Chapter 12
To grunt and sweat under a weary life, but that the dread of something after death, the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns, puzzles the will and makes us rather bear those ills we have than fly to others we know not of.
Sasuke got back home in the late afternoon to find that Suigetsu and Kiba were already best friends. They were in Suigetsu's bedroom eating pizza. Kiba sat on the bed among the pillows and My Little Pony plushies and he watched Suigetsu play some Star Craft. They were already talking about getting a laptop for Kiba so that he could play too.
The problem with Kiba was that he had been dead a while—Sasuke didn't know how long, in fact he didn't know that much about Kiba at all. But clearly he had been dead a long enough time for his family to be shocked if they saw him again, considering they thought he was a pile of ashes in an urn.
So for now Kiba had to stay with them and crash on the living room couch. Apparently they needn't explain; Kiba had already tossed his only possession—his backpack—on said couch. This apartment was getting crowded.
Eventually they would have to figure something out, get him some fake ID or something. And if he ever saw his family or friends he just had to pretend to be someone that looked oddly similar to this 'Kiba' person when he was younger.
They weren't paying much attention to him, and Sasuke felt tired all of a sudden, after everything. So he headed to his bedroom.
"Hey Sasuke, is Deidara gonna be okay?" Kiba called.
"Yeah he'll be fine…"
"Cool."
He closed the door to his bedroom and leaned on it for a moment, closing his eyes. Everything was just always ups and downs these days. Everything was insane. Adrenaline rush followed by an emotional crash, a thrill and then the inevitable boredom, and the tiredness…
Sasuke went to fall on his bed. The pure, dark blue sky he could see as he looked out the window made him remember his dream with Kurama. Well, it hadn't really been a dream, he supposed. More an out of body experience.
He tried to get some sleep, but something kept nagging at the back of his mind. It made him feel restless and whenever he closed his eyes he thought he could see it. That drawing Kurama had been tracing on the dusty rock, on top of that mountain. He had been trying to tell him something, or show him something, Sasuke was sure of it.
So he closed his eyes and he tried to concentrate on it. And finally all those weird lines Kurama had traced in the dust seemed to make sense. He had been drawing a face. Someone's face. Sasuke had no idea how it was possible to draw someone's face so precisely in a bit of dust, but he supposed he shouldn't question an angel fox spirit person.
Hey, wait a second. Sasuke had seen that stupid face before.
It was that guy! That guy at Love Needles with the creepy black eyes and stupid useless questions about tattoos like if they were really permanent and if he should go swimming right after getting it.
So that guy was Naruto's stalker. Sasuke didn't have a name but at least he knew what he looked like.
And suddenly something occurred to him. Well, several things. But they were all sort of coming together like pieces of a puzzle. And he sat up with a start; suddenly he wasn't feeling tired at all. Just angry. Very, deeply, incredibly infuriated.
Someone who had hurt Naruto in the past.
Something troubling Naruto, making him uneasy. He would talk about it when he was ready.
Taking the supernatural energy forcefully…
How exactly had he 'forcefully taken' that supernatural energy from Naruto?
Something that had happened to Naruto… Someone who had hurt him…
How had he not figured this out before?
He would kill that guy. He would find him, and kill him. And he didn't care if Temari had already killed him and brought him back. Sasuke would kill him again. Then he would follow him to Hell and kill him again if he had to. Or no, even better, he would find those annoying black shadowy creature things and show them who was boss. And they would cower in fear before him, like they had done with Deidara that time. Sasuke would find a way to order them around, and he would make those black things torment that guy for the rest of his life—afterlife, whatever.
Yes.
…
It was Saturday night and Naruto had to work at the stupid Espress coffee shop. His boss still wasn't back from his trip, so Naruto hadn't quit yet. And his geeky colleague Shikamaru was tired of doing all the weekend night shifts, so Naruto had gotten stuck with it.
12:06, the digital numbers flashed on the cash register. Tomorrow would be the first quarter of the moon. And then in a week, almost the full moon… He wouldn't be alone this time. He had been seeing Hinata and they were becoming friends. She would spend the full moon with him and show him all her favorite spots in Central Park. She said it was easy to be discreet if they were careful. Besides, she said her wolf form was more the size of a husky dog, so people never freaked out when they saw her.
There were some customers right now, drinking lattes and checking their social networks instead of studying as pop music played on the crappy speakers. Well, it was Saturday night, after all. Naruto couldn't blame them for not being too motivated to study. There was still Sunday.
As he washed one of the coffee machines in the large sinks behind the counter, Naruto's phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored it. Partly because his hands were in the soapy water, but also because he knew it was probably from Sasuke again.
Naruto felt his chest tighten uneasily. He had been ignoring Sasuke the whole week, and he felt so guilty. Sasuke had been so insistent about wanting to see him and talk to him. But Naruto was scared. He was having doubts. He… He didn't know what the fuck was going on, actually. He couldn't explain it even if he wanted to.
Those feelings were too intense, honestly. They threatened to overwhelm him whenever he thought about Sasuke. And it sort of hurt, too, which was weird… He wasn't sure that was the guilt, or something else…
Maybe I'm in love with him, or something weird like that.
See? That was what happened when he thought too much about Sasuke. And his chest sort of hurt, and he just… really didn't want to think about that kind of stuff. It was way too scary for some reason. And he knew it didn't make sense but… he was avoiding him. So there. The end.
In the next hour or so, people left one by one, and the coffee shop was empty, leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts and the lame music—Sasuke was right pop music really wasn't that great. He had finished cleaning up most of the stuff, and now he sat at one of the pale wood tables with some notebooks in front of him, thinking that he should try and get some studying done himself. So that maybe he wouldn't fail all of his classes.
Some part of him wanted to reach for his phone and read Sasuke's texts, but the other part of him—the scared part—won and he didn't. Instead he sighed and let his eyes trail lazily across the room at all those stupid decorations. Wall scrolls, a Chinese calendar and a Buddha statue, really now, what did that have to do with anything? This was just a coffee shop. Maybe his boss dreamed of eventually changing it to a cheap Asian restaurant. Naruto opened his notebooks. Geography. That wasn't so bad. He kind of liked geography. He could almost name all the countries, though he wasn't too good with cities yet. But still, he liked geography better than history. He didn't care much for all those presidents.
Naruto never got to study. And not because he let himself get distracted by his thoughts again—though that would probably have happened eventually—but because some people walked in the coffee shop then. Naruto got to his feet and started to make his way behind the counter, but then he saw them. Really saw them, and recognized them. One of them brought back particularly bad memories.
And he felt a lurch in his stomach as though he'd just dropped twenty feet.
Suddenly he was brought back one year ago, in the shower room after swimming practice. It was the coach's last day. His name was Sai. They were alone in the shower room. Naruto never saw it coming. Sai was the kind of guy who had a pretty good poker face. So when he made a move, Naruto was shocked. He might have been curious, but he definitely wasn't ready. And… not like that. So he tried to fight back, but Sai threw him to the floor roughly and Naruto got hurt, and then he couldn't stop it from happening…
He never told anyone, because he was embarrassed and humiliated, and he thought he never had to see Sai again anyway.
But he stood in front of him right now. Same black eyes, short cropped hair, muscular and athletic frame. He wore an expensive looking navy coat. Beside him stood Temari, but Naruto barely saw her—though he did notice that she locked the door and shut the blinds.
"Naruto. Long time no see," Sai smiled at him. That guy's smiles always looked somewhat faked.
Naruto was frozen, unable to move, standing between the table where he had been sitting with his notebooks still open and the counter with all the coffee machines.
Temari looked around the place distastefully, taking a few steps until she stood in the middle of the room, her heels clicking the floor. She crossed her arms.
"So… I don't think I need to introduce you two."
"No," Sai tilted his head, "you don't."
Some very cheerful music was still playing on the radio. It just felt really out of place now. Naruto felt sick.
He just ignored Temari. "How did you find me?"
Sai shrugged. "Facebook. You know, there's an option to hide your stuff from people who aren't your friends. Well, I wasn't actually planning to stalk you—not yet, anyway. But I made some new," he glanced at Temari, "acquaintances. And we need more."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Temari was playing with a lock of her curly hair. "I think he doesn't know."
"You really don't know, do you?" Sai stepped closer to him. He made a noise like a laugh. "All this time, you thought I just wanted to have some fun with you that time? That wasn't it. Well, that too, but… Anyway, I stole some of your powers, Naruto."
"You stole my…" He whispered, "But I wasn't even using them back them."
Sai shrugged one shoulder. "That's why you didn't notice."
"Why are you with her?" Naruto glanced at Temari, and she smiled at him coldly.
"We met by chance. I felt her supernatural energy. She was interested in my powers. You know, I even visited your new boyfriend at that tattoo place. Poor guy was so tired he was sleeping on the job."
"Sasuke..? What did you do—?"
"Nothing," he sighed. "His powers were sort of… blocked. Turns out necromancers are off limits. Besides, he really isn't my type. You, on the other hand…" Sai stepped closer again. Naruto was stuck between him and the counter.
"Do you absolutely have to sleep with him to get the powers?" Temari asked impatiently. "Because I haven't got all night."
"Well, of course, I don't have to, but it's more fun that way…"
Naruto had closed his hand on his phone. What should he do? Dial 911, maybe… After all, if Sai wanted to rape him, that was a crime, so—
But Sai saw what he was doing and he grabbed his arm, digging his nails in his skin like claws. He stole the phone and looked at it.
"Let go of me you asshole…" Naruto tried to fight back but then he saw Temari approaching. With a gun pointed at him.
He swallowed and stopped moving completely. Guns had that effect, he supposed. She smiled, and shrugged.
"Most reapers prefer blades. I'm more of a handgun type of girl. Now, you're going to be a good boy and give him your powers."
"Trust me," Naruto said, trying to stall for time, "you don't want them. I mean, the ability to turn into a fox. Who would want that? It's useless, when you think about it."
Temari stared. "We're not talking about that, love. You have several other interesting… abilities. Thanks to Sai I got to try some of it and it's quite nice. Like this." She brought a fist up and when she opened it Naruto saw a tiny flame dancing in between her fingers. But it faded and disappeared rather quickly. "I can't keep it up very long, though. Just enough to light a cigarette, I suppose." She smiled. "We'd like to see what happens when we steal more."
Naruto was backed against the counter. How come she was able to produce fire like that? He had practiced some stuff at home, with that same warm aura he had experienced when healing that Kiba dude. He'd been able to recreate it. But except for making the temperature of the room go up a degree or two, he hadn't accomplished much. Itachi just complained about the heat in the apartment and called the landlord and then Naruto felt bad and just stopped.
While Temari was talking, Sai had been skimming through Naruto's text messages. What an asshole… He hadn't even read those yet.
"This is adorable. You'll love this, Temari." He read Sasuke's texts out loud. "I really miss you, and I need to talk to you about so many things. It would be great if we could see each other. Are you at home, or are you working?" Sai glanced at Temari, then at the phone again. "There are more recent ones, too: I'm really worried about you." Sai looked up. "Aw, that's sweet. He's worried. Why didn't you read those, Naruto? Don't you like him no more? Maybe he's smothering you. You should break up with him." Then he went on, "I'm really worried about you. I can't wait anymore. I need to see you. This is important. I called Itachi and he said you were at work, so I'm coming right now…"
Temari and Sai exchanged another glance.
"How long ago did he send this?" Temari asked, still aiming her gun at Naruto.
"Not very long," Sai answered.
As if on cue, they heard the sound of someone trying to open the door. It startled Temari. Everyone went silent.
"Shit," Temari hissed, "we've left the lights on. He'll know someone's inside."
"Well he can't get in, anyway, right?" Sai replied. But he sounded nervous. His hold on Naruto's arm tightened.
Having him so close made Naruto feel noxious. Everything about Sai triggered bad memories, even his scent, which Naruto found very unpleasant—he had a very developed olfactory sense so he couldn't ignore it. Sai still used the same obnoxious body spray as one year ago.
Even though it had been a while, he could still remember it so clearly, the roughness of the floor against his skin, the humiliation, the hurt, the pain, Sai's impatient lips, then his hand on his mouth to muffle his protests, and the sound of the showers covering the rest…
Naruto's thoughts cleared with a start as he saw a cloud of dark smoke curling up right next to him. And Sasuke just… appeared. Naruto had never felt so relieved. And he had to say… Sasuke looked kinda really cool. His dark hair was windblown like he'd been running, his boots, clothes and gloves were tight and slick black like those reaper clothes Deidara always wore, and he took a fighting stance, holding up a long dark sword. The hilt was black with a red snake curling around it. Alert dark brown eyes scanned the room and seemed to register the situation quite quickly.
"You," he said to Sai in a calm but threatening voice. "I'm going to kill you."
And then all of a sudden Temari aimed her gun at Sasuke and shot. Naruto wanted to scream but nothing came out. But the bullet never hit home. With a flicker of his sword Sasuke stopped the bullet in flight and it was sent rolling onto the floor, all the way to the corner.
Naruto was too shocked to speak, for a different reason now. Okay, that was… bad ass.
Temari arched an eyebrow. "Deidara showed you a few tricks, then? That's cute."
But Sasuke ignored her completely. He glared at Sai, and if a glare could kill, then Sai would drop dead right this instant.
"Let go of him," Sasuke said in a very quiet but menacing tone.
Sasuke's eyes were locked to where Sai still held Naruto's arm, which was bruising up. Naruto realized he felt weak. He had thought it was from the trauma of seeing Sai again, but what if his powers were being stolen?
Sai was hesitating.
At first Naruto thought Sasuke would ask him again.
But in a very agile and powerful movement he swung the sharp blade across Sai's arm. And cut it clean off.
Sai fell to the floor, screaming in pain and holding his mutilated arm, blood pouring out generously.
Apparently, asking again wasn't Sasuke's style.
Freaked out, Naruto grabbed the pale, bleeding hand that was still holding his arm and he threw it to the floor next to Sai. Horrified, Naruto watched as Sai took it and sort of tried to put it back. Naruto felt sick, the cookies he'd eaten earlier threatening to come out.
Temari had gone to a crouching position next to Sai. Sasuke looked very calm as he just kept pointing his sword toward them. But he didn't need to attack again.
Smoke was rising around Temari.
"All right, you win, we're leaving. You had good timing. But that won't always be the case. No one is safe as long as you don't give up this city, do you understand? Speaking of which, I'm surprised you didn't ask me how Ino is doing. Anyway, you think you intimidated me tonight. You didn't. This is nothing. I know powerful people on the other side. This can be healed."
Ino? Who's Ino?
"Yeah I've met Louis," Sasuke said dismissively, "I'm not afraid of him."
"You should be."
Louis?
Sasuke was arching his eyebrow. "If all I have to do is mention my father for Louis to wet his pants then I'm sorry but I really don't see why I should be afraid."
That seemed to shut her up. They disappeared, leaving a small puddle of blood on the floor where Sai had been clutching his arm.
"You cut his arm," Naruto said shakily. He was surprised he could even speak. He realized his entire body was shaking really badly. And his arm hurt.
Sasuke dropped the sword and erased the distance between them. He held Naruto, his arms wrapping around him and making him feel safe again. But Naruto couldn't stop shaking.
"I know, but… it was the right thing to do, Naruto. He was stealing your powers. Couldn't you tell?"
He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut and burying his face in Sasuke's shoulder. His black hair was soft. And he smelled nice. Naruto had missed him so much. He had been stupid to avoid him all this time.
"Honestly," Sasuke went on, "he's lucky I just cut his arm, and not his head. I know what he did to you. I know everything."
Naruto frowned. "You do?" But how?
"I had some hints, but mostly I figured it out." Sasuke's arms squeezed him tight, comforting him. Naruto held him back even though his arm still hurt. He felt so weak and embarrassed. But if Sasuke could just keep holding him like this for a little while, then he felt like maybe he was going to be okay.
"You're trembling," Sasuke said softly.
He did hold him for some more time, but eventually he pulled away gently. One of his gloved hands rested against the side of Naruto's neck, and his other arm stayed around his waist.
"You know," he sighed quietly, "you should've just told me."
"I know."
"Anyway, it doesn't matter now." Sasuke searched his eyes. "Did he do anything to you just now, or…?"
"No he didn't have time," said Naruto quickly.
"Okay." Sasuke looked relieved. "I'm glad."
"But how do you know? You say you got hints…?"
Sasuke looked away, and eventually pulled away from Naruto completely. He brought up a hand to his hair, and massaged the back of his neck. Naruto couldn't help but look at him. He always found Sasuke's movements effortlessly graceful, even the little things he did.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. You're not going to believe this, um, your," he waved a hand, "your ancestor spirit guide came to me, in my dreams. And he warned me about… about… this… fucking… worthless…"
"Sai."
"I don't even care what his name is."
Naruto made a nervous laugh. He felt like he wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. He was a mess. Slowly, he went to sit at the table. He gathered his notebooks and closed them, placing them in a neat pile in the middle of the table.
"Kurama contacted you?"
Sasuke grabbed the chair and sat in front of him. "So you do know about him?"
"Yeah. He's tried to contact me before, a few times… But I never let him."
"Why not?"
"My mom warned me against him. Said you could never really trust him. He'll be honest sometimes, but other times he'll trick you, and you'll never be able to tell the difference."
Sasuke considered this, and he leaned back in his chair. "All right, well, I'll keep that in mind, then."
"You were really bad ass with that sword!" Naruto exclaimed. He couldn't help himself anymore. "How did you learn so fast? Or did you uncover some hidden powers?"
The hint of a smile crossed Sasuke's face. "A little bit of both. I took a week off work, told everyone I was sick. But really I've been training with Deidara the whole time. I'm kind of broke now, but it was totally worth it."
Naruto smiled weakly. He still felt shaky, but he was getting better. "Yeah, it was."
Sasuke reached out to hold his hand on the table, and his brown eyes looked up at him through thin strands of hair that had fallen in his face. "Naruto, there's more. Listen…"
And he did. He sat back and let Sasuke hold his hand—it felt warm and calming, so he wasn't complaining—as he filled him in about the incident at the rock climbing gym, and Ino. Then Sasuke told him all about Deidara getting hurt because of Sasori, and Nagato and Louis and weird Hell politics stuff which Sasuke didn't seem to really understand himself, so Naruto didn't push it.
Then he told him about Kiba.
"So Kiba's really alive?"
Sasuke nodded slowly, looking down at their joined hands.
"Is he… okay?"
"Yeah apparently. Well, he has it easy. Suigetsu's been really friendly to him. He doesn't have to pay rent. Just keeps borrowing our stuff. But that's okay I mean we'll figure it out eventually."
"How did you know to come here?"
"I had a feeling. My texts were getting pretty urgent and you weren't replying, so I thought either you didn't want to see me, or you were in trouble. Either way, I had nothing to lose."
Naruto felt silly now. "I'm sorry about not replying sooner. I did want to see you, I was just too scared."
"You don't have to be scared with me."
"Well I don't know you did just cut a guy's arm with a sword. That's pretty scary."
"The thought of him hurting you like that… I got furious, you know? I couldn't stop myself. About that, also… if you ever need to talk about it, you can tell me, okay? I want you to know that."
"I know I can. Thanks… Same to you, by the way. I know I was a jerk to you those first few days, but I'm normally a good listener."
"Well, the reason I figured it out— what happened to you, I mean—wasn't just because of Kurama. The way you said that you'd talk about it when you were ready, it reminded me of when I said the same thing to Suigetsu, a while ago. My foster parents before Suigetsu's parents were kind of shitty. The guy caught me once watching gay porn and—"
Naruto tried to keep the mood light. "You were watching porn?"
Sasuke's lips twitched into a small smile. "I know, right?"
"Who does that?"
"I should be ashamed."
Naruto just squeezed his hand. "Anyway, what happened?"
"He already had his doubts about me not being into girls. He thought it was weird and he kept asking me why I didn't like girls. He'd had too much to drink that time, so he roughened me up." Sasuke cleared his throat, looking away. "He didn't rape me, but he came close. He took off my clothes and slapped my ass and grabbed it but he didn't… He just told me not to move and he jerked himself off. He said if I moved he'd fuck me so I better not move. So I just stayed there on the floor like an idiot while he… I can't possibly know what you went through, but I'm just trying to say that I know that kind of fear and humiliation…"
"How old were you?"
"Fourteen."
"Did you have to stay with them afterwards?" Naruto asked, horrified.
"No, no… I went back to foster care… and then Suigetsu's parents took me in. So it was great after that."
"Thank you for telling me."
Sasuke tilted his head. "Why?"
"Just… I don't know. I do want to know more about you. It's just that with everything that's been going on, sometimes I forget there's a real person underneath all the spooky necromancer black smoke thing."
"Well same here. You're amazing. I mean, when you healed Kiba that was really impressive."
"I don't know if I can still do that though, if Sai stole more of my powers…"
"We'll get them back for you. Hey, Naruto, you look really tired. Let's get out of here. Let me walk you home."
"Such a gentleman," Naruto teased. He sighed and pulled away, getting up to his feet. He grabbed his phone. "I'm calling Shikamaru. I'll tell him I'm sick or something."
"Tell him you have diarrhea. That always works."
Naruto made a face. "But that's gross."
"That's why it works."
Fifteen minutes later they were on their way. Shikamaru didn't mind if they closed the shop for one night. He might be the one in charge when the boss was gone, but he wasn't very strict. Naruto still had to clean that blood stain on the floor before leaving but it wasn't so bad, and Sasuke helped him. Sasuke also wiped his sword clean and sheathed it at his belt.
Once they were outside Naruto asked him where he got the sword.
"Little gift from Deidara." Sasuke touched the hilt and looked around in the street like he was afraid people would notice. But there weren't too many people this late—not here, anyway. There weren't enough bars to attract them.
"So you two are getting along then?"
"I guess so, yeah," Sasuke said like he was surprised by it himself.
"That first night I could tell you could see him." Naruto looked down as they walked side by side. His converse sneakers looked small next to Sasuke's combat boots. Naruto didn't understand people who always wore boots, even when it wasn't cold outside. Wasn't it uncomfortable?
"You were totally freaking out that night," Naruto added.
"You mean that time you were a total jerk?" Sasuke replied teasingly.
"You're gonna have to be more specific."
"Ha! At least you admit it. You know," Sasuke faked a concerned look, "you really do look tired. Are you sure you don't need me to carry you?"
"I'm fine, no, what're you—"
Ignoring his protests, Sasuke lowered himself to grab his waist so he could haul him over his shoulder like some heavy package, and yeah. Just like Naruto had done that first night.
He couldn't help but laugh, slapping at Sasuke's back. "Stop it! I get it, I get it, I was a dick. I'm sorry! I really am. You've made your point."
Sasuke walked to the side of the nearest building, next to some metallic emergency stairs. He put Naruto down and pinned him against the wall, smiling.
"You think you can just say sorry and get away with it? Because you're so pretty?"
Naruto smiled back. They were standing really close. It was so silent everywhere, making him feel like they were in their own little world. There was no wind tonight, just the sound of cars driving by the avenue.
"I was stupid that night. I was freaking out. I didn't know what to do and my brain came up with the most idiotic plan. I thought Itachi was dying," he admitted. "So I was obsessed with saving him. You know I'd do the same for you now."
"What?" Sasuke feigned to be offended. "You mean go out and seduce some guy into coming home with you? I'd rather you let me die."
He laughed and Sasuke joined in. And then they kissed… Naruto threw his arms around Sasuke's shoulders and lifted a foot, resting it flat against the brick wall they were leaning on. Sasuke was an amazing kisser. He always knew exactly what Naruto wanted. Never pushing too hard, but at the same time Naruto could tell he was holding back and it was costing him, which kind of secretly turned him on. And the way Sasuke held his waist and let his hands wander up and down his back, it was like… Naruto wasn't too sure how to describe it. Like he was Sasuke's favorite thing in the world to hold, and his fingers always left a tingling sensation across Naruto's skin.
But then Naruto had to pull away. And he regretted losing the moment, because he still craved Sasuke's lips and his touch so badly, but there was something nagging at him and it wouldn't let up.
"What are you thinking?" Sasuke whispered.
"Just… something Temari said. I'm just worried."
"What did she say?" Sasuke said mockingly. "I couldn't hear her over the sound of Sai bleeding."
Sasuke was acting so sadistic all of a sudden. Strangely Naruto didn't mind too much.
But he wasn't in the mood for smiling or joking right now. "She said no one was safe. Sasuke, our friends, our families, everyone. What if they go after them next? What if they go after Itachi?"
"They wouldn't…" But Sasuke's expression became worried.
"Let's go." Naruto took Sasuke's arm and led the way. They passed two more buildings then walked inside and Naruto fumbled with his keys before finding the right one and unlocking the door. He headed to the elevator but Sasuke made a turn to go take the stairs.
Naruto stared. "What are you doing?"
Sasuke hesitated. "I don't like elevators."
"It's the fifth floor."
"I know that."
"The elevator's faster," Naruto argued. Sasuke was so weird.
"It won't be faster," he said, "if we get stuck in it."
"That never happens."
"You say that," Sasuke raised a finger, "but what if today is the one time that it does happen?"
Great, now Naruto didn't feel like taking the elevator anymore.
"Damn it you win." He followed Sasuke to the stairs and they started climbing them up really fast.
Was Sasuke trying to prove that he was faster, or something? Because Naruto felt very competitive all of a sudden. So he pushed his leg muscles to go faster.
They shoved each other out of the way at every landing to try to outrun the other. Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the end. They both arrived at the same time anyway. This was so silly.
"You're really immature Sasuke," he said, panting. "I'm disappointed."
"I'm immature? You started it."
"You started it!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, but then he hardly repressed a smile as he let Naruto pass ahead in the empty bland corridor. Naruto went to unlock the apartment door. He felt Sasuke's eyes on him and it felt intimidating. He was always so self-conscious whenever Sasuke was around. It was exhausting. Maybe that was why he'd been avoiding him.
Naruto pushed the door open and stepped in the quiet apartment.
"He's probably asleep," he whispered, and Sasuke nodded.
They kicked off their shoes—Itachi was a bit of a neat freak and had a strict no-shoes-inside policy—and walked down the dark hallway to Itachi's bedroom. The door was left ajar and they could see that he was sleeping soundly. Naruto sighed in relief.
"He's fine. Come on." He put a hand on Sasuke's back briefly to lead him to his own bedroom.
Naruto closed the door and flicked on the lights. His eyes hurt a bit, and he should have felt tired, but he didn't. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Sasuke—Sasuke with his model-like tallness, confident attitude and sexy black outfit—was standing in his bedroom right now.
"I take it you're inviting me to stay the night, then?" he teased. Why did his voice have to be so deliciously masculine and smooth? That wasn't fair.
Naruto felt his face heating up, and his heart thumping in his chest. Ugh. So silly. But he couldn't help it.
"No," he said, "I mean, yes, but only because we need to talk. About Itachi."
Sasuke looked a bit taken aback. "About Itachi?"
Naruto grabbed his mother's journal, which had been resting on his night table—a voluminous leather bound book with his mother's elegant handwriting covering every page, and some pictures and articles that had been slid inside here and there.
He sat cross-legged on his bed among the mess of sheets and clothes and opened the journal in his lap. "I want to find a way to protect Itachi." He looked up. "And you're going to help me."
There was a good chance that Temari and Sai would try to use Itachi as leverage to get Naruto to give them all his powers. He wasn't too clear on how that worked exactly. But he didn't care right now. Not his priority. If he had some powers left, then he would use them to protect Itachi, because his adoptive brother had been through enough already, and he needed a break from all the supernatural crap.
"I know there's a spell in there we could try," he said, flipping the pages. "Some kind of protection spell. If I can just find it…"
While he searched Sasuke roamed around the small bedroom. Naruto felt a bit embarrassed about all the messiness, but Sasuke didn't seem to mind.
Unlike Itachi. He would totally freak out at all the dust in the corners and the heaping piles of clothes. Hey, it was organized. A pile of dirty clothes over there in the corner, and a pile of clean ones on his chair. Totally legit system. Anyway. Itachi wasn't allowed in his room.
Sasuke picked up a small notebook that had been tossed on the floor next to the bed. When Naruto saw what it was he freaked.
"Hey, no, don't read that."
Too late.
Sasuke had already flipped through the pages, and looked at the entries. He smiled, amused. "Is this a dream journal?"
Naruto extended his arm lazily to try and snatch it, but Sasuke just stepped away from the bed, and he kept reading.
"Stop reading it."
Sasuke didn't stop. In fact, he started reading out loud. "It was fucked up tonight. I was going out with Sasuke and he had taken way too much stuff. Like three doses of speed. And at some point I could tell that he wasn't feeling okay. It was weird because in the dream I was on something too, and I was starting to feel it. But Sasuke went to the bathroom and I followed him, and he wasn't doing so good. It wasn't a good dream at all. But I'm still glad I had it, because it just shows that I worry about Sasuke. I care about him. I'll just have to keep an eye on him so it doesn't happen in real life."
Naruto felt so completely embarrassed. But at least Sasuke hadn't read one of the sex dreams…
"I'm not a drug addict," Sasuke said matter-of-factly, "you don't have to worry about me."
"I'm not worried," he said very quickly.
Sasuke read a specific sentence once more: "I'm still glad I had it, because it just shows that I worry about Sasuke."
Naruto threw a pillow at him, and Sasuke just dodged it, smiling.
"I wouldn't take three doses of speed. Are you crazy?"
"It's just a stupid dream! Stuff I write first thing in the morning when I feel like it. Those are private."
"They're hilarious. Oh my God, the next one!" And Sasuke read it. Of course. "I dreamed about Jesus. In my dream Jesus is a sensitive, flawed individual portrayed by Jared Leto. Some horrible stuff happens to his family (he's got some brothers and sisters in my dream) because of some war. But God (I guess?) makes him forget all those memories so he'll focus on being—well, Jesus. But then he remembers everything anyway. Also he's in love with a guy. Yup, I like my version better. And maybe it's closer to the truth! Who knows? Because he kept going on about tolerance. So I'm sure he loved gays and stuff. He loved everybody. So there."
Sasuke actually fell to the floor and held his stomach because he was laughing so much.
"Stop reading that," Naruto exclaimed, his face flushed, "I think I found the spell."
"Jared Leto? Man, this is too good. I would watch that movie."
"Shut up, it's just stupid dreams I like to write sometimes…"
"Gays and stuff," Sasuke quoted and laughed some more. "What's the stuff for?"
Naruto was trying to focus on reading his mother's instruction for a protection spell. "You're being very distracting," he accused.
"Can I own the rights to this?" Sasuke smiled, holding the small notebook up in the air. "I'll use it for writing material. I think I'll write a screenplay for that one, actually. And I'll phone Jared Leto's agent and see if he wants to play my gay Jesus. We'll make the movie together and offend loads of people."
Naruto rolled his eyes and reached out to take the notebook from Sasuke's hand. He tossed it in a drawer, before sitting back on his bed, annoyed.
"Yeah, very funny."
"No I'm serious."
"Well you can write your screenplay later we have more important things to do right now. And… you'll phone his agent? Loads of people? You've been spending too much time with that British reaper."
"I have," Sasuke amended.
Naruto studied him. Even sitting on the floor Sasuke managed to look all graceful and lean and athletic. Feline-like. "With all your training."
"Yeah."
"You've really been at it for a whole week non-stop?" He asked and Sasuke just nodded. Naruto couldn't help but laugh. "Dude, you got a training montage."
Sasuke's eyes widened as he considered it. "You're right. I totally did.
"Any anecdotes?"
"I'll tell you later. You said you found the spell?" Sasuke got up and stretched his long limbs. It was almost painful for Naruto to tear his eyes away from him and look back at the page in his lap instead.
"Yeah. Okay. First we need candles."
Naruto had a box of matches in his drawer so he used those to light up a bunch of candles which he gathered in a circle on the floor. His mother always used candles for spells. She said it helped her concentrate, and that it was a sort of placebo effect more than a real help for the spell. But it comforted him to use them too.
They sat together in the circle and held hands.
"I feel silly," Sasuke admitted.
"Shut up this is important. Just be quiet and let me do this."
He had his mother's journal on his lap again, open at the right page. He felt like it gave him strength. He breathed in and out deeply then started reading.
"I seek the spiritual protection of a guardian angel that will accept to show themselves in whatever form they prefer, for someone who is very dear to me. In exchange I offer my eternal gratitude and I will owe them more than my life…"
"More than your life?" Sasuke hissed, disrupting him. "That's a little extreme, no?"
Naruto hushed him. "It's what my mother wrote. You have to exaggerate with them. Don't worry about it." He kept going. "I summon you to humbly ask for your protection, so if you accept, please show yourself, and I will be forever grateful."
"This is getting a little redundant."
"Sasuke stop it."
There was a sort of shifting in the air then, and it was like the floor was tilting and the walls closing in on them, followed by a brief high-pitched, almost deafening noise. But it didn't hurt their ears.
And then there he was, the fox spirit—in the form of, well, a fox. He was bigger than a wolf, and his fur was bright red, reflecting the light of the candles. He seemed to be surrounded by sunlight even though the room was dark, and he had a fluffy white tipped tail that danced all around him in the air. Like an excited dog that would wag his tail.
"Kurama?" said Naruto.
"You look a bit disappointed," the fox spirit said telepathically, "were you expecting someone else? I'm still your spirit guide, you know."
"I thought this might happen," Sasuke admitted.
Kurama's hazel eyes turned to him. "You can hear me?"
"Apparently."
"That is interesting. Perhaps because I've made contact with you once before."
Naruto interrupted them. "My mother said to be careful with you."
"Kushina was paranoid. If you want my protection, you have it."
He shook his head. "Not for me. For Itachi. I need you to protect him."
"No problem."
"So you'll do it? Just like that?"
"Of course."
"So you don't want anything in return?" Sasuke said suspiciously.
The fox seemed to snarl. "Eternity is a long time. I'm sure I'll come up with something."
Sasuke glanced at Naruto. "I'm not sure this is a good idea…"
Kurama replied before Naruto could say anything. "Oh, come on. That was just a little joke. You've already summoned me. I'll protect Itachi. He won't see me. I will only show myself to his opponents if they come."
Naruto had a feeling that Kurama knew exactly what opponents they were talking about. Somehow the fox knew everything. He had gone to Sasuke about Sai, hadn't he?
So he really must know everything about my life.
In fact, Kurama was narrowing his beady eyes right now as he stared at him.
"I can't believe you let that thief steal more of your powers. You barely had the necessary energy to summon me here tonight, I hope you know that."
Now that Kurama mentioned it, Naruto did feel excruciatingly tired. He kind of wanted nothing more than to lie down right there on the floor and sleep forever.
Sasuke spoke up. "I'll make sure he gets them back. You watch over Itachi and make sure that necromancer bitch doesn't get her hands on him."
"Understood. I like your style Sasuke. You're a fast learner, I like that. Nice sword, by the way," he added as a last touch before disappearing.
There was another weird disturbance of the air like when he'd appeared. This time when the floor seemed to tilt under him, Naruto fell and Sasuke caught him.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Sasuke proceeded to blow off all the candles—which, Naruto had to admit, made for a much safer environment.
"I don't know, um… Are the walls still moving?"
"No."
"Oh." Naruto closed his eyes and they burned. He had a throbbing headache all of a sudden.
Sasuke helped him to the bed and Naruto grabbed a pillow and curled up on himself.
"Did you want me to sleep on the floor, or—?" Sasuke was hesitating.
"Don't be silly. This is a double bed. And I trust you," Naruto said without looking at him.
"I won't do anything," said Sasuke reassuringly as he lay down on the other side of the bed, trying to detangle the sheets so he could cover himself up. Then he gave up.
"I just said I trust you."
There was a silence. Naruto realized that, no matter how tired he felt, he really couldn't sleep with Sasuke in the bed with him. It was just so… intimate. He'd never slept in the same bed as someone before, except in parties during which he was completely drunk and couldn't even remember anything about it the next day, so that didn't really count. And this was his bed, in his bedroom. It was just so private and special. But somehow he didn't mind too much. He was glad that it was Sasuke there with him, and not anyone else.
Naruto realized it made him feel warm and safe. He didn't even need to turn around and look at him. Just knowing he was there made him feel better. Somehow, he'd felt lonely before without even realizing it. But it was scary to embrace those feelings of warmth and safety, wasn't it? Because then what if Sasuke never came back and he was left feeling lonely again? He supposed this was why people kept crying and whining after a break up; they just felt lonely again and they weren't ready.
"Sasuke, are you sleeping?"
"Yes."
Naruto smiled into his pillow. "Thanks for saving me earlier. I don't remember if I said it."
"If we start thanking each other for every time we've saved each other, it'll never end."
"Heh, that's true. I still can't believe you cut that guy's arm. I should be afraid of you. But I'm not." Instead he felt safe in Sasuke's presence. Go figure.
"What Temari said is probably true," Sasuke said with a low voice, "they'll just get it healed. He's not some normal guy, Naruto. You heard Kurama. He's a supernatural thief. And now he's with Temari. And… he raped you, didn't he? Believe me, I wanted to do a lot more than just cut his arm."
He could almost feel Sasuke tense. Naruto also felt an unpleasant tightening in his chest at hearing those words.
"It makes it sound so real when you say it like that. I never told anyone before. I didn't even tell you. You just figured it out, I guess. You seemed to know already, so…"
"I was like ninety nine percent sure. It just made sense."
"Can we please… not talk about it anymore."
"Of course," he whispered, "I'm sorry."
Naruto closed his eyes. Great. Now he'd made Sasuke feel guilty.
He wanted so badly to turn around and reach out to him, to hold him, to kiss him, to touch him, to… But Naruto was afraid that it would go too far, and then he would stop because he was uncomfortable and terrified and so annoyed with himself but unable to keep going nonetheless. And Sasuke would be turned on but frustrated—Naruto was seventeen and he had hormones, too, so he understood. He wanted to forget about Sai, and he wanted to be with Sasuke, but it just didn't seem right. Not right now.
Why couldn't he talk about all of this with Sasuke? The words just didn't want to come out.
But he still couldn't sleep.
So instead he said something completely different. Something that had been bothering him for a while.
"Sasuke… do you think our parents are in Heaven?"
"Honestly? I don't—" He interrupted himself, then said, "I don't know."
"You were going to say I don't think so."
Sasuke's voice was soft. "I just don't think anyone goes there directly after dying, from what I've heard. This is just speculation on my part, but I think you have to prove yourself in the other dimensions somehow, and then once you've done that, you can go. But like I said, I wouldn't know. I'm still a beginner at all of this."
Naruto felt on the verge of tears. But he was probably just tired. "Do you think they're in Hell?"
Living and reliving their worst fears, over and over again, with no one to rescue them from it like Sasuke had done for him back in those tall black trees…
"I don't think so." Sasuke clearly tried to lighten the mood as he went on, "I mean, they've got to be in a better place than that. And what do I know? Maybe they are in Heaven. They sacrificed themselves for us, didn't they? That's got to mean something. If sacrificing yourself for your kid isn't a one way ticket to Heaven, then I don't know what is. It would be pretty empty up there."
Naruto wasn't sure Sasuke actually meant those words. But he smiled. Sasuke was trying to make him feel better.
"Thank you," he whispered, and closed his eyes.
...
Author's note: Sorry for not uploading sooner you guys. No internet at home. I know, right? The horror. I'm using a friend's internet right now to upload these two chappies cause I love you guys. Wish me luck with this whole internet thing. Thanks for reading ^^