'I'm so stupid…'
Leaves rustled and branches crunched under the slightly heavier weight of a small figure. Gasping for breath, the figure stopped and hurriedly looked back, ears flat on his head. Voices coming from far away could be heard and the unknown figure turned to run farther, his bushy tail whipping behind. The figure didn't look back as tears fell down his scratched face. Blinking the tears away, he tripped over a tree root and fell on his face. Dirt got into his eyes, mouth, and nose. He sat coughing until another figure appeared on a lower branch.
"Naruto, what the hell are you doing?" it hissed, obviously frightened. His black eyes whipped behind to check. "You need to run or they'll catch you!" Naruto, in pain, slowly got up. His eyes were watered with both the dirt and fear in his eyes.
"Sasuke, what am I supposed to do?" Naruto asked, fluffing his fox tail. Sasuke's cat tail lashed back and forth. "I told you not to mess with them, Dobe! Run! They're coming!" With that, Sasuke leaped of the branch, pushing Naruto. "Get your ass up!"
Nobody knows who I really am
I never felt this empty before
And if I ever need someone to come along
Who's gonna comfort me, and keep me strong?
Sasuke and Naruto ran as if their lives depended on it. As a matter of fact, they did. Naruto's fur bristled. Sasuke spotted a hole underneath of a pine tree.
"In here!" They dived in the hole beneath the tree, hearts pounding. As they waited with baited breath, humans could be heard overhead.
"Where are the bastards?!" a human snapped.
"They had a lot of nerve sneaking into our territory!" another one barked.
Naruto sat in the hole with Sasuke, scared out of his mind. He whined as a human came closer to the tree. Sasuke hushed him.
We are all rowing the boat of fate
The waves keep on coming and we can't escape
But if we ever get lost on our way
The waves would guide you through another day
One human seemed calm as he spoke. "They're obviously not here."
Sasuke and Naruto inched to the back of the hole and held their breath. Another human snapped at the human, "Shut up, Kakashi! You're always so mellow, it's annoying. How do you know they're not here, anyway?!"
The human called Kakashi sighed and didn't reply.
Naruto crawled closer to the opening in the tree as the footsteps disappeared. He took in a deep breath and laughed nervously. Sasuke stayed where he was, his tail waving back and forth. Naruto turned to look at Sasuke, who seemed to be half asleep.
"Sasuke?"
"Hm?" Sasuke replied.
Naruto looked out of the hole. "I think it's safe to go out again."
Naruto and Sasuke climbed out of the tree. Naruto jumped into the nearest patch of grass and purred.
"There's no time for messing around, Dobe. We have to keep going. They might come back." Sasuke hissed.
Far away, I'm breathing, as if I were transparent
It would seem I was in the dark, but I was only blindfolded
I give prayer as I wait for the new day
Shinning vividly up to the edge of that sea
Naruto sat up and sighed. Sasuke grabbed his paw and dragged him through the forest, Naruto complaining all the way.
"Ahh! Sasuke, let go! That hurts!"
"I'll let you go if you actually walk" Naruto agreed and they set out for the demon village, Umigakure, Village Hidden in the Sea. They traveled for two days, eating off of the forest bounty. Naruto yawned and stretched, ready for a rest. He curled up on a patch of grass next to Sasuke and closed his eyes. Sasuke looked at him and wrapped his tail around himself.
Nobody knows who I really am
Maybe they just don't give a damn
But if I ever need someone to come along
I know you will follow me, and keep me strong
The next morning Naruto was awakened by Sasuke, and they continued their journey to Umigakure. Naruto walked along with Sasuke and, suddenly, a loud explosion sounded and animals ran past them in fear. Naruto gasped and ran to where the explosion originated from.
An agonized moan was heard as Naruto approached the area. Naruto gasped as he realized who it was.
The unknown figure stood, covered in wounds. "Pain…" It was a fox demon, about the same age as Naruto. He had blonde hair and was wearing a kimono. Naruto ran to him and, instead of saying 'hi', started to punch the demon.
"What did I tell you about playing with things when you don't know what they are?!" Naruto began scolding.
"Ah, Naruto, it's been awhi-"
"Don't start that with me!" Naruto snapped. "You blew up two acres, Matsuda!"
"It was shiny…"
At this point Sasuke had caught up and noticed Matsuda. Unfortunately, Matsuda had noticed Sasuke as well.
Matsuda's perverted mind began to work and he smirked. "Hey, Naruto, who's your friend??"
Naruto blinked. "Huh? This is Sasuke. He's my friend."
Matsuda looked Sasuke up and down. "Interesting… Well, nice to meet you, Sasuke!" He said, giving Sasuke a hardy slap on the back. He turned and whispered something in Naruto's ear. Naruto blushed a deep crimson. Before Naruto could say anything back in protest, Matsuda called out, "Well, I'm off! And Sasuke! Take care o' him!" And with that Matsuda turned full fox form and leapt into a bush and disappeared.
Naruto sighed. "Oh, well. At least since we met another demon and there's more precipitation in the air means we're closer to the ocean."
People's hearts change and sneak away from them
The moon in its new cycle leads the boats again
As the duo walked on, the forest got thinner and the ground became sandier. More demons could be seen. Naruto's ears pricked up as something caught his eyes.
"Hey, Naussica!" A female demon with a seal's tail sitting on a rock turned and waved.
"Naru-chan! You're back!" She jumped off of the rock and ran to Naruto and Sasuke. "Are you okay? You came from that direction. Did you get hurt in that explosion?"
"We're okay, Naussica. But Matsuda won't be for long once I find him again…" Naruto growled.
Naussica laughed. "Aw, cut him some slack, Naru-chan. I see Sasuke-kun's with you. Were you with Naru-chan in his journey?"
Sasuke nodded. "He almost got us killed." He replied, shooting a glance at Naruto who smiled nervously.
The seal demon Naussica just laughed and patted Naruto's head.
"That's our little Naru-chan for ya!" Naruto just blushed slightly. "Well I gotta go. Work to do back at the village."
Naruto seemed confused. "Then what were you doing taking a nap on that rock?"
Naussica just laughed and scratched an imaginary itch behind her head.
"Well, ya gotta have breaks every now and then. Don't tell Monkey over there. Ha ha! See ya!" They waved as she ran off to the village.
Naruto was so excited that they were almost home. Heck, they were practically at the gates! Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and dragged him as he ran.
"Naruto! Let go! I can walk myself!" Sasuke protested.
"You obviously can;t since I have to drag you!" Naruto retorted.
And every time I see your face
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars
And soon I can see the shore
They ran to the hills and climbed. The hills were abnormally big, but they got them in record time. Naruto took a fresh gulp of air and looked over the hills to see a great familiar gate with the words Village Hidden in the Sea on it. Sasuke looked as well. They walked to the gate and pulled the rope to alert the guards.
"Pachi! Tomo! It's us! Let us in, please!" Naruto called to the two guards standing watch.
"Hey, it's Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun, Pachi! They're back!"
"We'll open the gates, fellas!" Pachi called back.
The gates slowly opened to let the two in.
Oh, I can see the shore…
When will I see the shore?
They walked into the village. The village was so peaceful and demon villagers were walking around and demon children playing. The village was so close to the ocean, you could see it from the gates. There was a little fog so it was barely in their vision.
"Come on, Sasuke! You're so slow! I wanna see everybody else and you're coming with!" Naruto snapped. Sasuke sighed and let Naruto drag him. On the way to the shore, they met Sakura, Chouji, Ten Ten, Chihiru, Ino, Genma, Haru, Neji, and Lee.
It was about evening when Naruto and Sasuke stopped at a ramen shop to rest and eat. As Naruto devoured his ramen, Sasuke stared at his bowl, lost in thought. "Naruto?"
"M-hm?" Naruto asked, his mouth stuffed with ramen.
"Back when we met Matsuda," Sasuke took a bite. " What did he say to you?"
Naruto blushed a little and replied, "He was teasing me, like usual. That baka's always teasing me."
As Naruto pouted, Sasuke smirked. "And what was he teasing you about?"Sasuke had a guess.
Naruto had a full on blush as he stammered. "Well, I uh…; He said… that I, um, he… you…"
Sasuke held his laugh in and inched closer to make Naruto more uncomfortable. "Are you okay?"
"Uh… Um…" Naruto stammered. He then gave up trying to talk and continued to eat his ramen hurriedly.
As time passed, they paid for the food and left to their apartment.
I want you to know who I really am
I never thought I'd feel this way towards you
And if you ever need someone to come along
I will follow you, and keep you strong
Naruto and Sasuke met Sakura once again on the walk home.
"Hi, Naruto-kun! Hi, Sasuke-kun!" She greeted. "What's up? Huh? Naruto-kun, why is your face all red?" Naruto turned brick red and Sasuke's smirk grew. "Ah whatever. I gotta go home. See ya!"
As she walked off Naruto turned to Sasuke. "Am I still red?"
"Maybe," Sasuke replied.
"Aw, don't be like that!" Naruto complained. "I wanna know come on!" Sasuke kept walking, smiling to himself. Naruto gave up and just followed him. But Naruto realized that Sasuke wasnt going in the right direction.
"Sasuke, where are we going...?"Naruto asked.
"Hm... I dunno. I'm just going to wander. You can go home if you want," Sasuke replied with a thoughtful expression on his face.
"I can't go home because YOU have the keys," Naruto grumbled. "I'll just come with you. Nothing better to do..."
The two boys headed off into no where in particular, Naruto humming along. It was a little after noon and the fog was setting as it got colder. Naruto could feel the sand between his paws. The cool ocean air could be felt. The ocean waves were audible. Naruto sighed. It was good to be home.
And still the journey continues on quiet days as well
The moon in its new cycle shines on the boats again
I give a prayer as I wait for the new day
Shinning vividly to the edge of that sea
Sasuke and Naruto ended up on the beach. Naruto's playfulness kicked in and he ran to the waves. Sasuke watched as Naruto would poke the waves with a paw, squeak, and jump back a pace. Sasuke smiled to himself and walked to Naruto.
"Nya, Sasuke? You wanna play in the water, too?" Naruto asked, poking his shoulder. "It's fun." Sasuke rolled his eyes and sat next to Naruto. Naruto began to get adventurous and going farther into the water, squeaking at how cold it was.
"Dobe, what are you doing?" Sasuke asked, concerned. "Do you know how to swim?"
Naruto waved his tail playfully and pounced at a ripple in the water. As Naruto disappeared under the water, Sasuke carefully watched the surface, waiting for Naruto to come up. He let out a sigh of relief when fox ears poked out of the water.
"Sasuke! Come on in!" Naruto called to Sasuke.
Sasuke made a face and replied, "Are you kidding? It's almost dark, isn't it freezing?" Naruto shrugged, smiled, and said, "I guess so." Sasuke sighed.
'I'm gonna regret this' He thought to himself and stepped into the water. Sasuke almost yelped at how cold it was. "Naruto, this is freezing!"
Naruto put on a mock cute face. Aw, come on, Sasuke-kun! Naruto hopped up, grabbing around Sasukes waist and pulling him into the water.
"Hm, there's no one looking anyway." Sasuke inwardly shrugged. Sasuke and Naruto played in the water. Though it was against the cat demon way, who cared!
And every time I see your face
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars
I can see the shore
The two sat on the shore drying off, Naruto laughing. "It's cold, isn't it?" he asked.
Sasuke hit him over the head, smirking. "No duh, Dobe." Sasuke went to hit him again but Naruto dodged it laughing.
"That wasn't fair! You caught me off guard!"
"You should be prepared when you say something as stupid as that!"
Sasuke and Naruto wrestled on the shore. Naruto ended up pinned on the ground, unable to move.
"Aw, no fair!" Naruto complained. "I was off guard again!"
Sasuke smirked. "You're not on guard very often, are you?"
Naruto struggled to get the other boy off of him. "Okay Sasuke, you can get off now. Sasuke"
Sasuke didn't move from his position and inched closer to blonde fox underneath him. Naruto felt uncomfortable. Sasuke's lips met Naruto's. Naruto's eyes widened in shock. When Sasuke pulled back for air he smirked at Naruto's face.
"What's wrong, Naru-chan?" he teased. Naruto didn't say anything, and only stammered.
We are rowing the boat of fate, but the waves keep attacking us
But isn't that still a wonderful journey? Aren't any of them a wonderful journey?