The Beginning of Good-bye

Title: The Beginning of Good-bye
Pairings: NaruSasu
Rating: R for swearing and suggestiveness
Comments: Takes place about 5 years before Conviction when Naruto and Sasuke are still chuunins…and therefore, much less mature (LOL…and certainly less tolerant of each other) than they are currently.

—

“Five hours, Naruto. Five. Hours.”

Naruto’s hands tightened around Sasuke’s neck and he managed to gulp a lungful of air before he was pushed underwater again. He would kill the bastard. Never mind that the asshole was supposed to be his best friend. He would gut him and hang him by his entrails.

Naruto grimaced underwater and blamed Sasuke’s warped influence for his gruesome thoughts. If he wasn’t so damn tired, he’d be more than strong enough to overpower the Uchiha bastard.

Meanwhile, said Uchiha was busy using a surprisingly large percentage of his strength keeping Naruto under the bathwater. How could the idiot still have so much energy left?

“…58. 59. 60.” Sasuke released his hold and the blonde came sputtering to the surface. He regretted letting go as Naruto’s hands tightened on this throat and jerked him forward. He toppled over the edge of the tub, falling face first into the water.

This was proving to be far more aggravating than he had initially planned.

He and Naruto had completed their mission in Sand the day before. After a week surrounded by desert, he was more than anxious to return home. But this morning he’d awoken to discover the blonde gone. Luckily, finding him had proven to be as easy as following the sounds of exploding sand. He should have known Naruto wouldn’t have passed up a “my demon is stronger than your demon” fight.

At first he had been amused. But after five hours—five hours—of watching Naruto and Gaara beat each other into twin pulps under the hot sun, Sasuke had had enough. So he’d calmly broken the two apart with a well-placed chidori and dragged a beaten and bloody Naruto (who had been shouting curses and threats that Sasuke was certain must have been heard back in Konoha) away from an equally battered Gaara (who had wordlessly drifted away on a floating platform of sand as he had been barely able to stand). He’d tossed the troublesome teen into the nearest bathhouse and ordered him to clean himself up so they could return to Konoha.

Naruto, being himself, had refused to cooperate. And so, Sasuke at the end of his patience, had forcibly undressed the blonde, tossed him into a tubful of water, and held him under for a solid minute. He couldn’t avoid traveling with the idiot, but he’d be damned if he was going to travel with a bloody, smelly idiot.

Sasuke resurfaced, tossing a thick lock of wet hair from his eye and glared at the blonde who was grinning smugly. Sasuke launched himself at him. Chaos ensued.

Fists flew, curses tainted the air, and a good two inches of water sat over the floorboards when Sasuke managed to twist two fistfuls of blond hair in his hands and pin Naruto against the edge of the tub.

Both panted heavily, each breath pressing their damp chests together. Sasuke’s knee was lodged between Naruto’s thighs, his hard body leaning onto the blonde’s, holding him in place.

Naruto had the childish impulse to bite the other’s nose. Stupid bastard. He glared into Sasuke’s pale face, but found he couldn’t hold his stern expression. Sasuke’s hair was plastered to his skull, thin trails of water tracing the curves and hollows of his face to drip from a rounded chin, a perfect nose, a thick fan of dark lashes. He swallowed as his gaze fell to the water droplets that beaded Sasuke’s upper lip.

Sasuke had always been much too pretty, he thought testily. It was the jerk’s fault Naruto kept thinking about him in ways he was certain Sasuke wouldn’t appreciate. Naruto couldn’t quite pinpoint when it was he had realized he was attracted to his best friend, when he’d begun to appreciate things about him beyond his speed and skill with a kunai. But ruining their friendship, however dysfunctional it may be, wasn’t something he was willing to risk over some irrational hormones.

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed as the blonde continued to stare at his lips. And then, as if his body had unplugged from his brain, he felt warmth rising in his cheeks. He tightened his lips, using every bit of his self-control to push the blush away while wondering what part of him had gone insane.

“Wow, Sasuke,” Naruto said, a huge grin splitting his face. “You’re really pretty when you blush.”

Sasuke responded by tightening his fist around Naruto’s hair. He smirked in satisfaction when the blonde winced.

He felt himself slipping on the slick surface beneath him and quickly jerked his knee higher.

Both boys froze when Sasuke’s knee pressed into something curiously hard between Naruto’s legs.

Sasuke wasn’t certain what he’d expected to see by lowering his eyes, but it certainly wasn’t Naruto’s bare chest quivering against him nor the tightening in his gut that accompanied the sight. The broad expanse glistened with beads of water and he found his gaze riveted to a single crystalline droplet hovering at the very tip of a flat masculine nipple. His eyes widened in disbelief when he felt his cheeks grow warm again.

Naruto, snapping to his senses, gathered his remaining strength and shoved Sasuke off him. He didn’t even care when he felt several strands of hair rip from his skull with Sasuke’s hands.

Sasuke grunted as his head hit the other side of the tub, water splashing his face. He sat up, blinked the moisture from his eyes and caught the back of a blonde head as Naruto fled the room. He groaned.

Well, shit.

*********************************************

Sasuke closed his eyes, ears straining for the snap of a twig or the rustle of leaves. He smirked as he caught the crunch of dry underbrush. He tilted his face upward toward the half moon that lorded over a dark sky strewn with stars and wisps of clouds.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” he asked, voice low.

Naruto stumbled over a rock and pitched forward. His hand shot out, latching onto a low branch before his face could make friends with the ground.

Sasuke opened his eyes and cast a bemused expression over his shoulder. “You’ll never make jounin if you can’t even sneak up on me.”

“I wasn’t sneaking up on you,” Naruto muttered, righting himself and approaching Sasuke’s side. He was sitting cross-legged on a small boulder. Naruto had to look up to see Sasuke’s face.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Sasuke repeated, staring ahead.

“I’m not tired.”

“You should sleep anyway. You’ll need to be alert tomorrow for the mission.”

“Are you worried about me, Sasuke?”

Sasuke snorted. “I want you alert so you won’t slow me down.”

Naruto reached up, warm hand firmly grasping Sasuke’s forearm. The dark-haired man finally turned to look at him, a question in his eyes.

Naruto grinned and pulled himself atop the large rock, nearly unseating Sasuke in the process.

“Idiot! What are you doing?” Sasuke slapped the back of Naruto’s head. He should push the blonde moron off for being so weird.

“You’ll never make jounin if you can’t even pull me onto a rock.” Naruto snickered, dodging Sasuke’s fist.

“You could have told me what you were doing. I would have braced myself. Idiot.”

Naruto continued to snort short bursts of laughter into his hand. Sasuke shook his head in disgust and decided to ignore him. He reminded himself that they were on a mission and that he was supposed to be watching for enemies. He didn’t need the blonde distracting him.

His jaw tightened when Naruto scooted closer, pressing a knee into Sasuke’s side. His eye twitched, determined to ignore the warm body beside him, uncomfortable with the stirrings in his gut, which had grown irritatingly frequent lately. So like everything else he found unnecessary, he crushed it with his iron will.

He had nearly succeeded in completely forgetting about Naruto’s presence when a warm weight settled against his shoulder. He turned, prepared to blister the idiot’s ears, and other parts, when he found himself nose to nose with a dozing Naruto. He viciously quelled the warmth creeping up his neck.

A lock of blonde hair had fallen over Naruto’s left eye, his long gilded lashes catching in the strands. His lips were parted, a hint of a smile hovering at the edges. Sasuke decided only a simpleton like Naruto could pass as a ninja yet sleep with an expression of such innocent bliss.

He sighed and gently pushed the lock of hair back into place—not because of the fist squeezing at his heart, but because Naruto looked like even more of an idiot with hair all over his face.

Naruto’s breath fanned his cheek and unable to stop himself, he licked his lips. For one moment of insanity, he entertained the thought of those lips pressed to his own, those unruly locks dusting his skin as calloused hands crept lower…

Abruptly, he straightened. The blonde sleeping on his shoulder jerked outward, eyes flying open. Sasuke turned away as Naruto’s arms flailed in wild circles before he slid off the rock. His back smacked into the hard ground, breath jarred from his lungs.

A moment later, a fuming blonde jumped to his feet, fists shaking at his sides.

“What the fuck was that for?” Naruto hissed, some part of him still aware that they were on a mission and shouting to the tops of the trees would probably be unwise.

Sasuke turned and pinned his outraged comrade with a mutinous glare. “Go sleep somewhere else. I’m not your pillow.”

“So you had to push me off to wake me up? God, you are such an asshole.” Naruto slapped angrily at his back to clear his chuunin vest of clinging dirt and stomped back to their small camp, muttering something about putting frogs in Sasuke’s bedroll.

Sasuke crossed his arms, barely listening to Naruto retreat. He glared into the shadows of the foliage ahead, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. He didn’t like these—he shuddered in distaste—feelings. Naruto was his friend.

He was also an idiot, a clumsy loudmouthed dead-last moron…but his friend nonetheless. And if he were to be honest with himself, Naruto was possibly his only friend.

His scowl deepened, wondering what fraction of his hatred it had cost him to admit that small truth.

Naruto had been even more annoying than usual, if that were possible, the past several weeks, ever since the escapade in Sand. Sasuke heaved a frustrated breath, releasing it loudly into the still night. He wasn’t so naïve that he hadn’t realized exactly what had happened in the tub that day. But, as such things never seemed to come between them for long, they had simply let it be and returned home.

And yet…since then the blonde had become ingratiatingly nice—with exception to times Sasuke prodded him to anger, which was always absurdly easy. There were small gestures and unnecessary touches and punches that, unless initially provoked, didn’t fall nearly as hard as they used to and it was pissing Sasuke off to no end.

But it would be inaccurate to say that that had been the moment their friendship, rivalry, whatever one wanted to call it, had begun to change. Even before then there had been curious touches, confused looks, as if neither of them quite knew what to make of their budding attraction. If it could be called an attraction.

Sasuke grimaced at the thought of anyone, much less himself, being attracted to the nauseatingly energetic teen.

In his dubious heart, he could admit that he at least cared for the moron. He couldn’t lie to himself on that account, considering he’d tried to kill the blonde once for that very same reason. But the way Naruto was steadily burrowing into his skin, filling his shadows with something he hadn’t felt since before Itachi sent him spiraling into darkness…

A shadow passed over his eyes, his lip curling into a low growl. They were friends. There was nothing more to it.

He glanced behind him into the darkness where Naruto had stomped off and, despite his resolution, couldn’t help the imaginary strings that tugged at the corners of his lips.

*********************************************

“Sakura, go home and get some sleep.”

Sakura tugged at her pink hair, looking indecisive.

“Hokage-sama already confirmed that he’ll be fine,” Sasuke said. “Besides, he’s too stupid to die like this.”

Sakura frowned at him. “He’s too stubborn to die, you mean.”

“That too.”

She managed a wan smile and cast their inert friend a last glance, fretful hands tangled in her hair. “You’ll stay with him then?”

He didn’t reply, merely taking a seat beside the hospital bed.

Sakura bit her lip and nodded, even though he wasn’t looking at her, and turned to leave.

Sasuke’s hands tugged at the sterile white sheets, twisting the thin cotton in his lap, Sakura already forgotten as the door shut quietly at her departure. Shifting restlessly in his seat, he watched the steady rise and fall of Naruto’s chest. Naruto lay immobile in the hospital bed, his entire waist and torso hidden beneath a layer of bandages.

Sasuke scowled down at the unconscious blonde. “Idiot,” he muttered, wanting to punch that oblivious face for being so recklessly stupid.

He ground his teeth as his anger returned, anger at the enemy who had appeared so suddenly, anger at Naruto for jumping so thoughtlessly into the fray, for blindly trying to protect Sasuke and taking an eight-inch serrated blade in the side and then trying to remove it and nearly tearing open his ribcage.

“You are such a total moron. I don’t need you to protect me. I could have handled it. I did handle it.” Sasuke twisted the sheet a little tighter, recalling with a detached nostalgia the strength he’d drawn from some inner reservoir he hadn’t even known he’d possessed to defeat the enemy ninjas and return a dying Naruto to Konoha and the hokage, who was the single person Sasuke trusted to save the idiot’s life.

He released the wrung cloth before it could tear and raised an unsteady hand to his left shoulder, fingertips brushing over the cursed seal. It had twinged at times during the battle, asking to be let loose. While it would have given him power, it was a power that consumed more of his being than just his physical body. It had taken time, but he had finally resolved that the strength he would use to kill his brother would be his own and not the manifestation of a seal cursed in too many ways.

He felt now the pull of exhaustion from having carried Naruto across nearly seventy miles in five hours, the fear that kyuubi’s power would be insufficient to keep the blonde alive for much longer, fear that he had ruthlessly suppressed in lieu of concentrating on his destination. That repulsive fear shook through him and he bent over, forehead pressing into the bed.

Damn it, he thought furiously. He slammed his fist into the mattress. He hoped the blonde recovered quickly so he could kick Naruto’s ass for getting under his skin like no one else could.

Wearily, he stood from his seat and slid into the bed beside the blonde. Turning to his side, he lifted his hand, brows drawn deep in consideration. He rested his palm over Naruto’s chest, feeling inexplicably calmed by the strong cadence of the heart that beat within. As he rapidly drifted into unconsciousness on tides of fatigue, he thought perhaps it wasn’t so deranged to like blue eyes and sunny hair.

***************************************

Naruto felt like he was swimming through mud—and it wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as he might have imagined it to be. His limbs felt weighted, his body stiff, and it seemed like an eternity before he broke the surface. His eyes opened slowly, his lids feeling sluggish. He blinked a few times, vision focusing on the matted texture of the rectangular overhead light. He recognized those lights.

He turned his head, wincing at the faint throb behind his eyes and groaned softly when he confirmed that yes, he was in the hospital. He attempted to sit up but a weight across his chest hindered his movement. A light frown marred his brow as he turned his head a little further.

He blinked to clear his vision again, but Sasuke’s face, softened in sleep, remained inches in front of him, dark hair spilled across the stark white pillow. Blue eyes widened as his last memories before passing out flashed through his mind. His hand moved carefully to his side where he could still feel the throb of a wound even though he was certain kyuubi had already healed it. To prove himself right, he pushed down on the bandages. He winced. It was tender but definitely healing.

Now assured that his body was intact, he returned his attention to the boy sleeping beside him.

Shit, he thought, I really did pass out.

Sasuke didn’t say much when it came to taunting. He tended to let his actions speak for him…and they spoke often, typically accompanied by much pain. But when he did use words, they were usually brief and cutting, as if he knew exactly what to say to irk Naruto the most. And he’d say it in the company of all their friends just in case the others weren’t aware of Naruto’s shortcomings.

He wrinkled his nose, already imagining Sasuke’s derisive snort and sarcastic remark for letting himself be taken down.

He tried to think of a retort, just to be prepared, but found he couldn’t concentrate on such a paltry concern. Instead, he smiled, marveling that Sasuke could look so relaxed. It was reassuring to know, although he couldn’t say exactly why, that Sasuke didn’t always carry a stick up his ass.

Inky strands of hair dusted a pale brow and sooty lashes formed crescent-shaped shadows over smooth cheeks. Naruto lifted his hand, fingers lightly grazing skin as he gently brushed back the dark strands.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, a shadow of awe echoing his words. He swallowed thickly, sparing a brief moment to question whether it was wrong of him to feel that way about a boy, but then decided it didn’t matter.

His gaze dropped to well-formed lips. He felt a bubble of laughter rise in his throat. Sasuke would probably cut off his balls if he tried to kiss him. And as he was rather partial to his balls, he refrained from acting on the impulse.

“Naruto.”

He would have jerked backward if Sasuke’s arm hadn’t tightened over his chest.

“Sasuke,” he said, laughing nervously, somewhat mortified at being caught staring. He lowered his eyes, unable to meet that dark gaze.

“Don’t ever do that again,” Sasuke said, voice still thick from sleep, but holding a thread of steel.

“W-what?” Naruto asked uncertainly. Was Sasuke so repulsed by his poorly hidden attraction?

“Trying to protect me by jumping in front of a weapon. It was stupid and idiotic and I didn’t need your help.”

“Huh?” Blue eyes rose to meet Sasuke’s glare.

“Was that too difficult for you to follow?” he asked dryly. “Don’t. Do it. Again.”

Naruto, feeling supremely relieved, snorted loudly. “I saved your life, Sasuke. You could at least thank me.”

“You didn’t save me, moron. All you managed to do was get yourself almost killed.”

At that, Naruto’s eyes clouded with confusion. “Wait. We weren’t anywhere near Konoha when they attacked. Did you carry me all the way here?”

Sasuke’s lips compressed and his eyebrow rose a fraction. “You’re heavier than you look. You should stop eating so much ramen.”

Naruto wondered if perhaps the doctors had drugged him because suddenly he felt his throat constrict, a flurry of emotions wreaking havoc inside him. He decided he didn’t care if afterward, Sasuke felt inclined to damage his private parts. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Sasuke’s.

He felt Sasuke go rigid, but he was beyond caring. He would let Sasuke kill him by whatever gruesome method the Uchiha could concoct later, but if he was going to die then he was damn well going to get a decent kiss first.

He nipped lightly at Sasuke’s lower lip, tongue darting out to dampen the soft flesh before tracing along the seam of his mouth. Pressing harder against the stiff body beside him, he trailed calloused fingers down a pale neck, searching for a response. And remarkably, he received one that wasn’t a punch in the face.

Sasuke’s lips parted beneath his, moist tongue pushing into Naruto’s mouth, lapping at the warmth there. Naruto groaned at the sudden invasion, pleasure spiking straight to his groin.

Sasuke suppressed a shudder of desire, instead focusing on the warm hand sneaking beneath his shirt. He sucked in his breath as fingernails dragged up his ribcage before slipping to his back to knead the muscles there. He pushed Naruto onto his back, rolling forward so he lay on top, sliding his tongue wetly down a firm jaw. Naruto arched beneath him and he felt the clear proof of Naruto’s arousal press into his belly.

He waited for the revulsion, the disgust at himself for licking hungrily at the boy beneath him…but it never came. Instead he felt his own awakening length stir in his suddenly tight pants with the realization that he was kissing his best friend.

And yet, Sasuke couldn’t imagine it being any other way. He felt his uncertainty drain away, taking with it any embarrassment he might have felt. After all, this was Naruto. He didn’t know how he’d feel later, when left alone with his thoughts and the ramifications of their actions, but for now…

Well, shit, he thought. Kiss him now and kick his ass later. It sounded like a wonderful plan. He smirked against the soft skin of Naruto’s neck. He always knew they were fucked up. Which was probably why they worked so well together.

“Sasuke,” Naruto whispered.

He lifted his head from the blonde’s neck to find Naruto grinning stupidly up at him.

“Thanks,” he said, a dark flush rising on his whiskered cheeks. “For saving my life.”

Sasuke rested his forehead against the blonde’s, a faint smile curling his lips. “I know you’re helpless without me, but let’s not make it a habit.”

Naruto, unable to resist the urge, stuck his tongue out. And since their foreheads were touching, effectively licked Sasuke’s lips.

Sasuke drew back. “You’re so childish.”

Naruto grinned broadly at the way Sasuke was staring at his tongue. He bucked upward, grin turning feral when he felt Sasuke’s arousal. “How about this? Can we make this a habit?”

Sasuke smirked and latched onto Naruto’s lips, tongue plundering his mouth until he could hardly breathe.

Naruto thought it a marvelous way to die.

The End.