A/N:
Hahaha. You guys make me laugh. I love reading reviews, and I have to say…flame gazer, you're really whipping me into shape xD. But that's good! I like constructive criticism! Hehehe.
Looks like they're not letting me do hearts anymore…bastards…so…I'll have to think of something else. -.-
But alas! Chapter six! Whoot.
:Dobe-chan:
Chapter Six: Open Up To MeThe all too familiar scent of miso ramen drifted over Sasuke, peaking his interest and pulling him from sleep. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning and stretching and looking around for the source of the smell. It didn't take him long to find Naruto sitting on his knees in the corner, stirring a small pot of ramen over an equally small hot plate.
"Ramen for breakfast?" He asked drowsily, still not entirely at one with the morning.
"You remember whose house you're at?" Naruto asked. "I live off ramen. You should know that by now." Sasuke smiled and pushed himself up. He scooped his clothes off the floor and headed into the bathroom to shower, feeling it was only fair that he took the first shower today--Naruto had used all the hot water the previous night. When he emerged, two bowls of ramen sat on the floor steaming with chopsticks carefully placed next to them. Naruto was moving the mat under the bed, perfectly made and with the pillow still on top.
"Smells good." Sasuke said, trying to lighten up the awkwardness of the current situation.
"Always does." Naruto clicked the hotplate off and yanked the plug from the wall, letting it drop as he picked up the small metal contraption up and moved it to a shelf on the other side of the room. He then proceeded to scoop up the bowls and practically tossed one at Sasuke. He managed to catch it before it tipped, luckily enough.
The two boys ate for the most part in silence, sitting side-by-side on the bed. One would cast a short glance at the other, then look away quickly at the slightest sign of his gaze being met. "Sasuke?" Naruto asked finally, seeing the dark haired boy finish off the last of his noodles. He replied non-verbally, meeting his eyes to Naruto's. "Why don't we ever talk?"
"We talk every day, dobe. What are we doing now?" This got him a glare.
"I know that, stupid. It's just that I hear other people talking about all sorts of things with their friends…why don't we?" Sasuke didn't entirely know how to respond.
Because I'm afraid I'll tell you how I feel? The genin paused, debating whether or not he should say it. Glass half full: Naruto returns the feelings, all is well, they continue life happily. Glass half empty: Naruto doesn't feel the same, becomes traumatized, never looks at Sasuke the same way again. Needless to say, glass half-empty had the upper hand."What a stupid question." He stood, plucking the empty bowl from Naruto's hands and moving toward the bathroom to wash them in the sink. Naruto's face dropped, and he looked at his empty hands for a while. Fearing that his eyes might betray him, he shot up and stopped the other boy.
"I'll handle it." He said quietly, trying to keep his voice from cracking.
"Naruto I can--"
"I said I'll handle it!" He yanked the bowls from the pale hands of his rival and rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
---
"Well that's good. Now Sasuke's gone." Iruka slid into the restaurant booth--the exact one Kakashi and Sasuke had occupied just days before. He looked across the table to the other ninja, who had taken to staring out the window at the thick clouds.
"I'm sure he's fine."
"You are? So you know where he went then?" Iruka wasn't normally this sarcastic with him, and it was getting to Kakashi just a bit.
The silver haired jounin sat quietly for a moment. "No, I don't know where he is. But this is Sasuke, remember. He's too strong-willed to get hurt, and too connected to Naruto to just leave." This obviously didn't please the chuunin, but he chose to say nothing. "I'm sure they'll both turn up soon with a perfectly good explanation."
"You're probably right." Iruka admitted finally. The two finished in silence, Iruka by now not even bothering to try figuring out how Kakashi managed to eat. They left in an equally awkward silence. It took them a good twenty minutes to realize that neither of them had anything planned for the day. "What in the world are we doing?" Iruka finally asked, hoping Kakashi was going through the same thought process.
"I honestly don't know. You have work to do or something?" Iruka smiled inwardly, keeping a look of confusion on his outward appearance.
"No. There haven't been any missions scheduled, so I've had no paperwork. What about you?"
"You just answered your own question." Iruka's look of confusion became real. "My team is obviously not going on any missions anytime soon."
"So what are we going to do all day?" Both were grinning deep inside, but were too unsure of the other to admit anything. Neither answered, just kept walking. Iruka shivered suddenly then turned his eyes to the sky, stopping and holding out his hand. "Rain." He said quietly. Sure enough, two droplets landed in his up-turned palm.
"Some weather we've been having." Kakashi said, feeling larger drops land on his shoulders and face. "C'mon. We might make it home before the downpour sets in."
"I don't live anywhere near here though!" Iruka shouted over a sudden roll of thunder. Not exactly the kind of weather you'd want to be caught outside in.
"Then I guess we'll have to get back to my place." No sooner had he said that, the clouds seemed to thicken and the entire village was left in a blanket of thick rain. Kakashi's home was a five minute walk from their current position, but with a good run they made it in half the time.
"Just our luck." Iruka said, sloshing through Kakashi's front door.
"Go shower. Don't want you getting sick on my time." The jounin yelled, having already disappeared into a back room. Moments later a set of clothes came flying into the hall, shortly followed by a towel. "Bathroom's just down the hall." Iruka nodded despite knowing Kakashi couldn't see him. He scooped up the clothes and towel and headed off down the hall, finding the bathroom in no time at all.
When he stepped out of the shower it was rather shocking to see his clothes had disappeared from the corner he'd thrown them in. He blushed madly, realizing that Kakashi had been there. He chose to accept it and pulled the clothes on, letting his towel drop onto his shoulders as he pulled his hair back up into a ponytail.
He entered the hall way, wincing as the electricity flickered. A roll of thunder shook the house and Iruka rushed quickly to find Kakashi. Who knows why...but he just felt compelled to be with the jounin. He was soon greeted by a wonderful smell and found his silver haired friend in the kitchen, stirring a pot of what looked to be cocoa. It appeared that he hadn't noticed Iruka's presence. But with ninja, nothing was ever as it seemed. "Almost ready. Feel free to take a seat."
It took Iruka a minute to realize it, but Kakashi's voice was…clearer. When one becomes so used to something, it's very hard to notice it's disappearance. But once Kakashi turned around, Iruka found the difference. The mask and the head band were gone. He brought the cocoa to the table and sat across from the chuunin, shoving one of the mugs over. "I don't think I've ever seen you without your mask, Kakashi." Definitely stepping into unknown territory, but it was worth a try.
"Not many people have." Kakashi said, taking a sip of cocoa.
"Should I consider myself lucky?" Kakashi had started to stand up but stopped, still supporting himself with the table. He leaned across and took a soft hold of Iruka's chin, lifting it slightly so that their eyes met.
"Maybe you should." They stared at each other silently for a while before Kakashi turned away, setting his cup on the counter and moving in to the front room. "You'll need a place to sleep." Iruka hadn't even noticed the time. It was getting rather late, so he nodded in agreement and moved into the front room as well.
---
Sasuke had by this time pulled the mat back out from under the bed and was laying with his back to the bathroom. He figured that if Naruto thought he was asleep he'd mind his own business for a while. At least until Sasuke felt like talking again. He stared at the emptiness under Naruto's bed, listening to the clinking of the bowls and the tapping of the chopsticks.
The blonde had been at it for hours. Continuously washing the dishes and chopsticks, not wanting to go back out into the bedroom. It wasn't that he was angry with Sasuke or embarrassed or anything like that…it was the feeling of rejection. Obviously Sasuke didn't feel the same way.
He finally gave up on hiding and slid the door open, moving into the room slowly. He saw Sasuke's back turned and, naturally, figured that the other was asleep. He moved quietly around the room, intending to tidy up the place. He leaned over Sasuke, pulling a couple shirts and pairs of pants out from between the main bed and the nightstand.
"What're you doing?" Naruto jumped at the other boy's voice, falling forward onto the pile of clothes he'd picked up, as well as on top of Sasuke.
"Ow! Dammit Sasuke look what you did!" Naruto howled, lifting up his arm. A kunai had been left in a pack somewhere in the pile of clothes, and in the confusion had fallen out and caught Naruto's arm.
"What I did! You're the one who fell on my rib cage, moron!" Sasuke rolled over and sat up, pushing Naruto off at the same time. He noticed the cut and inwardly he felt bad. It looked rather deep, and was both long and wide. He'd obviously caught the thick side of the kunai. Searching the floor for the pants he'd arrived in yesterday, Sasuke stood slowly. Naruto just sat and watched, clutching the wound carefully.
Sasuke crouched down in front of his small folded pile, searching the pockets and packs. He took a few minutes, then returned with something in hand. "Give me your arm." He said firmly.
"What for? It's just a little wound…it's not like it hurts too ba--AGGH!" Sasuke yanked Naruto's arm forward, using his teeth to yank a length of bandage out from his enclosed fist. "What the hell was that! Are you trying to make it worse!"
"No, dobe. I'm trying to fix it." It was strange how calm Sasuke was…a rather new concept for Naruto. He soon relaxed, watching Sasuke tend to the cut so carefully. It was almost saddening to see him finish.
"Thanks." Naruto stared at his criss-crossed feet, fighting his vocal chords to get the words out. Damn nerves.
"What's wrong?" This question caught the blonde off guard.
"Nothing! Nothing."
"Don't lie to me, dobe." Silence.
"Have you ever wanted to tell someone something, but didn't have the guts to do it?" Sasuke's hopes rose just a little, hoping he was on the same page as Naruto. "I'm sure you haven't. Cause…that'd mean you were scared of the answer. And the great Sasuke isn't afraid of anything." He added at the last minute, not wanting to seem like a complete push over.
"Yes. I have." Naruto looked up, meeting the gray eyes of his teammate. Naruto's hopes were about as high as
Sasuke's now. "I still do." Naruto didn't know what to say.
"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." He said finally, trying his hardest to sound playful.
"What I want to say isn't to be messed around with, Naruto."
"Just tell me! It'll be fun to get it off your chest." The blonde was right…for once.
"No Naruto."
"Oh come on! Just--"
"I said no!" Sasuke's eyes flared, a slight glimmer of red running over the irises. It seemed almost like his Sharingan was responding to his frustration. Naruto stared, slightly frightened. Needless to say his hopes sank. He nodded silently, standing and climbing into his bed. If he slept all day that'd be fine as far as he was concerned.
Sasuke obviously didn't care.
---
Iruka had taken a spot on the floor, sleeping on a roll-out mat Kakashi had retrieved from the closet. It really couldn't be called sleeping, since all he was doing was thinking with his eyes closed. "What do you want, Kakashi?" He asked bluntly.
"I'm impressed." Came a voice from the door.
"You shouldn't be. I heard your footsteps." Kakashi shrugged, despite the fact that he knew Iruka couldn't see him. "I'll ask again, what do you want?" Silence. Iruka could hear the other ninja trying the light switch, but to no prevail. The power was out. Footsteps…a drawer opening…shuffling…footsteps…a clink…a loud scratch…and light. The jounin walked over in front of Iruka and sat, putting the candle on the floor next to him. "Have a bad dream?"
Kakashi's expression didn't change. This didn't really concern Iruka, just caught his attention. He sat up to match the other, avoiding his eyes. "I just couldn't sleep."
"So you were planning on waking me up, too?"
"You weren't asleep."
"And if I had been?"
"I was sure you weren't." This both creeped Iruka out, and peaked his interest. Kakashi, obviously, noticed. "I'm only across the hall, Iruka. I've heard you sleep before." He snickered at Iruka's now angered face.
"I don't snore that bad!" No comment. Just more laughter. The room soon fell silent, though, and Iruka somehow got the feeling that Kakashi was staring at him. Every once in a while lightning would light the room and the chuunin would see a small glint run across the other's eyes. Tired of the awkwardness of the situation, he spoke up. "You never really answered my question…"
"What's that?"
"What you want. And don't give me that 'I couldn't sleep' deal. We're too old for that." Silence again. Lightning flashed and Iruka could see Kakashi's eyes had moved to the floor, staring deep in thought. This interested the dark haired chuunin. Maybe Kakashi was feeling the same way he was? And just having doubts? "…Well?" He said, trying to soften his tone a bit.
"It's complicated."
"In what way?"
Kakashi shifted his weight, leaning forward slightly. "Well…there's something I wanted to ask you, and something I wanted to tell you…"
"So go ahead." Iruka kept a straight poker-face outwardly, but couldn't help smiling inwardly.
"It's not that simple, Iruka! I'd tell you, but it's your reaction I'm worried about." Iruka's poker-face softened slightly, the corners of his mouth curling into a comforting smile.
"It's not like you to be acting this way, Kakashi." This got him a glare so fierce he didn't need lightning to see it.
"This is all just a joke to you, isn't it?" Kakashi returned his eyes to the floor. It was true, and he knew it. He was usually so spontaneous…so outspoken. And here he was, afraid to tell Iruka how he felt. Three simple words, and he couldn't get them out worth anything.
"Just ask, Kakashi. Really, I'll listen."
He swallowed hard, refusing to look up worth anything. "Do you love anyone?" Iruka stared at the other, his eyes never once moving. How was he supposed to answer that? It was an easy answer…but one he couldn't seem to squeeze from his throat. His expression softened all the more and he relaxed his shoulders, smiling once again at the jounin.
"Yes, I do."
---
The storm flared past the tightly closed window, causing Sasuke to jump slightly. He hadn't been able to get himself back to sleep once it started, and he was wondering if it was really worth it to keep trying. He stopped moving for a bit, hearing something change in the room. The steady rhythm of Naruto's breathing changed, and became less noticeable. Was he awake? "Sasuke?"
"What?" He answered coldly, wanting to sound angry.
"I'm sorry." Naruto's voice was quiet, like he was hiding something. "I didn't mean to…well I…I've just…" The dark-haired boy sat up and looked at the other genin, laying on his side with his back to the mat. He crawled up and laid down on his back next to Naruto, who in turn rolled onto his back. "I've just been confused about you."
"What do you mean?" He asked, even though he knew exactly what the other meant.
"I've been confused about how you feel, Sasuke. How you feel about me." The blonde rolled his head over and stared, his bright blue eyes glinting around the edges. Sasuke hadn't turned his head, however. He just stared wide-eyed at the ceiling. Here was his chance to honestly tell Naruto how he felt, and he couldn't speak.
"I…Naruto…" The blonde looked pleadingly, the tears streaming quickly down his face now, obviously jumping to the wrong conclusion. Sasuke turned his head finally, realizing what the other must be thinking.
"It's just that I like you…a lot…and I don't know how you feel…" Sasuke sat up and stared at the opposite wall for a minute. "I understand if you're upset…but could we at least still be friends? I don't want—" Before Naruto could realize what was happening, Sasuke had climbed over him on his knees, one hand on either side of the blonde's head to support him. Their noses were mere inches away and they looked each other directly in the eyes.
"Don't worry, dobe. We'll still be friends." Naruto's expression remained shocked for a moment, his mind still registering what happened. But eventually it turned to a soft smile.
"I'm glad." He said quietly, just as Sasuke leaned down and caught him in a kiss.
The lemon goes here. I'm still looking for a site to post it on.---
The following morning was a very giddy one. Even Sasuke's usual attitude was lifted just a bit; he constantly had a calm smile on. All through breakfast he couldn't keep himself from staring at Naruto, who just laughed. "Are you done? I'll wash your bowl." He asked mid-laugh, standing and dropping his chopsticks into the empty bowl. Sasuke just stared at where Naruto was sitting, saying nothing. The blonde 'hmph'ed, and walked over, knocking on top of the Uchiha's head. "Hello?"
"Hello." Sasuke said, wrapping his arm around Naruto and pulling him close, his hips at Sasuke's ear.
"What are you doing all of a sudden!" He said mid-laugh. "Let me go!"
Sasuke grinned. "Never." Naruto laughed even more, reaching down and ruffling Sasuke's hair. The dark haired genin stood, grabbed the bowl from Naruto, then pecked lightly at his lips. "I'll take care of these today." Naruto nodded slowly, moving backward and sitting on the bed.
"You know, we might be able to get out of the house today."
"What do you mean?" Sasuke called from the bathroom.
"Well…it's the last day the curse is on the house, so it'll be starting to weaken, ne?" Sasuke turned, his hands stopping in the sink.
"Yes, but it'll still cause pain, wont it? And we can't open the windows…" He nodded toward Naruto's hands. "So we should probably just wait it out."
"What if I tried Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?"
"They disappear when they're hurt." Sasuke said bluntly.
"When they're hit. We could try sending some out through the hall, and we could have some others try to open the window." Sasuke said nothing for a minute. "They won't be so easily destroyed, and they're just bunshins. It's not like it matters if they're hurt. We can use them to get Kakashi-sensei."
"Fine. But don't over do it." Naruto nodded and formed the sign, and in no time six bunshins appeared on the bed.
"You three try to open the window, and you three try going through the hall. If you make it out, go get Kakashi-sensei or Iruka-sensei." The bunshins all nodded, then got to work on their tasks. As soon as their hands touched the window, a loud buzzing noise filled the room, causing Sasuke to drop the dishes in order to cover his ears. The bunshins didn't disappear, though, just continued pushing against the window. And the three that headed out into the hall pushed onward, closing the door quickly behind them.
"Make them stop, dobe! It's too loud!" Sasuke screamed over the noise. Naruto had been one step ahead of Sasuke, though, and had moved up to the bunshins and hit one, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke. The other two stopped and looked, not sure what was going on.
"No more. I guess the spell hasn't weakened." He said loudly, his ears still recovering.
"If you knew that was going to happen, why did you suggest doing it?" Sasuke asked, moving out of the bathroom. He walked over to Naruto and whapped him over the head, glaring heavily.
"I thought the spell would be weakened!"
"What would that matter!"
"I just thought the sound would be a little more bearable."
"That sound will never be bearable." Sasuke ruffled the blonde hair of his partner, then returned to the bathroom. "That's what I love about you. You're such a dobe."
"I hope there are other reasons…" But Sasuke waved the comment off, and Naruto just smiled.
A/N:
Yes, I know. Another crazy ending. But me being my lazy-ass self…I can't think of how to continue. So I'm hoping to start off at a new place next chapter. In other words, deal with it.
If ANYONE knows where I can post the full version of this fic, please…DON'T HESITATE TO TELL ME.
I'm sure all of you want to read the lemony goodness. Hehe.
:Dobe-Chan:
To Sonicfanatic: Hehe, yeah. Gomen. I had some technical difficulties holding me back, so it took me a bit to update. I'll try to update more frequently now, though. Hehe. I'm glad you like the cornyness…there's going to be a whole lot of it…-.-;;
To Sasuke2006: No. No evil. Just lemon xD. But you're right…it might not be so bad…--evil, lemony thoughts—bahahaha I'm so bad. Teehee.
To blue-genjutsu: I'm glad you liked it. I thought you guys wouldn't like it, actually. So it's good to hear that someone did.
To Red Asatari: Hehe, don't worry about it. You really didn't miss anything…I just didn't update. Hehe. My bad. I promise to try and update more frequently.
To flame gazer: All my endings are either corny or crappy, and you should know this xD. I'm glad you'll let it slide, though. You've been really whipping this fic into shape, and for that I'm thankful. Hehe.
To sasunaruXXnosebleedXX: I'm glad you like it. Hopefully you'll like this chapter better when I find a place to post the lemony stuffs. Hehe.
To RainbowColored: Thank you very much, and I'm glad you liked it. It's always good to hear that kind of thing in reviews.
To silver fox aka vash: Hehe, I figured that you guys would like that. Good to hear. I'll try to keep the cuteness up, the cornyness down, and the crappyness WAY down…if that's possible in my case. Hehe.
To Inu-Chan-000: Yes, I updated. Gomen. I really didn't mean to keep you all waiting. And I'm happy I filled the void in your life. Heh. I'll have to go look at that story. I've just started getting into Fruits Basket, so it should be interesting.
To Night Air: I honestly don't know if that's a compliment or not…no offense. But I'm glad you're interested.