“I’m going to need sleep soon.” Naruto muttered to himself, alone. In bed… In the dark. The last two days had not yielded any answers to him, and neither had they let him sleep very well. He sighed, drawing a hand across his face and thought One thing’s for sure, Ino and Sakura are having problems, and I’m in deep shit with Ino.
First things first, he had to fix things between Ino and Sakura.
Ten minutes later, despite dragging his feet, Naruto found his hand hovering hesitantly above Ino’s door. Swallowing, he squeezed his eyes shut momentarily, grimaced, and brought his knuckles to the wood.
The blonde bit his lip and waited, nervously, for the door to open, and he sucked in a breath when Ino answered. She was obviously surprised to see him, but anything else was lost as she flashed him a plastic smile, pretending like nothing had happened.
“Can I help you?” She asked, slightly confused, and struggling to keep her voice pleasant. She watched as Naruto’s eyes darted uncomfortably to the side.
“Umm… I have something to say?” He offered, shifting his weight.
“That’s a first.” She snapped impatiently, either not noticing the bite, or not caring.
Naruto sighed in frustration.
“Look it’s about Sakura, okay?”
Ino looked taken aback, but stepped aside and motioned with her head for him to enter.
“I know…” he began as he stepped over the threshold, searching for the right words.
“You know what?” She asked, trying not to insult him again.
“… That you like her--Sakura I mean.”
Ino blinked, confused for a second, and then realized what he had said. Slowly feeling apprehensive, she tensed, wondering what his reaction was going to be--but the emotion was quickly replaced by anger. And it was steadily growing harder to bite back.
“And you?” She asked coldly.
“She broke up with me.” He said lamely.
Ino rolled her eyes and sighed, exhasperated.
“Well, DUH. I mean, what about yesterday?”
Naruto gave her a blank look, obviously not understanding.
“The kiss…?” She offered.
“OH! That was--I don’t--You don’t--It wasn’t--” He said, starting and stopping, not sure what he should say. Taking a deep breath, he started again, “It’s a long story… You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me,” She said, the corner of her lips tugging into a frown.
“I suppose it was selfish…” he began, eyes focusing on something she couldn’t see, as he was drawn into deep thought. Knitting his eyebrows together, he exhaled in frustration, cheeks puffing out as the breath noisily left him. “How can I put this…. My orientation’s been thrown into constant turmoil?”
Ino’s eyebrow quirked in near disbelief as she watched the idiot she had seen cling unwaveringly to a girl--the girl she liked, nonetheless--for most of their lives.
“I needed answers, okay?” he asked, now nearing desperation.
She nodded in understanding, but still needed reassurance.
“So did you get you answers?” she probed, hopeful.
Pursing his lips, he thought about it, and shrugged a shoulder in what he meant to be indifference.
“I--I don’t know.” He said, but he was beginning to think he had…
Pupil-less eyes slid closed as she reached a hand up to rub her neck, working the kinks out of it. She sighed in understanding, and felt herself blush as an image of Sakura flashed before her. She opened her eyes and smiled slightly, rising. Ino lay a hand on his shoulder as she nodded again.
“It’s alright.” She murmured, giving him a tiny pat. She felt his shoulders sag in relief, and gestured toward the door. “You have your own problems to deal with.”
Giving her a questioning look, the blonde stood, ignoring his aching joints, and started towards the door.
“But thanks, Naruto.”
He was halfway down the walkway, the door shut behind him, before he realized what she had said.
--
Naruto spent the remainder of the day wandering leisurely--er, aimlessly, rather-- around the village, his fingertips occasionally fluttering up to brush his lips, and then clutching his hand into a fist, scowling inwardly, though more at his heart-rate than anything. A couple of times, he had to stop and lean against something, eyes shut, one hand wrapped tightly around his stomach, the other over where his heart should have been. He stayed this way for several, rather long moments, before he started again, slowly now.
But what to think about? It hurt to think about Sasuke…. And not thinking about him hurt more.
Three years ago, the blonde would look around and smile sadly, unable to remember all the times he and the Uchiha had had together, and wish that Sasuke had never left, but now, it was different. No longer those natural feelings of ‘nostalgia,’ it was starting to bother him. Because now, everything reminded of his ex-teammate. And why, when he was the very cause of all his troubles, couldn’t he stop thinking about him?
Though refusing to consciously admit it, he knew the answer, but he didn’t want to believe it, out of his control or not. And he wouldn’t, because he was childishly shutting everything out of his mind.
Without noticing, his hand had flown to his mouth again, this time pressing firmly, his lips numbing as he remembered the kiss… and he suddenly he had to stop again, one arm around his middle, as his stomach turned, making him feel nauseous.
His heart aching dully, he groaned, and, wrapping his other arm around his stomach as well, he stumbled home.
--
When he reached his apartment, the ache had finally subsided, but his heart had yet to completely slow down. Swinging the door inward, Naruto tossed his keys onto a nearby counter top and slid his jacket off, tossing it near the vicinity of his couch. His hand automatically groped outward as he located the light-switch, but something made him stop. Cocking his head, the blonde strained his eyes in the darkness towards the disturbance in his quarters’ layout--mere shadow though it was. And when he failed to sense any traces of chakra, he sighed, slowly calming down. Deciding he was so frazzled that he suspected his own shadow of threat, he threw the switch, pupils contracting rapidly as light flooded the room and he was momentarily blinded.
Naruto threw a glance at the couch to note where his jacket had landed for future reference and faltered a step. Because there, on his couch, his orange and black jacket a haplessly strewn mass of cotton before their feet, was a figure. His eyes traveled upward, slowly registering the meaning, and he found himself tensing, recognizing the feet, whose pale legs were crossed lazily, the loose cloth draped over them…. The lean waist, disguised by the loose yukata and thick, purple rope…. Leading to a partially visible chest, as pale as the legs. And he paused, not sure if he wanted to confirm his suspicions.
But his gaze trailed ever onward, and he found that his fears were correct. The longish, black hair, dark eyes, darkened into a pissed-off death-glare those Uchiha’s were so famous for. And that angry, impatient look only convinced him more that he didn’t wasn’t to see Sasuke right now, although he would’ve gladly let him stay.
The bright blue eyes flicked back in fright and disbelief, and then over, again, to the figure on his couch, as if it would no longer be there when he looked again. But Sasuke was still there, and Naruto went rigid, drawing back. Needing something in that dangerously void area behind him, he backed up, until he bumped the door shut slightly, and then kept moving until a solid ‘click’ sounded, and his back was firmly against the wood.
He instantly regretted it, now trapped in the room with the older man; his odds of escaping extremely slim. And to make matters worse, that older man was Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke.
Naruto’s eyes widened as his fear steadily grew, and he waited, alarmed, wondering what the other would do, his muscles groaning in protest at being held so tense.
“….Sasu?” He managed to choke out, barely audible.
He watched as Sasuke rose and approached him. He tried to move away, but found himself held there, ironically, but the supporting frame behind him. Naruto winced as a pale hand reached up to cup his cheek, cringing when the others skin brushed his. The hand stopped, fisted, and dropped back to the side, the frown now a deep scowl.
Sasuke brought the palm of his hand to the wood next to the blonde’s face, satisfied as a loud ‘thud’ was heard. But he tsk’d in annoyance when he saw the other flinch, and turn those beautiful cerulean blue eyes up at him in a long, pleading look.
Kami, how he hated those eyes.
“What?” he murmured, then, adding a touch of sarcasm to his voice, “You really don’t trust me enough to not do something horrible to you?”
“I--It’s not that!…” Naruto stammered, unable to finish saying It’s me I don’t trust will stop from doing something that shouldn’t be done.
Sasuke hesitated, surprised, but he mentally shrugged it off, leaning closer. The blonde managed to let out a strangled cry, but that didn’t stop the dark-featured nin from closing the distance.
Even before their lips met, Naruto was waiting, breath shallow, and heart racing.
But this time his stomach was doing happy flips and not sick ones. And even though he didn’t want it, he wouldn’t stop it, so he stood there, fingernails starting to pull up grains in the wood as he waited an excruciatingly long time before the soft mouth was on his.
And he couldn’t help but return it, egging the Uchiha on. And an unbeckoned thrill ran down his spine, unable to help remembering their last.
But, as happy and utterly confused about it all as he was, he couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong. Sasuke tasted different? Or something. Disappointed, Naruto gently rested a hand on the other’s shoulder, pulling away slightly. The older man quickly got the hint and pulled back, giving him a questioning look. And the blonde had his answer.
When he had rebelled yesterday, because of the kiss, he had landed a punch…. And here were the effects. Sasuke had a split lip because of him. He had done more damage then he had hoped.
Eyebrows curving upwards in remorse, he brushed a finger of the slight wound, barely noticing the quick jerk from Sasuke, since he hadn’t meant to show the pain.
“I’m so sorry……” He breathed.
But Sasuke didn’t reply. Instead he kissed him again, pressing him to the door for all that he thought the blonde was worth.
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Chapter notes: Disclaimer: I am a FANartist and FANwriter. (Note the 'FAN') and I have lovely pictures to show!!!! yeah! but no manga'ttebayo!
anyways, this chapter courtesy of Andrea who stayed on my case to update, since she refuses to read stories unless they're complete, and I only got her to read in the first place by convincing her I would give her updates in school. So why not post them, if I've already written them?? So thank her annoying butt for staying on my lazy case. And, lemon, anyone? She wants one, but I'd rather wait for a mass vote. And if the choice is yes, I only hope I can get it written and posted without dad noticing..... >
SO LEMON YES OR NO?!?!?!?!
Chapter end notes: This is for the previous chapter, but I'm too lazy to go back and edit, so here: http://intelligenzbestie.deviantart.com/art/Kiss-Kiss-59720692
(It's the Narusaku kiss)