Author's note: Okay so i thought this would be the chapter the title came in at and made sense (I'll see you in five) but because of my formatting and pacing it actually ended up in chapter 4. Enjoy! Kudos and comments always welcome!
Chapter. 3 Making up for lost time
~During~
The 3 of them were laying together under the cover of the tree staring at the clouds as they rolled by. They were ranging from gasping breaths, to wheezing in Naruto's case. They were taking a break.
Naruto had vaguely been worried about this. That when they came for their training with Sakura, that Sasuke might throw all of his walls back up. That he might revert back into his old self. That he wouldn't continue to be the Sasuke who was slowly letting Naruto into his world. But Naruto had been glad to find Sasuke didn't seem any colder than what he was becoming accustomed to recently.
Sakura had even whispered to Naruto in wonder while they spared each other. "He seems to be in an awfully good mood." Naruto knew exactly what she meant. If Naruto's younger self could have seen the way Sasuke was acting lately he'd have never believed it. Sakura was just as surprised. She jerked her head towards where Sasuke was throwing knives at a tree.
"Yeah," Naruto lobbed a kick at her and she twisted his leg. "he isn't as prickly" Naruto looked at her warily and caught himself on the ground as he spun out to unlatch her grip. "anymore."
This version of Sasuke who was calm, and he laughed, and he joked. It was the version of Sasuke they would have dreamed about having around as genin if they'd only known there was this kind of side to him.
Sakura punched at the ground opening a fissure between them and she smiled. "I wonder what might have caused that change." She looked Naruto all over like she already had a guess.
Then Sasuke had decided they needed to take a break for a bit.
"Damn." Naruto said wriggling closer to Sasuke and Sakura so they were all lined up in a row. "I knew you guys were good, but i forgot how good."
"Happy to remind you anytime." Sakura said in a dreamy voice Naruto thought belonged in a fairytail. She nudged his arm with hers lightly.
They had spent the last 3 hours pile driving each other into rocks, dodging kunai and well placed paper bombs, and overall Naruto had to say it wasn't a bad first practice. That was the whole point of getting together before they actually got their first mission as team 7 (remixed) as Sakura kept calling them. They needed to learn to work together again, to work as one. They'd all learned new tricks, apart from himself Naruto thought glumly. Naruto was still pulling the same old rabbits out of his hat. Shadow clones, and rasengans. He still had a long way to go, and to be honest it scared him to think about it. Part of him expected he'd never be able to achieve what he had back when he was a jinchuriki. If he'd spent any of his time after the war training instead of drinking maybe he wouldn't still be as disappointed with himself by now. If it came down to it, Sasuke could wipe the floor with him, and that sucked to realize. He wondered if Sasuke was just humoring him when they spared, letting him win so Naruto might be more likely to fuck him after. Well if that was what he was doing, it was working wasn't it?
"Sasuke can i bum a smoke?" Naruto sat up to look at her like she grew another head.
"Since when do you smoke?" Naruto tried to keep his voice level.
She shrugged.
"In my pack." Sasuke said as he twirled a blade of grass between 2 fingers. "Careful with my new bowl, please."
Naruto watched her as she walked. A frown was setting onto his face he could feel it. Of course some things had changed since the 2 years he'd allowed her in his life. There was probably a new list of things that Naruto didn't know about her. It made him ache thinking about it.
"Oh, oh shit." Sakura dropped Sasuke's pack and a cacophony of metal against metal sounded. "Sorry, Sasuke I didn't mean to, i remember- i know how you are with kunai-"
Sasuke flicked his blade of grass away, and went over to help her scoop the contents of his bag back together. "It's fine." He told her but she and Naruto both knew it was terse. He picked up his pack, rifled through it and tossed her the cigarettes. Then Sasuke picked up his kunai one by one with the care one would a newborn child.
Sakura bit her lip, and looked at Naruto not knowing what to say. Naruto got up to stand with them, his legs were going to be bruised tomorrow, Sakura had the thighs professional body builders dream of.
"You know i always wondered." Naruto said coming close enough he could touch Sasuke if he wanted.
"About?" Sasuke said sliding another kunai back into it's proper place.
"I remember you always being craz- particular about the kunai, but i never knew why exactly." Naruto shrugged as if he hadn't been wondering for over a decade.
"You only share kunai with the people you love." Sasuke said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yeah I remember you saying that alot back then," Sakura twisted a piece of her hair around a finger, and it reminded Naruto of all the time they shared as kids. How they used to gang up on Sasuke together or Kakashi when they wanted know something intimate about them. They usually never got what they wanted, what with Sasuke and Kakashi being emotionally constipated. "you never said though what it meant, that I didn't understand."
Neither had Naruto. Naruto had thought Sasuke must have been some degree of a psychopath, as anytime he even looked near the kunai Sasuke had he'd been met with either a dirty look or a smack to the back of the head.
Sasuke paused his work for a moment to look at both of them as they hung onto the hope their curiosity would finally be quenched on at least one of the mysteries that made up Sauske Uchiha.
"Izumi." Sasuke pulled a kunai back out of the pack. "Mikoto." He laid another next to it. "Fugaku." He lined them up together perfectly. "Itachi." Then finally "Sasuke." There was still a good pile of them inside his pack.
"I still don't get it." Sakura admitted.
"When a child is bo- when a child was born into my clan it was always customary to have their first kunai forged as a gift they could use for the rest of their life. When the end of their life came it was also the custom for the remaining family members to be put in charge of it's safe keeping's, so that part of them always stayed within the family. So." Sasuke blew the hair out of his face. "You only share kunai with the people you love."
Naruto gaped. Leave it to Sasuke to unleash a gut wrenching fact like that, and say it like it was the weather forcast.
"So each one of those..." Sakura looked at the pile of knives he had pulled out to show them.
"Yes. Each one of them belonged to a member of my family. I'm the one in charge of their safe keeping now. I'll probably be the last one, and- hey actually guys bury me with them when the time comes. I always meant to tell one of you that before. It just never really came up."
Naruto didn't know what to say so he didn't.
Sakura made up for it. "Oh Sasuke." She had little drops of wetness already glistening down her cheeks, the cigarette in her hand still unlit and forgotten.
"It's fine." He brushed it all off. "I'm fine with it. Just promise to bury me with them, okay."
"Okay." Sakura agreed her voice cracking, and Naruto decided she was at the point she needed a hug.
"Good. I'll clean these up later. Anyone back up for another round? I could go for one." Sasuke asked already halfway forming a chidori. Naruto had to push Sakura out of the way and block him when he pounced.
"Hey!" Naruto kicked his arm and the chidori fizzled out. "Are you crazy?"
Sasuke just laughed and then Sakura was jumping back into the melee, and Naruto saw it for what it was. Sasuke wasn't going to let them stand around and cry at the prospect of his being the last in his family. Nor the prospect of his death. Naruto grinned, then jumped back into the barrage of kicks, and punches.
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~After~
"Oh, fuck." Shikamaru said in an anxious tone.
They were all stood around the grave site. The empty black casket was about to go into the ground.
Naruto followed Shikamaru's line of sight across the rows of headstones, and statues until they landed on the source of his ire.
"Naruto wait-" Sakura tried, but Naruto had already slung her arm off of him.
Naruto's entire body went taut, and a wave of righteous fury started to boil deep in his his veins. Just who the fuck did Lee think he was, Naruto thundered in his head and he just knew if he still had Kurama even the demon fox would be as furious as he.
Naruto met Lee halfway between the gate to the cemetery, and Sasuke's soon to be empty grave.
"What the FUCK are you doing here?" Naruto growled out already trembling from the chakra swirling in his chest that desperately wanted release.
"I came to say i'm-" He started out and Naruto shut it right down.
"Just leave. You're not welcome here." Naruto spat at him, and Lee bowed his head in contrition or some form of surrender Naruto knew but he didn't care. Lee couldn't just show up here after what he had done, what he had said. He had hated Sasuke.
"Naruto i wanted to pay my respect if you'll only let me."
Naruto was about to go off about the fact that Lee had never shown Sasuke an ounce of respect before and so why should he now that he was dead, but then the others caught up to Naruto.
The people who were supposed to place the casket had stopped, and so now everyone was waiting on the scene they were making to be over.
Kakashi was to Naruto's right and Shikamaru to his left. Sakura went to stand in front of Naruto using her body to shield Lee, or Naruto he wasn't really sure.
"Hey guys lets cool it allright?" Kakashi said with his ceremonial robes billowing around him. "This isn't the time or place, Lee i think it's best you probably leave-"
"Listen to the Hokage Lee." Naruto stuck a finger out right in front of his face, and Sakura grabbed at his arm trying to force it back. "Go the fuck away!"
"I'll go okay?" Lee held his hands up. "I'll go, I didn't want to start anything."
Sakura relaxed a bit. Naruto did to.
"I just came to say i'm sorry." That bastard.
Naruto pushed Sakura out of the way in the some motion he swung his fist out at Lee's face. If Kakashi hadn't caught his hand he would have broken Lee's jaw from the amount of chakra he had pumped into the punch.
"Get the fuck away from me!" Naruto howled as Shikamaru and Sakura simultaneously tried to hold him back from another go.
After Lee left Naruto demanded things finish up post haste. Part of him was glad he didn't have to cry when the casket slid into the earth, at least Lee's showing up had allowed him to be angry. Naruto would rather feel anything other than sad.
Naruto all but shoved 3 of the people attending the burial to the ground in his haste to get out of the cemetery when it was finally over.
Late in the evening when the sun had already set he went back to the grave with a fifth of vodka. Once he was alone he didn't mind crying over an empty grave, and that was the second time in his life that Naruto fell into the dirt on his knees for Sasuke Uchiha. It was the second time and it was also the last.
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~During~
Sakura had just left after a very long day of their first training as team 7. Before she did of course she had to make it extremely awkward.
"Naruto," she had said while Sasuke was busy toweling the sweat off of himself. "do you think- can we go back to what we were?" She had a smile of timid hope. "Today went pretty well right? We all got along so well, and- it was just like old times, before Sasuke left."
Naruto frowned at her and shrugged. "I love you Sak." He kicked a cloud of dirt out in front of himself in frustration, he didn't want to have this talk. He didn't want to be on team 7 again. "but i- are you even sorry for what you did?" He had never asked her before because he knew what she would say, and he felt asking now might help push the wedge between them back into it's proper place.
"No. I'll never be sorry for it." She crossed her arms and looked back up to the sky, and Naruto knew she was thinking of Neji Hyuga, and probably Tenten to.
"Well that's where we're at then." Naruto stated the finality of the conversation in his voice. "I'm gonna pass on Ichiraku today."
"Yeah, okay." She looked like she wanted to say more, but she held her tongue and left. Naruto watched her as she did. Her hair was longer. Her muscles larger. She had changed, and Naruto wondered about the other ways she changed that he didn't quite know yet.
They had learned alot of new things about each other that was for sure. Naruto learned Sakura was never more powerful than the split second before she made contact with an object. He also learned that Sasuke Uchiha had spent years carrying a bag of his dead family members kunai. He wondered what they'd learned about him during their exercise.
Naruto was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't even think about it when Sasuke asked him to hand him the last kunai on the ground. Naruto picked it up and instantly froze, he looked up expecting Sasuke to be steaming at the ears but he wasn't. Instead he had that little smirk of his.
"Sorry I didn't mean to-" Naruto started to apologize, but Sasuke pulled the kunai out of his hand placed it in the bag. Then he pulled Naruto in for a searing kiss.
'You only share kunai with the people you love.' Ran through his head as Sasuke pushed his tongue in Naruto's willing mouth.
Naruto pulled back to search Sasuke's face for any sign of a joke, but there wasn't one.
"but you said- you kept saying-"
"It didn't mean nothing." Sasuke finally allowed.
Naruto barked out a laugh.
"Huh. You don't say?" Naruto answered tipping his head back in wonder.
"I don't understand it. Whatever it was- whatever it is, but I don't think it's nothing."
Naruto turned his body away so Sasuke could stare at his back, and sank to the ground.
"Sounds about like what i've been saying for months."
"I know." And Naruto knew that was the closest to an apology Sasuke was capable of. He felt the grass next to him move as Sasuke sat beside him. Then Sasuke was pushing back his hair back and pressing his lips gently to Naruto's. "I want to try. I want to try to be with you in all the stupid ways there are. It might not work, we might kill each other by the end but i at least want to try. Okay?"
"Okay." Naruto agreed. "Yeah, let's try." Then he was pulling Sasuke down on top of himself by the circlet of gold hanging from his neck.
Sasuke took them back to his house and they had sex. Only unlike all of the other times, this time it was slow, and exploratory. It was more of what their first time probably would have been if the both of them hadn't grown up as emotionally stunted orphans.
Sasuke was gentle and careful in a way Naruto didn't realize he was capable of being. Sasuke didn't seek to brutalize him like he had in some of their previous encounters. He made love to him, that night. Even though the both of them were sore and aching from training, Sasuke slid into him eagerly. He fucked with all the care of a man possessed. Naruto came against Sasuke's bed sheets, and it had Sasuke tumbling into his own orgasm on top of him.
Naruto palmed the circlet of gold at his neck, and kissed it while Sasuke watched him.
"I can't stand you." Sasuke said exhausted and sweaty above him. "You'll have me wanting another go if your not careful."
"I don't like you, you know?"
"Oh?"
"I love you actually." Naruto threw caution to the wind and decided to bare a bit of himself since Sasuke had already shared so much of himself with him that day.
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~After~
Naruto woke up in the grass. He had drunk himself sick, and stayed overnight in the cemetery. The birds were chirping and it should feel like a beautiful fall morning but to Naruto it wasn't.
He dragged himself off the ground and started walking home. He left his empty bottle at the grave. As he walked he started to think.
Naruto didn't call it love at first sight, the moment he first laid eyes on Sasuke. If he had to call it anything it was indifference at first sight. All the same a quiet curiosity bloomed in him when he first saw Sasuke, and he could never have known the fierce love that would later be born from it.
Time. The years. Months. Weeks that went by. Even when they weren't together Naruto had never stopped thinking of Sasuke. He thought of him when they were genin, he had wondered if Sasuke would ever let him in close enough to call him his friend. He thought of Sasuke even after he abandoned their village in the pursuit of power, and revenge. He thought of him alot then if he was honest. He thought of Sasuke when the war started, and all throughout it. He thought of Sasuke and weeped after the war ended, and he had once again been left behind without even the mention of friendship being what was between them. He thought of Sasuke when he woke up in the mornings and drank himself sick for 2 years. Naruto was destined to always think of Sasuke, especially after he died.
He felt jealous of Sasuke. Naruto always knew he loved Sasuke alot more than he did him. Naruto had asked him once, and that's how he knew.
"Did you ever think of me, while you were gone?"
Sasuke had told him no. It didn't bother him, that was fine, one of them had to love the other more right. He didn't care that he was the one who constantly had to think of Sasuke and worry over him. If anything he loved Sasuke so much, he was glad that Sasuke wasn't plagued the same way he was.
Love was a heavy burden to bare.
Sometimes laying in their bed at night and when Naruto was watching Sasuke's chest rise and fall Naruto felt like he might burst from the exquisite agony that came from loving him.
He made it home and the first thing he did was kick his shoes off, and climb into his bed. Their bed. God the house was quiet.
Naruto rolled over in the bed, he was wearing Sasuke's hoodie and he buried his chin in the collar of it. Flooding his nose with Sasuke's smell. He reached inside the collar, and pulled out the medallion. It was heavy to, just like his love for Sasuke always felt. The medallion was the personification of the great love of his life. He kissed it, and pretended for just a single slice of time that it was Sasuke.
It should have been Naruto who died. Sasuke wouldn't have caved in on himself like a dying star like Naruto was. Sasuke would have moped for a little bit and then he would have bounced back, thrown himself into work or something. He never would have allowed himself to became so- useless. Naruto pulled the covers over his head hoping they'd swallow him up.
It should have made a difference, that Naruto was there. Before the blast went off, if he hadn't left his fucking communicator on that table, he could have made a difference. He could have warned Sasuke that the bomb was about to blow. It was ironic Naruto thought. The very reason he rejoined team 7 was because he had thought his being on the team might be the difference between life and death for his friends. In the end it just hadn't fucking mattered though. His presence on team 7 hadn't done a damn thing.
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~During~
Sasuke still hadn't said it back, not in actual words, and not that Naruto expected him to. Naruto was allowed to touch the kunai that were Sasuke's and it spoke more volumes to him than words ever could. There was no one else that could touch them, and even if Sasuke was in capable of forming the words even if Sasuke didn't call it love exactly Naruto said that was fine. He was willing to take whatever Sasuke would give him. Naruto was the one Sasuke wanted, the one he kept around when he could easily have others, even if he didn't say 'I love you.' Naruto was still by default the one he cared for more than anyone else in the world. It wasn't nothing.
Sasuke had taken to packing Naruto's supply pack, and he would watch as Sasuke placed the water, and a towel, and a thrill ran through him when he added the kunai he selected for him to use that day. It felt like Sasuke was saying the words. 'I love you.'
Team 7 remixed had just ended another eventful day of training. They had trained together for 3 weeks now, and Kakashi told them he would have a mission for them soon enough.
Sakura hadn't brought up their conversation from the first practice since. She let it lie for now, but Naruto suspected it wasn't forgotten. Sometimes he would catch Sasuke and Sakura whispering just between the two of them. Naruto wondered what it was about, but he didn't ask. He still tried to get through the exercises as quickly as possible. The faster he did the easier it was to avoid Sakura, and quicker he could crawl into Sasuke's bed for a romp.
Shikamaru told Naruto he thought it was unfair of him over his desk when Naruto went to pick up some paperwork a few days back. Sakura it turned out was still fairly close with Shikamaru and had vented to him about everything. "You gave Sasuke another chance after what he did." Shikamaru pointed out stamping a seal on the document.
"Yeah, well" Naruto yanked the paper away. "Sasuke didn't kill anybody when he did what he did to me, did he?"
Shikamaru didn't respond to that and Naruto was dismissed.
Sakura had somehow convinced Sasuke to go out for food after training for the day. Naruto hadn't wanted to. Sasuke knew he hadn't wanted to. Sasuke had asked again about what it was between Naruto and Sakura that had him keeping her at arms length and Naruto had dodged the question. He admitted he was in love with Sasuke and that was enough soul baring for Naruto for quite some time.
Sasuke had still yet to open up to Naruto much so he didn't see how it was fair to tell him much of anything about the years they spent apart.
The 3 members of team 7 arrived at the restaurant and Naruto should have known something was up. All throughout their morning session Sasuke and Sakura were whispering again. Naruto hadn't given it to much mind at all, as usual he hadn't really cared. He wanted to focus on his skill and keep the lollygagging to a minimum, and wasn't that just the most unlikley sentence for Naruto Uzumaki to form.
Shikamaru was standing waving them over at a booth in the back.
"Sakura." Naruto warned.
She didn't answer though she just gave Sasuke a look. Then Sasuke was palming the back of Naruto's neck rubbing the tension away.
"Relax." His fingers felt to good for Naruto to fuss to much. "It's just Shikamaru. You like Shikamaru right?"
"Yeah." Naruto agreed. "I like Shikamaru."
"Then come on. Killer." Sasuke slung an arm around Naruto's shoulder and they followed behind Sakura.
Naruto really did like Shikamaru. It was just Naruto didn't do this kind of thing anymore. Not for a long time. Seeing Shikamaru out of the duty for school, and beers after school was one thing. It was a whole other thing for Naruto to meet him for dinner. Naruto had barely agreed to dinner with just Sasuke and Sakura.
Naruto glared at Sasuke. For once he wished for the Sasuke from his youth who wouldn't have wanted to be here for all the money in the world. Naruto guessed they had traded roles somehow. Naruto became an antisocial recluse while Sasuke didn't exactly become a social butterfly but he at least got more facetime with people now.
Naruto shut most of the people in his life out for one big reason. In his experience all his friends ever seemed to do was die or leave him. Also why he kicked his dream of Hokage to the curb. It was better that he not have a front row seat the next time one of his buddies got decapitated or speared through the heart. Naruto was dreading going back out on missions again.
"Hey guys!" Shikamaru was at least excited to see them, Naruto supposed he could make the best of it and so he shook hands with him and they all sat down.
The waitress came by with menus, and Naruto spotted yet another familiar face walking into the restaurant. It was Lee.
Naruto gave Sasuke an unimpressed look. Seriously?
Sakura yelled out to get Lee's attention and acted as if it had been some huge surprise he was there. Assholes. His teammates were assholes.
"Well, well, look what team the cat dragged in." Lee said as he slid into the side of the booth with Shikamaru and Sakura. "Been awhile guys."
Lee had shaved all of his hair off. It was part of the new edgy look he decided to sport post war. His goofy green onsie was gone to. Now Lee favored a black shirt and pants with a lavender headband. Naruto thought this edgier look did suit the gruesome scar across his face he'd gotten from one of the akatsuki.
"Let me guess," Naruto said picking his menu up and tapping it against the table, "Hinata's about to fly in from the rafters," he dropped the menu for emphasis. "or crawl out from under the table." Naruto feigned like he was looking for her when he pulled back the tablecloth.
This was what all that whispering had been about this morning Naruto knew it.
"No," Lee answered before anyone could lie about this all being a coincidence again. "said she couldn't make it, the baby's teething or something."
Naruto gave a derisive little sound.
It was quiet for several awkward moments.
"Well isn't this-" Sakura searched for a word. "Nice."
Naruto raised both his brows as if to say 'Yipee.'
"Where is that waitress?" Shikamaru scratched at his cheek, looking around nervously. "I think i might like a drink."
"Me to." Naruto muttered under his breath. Sasuke ignored him if he heard it. Naruto slid his fingers against the scarf at his neck.
Then thankfully the waitress did arrive. She took their drink orders and told them about the specials. Naruto scanned the menu and already knew he'd be ordering the ramen, it was the thing on the menu he could slurp down the fastest.
"So what's everyone up to lately?" Sakura asked trying to make conversation out of thin air. "Lee?"
Lee didn't seem thrilled to be here himself, if Naruto had to guess Shikamaru had convinced or bribed him to come. Lee was on edge and so Naruto vaguely wondered if that was his own fault, but if that was it Naruto couldn't force himself to feel to bad about it. Lee had embarrassed the hell out of himself as well as Naruto that night, and Naruto was just fine to go on pretending it never happened.
The waitress came back with drinks and their orders. Idle chatter went around as everyone started to eat. 'Weathers been good hasn't it?'
Finally Lee had enough of pleasantries and decided to breach the real topic he must have come to discuss.
"So you guys are headed back out into the field soon?"
Naruto didn't speak. "Looks like it Sakura said with a smile.
"About time if you ask me." Lee scowled into his beer mug, and Naruto felt Sasuke bristle just a bit next ti him.
"Lee. I told you not to do this." Shikamaru said warningly and dropped his spoon onto his plate with a clatter.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sakura looked between them searching. "About time for what?"
"For team 7 to pull their weight." Lee said without remorse.
Someone gasped, and Naruto kept twirling his fork into his ramen hating the fact he could be at home in his bed instead of here for the rant Lee had planned.
"I mean you 3 are the Hokages students. Not one of you has been on a mission in 2 years. Sasuke and Naruto only just made Jonin."
"How is any of what we do your business?" Sasuke sneered and Naruto rolled his eyes. This was going to turn into a fight.
"It's my business when it's my ass out there picking up your slack. Me and Shikamaru are the only 2 from our year serving, and i'm sick of it frankly. Get your shit together, you bunch of spoiled brats."
"You don't speak for me, Lee." Shikamaru added dolefully.
"Fine fair enough i can't speak for Shikamaru, but i gotta say in my opinion of all the teams that could have made it out of the war unscathed, it's bullshit that it was yours." Lee's voice was acidic and hateful as he turned his gaze on each of team 7 in turn. "What I wouldn't give for Neji or Tenten to still be around. But then there's you fuckers. All 3 of you made it and you didn't even speak for 2 entire years? What the fuck is wrong with you all?"
Sakura's eyes were dazed, Sasuke looked good and ready to deck Lee, and Shikamaru didn't look like he entirely disagreed with Lees rant anymore.
"I mean what's your excuse? Any of you!" Lee demanded smacking the table.
No one answered, but Naruto kept eating his noodles like fuck he was going to let Lee ruin his dinner. Naruto had said all of this to himself a hundred times over. Lee couldn't hurt him.
Naruto knew his deactivate status had added to everyone else's workload. He knew it was messed up that none of team 7 spoke for 2 years.
"I mean there's Sakura working herself to the bone at the hospital everyday sure she's busy but she lives in the same city as Naruto doesn't she? Only for whatever reasons Naruto's spent the majority of his time since the war locked in his house with his stomach full of booze, and ignoring everyone's existence but especially Sakura's. And none of us are supposed to even mention it? I mean what the fucks up with that?" Lee stopped to see if Naruto would answer, when he didn't he kept ranting.
So Lee didn't know. Boy would he hate Sakura if he did Naruto thought.
"And lastly we've got you Sasuke." Lee held his drink up as if to say 'cheers.' "The wayward member of the 3 musketeers." He motioned at team 7. "Honestly who the hell knows what you've been up to the last 2 years or what excuse it is you might use to justify your absence, but of anyone i would figure you would be the one at least wanting to atone after the war ended. But you just didn't care right? Cause the fact is you still left again after the war, didn't you? You had the chance to come home right when it ended, Naruto was right there at your feet and you just booked it on him." Lee laughed. "So whatever happened, happened and Naruto didn't want to see Sakura, and you didn't want to see Naruto for 2 entire years. Doesn't anyone think that's fucked up? You're a squad. You we're supposed to be a squad. You all pushed each other away it's pathetic."
Sasuke had a hand griping the end of the table that was starting to splinter just a bit. "You know what else think it's pretty fucked up that when Sasuke did suddenly decide to roll back into town he got Naruto chasing him around like a puppy again." Okay that one annoyed Naruto but still it was something he could ignore and he did. "You must be the 'top', huh, Sasuke? I heard you were fucking him. What you says goes right?" Lee leaned in. "You tell him to start back up with Sakura again? To join team 7 again? Did you tell Naruto to come eat with us tonight? Cause i don't think he would've done any of it, it you hadn't told him to." Lee sipped his drink.
More silence, but Naruto saw Sasuke unhand the table and clench his fist under the table Naruto guessed in an attempt to not throw a punch. Something was about to pop off he was sure.
"What happens between the members of our team is none of your business, Lee." Sakura mustered the courage to say. He ignored her.
"I gotta say though Sasuke i really should congratulate you, i should but I won't." Lee tipped his beer back to take another sip.
"Congratulate me on what?" Sasuke said in a terse tone.
"Getting Naruto out of his house. It really is a pretty damn big accomplishment i have to say. You must have a magic dick. I tried, to reach him to help him but unless there was alcohol involved he wouldn't see me. I guess I hadn't treated him badly enough for him to want me around."
Sasuke looked over at Naruto and Naruto refused to meet his eyes. He didn't want to see the judgement in them. He didn't want Sasuke to know how bad it was for him after the war, it was why Naruto had never told him these things himself.
Lee picked up on the surprised look Sasuke gave Naruto. "Oh so he hasn't told you about what happened after the war?" Naruto closed his eyes for a brief moment and forced himself to continue eating.
"I know he drank, and he wouldn't see Sakura."
It was weird they were talking about Naruto like he wasn't even there at the table.
Lee smiled mirthlessly. "It was bad."
"How bad?" Sasuke's voice was cautious but searching.
"If Hinata hadn't stepped in when she did, i figure he would've killed himself."
Sasuke froze, and mechanically like a robot he turned to look at Naruto in absolute horror. His fist wasn't clenched anymore. Naruto held his fork tightly, but he kept going. He could leave when he finished the stupid ramen.
Lee reached across the table to run his hand over the scarf around Naruto's neck. "This is one Hinata made you, yeah?"
"Hinata? The Hyuga girl?" Sasuke asked trying to recenter himself from shock. "Why did she make him a scarf."
Lee laughed. "Well Hinata did the same thing with him during the war that you're doing with him now, you know."
"What are even you talking about?"
"Hinata rode Naruto's dick for months after the war until he got the will to live back. You aren't special. Sasuke." Lee spat at Sasuke, and suddenly Sasuke grabbed the front of his jacket pulling him partly across the table.
That was enough, Naruto decided. More than enough. He couldn't listen to anymore.
"So what pisses you off more Lee?" Naruto took a sip of his drink feeling everyone at the table suddenly staring at him. "The fact that i've fucked boys and girls?" Naruto dabbed the napkin on his face, and tossed it over his plate. "Or the fact i just wouldn't fuck you?"
Then the table erupted into chaos as Lee dove across the booth at Naruto. Sasuke got his hand on Lee and then he flailed trying to free himself so he could get at Naruto and it all made the table shake. The china smashed, and the drinks spilled onto the floor. People in the restaurant were yelling.
Lee had tried once. After he started up with Hinata and word had spread about their arrangement. So then Lee for whatever reason tried to fuck Naruto when he was drunk off some wine he'd brought over and Naruto had kindly refused the offer. Naruto was glad he had. Lee never tried again, and they only nodded in passing on the streets after that.
Sasuke finally got a better hold on Lee who was still trying to lunge. While Sasuke had him pinned Lee started his rant up again. He really hated their whole team, and part of the sense of duty Naruto still felt to Sakura made Naruto know he would never let Lee find out the details behind their estrangement. Lee was unhinged about losing his teammate's and that was dangerous for Sakura.
"I get something happened with Sakura yeah the war and all that i see why you might not want her around, but after everything He fucking did to you, you still let Sasuke of all people fuck you?"
"Must be the magic dick like you said." Naruto said condescendingly.
"I hope you fucking die!" Lee yelled at Sasuke as he slung out of his hold.
Naruto threw one leg over the back of the booth, and slid down the other side to avoid the melee still going on. He was out of there. He heard Shikamaru yelling at Sasuke and Lee. Sakura had been a blubbering mess, but he couldn't take care of her right now.
Fucking Lee with his loud mouth. Now all Naruto could think of was the war. That same pair of lavender eyes that haunted his nightmares wouldn't disappear no matter how many times he tried to banish them from his mind.
Naruto hated feeling weak. And he felt weak right then. He had been doing so good, so much better, he hadn't drank as much as he used to in months. He had cut back his alcohol intake significantly during the course of the Jonin training program, but that was about to go out the window. Naruto needed to get shit faced, and soon.
Naruto stopped at the store. He bought a bottle of maker's mark, and headed for home. It was going to be a long night.
.
.
.
~After~
Sakura came in the mornings. To cook Naruto breakfast, and clean him up. She didn't say a word about the empty bottles, they just clinked as she tossed them in the garbage. She would pull a new jersey over his head, and tell him how much she loved him. She said that he knew to guilt him, to keep him here. There was a look she had sometimes when she was right about to leave, and it was like she dreaded coming back. She was terrified she'd come back and find him dead every time she showed up. Hinata had that same fear back when Naruto had allowed her to take care of him after the war.
Sakura would cook and clean for a few hours. Then she'd hold him while she waited for the laundry to kick off. He wouldn't let her clean Sasuke's hoodie the red and black one that had been his favorite. Sakura hadn't tried to throw Sasuke's hair gel out again and he was grateful. She left it on the sink where the goop was still messily spread around it. Sticky but it had hardened by now. Sasuke wasn't a slob he was just careless. He had broken the cap to the gel, and he hadn't bothered trying to fix it or put the gel in a new container he just kept using it as is. Every time Naruto had moved it to use the counter space in the time before he died it left his fingers tacky, but he hadn't minded. It was a quirk of Sasuke's Naruto had thought and he loved all of his quirks. The gel had never been anything Naruto would use, Naruto's hair was useless product or no product. Even so he just couldn't throw it away. It felt wrong to even think of it. Sakura knew better now. There were things in this apartment that she was not allowed to touch. The hair gel, Sasuke's hoodie, and the kunai knives that had already gathered a fine layer of dust on them at the kitchen table.
"I'll see you in the morning." Sakura said and it was a promise from her and a reminder to him not to do anything stupid while she was gone. "I put some water and a sandwich on the nightstand for later."
He didn't respond. He just stared at the wall. There was a fan on the wall, the only thing Sasuke had insisted be used to decorate their apartment. Everything else in it Naruto had picked out. When Naruto had asked Sasuke had said it came from the land of tea. It sounded nice there, Naruto had always meant to ask Sasuke if he wanted to go back.
Traveling Naruto thought. That didn't sound completely awful.
.
.
.
~During~
Naruto and Sasuke hadn't discussed the brawl at the restaurant. They also hadn't had sex in days. Naruto guessed Sasuke was coming to terms with all the fun facts he had learned about Naruto. Sakura told Naruto in the middle of another practice that Sasuke gave Lee a fat lip by the time it was all over.
"Lee's got issues you know?" Sakura said in some sort of defense of Lee.
"We all do." Naruto lobbed a kick at her head. "Doesn't give him the right to shit on the rest of us."
How was it any of their faults that team 7 all made it out of the war while the other teams of Konoha 12 had been decimated? Except Sakura was at fault...
"I know." She gave a halfhearted punch to his chest that he blocked, he caught her hand and twisted her around. Both of them stilled for a moment. "He's hurting Naruto. I think Lee's only just dealing with it all now. With losing his entire team in a day, I don't think he grieved properly when it all happened."
"Yeah well it didn't have to happen that way did it?" Naruto said his voice suddenly fierce, and he shoved Sakura forward glaring at her. "Lee could have had both of his teammates alive and well for the passed 2 years if it weren't for you."
Sakura didn't say anything at first. Then Sasuke noticed the sudden hostility Naruto was directing at her. "I think that's enough for today." Sakura said and turned to go ignoring Sasuke who tried to pull the situation back together.
Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other for a moment. "I thought you were getting on pretty good. I thought whatever happened between you was going to be water under the bridge soon. I mean you aren't even drinking so much these days. The things Lee said at the restaurant, i had no idea it was so bad for you after the war, and about Hinata." Sasuke ran his hands through his hair smoothing them into place. "Was it a fight? That you and Sakura had or..."
"Sort of Naruro said.
"Naruto." Sasuke sighed. "Please just tell me, okay? I'm here, i'm not going to leave again. Don't you trust me this much at least?"
Something gave in Naruto. One them had to be the one to open up first right? Maybe this would lead to some kind of explanation from Sasuke on why he left after the war. Maybe just maybe this was the start of them being more than people who slept together, and who admitted it was something but remained to afraid to go deeper than that. Naruto wanted that. He wanted Sasuke to say 'I love you.' Back to him.
"You remember Neji Hyuga right?"
"Vaguely." Because of course Sasuke never gave a shit about the konoha 12 even when he had been one of them.
"Yeah so Neji was actually pretty cool, you weren't here for it but the rest of the Konoha 12 got pretty close. Neji was my good friend. He was Sakura's to or at least i thought so."
Naruto paused wondering what else to say.
"What do you mean?" Sasuke had leaned up against the post of the training ground, one hand splayed over top of it and the other against it.
"I have gaps in my memory from the war most of it from when Kurama was taken i think." Naruto rubbed at his middle fondly thinking of that big orange monster after all this time. "I don't remember certain aspects it was like a fog when Kurama was pulled out of me and then it cleared and i was in the med cot where Sakura was working. But i was dying. But so was Neji-" Naruto snapped his mouth shut as the pain of that day lanced through him like an old would that just would not heal, because it was. Sasuke grabbed his hand and gave him what he thought was a reassuring look. "She told me she could only save one of us, not both. So i told her Neji. Save Neji. He had Tenten and Hinata and the clan, and he was a prodigy right?" In Naruto's mind there had never been a clearer choice. "I was ready to die, i made peace with it bleeding out on that cot. I already saw what happened to the others, and then Kurama was gone, and I didn't know if you were even still alive either. I didn't have anything to live for, and so i shut my eyes and expected that Sakura would make the right choice." Naruto's voice was dripping with the resentment he held for Sakura for 2 years.
Sasuke's mouth fell open. "You- are- angry at her for choosing you?" Sasuke clicked his tongue. "Saving you and not him- she didn't kill Neji, dont you see that?"
"It's not just that." Naruto crushed a rock between his fingers because he had to take out his frustration somewhere. "Tenten got killed because of it to. If she had picked Neji, Tenten would be alive to. It would have mattered more."
Sasuke looked stuck somewhere between pity and disbelief. "You mattered as much as them Naruto."
"I was an orphan and there wasn't anyone at home waiting for me. Neji and Tenten would have never let themselves get as screwed up as i did. They would have better served the village. I just i lost everything that day you know?" His friends, kurama, his dream of being Hokage, and even Sasuke walked away from him.
Sasuke winced. He came to put his hand on Naruto's leg. "Naruto- i'm just i'm so sorry-" Here it came Naruto thought, finally he would get the apology he'd wanted from him since he left Naruto sitting in the dirt.
He wanted to know something else first.
"Did you think of me when you left?"
"At any time during those 5 years ? Did i ever cross your mind?" Naruto had thought of nothing but Sasuke.
"No." Sasuke said and Naruto pulled his leg out of reach while it felt like he was being crushed.
They stared at each other.
"I'm so sorry, i'm realizing i've made a mistake."
And Naruto started to float away from the awfulness of those words. Sasuke looked up at his face and rolled his eyes.
"Not about that you idiot." Naruto stopped floating away. "You're a great lay." He mustered a half smile, but Naruto wasn't in the mood for that. "I think you've hated the wrong teammate all these years, it wasn't Sakura's fault it was mine."
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you remember who took you to the med bay Sakura was in?"
No, Naruto didn't...
"Was it you?" Naruto guessed from the set of Sasuke's jaw.
"Yes, and i was there when she told you only one of you could be saved."
"Okay..."
"Sakura didn't make the choice Naruto, i did. I told her to save you."
It sounded like a train crashing in his ears, because how could that- how was that even-
"Why in the hell did you do that?!" Naruto screamed in Sasuke's face his forehead smashing into his and shoving Sasuke into the dirt with him. Sasuke didn't resist. "Why would you do that!"
"There was no way i was going to let her pick anyone over you." Then Naruto was punching into his stupid beautiful face, and still Sasuke didn't fight back he just took it.
Naruto screamed like a stuck pig, howling like a wounded wolf. "Why wouldn't she tell me?" Why would Sakura not say anything about the matter especially when Naruto started to ice her out? Then he knew exactly why. To protect Sasuke. To make sure she was the one who got the brunt of his ire, and not Sasuke.
During the war Naruto had been gravely wounded, enemy nin had pulled Kurama out of his body. He heard people around him say he was as good as dead and by the time someone got him to the medical tent Sakura had been working out of he wished it to. Naruto's memory was fractured in bits. He couldn't recall the moment Kurama was ripped away from him, nor could he recall who it was that got him to Sakura. All Naruto really remembered was that she had been working on Neji Hyuga when he'd been laid in his cot. There was yelling around him, it sounded like 2 people were arguing, it sounded like Sakura was crying.
Then he felt Sakura's lips pressed to his ear. "Naruto. Can you hear me?" In his haze of blood loss, and pain he guessed he must of nodded. "I've got Neji on the other bed, and it's- it's bad." Her voice broke. "I can't save you both." He thought she had been asking permission at the time. Permission to let Naruto bleed out while she worked on Neji.
"Save him." Naruto had demanded with the last bit of strength he could pull together. His throat felt like fire, and his voice sounded scratchy. "Save him!"
By that point in the war Naruto had already seen Ino, and Choji die when a bomb went off under their feet. He had already watched Shino take an axe to the side of his head. Kiba had his neck broken by a nin that fell on him from the tree tops. The fuckers who took Kurama had all but left Naruto for dead, and he didn't really care because he was so tired. He was so tired already. Naruto was ready. He was ready to die bleeding out on that cot knowing Neji would at least make it out of there. The last thought Naruto had before he shut his eyes to die was how glad he was that his life had at least counted for something.
Then when Naruto opened his eyes later only to find he didn't die he nearly ripped some stitches trying to get across the room to Neji's cot. Tenten was there weeping over his body, and Naruto numbly felt for a pulse. "He's gone." She cried. "Naruto, he's gone." She said again when Naruto tried to start CPR.
Sakura rushed back into the tent, and pulled him off Neji. "I told you! I told you to save him, not me!" Naruto screamed at her, and he never screamed at Sakura.
There was screaming outside of the tent, then Tenten was wiping her face on her shirt and grabbing her weapons. Throwing herself back into the fighting while she was coming undone, because it wasn't over yet.
Sakura looked miserable. "I couldn't let you die." She admitted.
Sakura chose Naruto over Neji. Neji who was in love with Tenten, and who was Hinata's cousin, and who had an entire clan of people who loved and depended on him. Part of him hated her for it. Naruto was the one without anyone who loved him, if it had been him it would have been okay.
Naruto shoved her off of him he couldn't bare to look at her. He started to make his way out of the tent, he could still stand. So he could still fight.
"No!" Sakura howled at him, pushing him back with as much force as she could manage. "You can't!"
Naruto was stronger than her, and it spoke volumes to the fact that he barely made it passed her out of the tent. With his shirt barely hanging on by threads, and his chest so covered in bandages it was hard to move. He tripped and fell to the ground. When he turned to see what he'd fallen over he found Tenten eyes unseeing. There was a large slash across her throat. Sakura screamed. Naruto screamed. By saving his life Sakura had killed 2 people. If she had let Naruto die Neji would be alive and Tenten wouldn't have had her throat slashed open.
Sakura couldn't chase after him because she started trying in vain to save Tenten, when he started running. He flew passed the med tents grabbing weaponry from the ground as he came upon it. There were enemy all over, they'd infiltrated their base. Swords were clashing and people were yelling out formations.
Then Naruto saw Sasuke in the distance his gold medallion whipping back and fourth as he moved. He was fighting a lone ninja. They exchanged blows until Sasuke got him around the waist. Then he shoved his entire fist through the guys torso, and Naruto flinched and had to stop running. He remembered what Sasuke's fist through his flesh felt like. The guy fell over dead at Sasuke's feet, and Naruto started running again.
"Sasuke!" He screamed. Together they could come up with a plan of defense, they could take these guys all out and then- the noise had turned to silence around them. As Naruto made it to Sasuke's side he looked all around them and the enemy was completely and entirely gone from the area. "Shadow clones." Naruto marveled. Well that explained where Kurama went. Naruto frowned at the man who'd stolen the only thing his parents left behind for him.
Naruto started to feel the adrenaline rush he'd had start to leave him. He felt so weak. His injuries were catching up to him. He kneeled into the dirt, Sasuke stood stone still next to him watching him. It was over Naruto realized. Sasuke was here, and the war was over. It was okay. He was going to be okay.
Then that good for nothing Orochimaru showed up, and Sasuke looked at Naruto for the briefest moment while Naruto tried to find something to say. 'Don't go. Don't leave. Stay with me please.' Anything would have been better than saying nothing like he had. Sasuke left him there in the dirt.
The worst part about it was he couldn't even run to Sakura like he used to when Sasuke would leave him. Sasuke didn't want to be around Naruto, and now Naruto didn't want to be around Sakura.
Sasuke wasn't remorseful it was the same look Sakura had given Naruto when they'd spoken on the issue last. She wasn't sorry. Sasuke wasn't sorry. Why was Naruto the only one who was sorry!
Naruto rolled off of Sasuke. "Don't you ever- ever fucking speak to me again. You're dead to me Sasuke."
He left Sasuke bloodied in the dirt this time. He no longer cared why Sasuke left him after the war, he only wished he had stayed gone.
.
.
.
~After~
"What are you planning to do now?"
Kakashi guessed as much that Naruto wasn't interested in being his apprentice for Hokage any longer. Again.
Kakashi had come by instead of Sakura today. Naruto hadn't left his house in weeks, and Sakura was still refusing to buy Naruto any alcoholic beverages. So Naruto had to send a summons for a favor.
Naruto eyed the bottle in Kakashi's hand meaningfully.
Kakashi grimaced but handed it over.
Naruto popped the top, and took a sip. He felt the heat slide down his throat and he felt like he could breathe a little easier.
"It's been a month, Naruto." How could Naruto forget? Everyday he had to tick off the calendar in the same fashion. This was day 30 without Sasuke.
"Yeah."
Naruto had finally reached that point where it felt like he'd been run over by an 18 wheeler. He was in the throws of grief, the part before the eye of the storm. He had been a fool to believe he could escape the agony of losing Sasuke. No one got better at dealing with grief, it just wasn't possible.
"You can't stay here forever. You can't keep doing this to yourself like last time. I turned a blind eye because i was overwhelmed with running the village, and now i know better. I'm not going to lose you to." Kakashi's foot kicked one of the empty glass bottles on the floor by accident, it rolled around and Naruto took another sip unmoved. "You were sober for 3 whole years, you were doing so well. You were back on your way to take the village over for me."
"It was all a waste." Was Naruto's answer. "Everything after the war."
Kakashi sighed. "No it was not." Kakashi stepped closer to him. "It wasn't Naruto. Even now there's so much you can still-"
"You'll give me a mission?" Kakashi scoffed.
"No. I'll only give you desk work, like what Shikamaru does, it won't be strenuous, just light stuff. If it will get you out of this apartment a few times a week."
Kakashi looked around the pig sty Naruto called home.
"No one's coming this time, you know?" Naruto didn't know why he felt like he had to say it. "No one's coming to put all of my pieces back together." Naruto wouldn't allow it now. He had allowed Hinata to heal him after the war because he couldn't have Sasuke. Now that Sasuke was gone he couldn't imagine there would ever be anyone he would allow in that close again. "It's not fair."
"I know."
They sat in silence for a long time.
"I'll do it." Naruto finally decided. Maybe it would be good for him to be out and about for a bit even if it was doing lame desk work.
If it weren't for Kakashi and Sakura Naruto would have killed himself this time. He knows that. Just in the same way he knew Hinata saved him the last time. They were keeping him on this earthly plain away from Sasuke against his will with guilt. It was cruel, and part of him hated them for it.
Kakashi leaves a little while later, promising to send over some details about the grunt work he has in mind for Naruto.
Naruto felt like his career as a ninja had been one big rollercoaster. He wanted to be Hokage then that dream died, then it rose from the ashes like a phoenix with Sasuke at his side. Now it was dead once again. Let Shikamaru take the burden.
Nothing really mattered now.
Not wanting to watch the tv, Naruto looked for something to do. He decided to go through the closet. Sasuke's. Naruto had never looked before in all the time they had lived together. He felt it was the privacy that he owed Sasuke. Now though it didn't matter, and he was curious. There had always been a gray box in the back behind where Sasuke kept his field gear, and extra weaponry. Naruto had always wondered what might be in it.
He pulled out and flipped the lid off. It's not nearly enough stuff to warrant the size of the box, Naruto thought. There was a handful of seashells, bottle caps, old tattered papers, and a single sealed envelope. He pushed the baubles out of the way. He first looked through the tattered papers. There were notes Naruto couldn't make heads or tails of some kind of jutsu that was out of his depth. Naruto smiled when he saw Sasuke kept the newspaper clipping from when they were kids. Right before the chunin exam someone had lined the konoha 12 up and taken a photo for the paper. 'The hidden leafs next gen of heroes' was the headline. Neji and Tenten both had their arms around Lee laughing. Ino was shoving Choji and Shikamaru looked like he was rolling his eyes. Hinata was staring up at Shino like he hung the moon with Kiba petting Akamaru. Then there was team 7. Sakura looking excited and cocking her hip for the photo. Sasuke and Naruto were scowling at each other, and Naruto felt that was the best way there was to describe them together as children. That sentimental bastard Naruto thought. He always tried to pretend like he hadn't cared about the other Konoha 12 but this was proof wasn't it. He did care.
Naruto hoped if there was an afterlife, the other 6 of Konoha 12 had been there to welcome Sasuke.
Naruto pulled the envelope out next, and was surprised to find his name scrawled across it. It actually looked cleaner than anything else in the box, it wasn't age worn like everything else. It was fresher. The card was white and only the inside had writing.
"Happy birthday loser," Naruto read and he choked. Sasuke had planned to give this to him for his birthday.
"I lied to you, all that time ago when you asked if i ever thought of you when i left. I don't know why i did that. My first year with Orochimaru i found this on the ground when we travelled between locations once. I tried not to think of you while i was away, but it never worked for long. Little things would happen that would remind me of you. We would pass people in the street that were selling ramen. Strangers would visit the hideout, and mention Konoha. And then i found this porcelain damn frog thing. I tried to leave it there when i saw it, but my hand snatched it up and shoved it in the medallion. Did i ever tell you, my medallion opens? On nights when i was at my lowest, i'd pull it out and roll it between my fingers wondering where you were, what you were doing. It felt like i had a piece of you back, one that I couldn't ruin. I'm sorry for lying. Cheers to being 24, loser.
Naruto could just picture the arrogant smirk Sasuke wore when he wrote all of that. Then Naruto was grappling with the necklace at his neck to wrench it off. He searched the surface he thought was smooth but there was a hitch. He pushed at it and the medallion opened splitting in two. Inside a small frog figurine was placed inside, it was orange with green detailing. Naruto held it in his hand it was beautiful.
Then at the very bottom of the letter "Looking forward to the rest of our lives. As the Uchiha. Uzumaki. I don't care, you can pick. So long as i can call you mine forever. I love you."
Naruto didn't cry, and he didn't scream. He just crawled back into bed. He had known Sasuke wanted to marry him. It was the last conversation they had before he'd been killed. Sasuke had taken the medallion off his neck, and put it around Naruto's. The excitement of the moment was what distracted him from remembering to grab his communicator off the table. Naruto had known Sasuke wanted to marry him, he hadn't though known about Sasuke's lie. That changed Naruto's view of things. He had always believed he loved Sasuke more. Naruto didn't think Sasuke cared that much. And now Naruto could see he'd been wrong. Sasuke had probably loved Naruto more.
It was so fucking unfair.
To be continued...