Wow, I'm so glad everyone liked my first chapter. I know it was a bit OOC, but I'm glad it was a hit. You're reviews mean a lot to me.
In response
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Now, on with the new chappy.
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Impact: 2
By Dai-onna
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Daybreak was a generally quiet event as the sun spread over the Konoha Gakure, but in the lot behind the Uchiha training hall, silence was the farthest thing in the world.
"Is that the best you can do, dobe?. Pathetic."
"Shut up, asshole, I'm just getting started."
"That's what you said three hours ago."
"Arrgh!!"
Cries, shouts, and various obscinities had been heard throughout the night as the two teammates, whom had found stable ground between them, trained until sunrise. Both boys were tired, sweaty, and sore from the constant workout, but neither was ready to stop. Training, and falling into familiar routine helped keep thoughts that they weren't ready to deal with at bay.
Naruto was more than a little frustrated. Neither of them were willing to pull out their special techniques that they had tried to use on each other the day before, so they were sticking to basic combat, and simple jutsus, and needless to say, Sasuke was far better than him in that area, with his greater speed and technique, as well as the Sharingan. Not that he was beaten, no definitely not. What Sasuke had in speed and skill, Naruto matched with stamina, and sheer determination.
And now, after hours of training, both were exhausted, but their battled had become less one-sided. Sasuke's blows were landing less and less frequently as fatigue took over, and Naruto's punches, while weakened, were starting to hit their mark.
Still, their bodies would give out long before their usual banter did.
"What's the matter, Sasuke-chan, getting tired?" He taunted, a lopsided grin on his lips. His entire body felt like lead from the heavy training, but it was a good exhaustion, one that made him feel alive and excited. It only further fueled his adreneline. He also liked the frustration on the dark haired teen's face, because it showed that he was actually a challenge for him, and it made him feel more confident in himself, and in his hopes that Sasuke would recognize him as a rival, and be proud to have him as a teammate. The desire seemed even stronger now, after their midnight encounter. He wanted the other shinobi's respect and admiration, perhaps more than that of anyone else in the village.
Sasuke growled lightly at the taunt, grinding his teeth in frustration. He knew he had used up most of his chakra throughout the night, and was more or less running on fumes. It seemed that, despite his speed and skill, he was no match for Naruto when it came to a long, drawn out fight. The thought irked him, though beneath the irritation, he was proud of his teammate for his own abilities.
He couldn't help but admit to himself that the blonde wasn't the useless idiot he had once thought he was. He was reckless, to be certain, but he never gave up, no matter what the situation. It was an odd though, he knew, to admit to himself that Naruto was a worthy opponent. Not that he'd ever say it outloud, of course. he'd never live it down, and the blonde would be more annoying than ever.
And damn, if he wasn't in a hard spot at the moment. He was worn out, and exhausted, so if he couldn't end this quickly, he might have to admit defeat to the fox-boy, something he was loathe to do, no matter how much grudging respect he had for him. He racked his brain, trying to come up with some sort of strategy.
His lips curled up in a slight smirk. It was sneaky, and underhanded. But it might work.
"I should be asking you the same thing, dobe." he drawled lightly, waiting for the right moment to come up behind the blonde, hooking his arms under his to hold him, trapped. He didn't have the power left to hold him for long, but...
Naruto growled in annoyance as he struggled against the other's hold, trying to work his arms free. His own strength was sufficently depleated, but he was sure he at least had enough to get out of this.
His thoughts flew out the window, though, when a sharp pain, followed by a blazing heat blossomed in his neck.
Is he....biting me?? The frantic thought raced through his mind as he floundered for a way to respond to that. Then the pain dulled as a light suction tugged at his neck and a spear of warmth flooded his body, from his neck, to his toes, then back up again. His knees felt weak and a strangled sound errupted from him. He forgot about struggling against the hold as the sensation on his neck took his complete attention.
Then the feeling was gone, and the next thing he knew, he was flat on the ground, pinned on his stomach with the taller boy straddling his back, a smug smirk on his face.
"That....that......You cheater!" He cried out, indignant, his face flushing with heat. "You bit me!"
Sasuke smirked, pirched on top of hte other using his weight to hold him down.
"You're just mad that you didn't think of it first." Naruto scrunched his nose lightly.
"Well, yeah....But it's expected of me! It's cheating when you do it." He whined.
The raven-haired teen smirked, moving off of the other, and brushed himself off.
"Your logic astounds me sometimes."
The blonde shinobi huffed as he got to his feet, brushing the dirt off the front of his clothes.
"You're still a cheater." He sulked, bringing a hand up to the bite mark on his neck. Touching it caused a shiver to run through him. Sasuke had bit him... The words just sounded so...so...wrong in his mind. It wasn't like a fierce bite, either.... It was like a love-bite! The shiver returned again and it brought friends. He had to struggle not to look over at his teammate. This was just so weird.
He and Sasuke didn't even like each other. They always argued, and picked on each other, and just generally annoyed each other. They weren't supposed to kiss, or...or....bite! It just...wasn't right. But then, Sasuke had really surprised him with how understanding he had been when he learned about hte Kyuubi, and he had floored him by getting angry on his behalf. Iruka-sensei had been sympathetic, understanding and comforting; but no one had ever been mad for him before. It made him feel a peculiar warmth inside that was totally alien to him.
He wanted to feel more of it, though.
Sasuke was also avoiding looking at his blonde friend. He had been acting more than a little out of character for himself all night and it made him uncomfortable. He didn't want to be sociable, or friendly, or, dare he say it, playful. He just wanted to be cold, and stoic, and continue on with his life-plan.
But of course, Naruto had ruined that for him. Whenever he thought about the life he had set out fr himsef, the blonde's words resounded in his head, like an internal reprimand.
'Don't you give a damn about the people in this village?'
'Is this what you want your family to be remembered by?'
'You are all my family, the only family I've ever had.'
'You have a brother and sister, and an..... eccentric uncle, all of whom would be there without question if you needed it'
He sighed a little, shaking his head at that, sparing a brief glance at Naruto who was determinedly not looking at him as he gathered up his things and got some water.
A brother, huh? He knew how it felt to have a brother, but that wasn't something he felt towards the blonde. Naruto got under his skin like no one else. He mad him angrier than anyone, save Itachi. He didn't like the way he felt so sympathetic for him, the way he understood his lonliness, the way he wanted to comfort him, even if he didn't know how. He didn't like the way that the other made him feel like he had been making a mistake all these years by pushing everyone away, and that he might be stronger if he hadn't.
He hated questioning himself, and Naruto made him do that more than anyone; especially now.
He didn't understand fully what had happened during the hours past. Those kisses, those unguarded moments. He didn't know how to handle them fully. They had felt......they had made him feel... like nothing else mattered outside of them. The sensation of hte other's lips against his own had made him forget about his priorities, about his self imposed rules.
They had made him want. And despite all that, he couldn't bring himself to think of it as a mistake.
And that frightened him a lot more than he was willing to admit.
Naruto was the one true friend he had had during his self-inforced isolation. The one who could understand him, sympathize with him. He didn't back off when he got the cold shoulder from him like everyone else. He just kept pushing and poking until something gave. It touched him as much as it annoyed him.
And he had given, it seemed. He could no more abandon the village now than he could admit an undying love of ramen. It was sacrifice he was afraid he would regret. At his progression rate, he would never be strong enough to kill Itachi.
'You don't give a damn about your clan. You're just out for blood.'
The words sent a chill down his spine. Had Naruto been right? Had he forgotten all about avenging his family and bringing justice to his family name? Had he simply been going after his brother out of his own personal vendetta?
'You're no better than Itachi.'
The memory of the words made him feel ill. Especially the ring of truth to them. To hate, to despise. Those were things his brother had tought him on the night he'd killed their parents. Those were things he had clung to without thought. Words he had held onto like a life line, thinking they would make him strong. But he didn't want to be strong if it made him like his brother.
'Then we'll train and get stronger together--We'll become powerful until we're the only match each other has.'
Those words...They had been so certain, without a trace of doubt in them. he wanted to believe them. He wanted to believe that he could get stronger here.
He wanted to find the power to protect the people who had faith in him like Naruto did.
With an internal sigh, he wiped the sweat fro his brow, glancing over at his teammate.
"We should get back. The sun's up and we'll have to meet with Sakura and Kakashi soon." He murmured nuetrally, not really looking forward to the day ahead since he was so drained.
Naruto jolted a little when the other suddenly spoke, risking a glance at him.
"Uh, yeah. You're probably right." He murmured, glancing up at the sky, then back at his supply bag. How was all this going to work? Work they just going to forget it all happened--fat chance of that happening, in his mind-- pretend that it was nothing but a fluke? Or was something really going to come from what had happened here?
He chewed on his lip idly, scrunching his nose in thought. It was no good, though. He was too tired, and too hungry to try and think, much less make life-altering decisions. Maybe after a shower, and a hot breakfast, he'd be more up to using his brain.
Stuffing everything back in his bag, he zipped it up and looked over at Sasuke, hesitating before speaking.
"Uh..... so.......what now?" He questioned, biting the inside of his cheek. He was mortified to feel the heat rising up in his cheeks. But he couldnt help it. This was just too weird!
"Hn. We go home, eat, then train."
THe blonde huffed.
"That's not what I-- What do-- You know what I mean!" He protested.
The dark-eyed boy couldn't suppress a chuckle.
"I won't degrade myself by admitting that."
"Hey!"
Naruto growled. Why did the other always have to be so irritating???
"Dammit, I'm being serious, here."
It was on the tip of Sasuke's tongue to come up with a usual retort, but held it back. They DID need to talk about this; as much as he was reluctant to do so.
"I don't know."
Naruto look up at that, blinking a little.
"Huh?"
He was hit with a dark piercing gaze.
"I said I don't know. It's not like I planned any of this." Sasuke snapped. "Do you even know what you want?"
THe blonde cringed; at the question, not the tone. He'd long since grown used to the other's curtness.
"Err...not really."
"That's what I thought." There was an uncomfortable silence that made Naruto fidgety. What did he want? That was the real question, wasn't it? Those kisses they had shared....the ones that made his stomach do those awkward little flip-flops. The ones that curled his toes, and warmed his blood... Would it be so wrong....to want more of that?
He brought his hand back up to his neck, frowning lightly to himself.
Sasuke shook his head some, trying not to fall into his own thoughts.
"Strain your brain later, dobe. We have to get back." He muttered, grabbing his own forgotten bag of things.
"Don't call me that!"
---
Tsunade sighed to herself as she looked over the room of assembled Jounin that she had asked to meet her here, and over at Jiraiya who was looming silently in the corner. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she addressed them all.
"The village is still in heavy dissrepair and we have a lot of missions coming in despite it. With most of the Jounins and Anbu guarding the village against attack, the Chunins, and even the Genins are going have to work harder, and take harder missions. We can't afford to let our reputation slip, or the surrounding clans will see our village as a prime target for attack."
She watched the assembled group, looking over their expressions to see if they agreed or dissagreed.
Kakashi, as usual, was an enigma to read, but he was nodding to himself, clearly in approval. Either that, or he had managed to sneak one of Jiraiya's books into the meeting. She didn't doubt it.
Asuma looked pensive, clearly not wanting to put his students into unnecessary danger, but he didn't seem to have any outright protests.
Kurenai looked about the same, the young woman's nose scrunched up lightly in thought.
Gai was oddly stoic, clearly deep in thought. Undoubtably thinking about his protege's situation. She didn't blame him, but wasn't about to let him dwell on it too much during this state of crisis.
"Several important missions have already arisen, and chunins that showed exceptionable abilities have been sent on the A ranked missions, though in doubled groups. But in their absense, it's up to the genins, and the less experienced chunins to pick up the slack. Most specifically, your teams, who show the most exceptional abilities."
Now the pride was clear on their faces, and she gave them a minute to it before continuing.
"However, there is one other, very important factor to consider. Uchiha Itachi." The room grew grim. "It's clear that he's After Naruto; and more specifically, the Nine-tailed fox. Above all else, we must keep them from obtaining it. Although their motives are unclear, with the kyuubi in their hands, it would mean disaster for all that stand in their way."
The jounins grew slightly restless, clearly none of them wanting to think about that and the possible consequences.
"So what do you recommend we do?" This from Kurenai.
She drew in a heavy breath.
"I'm deflecting all missions that are far outside of the village to Kakashi's team." She told them, watching stoically as the masked Jounin's gaze became riveted on her. "With a group of S-class criminals after him, Naruto, and all those around him are in serious danger. Inside of the village, he's an easy target. If we can keep him out of the village, then not only will he be harder to track down, but it will deflect the danger from the village during repairs."
She was given reluctant nods, the teachers clearly seeing the logic in that.
"Of course, there is still a likely possibility that a ninja as skilled as Itachi will be able to track him down, and it's inevitable that they will be confronted with him again. For that purpose, all of your teams will be devided to best suit the missions. It's up to you Jounins to keep them cooperating."
Asuma stood, slamming his hands on to the table they were assembled at.
"You're splitting them up? Why?" He demanded.
She sighed heavily.
"Because, several of them will be accompaning Naruto and the young Uchiha boy. They will be needed to protect Naruto, and keep Sasuke from rushing into something that could get them both killed."
"What about Sakura?" Kakashi was watching her intently and she could see the concern for his students clear in his eyes. She offered him a light smile.
"Sakura will be filling Hyuga Neiji's position on Gai's team." She glanced at the flamboyant Jounin to see if he protested, but he seemed to be considering the merits of it.
Kakashi almost looked exasperated.
"Just who is going to be on which teams?" He asked, the question seeming to be a mutual on amongst the team leaders.
"Kakashi will be taking Naruto, Sasuke, Neiji, in addition with the Inuzuka boy. Kurenai and Asuma will be in charge of Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, Hinata, and Shino. In reserve, Gai's team of Sakura, TenTen, and Lee will handle D rank missions and stay in the village in case of emergancy." She told them.
A tick in Gai's cheek told her that the teacher was obviously not happy about the situation, but knew that with Lee in his condition, it was the best arrangement for the time being.
"Now, still, with our more talented Shinobi so spread out, and our forces stressed, we're still in a tight spot. So I've arranged for some assistance to--"
A knock on the door interrupted her. It opened to reveal three figures and
Tsunade smiled up at them welcomingly.
"Ah, just in time. Come in, and sit down, and we'll continue this meeting."
---
Sakura sighed as she waited on the small bridge for her teammates and teacher, rubbing at her eye blearily. She'd been up most the night, wandering the streets, her worries over Sasuke having her standing guard. She supposed they'd been unfounded, though. She hadn't seen a trace of him the entire night, and it eased her mind a little, but she wouldn't be able to relax until she saw her teammate.
Tensions had been running high, and the frustration between Naruto and Sasuke had seemed to reach a boiling point. She cared so deeply for them both. Sasuke....She loved him; she truely believed that. And Naruto was like a little brother to her. Annoying, but always there for her when she needed him, and always loyal. It hurt her deeply to be torn between them, and she didn't want to see either of them get hurt.
But she wasn't like them. As much as she wanted to be strong, to prove herself to her loved ones, she didn't have that drive that the boys did to be the best. She couldn't understand it. She couldn't pretend to. But she hated the fighting between them.
She just didn't know how to stop that.
She raked her hand through his hair, sighing at the shortened strands. She had grown it long in hopes of impressing Sasuke, but the black-eyed teen seemed less than concered with the new style. It left her feeling kinda empty that she had wasted so much of her effort on growing it out. Was it really futile to hope that someday Sasuke would return her feelings?
She was afraid of the answer.
"Thinking hard?"
She jumped at that, looking up to see her smiling sensei crouching on the rail of the bridge.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're early!" She gasped, placing a hand over her chest in an attempt to still her heart.
The silver-haired teacher tilted his head in amusement.
"Actually, I'm five minutes late."
"But that's early for you!" The girl protested, wonderng if there was something wrong, or if their eccentric teacher just wanted to toy with their minds. With Kakashi, you could never really tell.
"Well, nothing happened today, so I was only a little late."He told her vaguely, causing her to scrunch her nose in suspicion. Still, she didn't say anything about it.
"Now, all we need is Naruto and we can begin training." Sakura blined rapidly at that.
"Huh? But what about--"
She looked around quickly, jolting when she saw Sasuke, stoic as ever, leaning against a tree beside the bridge. She wondered how long he'd been there and flushed slightly, a hopeful part of her wanting to think he'd been watching her.
However, Sasuke didn't even acknowledge her gaze. In fact, she couldn't be sure, but the teen looked a little preoccupied with something. Though that wasn't really a surprise to her, given the fight the day before. She wished that she knew what to say to him.
"OI, MINNA!" Came the exuberant voice as Naruto ran towards the bridge. The corner of Sakura's mouth quirked just slightly. Nothing could get him down for too long, it seemed. Naruto was always a bright spot in the day, even if he was a bit annoying.
The orange clad boy was grinning, though he seemed a little more tired than usual and she grew briefly concerned. Had the boy not gotten much sleep either? She tilted her head a little, studying him as he grew closer.
"Gah! Kakashi's here? I didn't think I was that late!" The boy exclaimed, his baby blues widening drastically, much to their teacher's amusement. She shook her head a little, her gaze drifting back over to Sasuke, blinking when she saw him quickly turning his gaze from Naruto, a peculiar look on his face.
She frowned a little, her eyebrows drawing back. She didn't want there to be a lot of tension between them, and wished she could say something.
But anything she said might only make things worse at this point, she feared.
---
Naruto panted, trying to catch his breath, and trying his hardest not to look over at Sasuke. Whatever they were going to do, whatever might change between them, it was best not to let on about it yet, right? It would only make things even more awkward. Besides, he had other things to think about than the piercing onyx gaze that he could feel boring into his back. Definitely.
Forcing himself to concentrate, something that wasn't exactly his strong suit, he looked up at Kakashi curiously. The teacher was never on time. It just wasn't done, unless something was wrong. He seriously hoped that wasn't the case.
Since everyone had shown, Kakashi cleared his throat, gathering their attention before any possible arguments might break out between them.
"Now, before we start training, I need to discuss something with you. Over the next few days, the genin teams will be rearranging themselves to take on harder missions since everything is so hectic right now."
Naruto blinked at that, his eyes widening. Harder missions? The thought sent a surge of excitement through him that made him want to cheer. But that reaction was halted as he processed the other part of what their teacher had said. Rearranging the teams? What if he got sepparated from Sakura-chan! Or......Or Sasuke.....His stomach knotted at the thought. If they got split up...then he'd almost never get to see Sasuke. How the hell were they going to work out whatever this was between them?
"W-what??! You can't split us up! We're a team." He protested vehemently, not letting the teacher continue. He refused, he wouldn't let it happen. "You can't!"
Kakashi sighed, shaking his head some.
"It's an order from the Gondaime. All the teams are rearranging, in groups of four or five to handle the C and B ranked missions." He frowned a little beneath his mask, knowing this was going to be difficult, and looked at the pink haired girl.
"Sakura. With Neiji on a different team, and Lee injured; Gai's team is going to need your intellegence and logic. I'm counting on you to work well with them."
Sakura's eyes widened and she floundered a little. She was leaving the team?
She felt like she might be ill just at the thought. She didn't want to leave her precious friends, even if she was still going to be with friends. She didn't want to leave Sasuke.
"But...." She swallowed hard, her eyes suspiciously hot. "Yes Kakashi-sensei."
"No!" Naruto's vehement refusal jolted her, and she looked at him with damp eyes. "You can't split us up, you can't! Why does Sakura have to go?! Why not someone else, like Shikamaru, or even Ino. Why Sakura?!" The girl sniffed softly at Naruto's anger, it touching her that he didn't want her to go so much.
Kakashi grew serious, not wanting a mutiny on his hands. He prayed the Gondaime knew what she was doing.
"There was no choice about it. She and Neiji will be trading places, and she in particular is needed on Gai's team." He didn't say it out loud, but he was sure his students, at least two thirds of them, understood that Lee needed Sakura around to keep up his morale.
Naruto's eyes were blazing though and he knew the boy was hating him at the moment.
"But we need her." He protested.
"Naruto, that's enough." This from Sakura, who was smiling at him gently, wiping at her damp eyes.
"It's alright. It's not like we won't see each other anymore, right? The important thing is to protect the village, and complete our missions." She told him, trying to calm him down. "We'll still be best friends, okay? Changing teams won't change that."
Naruto looked torn, looking back and forth between Sakura and Kakashi, obviously not wanting to let go.
"But..."
Sakura shook her head, leaning over to kiss the frustrated blonde on the cheek; not noticing the brief, but deadly glare that landed on her for a second.
"It's alright. We'll all still get together. It won't be so bad, you'll see." Naruto just stared at her, wide-eyed.
"Sakura-chan...." he clenched his eyes and his fists tightly, turning his burning gaze on Kakashi again.
"And what about Sasuke and I? Are you splitting us up too?" He demanded bitterly. The thought had an angry fire churning in his stomach. He couldn't bear to be parted from his two precious friends. From his family.
"You and Sasuke will remain on the team, along with Neiji and Kiba." The teacher told him, a drawn look in his one visable eye.
While it was a great relief that he wasn't going to be separated from them both, Naruto just couldn't bring himself to be happy when he was still parting with Sakura. It wasn't mearly just about his supposed crush; over the time they'd all spent together, Sakura was, like he'd told Sasuke, a sister. It was hard to think that he wasn't going to see her, train with her, everyday.
Sakura sighed, seeing the turmoil being raged in her blonde friend, and placed a hand on his arm.
"It'll be alright, Naruto. Really. Besides, Neiji and Kiba are friends, right? So it's not like you'll be with strangers instead. And it's not right away." She turned to Kakashi, a hopeful look on her face.
"Yes, the change will occur over the next few days, but you have today and tomorrow together at least."
The words, hearing of their limited time as a team, were sobering, but Sakura was resolved to be optimistic, and look at it in a good light. Even if her own inner feelings were putting up as much of a fight as Naruto had been.
"Well. There you go. We still have two days. We'll make the most of them, and then we'll make do with what comes. This is just one more test, you know. We won't always be able to work as a team, and will have to work with other people, right? IT's just another way to get stronger."
Even though the words were more to convince herself, she turned a pleading gaze on Naruto, silently begging him not to make this any harder.
The blonde boy was lost, desperate to hold onto the only family structure he'd ever had; but inside, he knew that she was right. He had to learn to make do with the situation, to aclimate himself to it, or he'd never get stronger. It might have been the hardest thing he'd done, but he forced himself to give Sakura a sunny grin.
"You're right. But that's no surprise. You're the smart one, after all, Sakura-chan." He chirped, though the smile on his face didn't quite reach his eyes. "Of course, we can't split up without a party, right? Tomorrow night let's all go have ramen!" Then as an after thought. "On Kakashi!"
The laughter, though somewhat strained, severely lightened the mood, and Naruto tried his best to be optimisitic.
While Kakashi explained their training for the day, his gaze wanded to Sasuke, wondering what the other boy was thinking. Did it bother him; to lose part of their team? Had he felt that clenching of fear in his stomach? Had his palms started to sweat and his chest tighten at the thought of their time together being so limited?
As much as he was unnerved by these feelings, he couldn't help but desperately wonder if he was the only one feeling them.
His breath hitched in his throat when that solemn, onyx gaze turned and settled on him. The look sent little shivers down his spine and made him want to fidget restlessly. It had never bothered him before, having eyes on him, no matter how foolish he might be acting. Though sitting here, doing nothing at all, with Sasuke's eyes on him, made him feel unusually warm, and more than a little uncomfortable.
He didn't break his gaze though, didn't think he was capable of it, the way those startlingly deep eyes held him entranced. He wondered if the question was in his eyes, and if the other could read it there. Would you have missed me, if we were separated, or would you have been glad that I was no longer holding you back?
He swallowed hard, seeing the raven-haired teen furrow his brow, staring at him with an intensity that he was unfamiliar with. He couldn't understand it; the way Sasuke affected him like this. Was it all just something in his mind? He'd never felt this way around him before. This...insecurity, this self consciousness.
The passion had always been there, the need to prove himself to the other, but he had never felt this doubt before...Or the sense of relief he had felt when Sasuke had heard his secret, and defended him. It was as if some deadbolted weight around his neck had been unlocked, and he'd become weightless. He'd never felt so...so....He didn't even know a word to place the feeling that he'd never experienced before. All he knew was that it was something he'd been missing, and perhaps, something he'd been longing for.
---
Watching the blonde stoically, Sasuke wondered if he had any idea just how much a person could read in his eyes. Kakashi was always a mystery, and liked it that way. And even Sakura kept her own feelings hidden deep down. But Naruto. He was so open, so expressive with what he was truely feeling. He'd never known anyone who could be that brave.
It was something he secretly envied. At first, he had thought it was simply naivete; that he had simply been too innocent to understand. But now he knew that Naruto wasn't so naive. He was simply strong. He was used to being look down on, used to being berated and insulted. And he simply didn't care. He was determined to be who he was, and show that person to the world and be respected for it.
That was something Sasuke couldn't claim.
And now, shining in those eyes, was he saw had his stomach doing small tumbles.
He could tell the other was worried about their situation, both the one that had developed today, and the night before. Would he have missed the other. A part of him would say 'hell no'. That he wouldn't miss the distractions, the annoyances, the useless fights. But another part, an unnerving part, told him he would miss the challenges; miss the way the other would give him his all, and never back down, even when he should. He would miss the bright look in those ocean blue eyes that sucked him in, much like the whirlpool he'd been named after.
That was Naruto, alright. A small natural disaster. But he was loyal, and fierce, and though he would never admit it, he'd miss the certainty of knowing that the blonde would always be there to watch his back.
And he was secretly glad that he wouldn't have to do without.
--TBC--
Fweee, hoped you liked that chapter. All of your reviews have helped me get this out, so keep them coming
See you next time.