A/N: Kind of an old fic, written a few months ago. I noticed that while there certainly isn't a lack of SasuNaru fics out there (well-written ones are hard to find, though...), there weren't any really shounen-ai ones. They're all yaoi and hard and rough and stuff like that, and I was in the mood for something soft and cute. I couldn't find any, so I wrote one. Took me a few weeks. It's really cutesy and cliche and painfully corny and lah-dee-dah. I dunno. I still kind of like it. Hope you do, too. Constructive criticism is accepted but not encouraged (random reviews always are, however). I know this is definitely not some of my best work, but whatever. Written for me, just posting because. Damn this note is long. Ending now to preserve your sanity (or what's left of it, anyway).
Oh, and I had no idea what to do for the beginning, so it starts off sudden. That's just... the way I did it. Bear with me.
Beta-ed by: My luverly wifey Natters. She got me into this damn addictive fandom, so she's now forced to beta every bit of stupid that filters out of my reality-depraved mind. I love her so. :)
Song: Title inspired by Carolyn Dawn Johnson's "Complicated". It's a cute/sad song, totally SasuNaru for me, listen if you want. I recommend it.
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. I just like to manipulate them to my sadistic will.
"NARUTO!" Sasuke screamed, watching as the blond turned too late, unable to protect himself from the immense blow that sent him crashing against a tree. There was a sharp crack as the back of his head connected with the trunk, and he crumpled in a heap at the base, blood trickling down his neck.
"Naruto!" Sasuke took a step forward, heart pounding wildly. "Get up!" he screamed when Naruto didn't move. He paused for only a second, trying to see if Naruto was alright, and that was all his enemy needed to get his shot in. He flew past Sasuke faster than the eye could follow, slashing viciously as he passed the boy.
Sasuke's eyes widened and he choked, his side sliced open. He yelled and fell to his knees, gripping his midsection and feeling the blood pouring out over his hand. The attacker chuckled and turned to face Naruto.
"One down, one to go…"
He stepped towards the unconscious genin, kunai poised. Naruto didn't stir. Sasuke forced himself to relax, calming his heartbeat to slow the loss of blood. He looked up, seeing the Jounin advancing on Naruto, who was helpless in his unconsciousness. Without a second thought he forced himself to his feet and flung his last remaining kunai at his opponent.
The Jounin managed to dodge them all, though one ripped a small hole in his sleeve. While he was distracted, Sasuke sped around him and planted himself firmly in front of Naruto, ready to protect him with his own life despite the pain in his side.
Examining the tear in his shirt, the Jounin turned and snarled at Sasuke. "How dare you…" He twirled his kunai expertly, scowling as Sasuke stood firm in a defensive position, not even his wound stopping him from covering Naruto. The sky got darker and it started to sprinkle, a few drops hitting Sasuke square in the face. He didn't flinch, never taking his eyes off of the thief.
Without warning, the Jounin darted forward. Sasuke braced himself for the final blow, wincing in anticipation, expecting the bite of the cold blade slicing through him...
It never came.
Instead, a shrill, bird-like whistle sailed through the trees, stopping the thief dead in his tracks. It was a quiet sound, and seemed to be carried on the wind from far away, like a cross between a bird and the natural sounds the wind makes. The Jounin cocked his head and listened for a moment, then relaxed and dropped the hand that held the shuriken. He smirked and stepped back, bowing mockingly.
"I guess we'll have to continue this another time then, hm?" And with that, he melded with the shadows and disappeared.
Sasuke had no idea what just happened. One second he was battling to the death with an opponent stronger than maybe even Kakashi, and the next he was completely alone with the still-unconscious Naruto, no other ninja in sight. The sky also chose that moment to open up completely and drench them in a shower of icy needles.
Sasuke sank to his knees again, grimacing from the stabbing pain in his side. He glanced down to check the damage, but couldn't see anything past the blood-drenched shirt and shreds of skin. His heart beat rapidly in his chest, breathing becoming harsh. He felt dizzy and realized just how much blood he must be losing, but there wasn't really anything he could do about it…
He looked down at Naruto, who was slumped in front of him. Sasuke extended a blood-flecked hand to pat the genin on the cheek. "Naruto. Naru… wake... up…" After a few more pats and one half-hearted shove, Naruto started to stir. His eyes flickered open slowly, not really realizing his surroundings for a few seconds.
"Sasuke… what…?"
He suddenly spotted the gash in Sasuke's side and his eyes widened. He sat up quickly, now fully awake. "Sasuke, you're hurt!"
Sasuke felt like responding, "No shit, Sherlock," but he was currently having trouble breathing and decided to take a rain check on the snarky comments. He looked up at Naruto, who was staring at him in horror, and noticed the blood on his neck. He tried to ask the blond if he was alright, but the words barely came out in a pained gasp as his side throbbed.
Suddenly his vision was reduced to a small tunnel of bare light, and Sasuke knew what was going to happen. He tried to warn Naruto, but words still couldn't come. So he gave into it and fell down the lighted shaft, the pain in his side fading away as he sank to the ground, unconscious.
Naruto was frantic. It was raining, Sasuke was badly hurt, Sensei was nowhere around, and his head was starting to ache really, really bad. Well, one thing was for certain, Sasuke couldn't stay out in the rain in his condition. But where was there to go? They were in the middle of a freaking forest for cryin' out loud, and he doubted he could make it back to the village before Sasuke's condition worsened. Naruto whimpered and glanced around, finding nothing to aid him. Maybe there were some caves or low-hanging trees they could shelter under until the rain stopped…
Deciding that looking around was better than staying there and freezing to death, Naruto sat up and crawled over to Sasuke, sliding his hands under his shoulders and knees, and lifted him up carefully.
When he stood up, a full-on headache hit him like a kunai to the skull. He faltered, but kept his balance and held Sasuke closer to him, mindful of his injury. He started off into the trees, scanning the shadows for anything that could shelter them from the rain that was starting to pour down harder around them. After a few minutes of futile searching, Naruto glimpsed something through the trees. It was only a smudge, but it could have been a rocky outcropping of sorts, anything that could keep the rain off them. There was a flash of lightning, and Naruto almost cheered. A cave! A small cave, nothing more than a natural dip in the rock face, but it would offer some shelter from the storm.
Naruto settled into the tiny cavern thankfully, keeping Sasuke on his lap. He supported the boy's head with his arm and hunched over him, shielding him from the rainfall. He checked Sasuke's breathing with a trembling hand, his own breath becoming shaky when he found it to be very shallow. He tried to keep as much of Sasuke covered and dry as possible, which was difficult because his wound was still bleeding profusely and the rain was pounding relentlessly upon them.
He cradled Sasuke's unconscious, wounded body in his arms, paying no attention to the blood that soaked his own clothes as well, hoping and praying for someone to brave the storm and come find them. He was worried that Sasuke wouldn't make it without immediate medical attention, because he was looking pretty bad already.
"Sasuke…" Naruto whined, rocking slowly. "Please wake up…" If Sasuke woke up, he would know what to do. He always knew what to do. Naruto, on the other hand, was especially incompetent at first aid, and instead just opted for being Sasuke's rain-shield until help arrived.
Spray from the shallow opening pelted him mercilessly, but Naruto held firm and kept any of it from hitting Sasuke. With his face and clothes soaked, he barely felt the warm tears rolling down his cheeks and mixing with the raindrops. He tightened his grip on Sasuke and shook from the cold that chilled him to the bone. Hang on, Sasuke… Please…
He bowed his head and prayed.
- 8 – 8 – 8 – 8 -
Sasuke woke slowly, in a haze. He felt disoriented, not really knowing where he was. The last thing I remember is fighting, Naruto being hit, getting stabbed, and then… Nothing. He must have passed out, then. Because this certainly wasn't the forest anymore.
He gently felt his surroundings with a tentative hand, temporarily blinded by sleep. He was draped with a thin blanket, lying on another that covered the hard wooden floor. There were barely any noises at all, suggesting nighttime. Except for soft breathing, coming from somewhere to his left, all was silent. He tried to reach out to see who it was that slept so close to him, but had to retract his hand as his side jolted angrily. Sasuke hissed as the pain cleared away the fog, so he could finally take a look at his surroundings.
He was shirtless, the first thing he noticed. Large, soft white bandages were wrapped around his middle, bleeding through slightly on his injured side but he was otherwise clean and well-mended. He had been right about it being night; a small, cut-out window to the side showed the dark, nighttime forest.
The house itself was fairly small, the room not much bigger than his own in Konoha. The walls were thin bamboo, as were the floors, paper dividers separating his room from another to the side.
A small movement in the corner of his eye made Sasuke turn his head slightly. He was met with an eyeful of blond hair, almost close enough to touch his face, but not quite. Sasuke smiled slightly as Naruto twitched, breathing as one in the deepest of sleeps. He was snuggled into a blanket not two feet away from Sasuke's own mat, face turned toward the Uchiha as if watching him, though he was obviously fast asleep.
Sasuke allowed himself to watch Naruto sleep, a strange contentment settling upon him. Seeing the blond boy unharmed reassured him far more than he'd ever admit; he'd never confess how afraid he'd been when Naruto had hit that tree. It terrified him to see the boy hurt.
Sasuke paused in his thoughts, confused. Why had seeing Naruto flung against a tree shaken him so much? Enough to drop his guard and let himself be injured? It just wasn't rational. Sure, he should be worried. After all, Naruto was his teammate, and they had to look out for each other. But he just didn't understand why…
A hand on his shoulder startled Sasuke out of his musings. He jumped painfully, knocking his elbow against his side, and turned his head with some difficulty.
"How are you feeling?"
It was only Kakashi-sensei. Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief and tried to get his throat to work enough to answer.
"Um, fine." He coughed. "A little sore, but otherwise okay." His throat was scratchy, voice feeling like he hadn't used it in weeks.
Kakashi sat back and smiled. "Good. That's a nasty wound you have there, but it should heal in no time."
Sasuke nodded, and glanced around once more before deciding to ask, "Kakashi-sensei? Where exactly… are we?"
Kakashi squatted down and pulled out the Ichi Ichi Paradise novel that he was never without, scanning the pages as he answered. "A house a short distance away from the gates of Konoha. It was the first we came upon, and we really had no other choice but to stop immediately. You needed help right away."
Blushing at the fact that he hadn't been able to take care of himself, Sasuke turned slightly to glimpse Naruto again. "…And what about him?"
Kakashi glanced up quickly, then back down again. "Naruto? He's fine. As always." When his sharp ears detected the barely-noticeable sigh of relief that Sasuke gave, he continued softly, "He saved you, you know."
Sasuke glanced up sharply as best as he could, still finding himself unable to sit up properly. What?
Kakashi continued. "Carried you to this tiny shell of a cave, to keep the rain off you. He'd barely let go of you when I finally found him, insisting that he could take care of you himself." He chuckled. "Baka." Kakashi thought it appropriate to leave out the part where Naruto had been a sobbing wreck, and how he had to literally pry the boy off of Sasuke in order to get him to safety in time.
Sasuke was silent. He turned his head to look at Naruto again, something akin to affection spreading across his features. Kakashi turned a page in his book, then suddenly snapped it shut, startling Sasuke for a second time.
"Oh, I almost forgot. You're supposed to take some of this," he rummaged around in his pocket and pulled out a small brown bottle. "It will help fight infection and any poisons that might have gotten into your system. I think it knocks you out too, so open up. You need to rest."
Sasuke let himself be fed the medicine, too weak to even lift his arms. His face burned with shame as he settled back down again, the horrible taste of medicine in his mouth. Kakashi patted his head fatherly and stood up. "Sleep tight!" And he was gone as suddenly and noiselessly as he'd appeared.
Almost immediately Sasuke's vision blurred. It felt like a weight had settled on his mind, muffling any feelings and making him incredibly tired. His head dropped to the side, sight unintentionally falling on Naruto, who still slept peacefully beside him, unaware of the brunet's drowsy stare.
Only one word managed to break through the fog of Sasuke's mind right before he passed out again, a word to match the last thing he saw before his vision faded to black.
Naruto…
And he promptly fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.
- 8 – 8 – 8 – 8 -
"Hmm hm hmmm…"
Sasuke shifted on his mat, slowly regaining consciousness. Things came at him in glances; a ceiling tile here, a scratchy patch of blanket there, low humming coming from somewhere to his right. He blinked once, twice, eyes watering from sleep.
"Hm hm hmm."
He lifted a heavy hand and groggily rubbed at his eyes, yawning. The humming to the side stopped at his movements.
He turned his head as shuffling footsteps approached his mat.
"Sasuke?" a tentative voice asked. "You finally awake?"
The brunet peeked open one eye to see a smudge of blond and green. He rubbed his eyes again and was able to open them fully, Naruto's face coming into view.
"Hey there, sleepy head," Naruto smiled as Sasuke blinked a few more times to clear his vision.
"Nn."
Sasuke cleared his throat, finding it hoarse from sleep. He licked his lips and found them dry as well. Glancing around for anything to drink, he noticed that Naruto was now leaning over him, peering into his face.
"Wh… what?"
Naruto seemed surprised by Sasuke's question and sat back hastily. "Nothing."
Sasuke noticed that he was not wearing his customary orange jumpsuit – it had been replaced by a simple green long-sleeved shirt and grey sweats. Naruto noticed his questioning glance and gave a tiny smile. "You bled on me, so I had to borrow some clean clothes."
Sasuke resisted the urge to laugh, knowing his injury wouldn't be able to handle it. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he found Naruto looking at him strangely again.
Staring suspiciously at the blond boy, Sasuke tried to sit up. He hissed in pain as his side jolted and would have collapsed again if it weren't for Naruto, who quickly slid around and held him steady.
Sasuke panted with the effort of holding himself up, thankful for the arms around his middle that kept him from falling back.
"S-Sasuke?" Naruto stuttered, moving so he was behind the brunet, propping him up against his chest. "How are you feeling?" His fingers hovered by the pale bandages, itching to glide over the fabric and try to smooth the pain away. He held back as Sasuke groaned and slumped forward slightly.
"Fine," he mumbled, leaning back gratefully against Naruto. "It…" He sighed, suddenly feeling even more tired than he had been before. "It hurts, but…" he fell silent again.
Naruto swallowed and fought the urge to bury his face in Sasuke's shoulder. "…I'm sorry."
Sasuke was puzzled. "For what?"
"For…" Naruto sniffed, unable to prevent the inevitable tears. "I was the reason you got hurt, wasn't I?" He wiped the back of his hand over his watering eyes. "If I hadn't… If I'd paid more attention, you wouldn't have–"
They were both startled by the sudden opening of the paper divider, slamming into the opposite wall.
"SASUKE-KUN!"
Sasuke jumped at the ear-splitting cry as Sakura ignored the damage she'd done to the delicate paper structure and ran across the room to his side. Naruto instinctively moved away, not wanting to get in the way of the girl's rabid affection.
"Oh Sasuke-kun, I'm so glad you're awake! How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" Not pausing for an answer, she turned on Naruto, who had been lingering on Sasuke's other side. "Stop sniffling, you moron. If it wasn't for you, this never would have happened in the first place!"
Sasuke tried to pull away from Sakura's painful embrace, but found himself trapped. Fortunately Kakashi, who had been standing in the doorway observing, seemed to sense his discomfort.
"Sakura," he sighed, rolling his eye. "He does need to breathe."
"Oh!" She let go, somewhat reluctantly, and Sasuke gently smoothed over his aching side. "I'm sorry! Does it hurt much?"
Kakashi once again intervened before she could grab onto him again, much to Sasuke's relief. He threw something at the brunet as he dragged the protesting Sakura back out the door. "Here, put this on. We'll leave you to get some rest."
Sasuke waited until the door had closed once again and the arguing had subsided before looking into his lap at the fabric Kakashi had tossed him. He unfolded a dark blue shirt much like his own, and started to pull it on. It got caught on his elbow and he winced, unable to lift his arm above his waist.
"Ah…"
He was relieved when Naruto seemed to come to his senses and rushed to his side, gently pulling the material down properly. Sasuke sighed and leaned forward slightly, not wanting to stay upright any longer but unable to lie back down without help. He stared down at his lap in embarrassment.
He only looked up when he heard a small sniffle escape Naruto. The blond wiped furiously at his eyes, slowly inching away from the injured boy.
Sasuke's tough exterior shattered at the sight of those tears. He swallowed. "Naruto."
The blond stopped trying to get away and looked up, eyes red from crying. Sasuke sighed and beckoned him to move closer. Naruto obeyed, and steadied himself as Sasuke leaned against him for support.
"I haven't…" Naruto paused to take a breath. "You really scared me. I thought you were going to die…" Stray tears formed a small puddle on the hardwood between them. Naruto continued. "I haven't been so scared since… since the battle with Haku…"
Sasuke didn't know what to say. He hadn't realized the blond cared that much, worried that much about him. All he could do was try to comfort him as best he could, and hope he didn't say the wrong thing.
"Don't cry…" he murmured, gently taking Naruto's face in his hands. "And don't listen to Sakura. It wasn't your fault."
Naruto swallowed and gave a tiny nod, but Sasuke could see that he was still hurt by the girl's careless statement. He felt inexplicably saddened by the blond's tears, and took to carefully wiping dry the tear-stained cheeks with his thumbs.
"It's okay," he whispered, feeling the need to reassure the boy. "It'll all be okay…"
Without really knowing why, his body acting on its own premise, Sasuke lightly kissed both of Naruto's cheeks, under his eyes.
Naruto's eyes widened a little at the action and Sasuke, as if just realizing what he had done, dropped his hands back to his lap. He pulled his face back and gazed at the ground, unable to look up at Naruto.
"…I'm sorry." I went too far.
Naruto started to say something that caused Sasuke to glance up, when he suddenly felt incredibly dizzy. He gulped and tried to reach out to gain support, but missed Naruto's arm and instead fell backwards unaided. Naruto cried out and all but dove to catch Sasuke before he hit his head against the hardwood, cushioning his fall with outstretched arms.
Sasuke was unconscious before he hit the ground. Naruto carefully laid the brunet's head in his lap as a makeshift pillow, and glanced worriedly at the blood-stained patch of shirt that covered his injury. He hadn't done his job; he'd let Sasuke get hurt again. The least he could do was offer some sort of comfort as he slept.
Naruto decided he would wait for Kakashi to get back before attempting to change Sasuke's bandages. He didn't trust himself with healing techniques; they always seemed to end up backfiring on him.
Settling into a more comfortable position with Sasuke's head still in his lap, Naruto absentmindedly stroked the contrast of pale skin and dark locks. He started up a small tune again, just nonsense notes strung together from pure fantasy.
He hummed to keep the tears away.
- 8 – 8 – 8 – 8 -
Sasuke sat motionless against the outside wall of the house. The strip of wood planks surrounding the hut was just large enough to barely be called a patio; he could lean against the wall without irritating his side, and still swing his legs off of the edge. It was just about twilight, and the sun was beginning to go down, bathing the area that wasn't shadowed by trees in a golden-red light.
He kept perfectly still, listening to the calming sounds of the forest: the wind between the trunks, pine needles rattling together, the occasional squirrel or chipmunk stirring leaves high in the trees. It was the soothing harmony of nature, and Sasuke tried to focus on it to ease the nervous fluttering he felt in his stomach each time he thought about a certain blond-haired someone.
And the problem was, he couldn't stop thinking about him. It was the strangest thing. Sasuke never would have considered himself to be the least bit emotional or caring, but something in him just softened when he looked at the blond boy.
Especially when he cried. God, Sasuke hated it when Naruto cried. He got all sniffly and tried to hide it and just looked so damn cute…
Sasuke closed his eyes and hit the back of his head twice against the side of the house. Yes, he had just thought that. No, he didn't know why. And part of him didn't really care, either. The truth was, he felt good when he was with Naruto. It scared him to death when he was hurt, and he wanted nothing more than to just… well, kiss away his tears, as embarrassing as it was to admit that he had done. Sasuke could feel his cheeks turn pink just thinking about it. Naruto probably thought he was a freak now.
He shook his head gently, feeling stupid. Stupid feelings, stupid situation, stupid Naruto….
From inside, Sasuke heard the door sliding open and soft footsteps enter the room.
"Sasuke?"
Sasuke stiffened, heart beating slightly faster. It was Naruto.
"Sasuke, where are you? I have food for you."
The brunet didn't answer, knowing that Naruto would check outside next. Sure enough, his blond head poked out of the door a second later.
"Oh, there you are," he smiled, stepping out onto the patio, holding a tray of simple food: a bowl of ramen, a slice of bread, a small cup of green tea. "Dinner," he said, setting it down in front of the brooding boy.
When Sasuke made no motion to pick up the food, leaning back against the wall and staring at the sky, Naruto tried again. He pushed the tray a tiny bit closer. "Well, what are you waiting for? Eat. You need it."
Sasuke took a deep breath and turned his head to look Naruto straight in the eyes, startling him. He held the stare for a few moments before lowering his gaze.
"…I'm not hungry."
In truth, he was starving. His stomach felt like it was eating itself, but he didn't want to show weakness in front of Naruto. He already felt pretty pathetic, and didn't want to add on to those feelings. So he settled for just staring at the food, somehow wishing he could absorb it by osmosis instead of having to actually put it in his mouth and swallow.
Naruto cocked his head in question, causing Sasuke to wince involuntarily. …Don't do that, he cringed. Please. You're killing me.
"Sasuke? Are you alright?" Naruto's voice was filled with concern, having mistaken Sasuke's look of waning patience for one of pain. "Is it your side?" He moved closer, worried that Sasuke was in pain.
"No, I'm… fine," he muttered, quickly looking away. He didn't think he could control himself with Naruto so close.
Naruto frowned, disbelieving. "Are you sure? Because I can go get Kakashi if you wa–"
He was forced to cut off as Sasuke's lips covered his own in a gentle kiss.
Self-control be damned.
The kiss was soft, fleeting; it only lasted a second, and left Sasuke craving more. But he forced himself to pull away and quickly went back to staring out at the forest, refusing to look back at Naruto in shame.
"Sasuke." It was almost a whisper.
Oh God, what did I do…
"I'm sorry," Sasuke murmured before Naruto could say anything else. "I didn't mean to. Again…"
There was a pause that seemed to stretch on forever. Sasuke just wished that Naruto would get angry, or walk away, or something. Anything but the silence. It was unbearable.
A hand brushed his face, startling Sasuke out of his embarrassment. He turned to see Naruto very close to him, face tinged orange from the setting sun.
"Sasuke…"
Naruto leaned forward and kissed Sasuke on the cheek, gently, softly. It could barely be considered a kiss, merely lips brushing his skin. But it gave Sasuke goosebumps and he leaned into it eagerly, slightly disappointed when Naruto pulled away. But the hands stayed on his face, making Sasuke stay focused on Naruto.
Nothing was said; there didn't have to be. Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck, leaning against his shoulder, as Sasuke sighed and held him close. They simply sat there together, neither saying a word, wrapped in each other's arms, as the sun finally sank behind the trees.