A Fool's Gold

PlaySetQ

-Q-

The hand held in his hand doesn't fit – too tiny, too soft, too meek – the shade of it too pink and not tan enough (not that sun kissed gold).

Sakura blushes mistaking the glaring at their hands to be some sort of false exasperation. The girl obviously oblivious to Sasuke's feelings. She can't even read him right. Can't understand and never will be able to. She can't tell, despite the fact his face is blank (and, really he's walking a thin line. Because if there's a step out of line, a downward twitch of his lips, his father will know and that's worse than anything that Sasuke can imagine, even death) but the resentment he has for this relationship is bursting at the seams.

Sasuke's bloated with negative, ugly, emotions to the point that he's fat with them and Sakura mistakes it for love.

And it's disgusting, but he bears it – mostly because he doesn't have a choice and a little because then people will ask questions and that'll be the worst part about it. ("What a shame, it was such a good match. Sakura's such a sweet girl, what in the high heavens would make that boy break her heart?")

A lot of things and the first thing on the list is that Sasuke loves tomatoes more than he does Sakura. That might be harsh but that doesn't mean it's any less true. Sakura's a better friend, but Sasuke rather have to wake up every day to tomatoes than to her.

The wind picks up, blowing a southern, warm, breeze through the bustling city, tickling the tips of his hair and prickling the back of his neck and Sasuke wishes that the wind would pick him up and blow him to a place far, far, away.

"Ne, Sasuke?" Sakura says, a pleased grin stretches across her face, as she pulls him closer (and really shouldn't he be the one doing that?) and Sasuke hums like he's been paying attention to what she's been going on about.

She nods back in acknowledgement and starts an on a new topic. "The hospital hasn't been as busy as usually, and to be honest I think everyone's really happy about it. My boss actually let us out early today – early! The guy would rather assign us to clean bathrooms that have already been cleaned twice already, just to make us stay there until shifts' over."

"You're still a rookie." Sasuke points out and he stares up at the Hokage monument bordering the sky. He thinks of blonde hair and blue, blue eyes when he should be thinking of the girl next to him and the worst part is he's too far gone to feel any guilt (he's sick of feeling guiltily for the things that aren't his fault).

Sakura pouts, just a little before brightening up, "I guess so." She happily agreed and Sasuke mourned a little because this could almost be enjoyable if it was just a conversation between friends however the expectations here were as different from friendship as genin level responsibility and Hokage. And, in this situation Sasuke rather go back to the Academy, thanks.

His eyes flickered to the side and he knows they're there. His father and his mother probably or maybe Itachi. Technically, at this stage in the engagement they should be able to go on public outings together alone. There was just three months left until their wedding, after all. Being alone together was a big no, no and at the start walks and outings were escorted.

The thought of the wedding is like someone (his father – it's always his father) stabbing a group of small knives into his stomach and twisting them in unity. Just picturing Sakura all prettied up, standing across from him with a custom-made kimono with the Uchiha clan symbol and the crest for the Haruno family (symbolizing the joining of their families) just about makes him want to lose his dinner.

"– and –" Sakura pauses and raises a hand to his forehead, pressing down. "Are you alright?"

Sasuke wants to lash out, because he doesn't like her touching him but they're engaged so it's okay for Sakura to do something she wouldn't have dared a year ago. Even if it's really not, even if it feels wrong. Nonetheless everything about Sasuke is wrong anyway, what's one more thing?

(His feelings are wrong, he's all wrong; a mix of too little skill, too little talent and too much passion for the wrong person and it's all so wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.)

The Uchiha clan is noble and old fashioned and traditional with everything they do and that includes marriage. Especially marriage in the head family. Sasuke's original marriage contact was between himself and technically, a fifth-cousin (everyone in the clan is related in one way or another but usually everyone tries to reduce the amount of inbreeding by setting up marriage contacts with distance cousins) the girl was practically a stranger.

The fact that he was eventually going to marry into the clan and do his duty as a husband and the brother of the clan head by producing offspring and spending the rest of his life as a shinobi was as easy to accept and expect as breathing (not really, but that's what Sasuke's taught himself to say. It was just easier to ignore before). At least it was, until the civilian council got in the way and requested a high ranking shinobi (Sasuke is best in his class, ranking first in the genin and chuin and jounin exams) with prominent rank (he's the second heir) within one of the shinobi clans to take in a non-clan shinobi as a bride or husband.

It's a pity of an attempt of increasing their authority and influence in the shinobi council that was somehow accepted and acted on and all the sudden marriage wasn't that simple anymore or far off. Sasuke was chosen. "Out of a hat," Itachi told him and if the situation wasn't what it was, the idea of the noble, prideful clan heads submitting a volunteer on a slip of paper and waiting for the Hokage to choose out of the hat like kids watching a magic trick would be very entertaining.

Yes, Sasuke is sixteen, and therefore a legal adult. However, fortunately the marriage contacts aren't supposed to be acted on until both people reach the ripe age of twenty-one and that wasn't going to fly with the elders on the civilian council. Instead, it was decided that Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura (not chosen by a hat but actually recommended) would get married after Sasuke's seventeenth birthday.

Sasuke world was flipped upside down. He'd never anticipated that something like that would happen and frankly, it ripped the floor right out from under his feet.

The panic that swelled in his chest proved three things. One: the very fact Itachi was the one who told him and not his father when it was him who put his name in the running in the first place showed Sasuke how much he obviously cared (hint: not at all). Two: when Sakura's name was mention and all he starts thinking about is tan lips and slim muscular thighs and orange coupled with the sense of absolute loss – well, that speaks for itself. Three: he's absolutely definitely not ready to commit to loveless marriage because of politics and old farts who think they know all.

Sasuke can still sense the same unease, panicky, jumpy reaction in his step. Like the emotions have been sealed inside but not dispersed. It unsettles him and he doesn't know what to do with it.

He doesn't know how to deal with any of this.

"I'm fine," he says instead, pushing down his emotions. Sakura gave him a concerned look, joining their hands back together, she squeezes his hand in an act of comfort. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." He reassures though he's really anything but. As they made their way back to the Uchiha compound, Sasuke drops Sakura off at her house.

Her parents come out to greet them. Her mother gleefully smiles at them and politely invited him for tea – which he declines on the principle that staying any later than he was wouldn't be appropriate and her father laughs it off and pats him on the shoulder in approval.

Sakura hugs him goodbye, squeezing her arms around him. He loosely wraps his arms around her waist. He doesn't squeeze back.

Sasuke turns and starts back to his clan compound. He's sure she's watching out the window. He doesn't look back.

By the time he was back at the entrance to the Uchiha compound the stars were out and the wind had die completely down, leaving a humid summer night behind.

Sasuke looks at the Uchiha compound with its heavy, tall walls and intimidating atmosphere and turns right back around heading back into town.

He didn't want to go home yet.

He didn't want to see his father or his mother or, especially, his brother. "Your brother's being groomed for the Hokage position, Sasuke." And the unspoken question, "What are you worth?" How are you going to catch up? Match up? Atone for what you can't be? Itachi has always, always been five steps ahead casing a shadow larger than the Hokage monument. Or, he'd thought, until it actually happened and his brother, probably, one day is actually going to be Hokage. Is this how Naruto always felt?

Sasuke shakes his head. He takes a deep breath, charging charka though his feet and leaps onto first roof top he can see. He darts swiftly from root top to roof top. He wasn't going at his top speed but just enough that it felt like he was flying (fast enough that air pushes against his face and flowed pass his body in a mock intimation of wind. "Yes," Sasuke thinks, "take me away.")

Naruto's apartment building was rundown and greying. The paint was peeling and there was a small crack or two around the side and the roof was a patch work of shingles. Naruto living on his own was something Naruto's father fought with him all the time about. Though Naruto doesn't talk about it, just like Sasuke doesn't talk about his father's high expectations (the bar keeps rising higher and higher) or his brother's shadow that grows larger and darker.

Sasuke doesn't bother using the door. He slips into the apartment through the cracked opened bedroom window. The lights are off but the kitchen ones are on and Sasuke sat still on the end of Naruto bed. He listens to the boiling water and the pattering of Naruto's feet on the wood floor, because the idiot just can't keep still.

"Sasuke?" Naruto calls, his voice cracked and he coughs. "Is that you?"

He doesn't reply, instead he closes and locks the window because he knows Naruto will unlock and open it again after he leaves. There's also a toothbrush in the small bathroom labeled with a strip of masking tape with the messy scrawl "SASUKE" on it and the bottom dresser drawer that matches.

He walks into the kitchen area not brothering to keep his footsteps light. Naruto stands by the stove, there is a herd of paper on the counter and just as many bag under Naruto's eyes. He's dressed in a tee shirt with the face of frog and stripped pajamas bottoms a size too large.

"Today's been – " Naruto starts but cuts himself off before he can finish and a look of frustration overcomes his features. He puffs out his checks and blows out in attempt to calm himself down.

"Hell?" Sasuke offers, settling himself down by the table in the living room area. He slips off his sandals and anyone else would've been horrified at his manners but Naruto doesn't even pay attention and Sasuke, despite his upbringing doesn't care either.

"Yeah," Naruto sighs, rubbing a hand against his forehead, "That."

"Yuna didn't come into work and instead of calling in someone else, Iruka just gave me her work to do. Which really I didn't mind that much since it's really just the same thing I'm doing," As Naruto talks his eyes grew dull as if he was doing everything over again, "but then Iruka got called into a council meeting and I had to take over for him too. You can see how well that went." He gestures to the multiple papers. "Those have to be done for tomorrow."

Naruto closes his eyes and leans his head back, "Then I ran into my dad." He doesn't say anything for a long moment and Sasuke doesn't push him. He opens the cabinet and grabs a miso ramen package and sets it on the counter.

"And then," his breathe hitches a little and says, "Hinata." He doesn't continue, but he pinches his nose. "I have no idea what to do." Naruto covers his face with his hands. He sighs loudly again and lets his arm drop.

The kittle whistles and Naruto goes to grab the handle, Sasuke catches his wrist and gave it a little squeeze and Naruto huffs out a breath and gave a little nod, and sat down at the table.

Sasuke prepares the ramen and after he's done, he made sure to turn the oven off and places the kittle in the sink.

"Thanks." Naruto says, in a small whisper and he laughs, "I'm sorry, you probably don't want to hear this. I'm basically whining." He pauses and looks up at Sasuke, "You don't look like you had that great of a day either."

Sasuke nods his head silently and then shakes it as he put the ramen cup and fork down in front of Naruto. "You're just exhausted."

"I asked for this." Naruto says like an anthem, like he was doing it to remind himself.

"No," Sasuke disagrees, "You asked for a desk job because you wanted to work your way up. You didn't ask to do three jobs in one."

Naruto laughs again, "Yeah, I guess so." He twirls his fork, snaking a wad of ramen noodles.

"Maybe I should ask for a mission." Naruto thinks aloud. He shoves the fork of noodles into his mouth.

Sasuke rests his elbow on the table and his cheek against his fist, and simply raises an eyebrow.

"I think I'm getting village fever," Naruto jokes, but it comes out dry and empty, nudging his shoulder against Sasuke. He toothlessly smiles and Sasuke lips twitches upward.

Sasuke thinks of his father's cold eyes, of the sight of his brother's back, and the cage of the engagement ring on his left hand. He thinks of the dark bags under Naruto's eyes and the stress, the unhappiness – the feeling of restlessness and the ache in his chest to just be blown away, free like the wind.

And he finds himself saying, "Let's leave."

Naruto spites out his noodles and chokes. He coughs and Sasuke thumps Naruto on the back. Once Naruto wipes at his watering eyes, he turns to Sasuke wide-eyed.

"What?" Naruto says astounded.

"Let's leave." Sasuke repeats casually.

"Sasuke, you're getting married!" Naruto exclaims, forcefully clunking down his fork on the table, "You can't just up and leave!" He waved his arms around. "You're supposed to be the responsible one! Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now, you bastard."

"I'll still get married to Sakura." Sasuke states, "After we get back." Sasuke had never, ever gone against anything he's father had done. He'd tried to, once or twice but his father complex would rear its head in and he'd start thinking that this time he's father would say he's proud, would acknowledge him.

Not this time, this time all the thoughts do is drive him. Sasuke never had a rebellious stage until now, when he could see the horizon of his wedding day. The urge to flip a metaphorical finger up at his father and fly the coup had never been stronger.

Naruto's cheeks were flushed red and his eyes were alive and at least when he was angry he didn't look like he was going to kneel over and die.

"I think," Sasuke bluntly states, "I'll leave whether you come with me or not." But I want you too.

Naruto rolls his eyes and rubs his forehead with his hand again. "Dad's going to kill me. And if they catch us I'll be locked up in a cell for the rest of my life. But I guess," Naruto smiles and he's cheeks were flushed for a completely different reason. "If it's for a few days of freedom with you, a whole life stuck in a cell would be worth it."

That night they laid beside each other and Sasuke counts the hairs on the nape of Naruto's neck and eyes the tanned skin and breathes in the fresh, masculine scent that was purely Naruto and baths in the warmth of his body.

He inhales and his eyes close.

When he wakes up in Naruto's apartment he was already gone to work. There was a map of the Elemental Nations pinned up and a kunai stabbed though the centre of The Land of Wind. A yellow sticky was attached underneath it. "Sunagakure, tomorrow?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and strips the sticky off the map shoving it in his pocket and sticks a new one there and writes his own reply. Sasuke makes the bed and uses the bathroom with familiarly. By the end of it his hair and teeth were brushed, he was showered and dressed. He strolls over to the window and pushes it up, letting in a strong breeze. He glances back at the map and a feeling of balance and glee swells in his chest.

A smile appears on his face without his permission and he threw himself out the window, heading straight home.

"Sasuke!" Sakura calls from bellow, waving to catch his attention.

He drops to the ground instinctively at the yell of his name. "Yes?"

She's dressed in casual clothes and Sasuke deduces she must be off today.

"I wondering if you wanted to get dango with me later today? I have to help out at my grandparent's this morning but other than that I'm free." She smiles as she asks. A healthy happy glow to her skin.

Sasuke walks up toward her and the closer he gets the redder her face goes. He pokes her forehead.

"Maybe later." He says, maybe never (because this is as close as an apology that Sasuke's going to give – the same one that Itachi gave to him. "I want to spend time with you but I've got more important things to do. Sorry you don't matter more.")

And he continues on, hopping through Konoha leaving a bewildered and blushing Sakura behind.

He drops down from the roof top landing with his knees bent. An Uchiha woman that looks vaguely familiar respectively bows and Sasuke politely nods in acknowledgement. He continues on, through the entrance of the Uchiha compound. People buzz around him, the streets thrive with life and Sasuke can hear the echo of children laughing. His eyes soften, sometimes when he observed the people (his people, his clan, his family) his problems don't seem that big anymore.

He strolls down the main street, taking his sweet time. Nothing well awaits for him, nothing good (ice and shadows and a reminder of his prison) at his destination.

The residential area comes in to view and he follows the gravel path leading right up to the front of his house. The sound of his footsteps are non-existence as he approaches. Sasuke doesn't use the door to his house either, opping to get in his room through the window.

Sasuke never locks his window either, mostly for the use of himself and very rarely Naruto. His bedroom is completely tidy, with everything in the right place. The orderly nature pulls out his restlessness full force, it makes his skin itch in irritation.

"One more day," He mutters under his breath. One more day and he leaves (the clan, the marriage, his family, and what does that leave you with?) Sasuke looks out the window he just came through to the outskirts of his clan compound and his skin settles.

(Peace, it leaves me with peace.)

Sasuke falls back on his bed, the sheets bellow puff out around him, his weight forcing it outward leaving a Sasuke-sized print indented on the bed sheets. He spies the series of coat hooks he'd had put up around his twelfth birthday. On one hook hangs a ninja-grade backpack (packed and ready to go) and on the other proudly hangs his Uchiha police uniform, the others were blank.

It's a choice.

It's a choice between certainty, familiarity, and a decided future with regrets or freedom, the unknown, with a decided future with possibly more or maybe, less regrets.

And Sasuke knows that tonight could be the night that his parents slept on (his passive mother, his cold father) ignorant about the fact their second son wouldn't be there in the morning. Sasuke's not even going to try and fool himself into thinking Itachi doesn't have some inkling about what he's about to do (because he always knows and Sasuke hates him for it).

He's already made up his mind and the buzzing in his veins, the unease, reassures him that this (the betrayal) action (crime) would be one he saw though. (Guilty because he's not good enough, guilty because he can't be Itachi, guilty because he was hurting Sakura and he knew it – It wasn't her fault – guilty that he was sick of Konoha).

He clears his mind and for once tries not to think.

-Q-

A warm hand presses slightly against Sasuke arm, beckoning him out of sleep.

"Sasuke," Naruto's soft breath tickles his collar bone, his raspy whispering voice draws Sasuke into complete consciousness. "It's time to go."

Sasuke nods and in a few seconds he's up and fully functioning with his bed made and his backpack on.

The Uchiha clan compound is on the outskirts of the village, meaning there's only a hop, a skip and a jump left until they leave the village territory completely.

All they leave behind is a note on the top of Sasuke's desk and the meaningless objects not necessary for the trip.

The wind is strong, pushing at their backs.

And they're gone.

-Q-

The trip to Sunagakure takes three days. They run through day and night until they reach the border. By the end of it, Sasuke knees are shacking and his muscles are burning and his heart pounds against his rib cavity like a drill against conceit and his whole body is soaked in sweat. It's gross and hot and disgusting but he feels more alive already than he can remember.

Naruto's beside him the whole way, jeering and sweating just as much if not more.

When they first reach the plot of land where the forest levels off and smooths out into a field of sand, Naruto removes his sandals.

Sasuke raises a dark eyebrow and the blonde grins back.

"What?" Naruto says, digging a hand into his bag and pulls out a camera. "It's for the memories." He defends, and nudges Sasuke side with his elbow. "This is exciting!" Naruto beams, making a wide gesture with his hands. "Runaway groom and his best man! The longest bachelor party in history! Don't you want to remember that?"

Sasuke rolls his eyes, "You're such a girl sometimes, Naruto."

Naruto makes an offended face and appalled noise in the back of his throat before shoving one his shoes in Sasuke face, leaving the other discarded. "I'm a very manly man and very much male thank you very much."

Sasuke takes an accidental sniff of the shoe and his whole face cringes up like he's eaten a ripe lemon. The smell is pungent, like a garbage dump (rotten eggs and decomposing fruits and anything else foul).

Naruto's laugher rings out, his head's thrown back and his eyes gleam wickedly. "Yeah, that's what you get you bastard."

Sasuke bats the shoe away and quickly takes his own shoe off and shoves it right back into Naruto face.

Naruto shrieks and uses his shoe as a make-shift shield and sword. Sasuke grabs Naruto's other wayward shoe. Naruto's expression morphs in to one of horror when he realizes he's out gunned.

"Using my own rank against me? That's low even for you."

Sasuke's smirks and shrugs his shoulders in a 'what-can-you-do?' fashion.

In a fit of desperation Naruto hurls his shoe and it smacks Sasuke right in the forehead. The sandal bounces off Sasuke's forehead, hitting the ground sideways. Sand fills the inside. Naruto's overdramatic, drawn out groan of horror is cut off when his eyes snap up and he sees the prominent out print of his shoe in Sasuke's forehead and Sasuke's frozen surprise.

Naruto laughs so hard he falls back, hitting the sand hard. With the wind knocked out of him, Naruto's laughing turns into violent gasping and watering eyes. He tries to get up once and fails, so out of breath as he is. Naruto flops onto his back, spread out on his back.

"Whatever," Sasuke shakes his head with a slight smile. He picks up his discarded shoes and chucks Naruto's sand-filled ones back to him.

Naruto catches the shoes with ease. He turns them over trying to shake out as much sand as possible, despite knowing his efforts were in vein. No matter how many times he shakes his shoes, there's going to be a few pesky grains of sand that refuse to leave his shoes.

(Exactly like how he can shake his head, lose his ability to breathe and run as much as he can, but there's still going to be a little voice above it all, reminding him of everything he aches to forget - "You should think of your responsibilities Naruto! You're not a child anymore, settling down may be something you should start thinking about. Hinata's a nice girl isn't she?" Sakura's voice echoes right after with, "Sasuke and I are getting married! Aren't you happy for us Naruto?"

"Aren't you happy for us Naruto?"

"Aren't you happy…Naruto?")

Sasuke observes silently as Naruto's eyes become cold and hard and his smile fades into a firm, tense, line.

"Hey, dumbass." Sasuke taunts, though his tone is fonder than anything. "Are we going to take your stupid picture or not?" He motions to the camera sitting just off to the side.

Naruto blinks, glancing at the camera. He beams, his mood changes in a second. Scooping up the camera, Naruto walks back a few steps.

"Here!" He announces and with a bare right foot, stomps it on the ground. Naruto rises an eyebrow and looks expectantly at Sasuke.

Sasuke snorts, "Ridiculous." But he matches Naruto's right foot with his left anyways.

Quickly, Naruto snaps a few pictures before Sasuke moves. He carefully collects the photos as they print out the front and handles them better than he would his late mother's china. He wrestles into a zip lock bag and secures them in the inner pocket of his backpack.

-Q-

Later, when their camp is set up for the night (they're still about a day walking distance from the actual village). They lie their sleeping bags side by side, on the tent floor.

Using minimum flashlight light, Naruto takes a few minutes to look at the photos. He flushes and smiles so wide he glows.

And Sasuke almost thinks the whole picture idea isn't as tacky and useless as he originally thought. (If it really makes Naruto this happy, then maybe it's worth it.)

-Q-

When they first grain access behind the monstrous sand walls (using fake paperwork of course. They're family friends, but basically brothers, from a small civilian village just on the outskirts of rain country – so small it almost didn't exist – looking for hard, labour work in a place where it was more available). They were met with icy glances and guarded looks. As they move closer and closer into the village, the buildings grew larger and the people grew more cultured, open and warm.

The Sand Village was very much a village with a frosty exterior and warm interior. (A protected heart).

And most importantly it's so, so different from Konoha.

The buildings are high and circular, it's cramped in a way that seemed more like a dense city instead of a wide-spread village, clothes lines stretch from roof top to roof top, balcony to balcony, as if metaphors for the type of people who live there. Children run around freely, and some are outgoing enough to stop and wave hi to the curious new comers.

Looking at the active people, scurrying around the market and the smiles, Naruto exclaims, "I think I'm going to love it here."

Sasuke takes a deep breath, the grilled desert snake and other various, but unfamiliar foods, the dusty kick up from the sand and the hazy warmth of summer fills his nose. It almost surprises him how much it pleases him that he can't familiarize himself with any scent around him. (Well, all unfamiliar but one.)

"Oooh, Sasuke! Sasuke!" Naruto tugs at the end of his sleeve and points to a brightly coloured flyer adverting novice puppet fights at noon. A group of young Sand Genin crowd it, cooing over the thing.

"We should go!" Naruto shouts. He bounces up and down, unconsciously imitating an excited puppy. Naruto grabs Sasuke's wrist in a tight unbreakable hold and drags him over to the poster.

Naruto coos over the poster just the same of those half his age.

Sasuke idly wonders if Naruto will ever grow up. He sees the bright glow of Naruto blue eyes, the fresh, beating heart located under his chest, protected in his rib cage and silently admits the truth; Sasuke wouldn't want Naruto any other way.

"Hey mister!" A girl genin with lilac eyes and blonde hair tied into intricate braids, effectively kept out of her face, beams at Naruto. "Do you want to see the puppet fights too?"

Naruto thrusts his hand out, giving her a thumb up, "Sure do! We're not from around here."

She glances at his grey toned clothes in open suspicion for half a second before she blinks innocently again, as if nothing transpired.

There's no way Naruto hadn't caught it, but to keep matters from going south, Sasuke motions his backpack. "We've been traveling on backroads to get here faster, Naruto," Sasuke drawls and glares fondly at him, "doesn't know how to manage time or plan a route to save his life. We wanted to get here before the spring festival ended."

A look of understanding sweeps over her features, she obliviously making the conclusion they used low toned clothes to avoid dangers like rouge ninja and looters (which were at an all-time high on back routes).

A conclusion, albeit the wrong one. But nonetheless a conclusion, she'd make a good ninja one day.

She nods, and points down the road, "It's straight that way and to the right, it's the huge sand arena, you can't miss it."

"Wait, aren't you going?" Naruto asks before he turns, appearing concerned.

"Nope!" She shrugs, while another unknown genin groans behind her.

"We have D-ranks in twenty minutes," He moans in despair, "There's not enough time."

"Missions?" Naruto fakes ignorance, "That sounds exciting."

The genin boy doesn't answer but mutters, "Civilians." Under his breathe, and crosses his arms slumping down, no doubt thinking about how not fun his afternoon's about to be.

The girl nudges him in warning, and smiles politely at them, "Don't mind him, he's just mad he can't be a war hero without actually being able to win a fight."

("War hero," Naruto thinks bitterly of the distance relationship he has with his father and all the lines that litter his father's forehead with the black circles under his eyes.)

"Naomi!" He whines, "I can totally beat you!"

She snorts, all confidence, that reminds Naruto a little too much of Sasuke in his youth. "We'll see about that." And with that, she goes running the opposite way.

"Wait!" The boy shrieks, "Naomi!" As he runs after her.

-Q-

The sand arena really wasn't something they could've missed. Its spread out wide and circular, acutely reminding Naruto of the stadium he first took his chunin exam in. The huge sand stone crafted pillars glint elegantly in the midday sun, showing off the skill of Suna's architecture and engineering.

The arena is packed with Suna civilians and a few lucky ninja whom had gotten the day off. A large sand pit – the battle area, is located right in the middle, and the bleachers were made on just the right angel so nearly everyone has a nice view.

"Ladies and Gentleman!" A ninja steps out into the middle of the arena. He's casually dressed, a weapon belt being the only spottable artillery. "Welcome to the forty-eighth annual puppet fight!"

The crowd goes wild, screams and cheers fill the arena at an overwhelming rate.

Naruto glances at Sasuke and smiles, laughing as he joins in to cheer. Sasuke timidly smiles back, watching with unexplainable pleasure as Naruto's eye lit up, and he bounces in anticipation in his seat.

"Staring in the first round, we have Akari!" The announcer roars her name and the arena is fills with supportive cries and enthusiastic cheers. "And her opponent, Kozue!" the applause was almost deafening as the announcer clears the stage and the doors on each side of the arena are opened.

The battles are intense and thrilling, chunin ninja happy to show off their skilled trade, no doubt the title of champion also included bragging rights.

Despite the actions of the battle area and the deafening cries of joy and disappointment from the lively audience, more than half the time, Naruto spends glancing over to Sasuke.

He's never seen him so lively and bright. Like someone had set sparks to a dry pile of charcoal, there's warmth in Sasuke's pale cheeks and a – in what can only be described as – soul alight in his eyes.

Sasuke finally looks alive. The whole idea makes Naruto's chest race and his cheek warm, because Sasuke looks good this way, it makes him look… well, happy. Naruto dreads to think about what that means Sasuke was before.

If Naruto leans a little too close into Sasuke's space, thighs pressed close together and shoulders brushing – well, he doesn't need to think about the reasons why.

-Q-

That night, they sleep in the cheapest inn they can find. It was there, with foreign walls surrounding them and the chilly spring night leaking into the sand-walled room that Sasuke turns to Naruto. His skin already tanning, and his cheeks still flushed from the day's heat.

He takes a deep breath and says, "I think I have whatever the opposite of homesickness is."

Naruto shifts his body towards Sasuke. "You mean wanderlust?"

Sasuke snorts, "I guess so. But it more…" He makes a frustrated gesture with his hands.

"Being away from family?" Naruto asks, easing closer.

"Yeah. Exactly that." He says, flicking his eyes curiously to Naruto, "How'd you know?"

Naruto laughs lightly, "You think I moved out because I wanted to be independent?"

Sasuke watches, perplexed as a small sad smile spreads across Naruto's face.

"No," Naruto answers his own question. "I did it because I couldn't stand being home. There was no point anyway. I mean, Dad was never home – he even slept at the office you know – and when he did come home all I've ever hear about is that I haven't settle down yet."

"Odd that he'd care about that." Sasuke replies, "Not like my parents." Referencing his clan status.

"Not really," Naruto corrects gently, "Mom and dad were already married by my age – or close to it."

They fall into comfortable silence, and on the verge of sleep Sasuke swears he hears Naruto mumble, "I'm glad you persuaded me to go, I felt like I was suffocating in Konoha."

And softer than Sasuke's even done anything in his life he mumbles back, "Me too."

-Q-

When Naruto woke it wasn't slow and nice, but rather blunt and snappy. Though his limbs felt like logs, he was mentally aware of the warm fabric settled against his skin and the heavy air, already hot and the rhythm of Sasuke's breathing.

Unfortunately, being on vacation (an unexpected absence more like) didn't suddenly make Naruto's unconsciously trained instinct kick in any slower.

The inn room was still, very unfamiliar and therefore could hold unknown threats.

Naruto sighs quietly into the pillow. He didn't need to glance at the window to know it was still dark, the sun probably just peeking over the horizon.

He turns his head slightly and sees Sasuke, his breathing level and silent, his face peaceful. A smile graces Naruto lips and his heartbeat picks up, and the foreign enlightenment in his chest flares. He grabs his camera that's sitting beside his bed as silently as a cat creeping up on an unware mouse.

He brings the camera up to his eyes and although the lighting in the room is dull, which, Naruto can already tell with a surge of disappointment will take away from the photo, he presses the button anyways. With the click, Sasuke's eyes crinkle at the side and he blinks awake and aware as Naruto is.

Shameless with a teasing smile Naruto smoothly slides off the bed, and holds the camera closer to Sasuke's face.

"Dobe." Sasuke says, his voice firm but hoarse from sleep. His eyebrows furrowing, and he slips into his usually glare and frown.

Naruto's heart jumps at the state of Sasuke's voice and his disastrous bedhead hair.

"Come on, Sasuke." Naruto smiles, as sly as the fox who caught the canary. "It's too early to be grumpy. Smile?"

Sasuke scoffs and only glares into the camera lens harder, Naruto jokingly pouts but takes the picture anyways.

-Q-

Don't forget to review as you leave! Thanks for reading. Chapter two should be up soon! See you then(≧ω≦)