Afraid of the Dark

Chapter 13: To the Trained Eye

"Last night you were, unhinged. You were like some desperate, howling demon. You frightened me...Do it again."

- Morticia Addams (Angelica Houston) from Addams Family Values.

"Stop."

Sasuke heard the voice, heard the sharp edge of the warning promising punishment if he didn't; he heard the exasperation of having to say stop again, but Sasuke didn't care.

Kakashi made a final warning noise that Sasuke needed to stop. Sasuke refused to listen.

The sweat poured down his body, a sign after nearly two years of constant training that meant he had been working out for several hours. He could feel the pull in his muscles as his body moved in ways that had quickly become second nature, overusing the same movements and taxing his body. His body reacted on instinct before his mind had time to catch up as an open fist came out to block his movements.

Whenever Kakashi tried to block him to stop his training Sasuke usually just side-stepped him. If he was in the mood to train, his highly-skilled teacher did not deter him. However, when Sasuke saw that it was Naruto's hand that came to block him from going on, he stilled enough only to grasp his friend's wrist and pull Naruto closer.

It was one thing when Kakashi interfered when he was in the mood to train; it was very different when Naruto willingly put his body in front of Sasuke's. Usually Sasuke would stop training for his best friend. However, on some occasions, on occasions like today, having Naruto interrupt him only fueled his need to train and fight harder.

Naruto should have been taken by surprise that Sasuke hadn't stopped like usual. Or maybe Naruto had tried to interfere in order to trigger a fight. At least, that's what Sasuke hoped.

Sasuke's knee only brushed the side of Naruto's leg, Naruto already rolling away from Sasuke's sudden attack. In a rush, Naruto twisted around so his body was angled with his left shoulder facing forward. The angle allowed Naruto's right hand to be in prime attack position, his left hand ready to block in defense, and his body was angled leaving a smaller target area for Sasuke to lash out on.

Feeling rash, Sasuke, on the other hand, stood with his legs slightly apart, balanced in his stance, but leaving his entire body open for a full onslaught. Naruto's eyes darkened upon seeing Sasuke's open invitation. Sasuke had left himself exposed on purpose. Naruto's shoulders were drawn back, ready to strike. His hand darted out to go for the easy blow. Sasuke had already prepared himself, willing Naruto to strike him, punch him, just to at least touch him. Oh, how he wanted Naruto's hands on him.

The blow never came.

Sasuke glared angrily as he felt the restricting grip of Kakashi's fingers digging into his shoulders. Kakashi even had one foot positioned to push him forward if Sasuke moved his feet. Sasuke cursed his earlier position and his one-track mind. He had wanted Naruto to be able to attack him, but it left him open for someone to overpower him from behind. His focus had been too into goading Naruto.

Apparently, Kakashi really didn't want him to continue with the spar. But that was nothing compared to the surge of almost betrayal he felt as he looked at Naruto. Rage burned inside him as he glared at the pale grip holding Naruto's hands from attacking him, the long fingers restraining Naruto so they couldn't spar.

Itachi's facial expression did not change as he locked onto Sasuke's glaring eyes.

Naruto, on the other hand, looked quizzically at Kakashi restraining Sasuke to turn his head to see who was therefore restraining him. His eyes lit up, causing Sasuke to glower jealously at the excitement on Naruto's face. Itachi's grip loosened, letting Naruto go free. Sasuke didn't miss the red marks on Naruto's arms, showing how hard Itachi had had to grip in order to restrain Naruto's strength. Nor did he miss the way Itachi subtly rolled his shoulder. At least Naruto had given Itachi a run for his money. It seemed the quick grab had pulled Itachi's shoulder out. It made Sasuke happy that Naruto, even taken by surprise, had still injured Itachi.

"Itachi! What are you doing here? Haven't seen you in almost a month!" Naruto said, completely undisturbed at Itachi interrupting their impromptu spar. "I was so confused. I was like, uh, if Kakashi is over there holding Sasuke back, who the fuck is holding me?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, not at all happy at Naruto's choice of wording.

"I came to see you, naturally. I was rather surprised that you two were still down here. While I'm glad that you have been using the training facility Jiraiya added to his house for you both, I'm sure that it would also be nice if you stopped once in a while to eat."

"We were going to come up for dinner, but Sasuke wanted to keep training," Kakashi said happily, his hands still firmly pressing into Sasuke's shoulders. His foot moved into Sasuke's heel, making him spread his feet apart wider and lose his balance if he chose to attack from such a wide positioned stance. Sasuke took a deep breath. He realized that he was still positioned to attack even after it was clear that Naruto was no longer going to fight him. Of course, Sasuke also knew that it wasn't Naruto that his fingers itched to maim. He took another calming breath, schooled his features, and did his best to dispel the rage that had come from watching Itachi touch Naruto while relaxing his muscles.

Kakashi finally stepped back from Sasuke after feeling the process of Sasuke getting a grip on himself.

"Where have you been for the past month?" Sasuke demanded bluntly.

"Another scouting mission, as well as taking care of an issue with a few people from your old high-school trying to delve deeper into what happened with your disappearance."

Naruto was about to ask questions, but Kakashi quickly distracted him.

"Why don't we get cleaned up and head upstairs. I'm sure everyone is excited for a chance to celebrate," Kakashi said warmly, smiling at Naruto. Naruto beamed.

"You're staying for dinner, right?" Naruto asked Itachi. Itachi nodded.

"I told you I had stopped by to see you. Not every day my non-otouto turns 20."

Sasuke knew he should be glad to see Itachi again. He had been gone for a month searching new leads as to where their father had disappeared to. Yet the fact that Itachi had appeared again on Naruto's birthday left a bitter taste in Sasuke's mouth.

Over the past two years, he and Naruto had dedicated most of their time to training in the Hidden Village of Minato. It was only in one of the hidden villages of fairy that they were safe until they had trained enough to fight trolls and anyone else that might be after Naruto.

Yet Sasuke was feeling restless. He wanted to be able to leave the village just as Itachi did. It wasn't that he had to stay; it was just that Naruto wasn't supposed to leave, and Sasuke didn't trust leaving Naruto alone for long periods of time. Sasuke had a strong feeling that the next time he left Naruto by himself, something bad would happen to him. Not to mention, Naruto was under the disillusioned idea that those who had hurt Kushina would one day come back for him – and that they would somehow use Sasuke as a hostage to get Naruto to come with them. It was ridiculous, but it placated Naruto that he stayed.

Itachi coming and going as he pleased annoyed Sasuke. He and Naruto weren't "strong" enough yet to go out on their own. He blamed both Itachi and his parents for hiding their abilities from them. If they had known when they were younger, just like Itachi had, then they would be more powerful and able to move about freely. Though personally Sasuke felt they were ready.

It also didn't help that it was two years ago today that their lives had been so brutally interrupted. Itachi had basically attempted to kidnap them which had resulted in a car accident that had nearly killed Sasuke. Their lives hadn't been the same since.

Not that Sasuke wanted to go back to being ignorant. On the contrary, he wished there were things that he and Naruto acted less ignorant about.

Sasuke couldn't help but scowl at the greeting Naruto had given Itachi. Sasuke loved Itachi. He was his brother, and he looked out for them. But watching Naruto's face light up when he saw Itachi, being so utterly delighted to see him struck an unwelcome and unwanted chord of jealousy inside his heart. The fact that he and Naruto pretended there was nothing going on between them hurt.

A few times, at Sasuke's prompting, there had been attempts for more between them.

Stolen touches during the night. A gentle brush of skin to skin that was less than innocent.

But Naruto always brushed them off in the end. He'd make up some excuse, some downright lie that it had been an accident. Whenever Sasuke confronted Naruto about it, he would say they couldn't because of how it would only hurt them both in the end.

The only thing that was hurting Sasuke was that Naruto wasn't letting anything more develop. Sasuke had resolved to wait until they had more training. Naruto wouldn't be able to say that someone could use Sasuke as a victim to get to Naruto.

To watch how Naruto so enthusiastically greeted Itachi, knowing that there had been an incident where Itachi had been drawn less than innocently to Naruto made him feel sick to his stomach. He hated seeing his brother's hands on his best friend.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Naruto demanded, his arms crossed. Sasuke glared straight ahead, resolutely ignoring Naruto. He'd been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't realized both Itachi and Kakashi had taken a different route, leaving Sasuke and Naruto alone as they walked back from the underground training arena Jiraiya had built for them.

With the way that Naruto's chakra resonated when they trained, they had needed a secure location. Jiraiya has use his resources and – even after two years Sasuke felt weird saying it – magic to create a safe haven for them to practice.

"It's my birthday. You're not supposed to be such an asshole to the birthday boy," Naruto growled. Sasuke could feel the rage inside him building, but he quelled it. He knew that not responding to Naruto would only tick him off even more, so he completely expected it when Naruto made a physical move against him.

Even so, Sasuke had expected a punch or a kick, or even a blast of magic. What he didn't expect was to find his body pinned between the wall and Naruto's very warm and very inviting body.

Naruto's hands clenched Sasuke's shirt, balled up into fists as he clutched the fabric. His chest was heaving in his outright anger.

"What is wrong with you?" Naruto demanded, pushing Sasuke into the wall for emphasis. Sasuke looked off to the side. Naruto refused to listen to what was wrong with him. He refused, despite all they had been through, to see that Sasuke just wanted Naruto.

He didn't care anymore. He didn't care that they were (how he still loathed the thought) fairies. He didn't care about the damned trolls. He didn't care that they were stuck in this place. All he cared about was having Naruto. It was like a physical blow that Naruto still held some messed up delusion that they couldn't or shouldn't be together.

"Sasuke," Naruto said, his voice gentler as he took a guess as to what was bothering Sasuke. "Stop it. You know we can't-" Naruto stopped. Sasuke looked at him, seeing the way Naruto gazed at him with a painful longing.

"Fine. You can't," Sasuke said. Naruto was shocked that Sasuke actually agreed with him. He loosened his grip and stepped away from Sasuke.

"Er, right," Naruto agreed, slightly stunned at how Sasuke had just given up.

He should have known better.

Sasuke threw Naruto to the floor, pinning Naruto's hands above his head as he straddled Naruto.

"You can't. But I can," Sasuke growled, forcing his lips onto Naruto's.

And Naruto responded as he had expected. He fought back, biting Sasuke's lips, bucking his hips, struggling in his grasp before the bites turned to pants as Sasuke ground his hips downward. He could feel Naruto's growing arousal as he pressed his groin smoothly across Naruto's. Sasuke jerked his hips several more times for good measure, before nipping Naruto's lips. He pulled his mouth away from Naruto's, feeling the sting from the bites.

Sasuke stood up abruptly and continued to walk as though nothing had happened.

"Bastard!" Naruto called. Sasuke could hear him scramble to his feet. "What the hell was that?" Naruto demanded as he caught up to Sasuke, giving him a shove in the shoulder. Sasuke turned and shoved Naruto, this time pressing him against the wall as he pinned him briefly, forcing another hard, but much needed kiss, before walking off again.

He heard Naruto make some sort of shocked noise in the back of his throat before sputtering to catch up with him again.

"What's with you?" Naruto asked, leaving a fair amount of distance between them this time. Sasuke whirled around. Naruto halted in mid-step, looking startled and unsure of Sasuke's intentions.

"If you don't want to be molested every time I get the opportunity, then stay away from me. I'm tired of hearing your stupid excuses. I know the risks. I can take care of myself. It's not in your hands anymore. I'm in control now. The only out you have is to stay away from me. Do you want that?" Sasuke asked, feeling strangely calm. He was laying everything out. He couldn't stand the ache any more, the ache of Naruto being so close yet so far from him.

"I--" Naruto started, looking openly shocked. "You – you can't do that. You can't force me to just - " Naruto made a motion with his hands, trying to convey his meaning when his words failed him.

"You can't keep pretending like what we feel doesn't exist," Sasuke said. He turned his back on Naruto, walking away from him again.

"Don't be like this," Naruto said, putting his hand gently on Sasuke's shoulders. "Please, just – just wait till later, okay? We'll talk about it. After dinner. Please, just for now, let's be normal and have a family birthday party like we used to, okay?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto, seeing the pleading in his eyes. How long had it been since they had acted like they were "normal"? It seemed like ages.

"Fine," Sasuke agreed, picking up his pace.

"Er, fine like as in you really agree this time, or fine like, you're going to do something rash like throwing me to the floor again?" Naruto asked. The remark was so like Naruto to say that Sasuke couldn't help but smile.

"Wait and see," Sasuke murmured.

"Bastard."

They walked back together in silence. It wasn't long before they could smell the tell-tale sign of Sasuke's mother cooking up a storm. Naruto inhaled deeply, his pace catching up as he caught a whiff of the delicious smells coming from the kitchen. Sasuke watched as Naruto stepped next to him. For a moment, Sasuke debated on pushing Naruto up against the wall. With a quick glance to his side, he could tell that while Naruto was happily inhaling the wonderful aroma, his body was positioned so that if Sasuke were to make a move, Naruto's body was positioned just so that he would have the upper hand if Sasuke tried to shove him into the wall again.

Part of Sasuke wanted to take that step, hoping to fight Naruto, to struggle with him as he fought to pin Naruto – or maybe to have Naruto pin him.

They entered Jiraiya's dining room, the food already spread out like a feast. The room was spacious for a normal dining room; then again Jiraiya and Tsunade were (as far as Sasuke could tell from his limited interest) in charge of the Hidden Village of Minato. Well, Tsunade was more so than Jiraiya, though Sasuke found them both intriguingly irresponsible.

Even though Naruto had taken an instant liking to Jiraiya and Tsunade and their stories, Sasuke remained withdrawn, uninterested in them and the history of the village and the past of the fairies. He knew the gist of the story, that Jiraiya and Tsunade were both incredibly old, and that Naruto's father was somehow linked with them. While Kakashi was in charge of most of their training, Jiraiya trained Naruto in basic sage magic – Naruto excelled in sage and wind magic while Sasuke excelled in fire and lightening magic. It surprised Sasuke. Sasuke was sure that Naruto's mother had been a muse fire-fairy too. Yet Naruto wasn't very good at fire magic. Tsunade was renown for her medicinal magic. She'd tried teaching Sasuke and Naruto how to control their healing abilities, but for the most part, she actually discouraged them from using it.

Yet while they were old (and supposed to be wise and experienced and all that other ancient nonsense) Sasuke wasn't particularly fond of either of them. Jiraiya was lewd to the point that it made Sasuke uncomfortable, and Tsunade – though he would never admit this to her face in fear of her quick temper – had a bit of a drinking and gambling problem. If someone was so blessed with "ancient wisdom," Sasuke failed to see how a few thousand years hadn't given them enough time to fix their bad habits.

"What took you so long?" Mikoto asked excitedly. Itachi and Kakashi were already seated at the table next to Jiraiya and Ibiki. Neither Sasuke nor Naruto said anything. A few suspicious glances got thrown their way, but knowing the two of them, everyone at the table knew better than to press the issue.

"Why are you being such an asshole?" Naruto growled. He stood in the doorway of his bedroom, staring into Sasuke's dark eyes. Sasuke looked up, staring back at the birthday boy from where he lounged on Naruto's bed.

Sasuke couldn't decide which desire was stronger: the desire to punch Naruto or to force a kiss against his lips. He felt like they were an old married couple bickering before bedtime. Even though they had separate rooms, more often than not, they found themselves still sharing one bed or the other. Sasuke sneered. As though that didn't make things more complicated than they already were.

"You were quiet all through dinner, glaring evilly at Itachi, and now you're just lying on my bed in my room," Naruto hissed. "I'm tired, and I want to go to sleep. Go back to your own room."

"No," Sasuke said. "You said we'd talk tonight. It's tonight."

"What the fuck? I'm tired. You pushed us both too hard today-"

"You saying you can't take the training?" Sasuke taunted.

"No, I can take the training, but not your prissy attitude," Naruto bristled at the mere implication that Sasuke thought him weak. Even though they both knew they were on even footing, neither liked when the other implied one was better.

"Fine, if you don't want your birthday present, I'll leave," Sasuke said, standing up slowly, waiting.

"Wait, what? You got me a birthday present? Where is it?" Naruto asked excitedly. Sasuke had known how Naruto would react at the idea of getting a birthday present. Every year he got something for Naruto, but Naruto was never one to ask for it. Frankly, part of Sasuke wondered if the reason Naruto was so annoyed with him was because Sasuke hadn't given him a gift yet.

"It's under your bed," Sasuke said. He waited as Naruto got on his hands and knees, looking underneath the bed spread. His face lit up as he saw the wrapped gift waiting there for him. Sasuke turned his face away, feeling slightly guilty at the look of utter excitement on Naruto's face.

"It's heavy," Naruto noted happily, placing the package on the bed before he quickly tore off the wrapping paper. His face changed from excited to confused to blank in a few short moments. Naruto didn't bother tearing off the rest of the wrapping paper having seen the gift Sasuke got him.

Instead, Naruto turned his face to the side, standing by the bed, looking away from both the gift and Sasuke. He clenched his fists several times. Sasuke watched as Naruto visibly calmed himself down before looking at Sasuke.

"A black light?" Naruto murmured quietly.

"I know you want me almost as much as I want you. What you can't get over is losing people. Your Mom. Your Dad. Knowing that something could happen to me if you're not around. I'm not stupid. This is about the fact that you can't deal with knowing that the reason your parents are dead or missing is because of you. I can't deal with you acting like I can't take care of myself. It won't be your fault. It'll be mine. Stop keeping your fucking distance. Use it to stop worrying."

"You're telling me to cloud over my mind, for what?" Naruto asked angrily. "It's not real. It's just stupid. What we want has nothing to do with how this stupid light makes us feel."

"Bullshit. You're just too scared to try. I'm giving you an out to not think about it just once. Let the fears go. Figure it out. You have the rest of the night to think about it," Sasuke said. He walked to the door, but Naruto called out to him before he left.

"And what if I don't decide by then?" Naruto asked. Sasuke didn't look at him.

"If you can't decide, then it's a no."

"Then what?" Naruto asked, a tone of panic in his voice. "You're planning something stupid, aren't you?"

"Nothing as stupid as you being unable to make up your mind," Sasuke said quietly before walking down the hall to his room.

After he flipped on the small light by his bed, he slipped into loose fitted pajama pants and lied down. Usually he or Naruto ended up finding their way to the same bed. Personally, Sasuke liked the feel of his bed, but he didn't mind sharing Naruto's. Then again, he also liked it when Naruto came to him.

To Sasuke, it was obvious that Naruto was only keeping his feelings at bay because he feared for Sasuke. What Sasuke didn't understand was Naruto's train of thought. He was already his best friend. That alone put him at risk if someone was going to use him against Naruto. The only thing Sasuke thought might be causing Naruto to hesitate was if he didn't want to be forced into anything. After all, Fugaku had tried to manipulate them. But Sasuke was doing his best to show Naruto that he was serious. This was their decision – even if Sasuke was heavily influencing what Naruto's decision was. What irked him the most was that Naruto thought Sasuke couldn't take care of himself if something did happen to him. Naruto's lack of faith hurt almost as bad as his blatant rejections.

After only a few minutes of brooding, Sasuke's door opened. Naruto entered the room, closing and locking the door behind him. Sasuke couldn't help but feel surprised. He had expected Naruto to deliberate for a while, and he hated to admit that an even larger part of him had expected Naruto not to come.

Naruto had taken off his shirt, leaving his chest bare. His sleep pants hung loose around his hips. The happy trail that started just above the tie of the flannel pajama bottoms caught Sasuke's attention.

"You came," Sasuke noted, feeling smugly elated.

Naruto didn't say anything. He walked over to the bed. Instead of lying down on his side as Sasuke expected, he climbed on at the foot of the bed. His arms and legs straddled Sasuke's body as he crawled sensually forward.

For a moment, Sasuke wondered if he had fallen asleep. Naruto looked seductive as his body sidled up his slowly like a predator stalking its prey. His eyes were focused and intense with passion as they locked onto Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke's body responded warmly to Naruto's actions. Even though he'd wanted this, he was surprised that Naruto seemed to be jumping right into things after he had vehemently been denying what they had both wanted for so long.

When Naruto's hands were on either side of Sasuke's face, his hips hovering slightly over Sasuke's, their naked chests brushing lightly together, Naruto finally spoke.

"What are you planning?" Naruto demanded.

Sasuke's eyes snapped up from where he had been looking at their hips almost brushing to stare up into Naruto's eyes. Naruto's eyes were unyielding. Sasuke glared at him. He didn't like Naruto acting so sexual, teasing him with a promise of more, and then taking it away from him. His heart was being toyed with, and he didn't like it.

Naruto was doing this to get his attention, not because he wanted to have sex.

"Get off me," Sasuke snarled. He didn't wait for Naruto to react before giving him a shove that made him land flat on his back on his side of the bed.

"What the fuck?" Naruto growled angrily. Sasuke rolled over and straddled his legs against Naruto's hips. Tan arms shot out to push Sasuke off. They grappled with each other for a moment, before Naruto twisted Sasuke's left arm harshly out, while Sasuke twisted Naruto's left arm up and closer to his body.

Naruto bucked his hips upward to push the extra body off his, but Sasuke pushed back just as hard. They bucked their hips together for a bit, Sasuke rolling into Naruto's movements. Naruto's face went slack as he realized what position Sasuke had forced them into. He stopped his movements but Sasuke kept right on pressing their hips together. Beneath him, he could feel Naruto's cock getting harder against his own blood-filled arousal.

"Ow, fuck! Stop!" Naruto growled even as a blush graced his cheeks. "It's stuck to the side."

Sasuke stopped immediately and released Naruto's hands. He grinned down smugly, watching as Naruto's hand shot down to adjust his cock which had gotten stuck in between their bodies as it had hardened. While Sasuke could empathize with the pain of getting one's dick stuck in an uncomfortable position after getting hard, he couldn't help but relish in the fact that Naruto had gotten hard during their grinding in the first place.

The moment didn't last. Sasuke only had a moment to duck before Naruto's fist rammed into his face. The bed creaked and groaned beneath them as they began to wrestle on the bed. Their bodies slid over the sheets, scrunching them up till their limbs were getting tangled in the sheets.

"Will you just listen?" Naruto yelled.

"You punched me," Sasuke pointed out, bluntly refusing to listen to Naruto as he gave a low blow and elbowed him in the stomach. Naruto wheezed before rolling over and off the bed. He landed on his feet crouched and ready.

Sasuke had to untangle his left leg from the bed before he'd be able to jump after Naruto. Sadly, Naruto didn't plan on waiting for him. He grabbed the sheets and pulled the blankets and thus Sasuke with his leg still entangled off the bed. Sasuke landed heavily and awkwardly. Quickly grabbing the covers, Sasuke tugged at them, pulling them from Naruto's grip. The unexpected tug had Naruto stumbling forward. He landed on top of Sasuke in a heap of limbs and twisted covers.

Cursing, Sasuke shoved out at Naruto, feeling awkward in the tangle of blankets. After his punches and kicks through the blanket fell soft and muted into the cloth between them, Sasuke managed to wrestle his leg free. He gave an upward jab with his foot, feeling it connect with force. He heard Naruto knock into the wall before landing heavily with a sickening crack.

"Shit that hurts!" Naruto's gasp of pain gave Sasuke pause. When he didn't feel Naruto try and hit him in the mass of blankets, Sasuke was able to quickly throw the covers off.

Naruto hadn't gotten up from the floor. He sat huddled, cradling his elbow. Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. The bend of his elbow looked horribly wrong. Instead of connecting at a point where the upper and lower arm joined, his elbow had hyper extended so the joint hung out distorted.

"I'll go get Tsunade," Sasuke said quietly as he began to walk out of the room.

"No! Come back here you asshole!" Part of Sasuke was tempted to keep going, but the anger in Naruto's voice, and the small amount of guilt he really did not want to feel, made him go back into the room and listen to Naruto yell at him. He really should go back and say he was sorry.

"You shouldn't have attacked me, idiot," Sasuke growled. He should say sorry, but he really didn't feel like it. Naruto ground his teeth together, but if it was due to pain or the annoyance he felt at Sasuke, Sasuke wasn't sure. Probably both.

"This is half your fault for not listening to me, so sit your ass down, and listen for once!" Naruto yelled out. Using only his legs, he got off the floor and sat on the bed. The area around the elbow had started to swell. Naruto healed fast, so to see just how bad it looked made Sasuke concerned with the damage that had been done. It looked like he had dislocated his elbow, something that could cause him to lose full range of motion in his arm.

Sasuke sat down on the bed. Naruto held out his arm to him expectantly.

"What do you want me to do?" Sasuke asked. Naruto glared at him.

"Fix it! We can heal each other. And you call me the dumb one," Naruto said.

"I'll have to set it so it doesn't heal at that angle."

"So set it!" Naruto said through gritted teeth. Sweat was beginning to roll down the side of his face. Sasuke was sure that was a bad sign.

Sasuke looked down at Naruto's elbow. He raised his eyebrows at Naruto in question. From his position alone, it would be difficult to grip Naruto in such a way so that he could put it back into place.

"I'll go get Tsunade," Sasuke repeated. Naruto shot out his hand and gripped Sasuke's arm to stop him. Sasuke felt a ripple go through his body. Naruto's aura shone suddenly bright gold. He was used to seeing Naruto's aura in the village that he didn't think much of it, but there were times like this, especially when one of them needed to be healed, that it spiked in a blaze of gold.

Naruto's face relaxed at the relief. He moved his injured arm out, and loosely gripped his fingers around Sasuke's bicep. Sasuke stayed still, his body stiff. Without warning, Naruto pushed against Sasuke and harshly snapped his injured arm back into place. The crack and slide of muscles and bones being put back resonated through the air. Naruto's elbow was still swollen, but it looked like a normal joint again. Naruto let go of Sasuke's arm to flex his muscles and immediately let out a gasp of pain. His fingers quickly re-gripped Sasuke's arm.

"Idiot."

But Sasuke couldn't help but look at Naruto's arm in wonder. The bones and muscles shouldn't have been able to go back into place with such a simple movement. Tsunade refused to let them injure themselves to test just how far their healing powers could go, but Sasuke was sure that they could heal almost any injury. After all, Sasuke was sure he would be dead if Naruto hadn't saved him from the car crash, not to mention that Sasuke had kept Naruto alive after his troll wound all those years ago.

The injury must have been painful because Naruto didn't let go for a while. And in fact, Sasuke was starting to feel a bit light-headed at the sensation. They didn't do this often. Tsunade said it would drain their magic by doing it for long periods of time which was strange because every time they did, it made them both feel so much better afterward.

When he was looking for it, Sasuke's eyes could see Naruto's aura easily. Naruto claimed that he couldn't see Sasuke's. Sasuke had once asked the other people they lived with if they could see auras so easily. They could feel them (though Sasuke didn't understand what that meant), but no one else but Itachi had been able to see them. His mother had explained that it was a special gift that his father had passed onto them.

The golden glow always fascinated him, like a moth drawn to the flame. He couldn't help but reach out and stroke the glow around Naruto. Naruto shuddered when he did it, but he didn't tell him to stop. In fact, Naruto's body seemed to go even more lax as he lightly stroked his fingers all around the hazy edges of his friend's aura.

Sasuke noted that Naruto's eyes were drooping lazily. His elbow looked completely normal again. Gently, slowly, Sasuke laid Naruto down on the bed. He pulled his hands away to adjust himself on top of Naruto.

"Don't leave," Naruto pleaded. Sasuke looked down at Naruto, wondering why on earth Naruto thought he was going to leave when Naruto was being so compliant for once. Sasuke leaned down, letting his lips press softly against Naruto's. For a moment, Naruto didn't respond before his hand came up and lightly ran his fingers through Sasuke's hands, moving his lips against Sasuke's.

Running his tongue along Naruto's lips, Sasuke was surprised at how soft they felt. It felt good to kiss and suck Naruto's lower lip, as though the pressure of their lips built up the pressure of pleasure in his groin. He broke the kiss softly.

"I'm not going anywhere," Sasuke promised. One hand continued to trail along Naruto's aura, while his other hand began to touch the bare skin across Naruto's chest.

Naruto let out a gratifying moan, his hands gripping Sasuke's sides. His fingers dipped inside Sasuke's pajama bottoms, kneading his lower back and the top of his cheeks. Sasuke moaned as Naruto's fingers worked out the tension, leaving him feeling loose and at ease.

With their world filled with uncertainty and constant training, to be able to simply let down their guard with each other was the most blissful form of release.

Naruto's fingers began to roll the soft material of Sasuke's pants down his hips. Sasuke gasped as his cock bounced out of the pants, slapping against the skin of Naruto's stomach. He stood up and pulled his pants all the way down before grabbing the waist band of Naruto's pants and tugging them off as well.

Naruto looked slightly stunned as though he realized he was getting lost in the thrall of the moment, but Sasuke wasn't about to let him get out of the feeling. Sasuke climbed on top of Naruto, their naked bodies pressed flushed against each other. It seemed that being so connected to each other was an aphrodisiac by itself.

The feeling of skin to skin alone had them both gasping. Sasuke could feel the pull of his body, his own aura, reacting to the full contact of Naruto's aura. Being connected to Naruto like this, having their bodies touching and their auras mixing, that was what Sasuke felt peace was supposed to be like. Naruto could never share that intimacy with anyone but him. Maybe Naruto was finally starting to realize that.

Naruto's hips bucked upward, and Sasuke groaned as their cocks slid along the length of each other. Their lips connected slowly and sensually while the rest of their body began the frenzy of finding true, blissful release.

Sasuke groaned in pleasure into the kiss as he felt Naruto spreading his legs wider. Their grinding paused. Spitting into his hand, Naruto quickly coated his arousal. Naruto's fingers dug into Sasuke's ass, gripping his cheeks tightly as he pulled them apart before he pushed Sasuke's body upward slightly with his hips. They both gasped in anticipation before Naruto pressed into him. Sasuke winced at the pressure. He gritted his teeth at the burning sensation, but with Naruto keeping his hands on his ass the entire, the pain slowly faded. Naruto's aura glowed golden as he unconsciously healed Sasuke. Naruto moved slowly in, uncertainly at first, before picking up speed. His hands let go of Sasuke's cheeks before moving to grip at his waist. Sasuke's insides went from feeling the slight burn to almost numb at the healing before pleasure began to build.

Sasuke kept his body close to Naruto's, letting his arousal press between their bodies, getting friction as they moved back and forth. Naruto's breathing sped up as his fingers raked down Sasuke's back. He gripped at Sasuke's back even as Sasuke relished in the harsh touch. Rolling his hips down against Naruto as he rolled his up, both grunted and groaned in pleasure. Sasuke smirked as Naruto gave a guttural cry when he squeezed his inside muscles tightly against Naruto, creating more friction for the both of them as Naruto thrusts became harsher and deeper. Naruto gripped Sasuke's cock and began to pump at it harshly.

What had started off soft and unsure quickly turned more forceful and frantic. Sasuke wound his fingers through Naruto's hair and bit down on the pressure point of Naruto's neck and shoulder, trapping Naruto's jerking hand between their bodies.

The force at which he bit Naruto should have bruised him, even broken the skin, but instead their connection kept Naruto from hurting. In fact, with the way Naruto's hips bucked up and into Sasuke, Sasuke was certain it felt far from painful. While Naruto's one had continued to awkwardly jerk Sasuke off, his other hand had a bruising grip on holding Sasuke's ass tighter against him, doing his best to get inside Sasuke as hard and deep as possible.

With the force of Naruto slamming into him and the way Sasuke squeezed his muscles around Naruto, neither of them lasted long. Sasuke was sure that Naruto orgasmed first, but when the pleasure washed over Naruto the feelings and emotions poured through his aura and into Sasuke. Sasuke tightened around Naruto, brushing his cock against the silky smoothness yet taut hardness of Naruto's hand and stomach muscles. He came only a moment later, and he could feel his whole body shaking with the force of coming.

Blearily he opened his eyes as his body still lurched forward in time with the waves of his release. Naruto's aura was shimmering almost white with how bright it had gotten before dying down to its usual golden glow. Sasuke slumped exhausted on top of Naruto. He debated with staying there before he grudgingly rolled off. He immediately regretted it when Naruto rolled on top of him and laid there like deadweight. Growling, Sasuke shoved him, so Naruto was only half on top of him. He was used to Naruto using him like a body pillow, but if Naruto was as tired as Sasuke suddenly felt, he would wake up numb if he allowed him to fall asleep like that.

Naruto gripped Sasuke's upper arm and murmured against Sasuke's chest.

"Don't leave," Naruto repeated again. Sasuke would have asked him why he kept saying that, but he was just too tired and sated to care too much about it. As he drifted off to sleep with a smug smirk on his face, the thought slipped completely from his mind.

"A blissful moment it sadly just that – a moment." ~ Jelp

Next Chapter: Leaving

Ah Sasuke. You should have listened to Naruto first. Anyway, what'd you think? ~ Jelp