."
"Well you're a... twenty. A hundred. I don't know. I can't give you a number," he laughed. "You're just… I don't know. Your eyes."
"What about them? They're brown." Amused, Sasuke took a sip of his drink. What did they put in there, anyway?
Naruto's hand on his waist was holding him really tightly, but he kept their faces a few inches apart, like he wanted to hug him but look at him at the same time.
"I don't know. They're… intense. Seriously, when you look at me, I just…"
Naruto definitely seemed high on whatever was in that turquoise drink.
"What?"
"No… Your eyes are like… glowing, or… smoldering."
"Smoldering?"
"Yeah. When you look at me I feel all… I feel like I'm burning inside."
Shit.
Naruto was rubbing his hips against him.
"Come on, I think I just saw Deidara."
Grabbing Naruto's arm, he brought him to the other side of the room. The dancers made way for them, smiling, beckoning. Sasuke ignored them. Deidara had most likely been on the roof this whole time, because he was just stepping in from one of those large windows now, leaping inside the room gracefully with his wings folded behind him. He had taken off his shirt—that or it had just been ripped apart when he'd deployed his wings earlier.
Deidara smiled when he saw them, grabbing a drink for himself—a white, creamy one that looked like a pina colada.
"What's in the green ones?" Sasuke asked.
"Oh, nothing much. Just a little aphrodisiac." Deidara was busy smoothing a strand of his blond hair when he finally noticed how Naruto was acting. He was still very much clinging to Sasuke. "Oh," Deidara said.
"Yes, oh. What do I do now?"
"Well," Deidara grinned, "there are little stalls next to the stairs, you probably passed them without seeing them earlier. Just ask Kiba, he'll show you…"
"That sounds good, Sasuke…" Naruto said, and he leaned closer to kiss his neck, and his ear.
Fuck…
"Ha," Naruto smiled, "you liked that, didn't you?" He let his lips brush his ear, and then he licked it. "Is it because of your piercings?"
"I don't want to do this Deidara, not here, not like this. It wouldn't be right."
"Suit yourself," Deidara shrugged, sipping his white drink. "But those turquoise drinks aren't that strong, you know? If he's that horny, it just means that he already was… well, you know. Really into you, mate. Good for you. You like him, don't you?"
"Mmm… I know you do," Naruto whispered as he unzipped Sasuke's leather vest.
"Your other option is to just dance it off," Deidara suggested. "It should wear off in a little while. It's a good thing you didn't drink those purple ones." He pointed at some drinks that were a rich, dark purple color.
Sasuke was kind of very turned on right now, and he was letting Naruto take off his top. As he did this, Naruto kissed his shoulder, then his neck, then his ear again… Sasuke had trouble focusing on Deidara's words. But he was still listening, somehow.
"Those are bad news," Deidara was saying. "Look, that guy probably had some."
Deidara lifted his chin toward a reaper—he was dressed as one, anyway, with the black hood and everything—that stood in the window. He had a trance-like look on his face. He spread his arms wide on both sides and smiled as he jumped. But he didn't have any wings.
Sasuke stepped forward but it was already too late.
"Shit? Why'd he do that for? Did he just jump to his death?"
"Who knows?" said Deidara dismissively.
"What happens if you die when you're already dead?"
"Who knows," he said again. "Okay, let me introduce you to Nagato. Naruto, act normal."
Naruto nodded and just held Sasuke's hand, clinging to his arm with his other hand, so that he was standing really close to him as they walked. He looked like he wasn't seeing anybody else. Just Sasuke.
Also, Sasuke realized, he was wearing his vest on top of his t-shirt.
"It smells like you," Naruto explained. "I just love your smell. I don't know if you wear perfume, or…?"
"I don't… Um, I just… I shower everyday, so that's something…"
"Oh my God… Mmm… I would date you just so I could smell you all the time."
Okay.
They followed Deidara to a group of people who all had wings. Sasuke just now realized how grand this room really was; all these people with their gigantic wings could get around without a problem. It added to the whole unrealness of this experience.
"You can date me if you want to," Sasuke said, his heart beating faster.
"Fuck, I want to. I want to be with you all the time. You have no idea."
"No, I don't. You should have told me."
"I have… issues. I don't want to talk about it right now. I don't want to think about that." He sounded almost pained, like he was fighting it.
"It's okay. We'll talk about it when you're sober."
Naruto nodded.
The beat of the music was complex in such a way that you could either dance to it really slowly, or really fast. Deidara's friends were dancing slowly. They looked like they were having fun. They looked… high, actually.
Amused, Sasuke found himself thinking: if this was Hell, then what was Heaven like? He didn't really care much for being anywhere else than here in the after life. He would have to tell Kiba to save him a slot on that list of his.
"Nagato," Deidara was saying, waving with his hands, "these are my new friends Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke's the necromancer I told you about. Naruto's a fox spirit. I know, I know, they're still alive and they're here, it's kind of weird. But considering the circumstances, and Sasuke's, um, father, if you can call it that, you know. Well, Sasuke, Naruto, this is Nagato, my… my boss, I guess."
He laughed. Nagato was laughing, too. He was tall, skinny and handsome with reddish black wings and hair of the same color. He wasn't wearing a shirt. His long legs were clad in calf high boots and tight dark pants with black straps all around them. And a massive belt wrapped his hips, holding several sheathed daggers and knives. Countless black and red bracelets clothed his thin white arms.
"Just your boss?" He approached Deidara and parted his lips like he wanted to say something more, his eyes raking him up and down. His eyes were changing color depending on the light; gray, green, blue, or somewhere in between.
His fingers found Deidara's waist. Then, they crept up his back and seemed to be stroking the beginning of Deidara's wings.
Deidara looked… turned on. "Nagato stop…" he said but he was smiling. "I really wanted you to meet Sasuke. Be serious for a second."
"Right." He turned to look at Sasuke. "Nice to meet you. I never actually met your father. He had quite the terrible reputation, but Deidara told me you're not like him at all."
"I wouldn't know. I never met the guy."
"Let's hope you never have to."
"So you're Deidara's boss, then?"
Nagato nodded slowly.
"And that makes you… what?" Sasuke asked, intrigued.
Naruto was behaving himself for now. Still clinging to Sasuke, but listening to what they were saying. He was swaying his hips a bit though, and moving his knee, too… He wanted to dance. They would dance soon. Sasuke squeezed his hand. Naruto squeezed back.
Nagato bit his lip and smiled. Without looking down, his hand found Deidara's and their fingers laced slowly. Deidara didn't pull away.
"Let's just say now you know someone very… important."
One of the people among Nagato's friends—a short Asian girl with inky black hair and a corseted dress with slits specially made for her wings—laughed at this.
She looked at Sasuke. "You can call him a higher demon, if you must choose a word for it. Or a prince of Hell. Or…?" She looked at her friends. They were all just dancing, and they didn't seem to care much. "What else could we call it?"
"Prince of Hell sounds good," Deidara said, laughing. They were standing close to a window. A soft, refreshing wind blew in, making the flames dance in the corner, and also making Deidara's hair hide his face partly.
Nagato reached up to tuck the blond strands behind his ears. "It sounds silly."
"Come on, Sasuke." Naruto was getting impatient. "Let's dance, okay?"
He wasn't going to argue with that.
They spent the next hour or so dancing next to Deidara and Nagato and their friends. They didn't talk. They didn't drink more. They just danced. Sometimes they were dancing really fast, and other times they slowed the pace and leaned into each other more. And they kissed, and smiled through it, because it was amazing and so simple and perfect. The sweetest, most delicious thing.
So they kissed some more. Sasuke was starting to feel it. That thing in the fizzy turquoise drinks. Euphoria. Warmth. Touching Naruto's skin became really fascinating. And Naruto was touching him all over, too. They couldn't stop.
Well, fuck, if that stuff wasn't strong, as Deidara had said earlier, then what was the strong stuff like? Damn.
Dancing with Naruto was electric. It was giving him such a rush. He had never been with someone that better fit his body and his every move like that.
"You're amazing," he said to Naruto softly.
"You're amazing. I just… I couldn't tell you before." His blue eyes were full of desperate desire as he looked at him, fingers in his belt loops to pull him closer in a swift movement. "But… you're an amazing person. And you're beautiful. And you're strong, and you… you're mysterious. I want to get to know you more, so much more, and… Oh my God, this is amazing. I love this music so much. What was I saying?"
Definitely high.
At some point they wandered a bit closer to the window as they danced. That girl from before—the one with the black hair and corset—saw them and asked them if they wanted to go on the roof with her.
"Hell yeah," Naruto said.
Sasuke looked at him, surprised. "You're not afraid?"
"No, I'm not." He laughed. "I'm really not."
Sasuke smiled, and glanced at the girl. She nodded.
"I'm Jun by the way. Chicago reaper. It's nice to meet you."
"I'm Naruto, New York fox spirit," Naruto said, laughing at the odd introduction. "Nice to meet you too."
But Jun ignored him. She looked up at Sasuke.
"So you're the guy whose father got possessed by Malachy." She added, "I met him a few times. I didn't like him."
"Why am I not surprised?" Sasuke replied. "So his name was Malachy?"
She stepped closer to the window. "You didn't know?"
"No one tells me nothing."
All three of them went to stand on the windowsill, Naruto and Sasuke on either side of her, holding her arms. She bent over and extended her large, powerful wings. They were all black, dark violet and red. They were beautiful. She jumped, and they fell with her. It really felt like they were falling at first, and Sasuke's stomach did a lurch like in a roller coaster—only much more intense. But then she was batting her wings and flying up, turning around so they could land softly on the roof.
"Tell me when you want to go back," she said simply and left them to go meet some other dark angels at the other end of the roof.
This was beautiful. Sasuke just sighed dreamily and let himself fall back. The roof seemed to be made of that same crystalline black material. It was cool but not cold as he lay down on his bare back. Naruto sat and then lay down next to him. They just looked at the sky for a moment, speechless. It was the same colors as Jun's wings; endless black with deep violet and dark red clouds. There was no moon but somehow they could see.
"So unreal," Sasuke whispered.
"It's frightening," Naruto said, "but I'm not scared."
"Me neither."
He turned to the side, and looked at Naruto. He was a little cold. Without looking at him—without needing to—Naruto reached out with his arm to wrap it around Sasuke and bring him closer. Sasuke curled up against him and rested his head on Naruto's shoulder. It felt warm and safe and perfect, to be with him like this.
"Are you tired?" Naruto asked softly.
"Not really. But I could sleep like this."
"Me too. But you know, there's something missing."
Sasuke had closed his eyes. He just wanted to keep listening to Naruto's voice. "What?"
"The stars."
"Mm… you're right."
"And the moon. I know it's a moonless night. But here there's just… nothing in the sky. I wouldn't want to be here all the time, you know? For one night it's okay, and I know we had so much fun but… I want to go back to the real world."
"Mm… yeah. Me too."
"I do wish there were stars here. You know, I went on vacation once, with Itachi and mom and dad. To the country side. I was just a kid. I absolutely loved it. I would spend the day climbing trees, and I would sneak out at night so I could lie down outside and look at the stars. And once I tried to climb a really high tree, in the middle of the night, so I could see the stars from even closer. But as I reached the top of the tree, I slipped and—"
"You fell? That's why you've been afraid?"
Naruto breathed in deeply, then out. Sasuke could feel his chest moving. He could feel his heartbeat. It was still a bit fast from all that dancing, but it was calming now.
"I broke like, every bone in my body. Some strangers found me in the morning. I freaked out. I didn't want to go with them. I wanted my parents. My mother. I knew she could save me. Even as a little kid, I already knew she had… abilities. Powers."
"What happened?"
"Those people took me to a hospital. I passed out so I couldn't tell them to wait for my family first."
"Did they help you at the hospital?"
"They put me through endless surgery. It was horrible. I kept waking up through it."
Sasuke shuddered and pulled away so he could look at him. He leaned onto his elbow and kept one hand on Naruto's chest.
"You kept waking up during surgery?"
A tear threatened to fall from Naruto's eye. "Yeah. It was absolutely horrible. And the doctors were freaking out. They gave me more anesthetic, but then they said if they gave me more I would die. At some point they decided to just stop operating. I was in way too much pain. I almost died."
"But, why—?"
"My mom and dad came to take me out of there. I was hospitalized at home instead. My mom used different medicine, of course. Spells and just… letting my body heal with its own abilities. And it worked… She said that… most of the time with supernatural creatures you can't use normal medicine. We don't react well to it. It's better to use witchcraft."
Sasuke didn't know what to say. He just pressed himself against Naruto again, hugging him awkwardly. But it was okay. Naruto wrapped his arms around him, and he held him close. That was all he needed right now.
They didn't really know how much time passed. Time sort of had no meaning here.
But eventually they started feeling a little cold. So they got up and asked Jun to get them back inside. So she did. She didn't mind.
Right away they realized something was off. People weren't dancing anymore.
Most of them just stood and stared at the entrance. Sasuke and Naruto advanced through the crowd and found Nagato and Deidara. Following their gazes, Sasuke saw that Kiba had been pushed to the floor. He looked hurt. His big white dog—Akamaru, Sasuke remembered—was barking, but he hesitated to attack.
Two people stood menacingly in front of everybody else. A tall girl with curly blonde hair and a red-headed young man with dark eyes. Sasuke felt something he hadn't felt in a while as he recognized the girl; fear.
That was Temari. And the guy next to her was probably—
"Sasori," Deidara said. "What are you doing here? I don't think Nagato invited you."
Nagato's reddish black wings gleamed in the dim light. Those shiny red flames still danced in each corner of the crystalline room. When the music stopped it all seemed so odd—all those ethereal people with silent energy pulsing through the air. It was like it made no sense now, and Sasuke expected to wake up any moment. Like the music had been the only thing holding it all together.
"No," said Nagato, crossing his arms, "no, I didn't invite him."
...
Author's note: As always, thank you so very much for the reviews, I get so anxious every time, hoping you guys are enjoying this! Plus you guys write really helpful criticism too so thanks^^ Helps me get better at this whole writing thing.
There were originally a lot of OCs in my story, just because I unfortunately don't like that many Narutoverse characters. Let me know if you see weird names popping up (like, Yahiko and Konan used to be OCs, but I changed that and I think I fixed everything, but I could've let one slip)
But yeah Jun and Malachy are gonna stay OCs because I really just ran out of Naruto characters I want to use. I considered Sakura but I hate Sakura and I don't care for trying to give her a decent personality, lol. I considered some vilains but I don't like Madara or Obito. Like, even as vilains. They suck so much it makes me depressed. I don't know. Just go with it you guys you won't regret it ;-)