Infection
Author: Hoshiki
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto ©. The fanfiction belongs to Hoshiki. ©
Warning: Yaoi, if this isn't your cup of tea, please by all means, turn back. Flamers are retards, encompassing a really low IQ equivalent that that of a glass of water… less, in fact. The back button exists because Microsoft happened to realize the need for it for specific people.
Fandom: Naruto (manga-verse)
Pairing: Naruto x Sasuke (NaruSasu), Kakashi x Iruka (KakaIru)
Summary: Naruto finds himself obsessed with Sasuke's legs after witnessing a secret act. It grows on him like an infection—burning inside like a great flame. And if he doesn't treat that infection it'll turn gangrene…
Note: I find this kind of sweetly sappy, not really in par with the title. Even the way it's written is lighthearted, but in bits and pieces. Hmm. Well, never mind that. I got stuck with writer's block at the end and I had to devise a simple ending. Sorry about the cameo appearance of The Two, and the disappointment which follows the ending. ;; I just couldn't think of a good wrap-up scene with KakaIru.
I am infected
by your contagious beauty
and your catching smile
Infection by Hoshiki
The moon was already waxing high.
Naruto looked up, his whiskers twitching. Man, was he in trouble! He'd promised Iruka-sensei that he'd spend dinnertime with him, but Naruto had lost track of time practicing this cool new jutsu he was just dying to show off to Sasuke and make that bastard Uchiha gape in awe and jealousy. Maybe if he explained it real nicely to Iruka-sensei, he wouldn't be so mad… Iruka-sensei was a nice guy after all. Just sometimes he was given in to mother hen antics.
The blond pictured his sensei with a red comb and feathers, and grinned.
Ah… no time to fool around thinking stupid thoughts now. He was late and he had to hurry. Naruto skidded to a halt as he caught sight of Sasuke's house. He was at the alley behind the house, not the street in front of it, and the mischievous boy half-thought he would chuck a stone at the dark haired boy's room window just to annoy him. It was conveniently left open too. Stupid Uchiha bastard. Didn't he know that molesters were on the loose? Never mind that, Naruto thought to himself. The cheeky boy stooped to search for one or two pebbles to throw into the window, before a rustle caught his attention and he ducked behind a big ornamental pot with a bonsai tied with ribbons growing in it. He peeked through a very tiny, unnoticeable hole through the tall wooden back gate to spy at whoever was there.
It was Sasuke. He was dragging a large tub into the back area and filling it with warm water from a hose connected through the interior. As it filled up, Sasuke busied himself by hanging a towel on a stand he had put out, and a basketful of flowers. He turned off the hose, emptied the basket of flowers into the tub, and stripped.
Naruto gaped. He couldn't tear his gaze away. He was tempted to smack himself—what was he, turning into that pervert sennin? But no! He looked again, drawn like a moth to a flame…
Damn it damn it damn it Naruto you're a pervert I told you not to spend too much time with that old man I told you—
Sasuke carefully slipped into the tub and sighed as he felt the warm water wash his stress away. He didn't seem too worried about being found out, and Naruto figured that it was because there was an outdoor roof to cover the back area from prying eyes, and the full-length walls and gate blocked everything else from view. The dark haired boy could easily see the moon from a gap, and the stars flickering brightly in the inky sky. Idly Sasuke played with the blossoms that floated in the tub. He hummed a quiet tune to himself, the silver light playing with the drops of water, causing it to gleam…
NO! TURN BACK NOW! You're gonna pretend you didn't see anything and—
But the blond couldn't move. His mind was at war. He went on watching, listening. He hated Sasuke for looking so pretty… but damn! He liked looking at Sasuke at that moment because he was pretty. What the hell?
"ARGH!"
Sasuke gave a violent jump and turned to the direction of the voice.
Naruto didn't waste a moment for Sasuke to gather his wits, dress and investigate. In a flash, he was gone.
"Where have you been?" Iruka looked hard at the boy as he opened the door and welcomed Naruto in. "You're late for dinner, but I'll make you supper, then you can spend the night here—Naruto?"
The blond looked up at him, his eyes slit close, resembling a baby fox. "Hmm?"
"Is something bothering you?"
"Nope," Naruto mumbled absently, taking a seat at the table. To Iruka's surprise he didn't hear the boy shouting, "Sensei, I'm hungry already!"
He scratched his head and shrugged, thinking that Naruto would confide in him after the meal. Maybe he needed to think things out for a while. "So, you were out practicing jutsus?"
"Yeah, there's this new move I invented," Naruto sat up and began talking animatedly about his new technique. His ending was a strange one, though. "Do you think Sasuke'll be impressed?"
"Sasuke? I thought you wanted to impress Sakura," Iruka laughed. "Slip of tongue, eh?"
The blond flushed. "Umm… not really."
"Well, here's your ramen," Iruka set the bowl in front of Naruto, and took a seat across him. "I take it you're up to challenging Sasuke?"
"Not really," Naruto literally buried his head in the steaming bowl. He was blushing so hard, he was sure he looked like a tomato. Whatever he did now, even as he ate, he could NOT help remembering Sasuke's long, gleaming white legs, his dark hair littered with silvery drops and the fresh scent of flowers and wild cherry. Did Sasuke mix fruit in the bath…? Oh, my god. Did he just think what he just thought? Naruto choked at a mouthful of ramen.
"Are you alright?" Iruka was getting worried. Naruto was acting strange.
"FINE, I'll spill!" the blond slammed his fist onto the table, red in his face, causing Iruka to jump. He couldn't take it anymore! Here he was, being interrogated (well, in his mind he was) by his favorite sensei, while having a good meal of ramen. He was weak. He knew it. He couldn't help it. "I peeked at Sasuke taking an outdoor bath and now I can't help thinking about his legs."
There was a moment of silence.
Iruka burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA! You got me there!" the man held his sides. "I thought you were sick or something, or leaving the village for a big mission. Man, was I worried!"
"You don't believe me?" Naruto was half-relieved, half-disappointed.
"Of course not… I just—ha, hahahaha! Hahahaha! Ahahahaha!" that one liner seemed the funniest joke he had heard in ages. "And your expression! It was so real… you've got real talent at making you sensei laugh, Naruto." He ruffled the blond's hair. "Thanks. I needed to de-stress." He picked up the empty ramen bowl and walked to the kitchen sink, whistling, leaving Naruto very breathless and dumbfounded.
"Oh, hello Kakashi-sensei. Wow, are those for me?"
Naruto sank into the chair. It was going to be a long night.
"You're late!" Sakura pointed at Kakashi accusingly while the jounin shrugged and smiled lazily. You could easily tell if Kakashi were smiling or frowning if you hung out with him long enough.
"Sorry, sorry! I went to have my fortune read this morning, and I was told to use the long cut, and do you believe it, I found a string of pearls! Since they weren't mine I brought it to the police station and—hey. What's the matter, you two?" Kakashi waved his hideous orange book of porn at Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto looked thoughtful while Sasuke looked gloomier than usual.
"Nothing," Naruto grumbled, not liking to tell his teacher that Iruka-sensei had laughed at him, and that he was still thinking about Sasuke's legs. Sasuke merely grunted; his dark eyes soulful as ever.
"Hmm… can I guess?"
"No," the answer was unanimous.
"Naruto watched something naughty and Sasuke was caught red-handed indulging in a secret fetish?"
Both Naruto and Sasuke started. "What the hell?"
"So I was right."
"No you're not," Naruto stood defensively.
"Well, it's just a guess," Kakashi waved him off. "No need to get to antsy now. Anyway, you have a short mission that'll take only half a day. The client wants you to find something. Some ring they bought was stolen by some bandits, and you need to go to the location and retrieve it undetected. They're very lowly skilled, so you should suffice."
Surprisingly, Naruto didn't complain about the last sentence. Kakashi lifted a brow and shook his head. "Don't mess up. Come with me."
To Naruto's chagrin, he found Sasuke walking beside him throughout the whole journey, shoulder to shoulder. Usually the Uchiha walked behind the party, moping. But this time it seemed that Sasuke was always at his elbow. Kakashi paired the two boys for backup and sent the nimble and intelligent Sakura to retrieve the ring without being discovered. The jounin did feel that the two were too 'antsy' to carry out the task.
Naruto kept staring at Sasuke's legs as they crouched down, waiting for Sakura to dart out of the house. She did in good time, and soon they were off to meet the client. Sasuke continued walking side by side with the blond. Naruto began to feel uneasy. "Bastard."
Sasuke looked up, confused.
"Why're you walking so close, anyway?"
He shrugged as a reply. Naruto frowned.
"Man, you're annoying me!" the blond threw his hands in the air. "Say something, you son of a bitch!"
"What?" the slight distress in Sasuke's voice caught Naruto off-guard. Kakashi turned around to regard the two, having heard the tone too. So did Sakura, who was about to pound Naruto for bothering Sasuke.
"Hey… are you having some problems or something?"
"None of your business," Sasuke replied stiffly, casting Naruto an odd glance or two that made him feel nervous. It seemed that Sasuke wanted to tell him something, but squashed the attempt at seeing Sakura and Kakashi there. Kakashi was quick to get the message. He clapped his hands suddenly, causing the three to snap their gazes at him.
"Sakura, you'll come with me to deliver the ring to the owner. Sasuke and Naruto; you two go back and report the mission well done. We'll be late if we don't start off to the village now, and you know I can't let Sakura do it alone, it's too dangerous."
Sakura opened her mouth to protest. Why couldn't Naruto send the ring so she could spend time with Sasuke?
"Besides, Sakura's smart and she's a great diplomat," Kakashi hurriedly added. "It'll be good for our village record."
Sakura smiled and relented, and Kakashi inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. Before they left he winked at the two boys, made some rather… intriguing hand gestures, and ducked a few pebbles Naruto had chucked at his head. To Naruto's horror, he realized that Kakashi had somehow figured that he'd done something wrong! Kakashi had also thought he did something obscene, which he knew he didn't. I mean, what's so obscene about thinking about your rival's legs?
Damn. He did not just think that. Screw it all! It was eating at him like a disease! Every time he closed his eyes, he was haunted by images of those gleaming long white legs, those strands of dark hair, Sasuke in the tub playing with flowers, smelling like the flowers he played with, and cherries to top it off. Images of Sasuke soaking in the steaming bath, his voice; that little tune, that… UGH!
Naruto shook his head like a dog.
"Oi, dobe."
"I admit it!"
Sasuke looked at him in surprise. "No… you…?"
"I admit I like your legs! YOU BASTARD!"
"Huh…?" Sasuke had chosen the wrong time to be dense. "My legs?"
"YES! YOUR LEGS! YOUR STUPID LONG LEGS! LEGS THAT GO ON FOREVER! Uchiha freak! Bastard! Jerk!"
Sasuke looked down at his legs and gave them a confused look. He shrugged and stared directly at Naruto. "I have something to tell you."
"You wax?"
"What… of course… what the hell! Naruto! DOBE! Be serious!" Sasuke flushed, looking exasperated. Gone was his icy countenance. Really, Naruto could be extremely annoying.
"You do wax!" Naruto cheered. "That's why they were gleaming!"
"Gleaming?" Sasuke asked, more confused than ever. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh," Naruto put his hands behind his head. "You see, I kinda thought it was unnatural for legs to be smooth like that for a boy. Heck, I was thinking about your legs since last night and this morning. Now that I found out something about them, I can finally relax."
"Why in the world would you be thinking about my legs anyway?"
"Yeah well, last night, I saw you taking a bath. Your legs kinda gleamed and oh… shit."
"It was you?" Sasuke stared. "Well, what do you think?" He found himself blushing at the question. Naruto cocked his head and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Nice legs…"
"Is that all?" Sasuke sounded oddly disappointed. He collected his mask again to look unmoved. Before Naruto dropped the next bomb shell, that is.
"Guess I'll be honest. Nice dick too. Real good size."
At that point, Sasuke just didn't know how to react. He went red in the face, put his hand to cover his eyes and turned away, beginning to walk from the area. But Naruto wasn't done yet. Now that Sasuke was open for interrogation in an uncontrolled environment, he could fire questions at will.
"Hey, did you add cherries into the bath? I could distinctly smell them."
Sasuke paused for a good moment to look back at Naruto; then fled.
"Weird guy…" Naruto stared after him, whiskers twitching.
"So… did you guys talk?" Kakashi asked. He had popped in Naruto's window, casually sitting at the sill.
"Yeah, he waxes."
"Huh?" Kakashi looked confused.
"I asked him how his legs gleamed, and he said he waxed," Naruto replied. "Spiffy huh? So now I'm waxing."
Kakashi stared at the wax strips the blond was holding. "Uh," was all he could say.
"Wanna try?"
"No thanks. I'll pass," Kakashi's lazy gaze was still fixed at the strips. "They look painful."
"Mm hmm," Naruto nodded. "But man, think of it. Gleaming legs!"
"Bet Iruka would want some," Kakashi mused. "Think he would?"
"I don't know. Depends. He doesn't seem too fussy about looks. Do you like him having gleaming legs?"
"No, not really," Kakashi continued his study of the wax strips. "Hey… how'd you find out Sasuke's legs gleamed anyway?"
"Peeked at him taking a bath one night," Naruto shrugged. Kakashi nearly fell off the sill.
"You didn't tell him?"
"I did."
"And?"
"And nothing."
Kakashi scratched his head. This was getting weird. But then again, his team was the epitome of weird. Kakashi decided to let it be. He waved goodbye and was soon on his way over the rooftops.
There was a tearing sound and a shout. "OWW! DAMN!"
He rubbed his palms at the smooth expanse of pale skin and sighed in contentment. How sweet it smelled—like cherry and flowers, soaked in the sun. Sasuke opened his mouth, and a ringing sound erupted from his lips. Naruto gave a jump and landed with his butt on the ground. He glared at the alarm clock and slammed a hand on the button to silence it. Each night it was this same dream; cherries, flowers, pale skin, and you guessed it, legs. Long legs, long smooth legs; inviting, tantalizing, and eating his mind from within. He was thoroughly infected, through and through.
It wasn't that Naruto was a pervert. He wasn't. Kakashi-sensei was the pervert, or that ero sennin. Hell, for all he knew, Iruka-sensei was a pervert for being with Kakashi-sensei too! That guy had the 'lazy eye', feared by all well-mannered lovers.
But enough of his two ridiculously kinky senseis. He had a problem, and he had to deal with it, and fast. That Uchiha bastard had to pay somehow, for haunting his dreams like this. And for making him as gay as Christmas. He, unlike a good many perverts, sincerely liked Sasuke; they were best friends and Sasuke had saved his ass, and vice-versa. He just didn't know how to say it, except talking about his legs, which, by the by, he liked too.
"Jerk, effing jerk," Naruto muttered, pulling on his orange jacket. "How can someone be so ethereally pretty and not return anyone's feelings? But no matter. It's not like I haven't already kissed him."
He paused.
"Oh yeah, mm hmm," he grinned. "I'm the best ninja in the Konoha. There's no way he'll say no! Not even to a one-night stand." Well, whatever a one-night stand was. Naruto had no idea, but as the ero sennin had been talking about stuff like this, he caught it. Naruto never bothered to look it up either. Maybe it meant a date, or something. That's right. It was a one-day date. Maybe it was at night, that's why they called it one-night stand and not one-day stand. Weird. So adults liked to date at night?
Naruto shrugged. They could go to a funfair and… what the hell? He was planning a date?
"This is so not good," Naruto said to himself, before picking up a small basket of cherries. He didn't know what Sasuke liked, so cherries would have to do. Besides, it was the only thing Naruto could think about bringing him after smelling all that… that bath.
In ten minutes he was at Sasuke's door, pounding as hard as his fists would let him. "HEY! SASUKE! OPEN UP! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" When he got no answer, he slammed his whole body against the door. "YOU BASTARD! COME OUT HERE AND FACE ME LIKE A MAN!"
"What are you doing?"
Naruto paused in mid-slam. He looked like an idiot, but Sasuke wasn't amused. He crossed his arms.
"Well?"
"Err… visiting?" Naruto grinned. The dark haired boy shook his head, and opened the door, but he wouldn't let Naruto in. Before he could slam it shut, however, the blond shoved and wormed his way through. There he stood, in Sasuke's main room, looking serious. "We need to talk."
"Didn't we already?" Sasuke sounded tired. "Naruto, dobe, idiot, fool, moron, let me get this straight—I'm not interested in sex. Okay? I don't like lust. Lust sucks. If I wanted lust I'd allow that snake bastard to touch me, but I didn't."
"You don't even want a 'one-night stand'?" Naruto asked innocently. They spent a moment of silence looking at each other.
Sasuke began to shove him out of the door.
"Wait, wait! What the hell! I just asked you out! You can't even answer me?"
"Naruto, you bastard," Sasuke hissed, quite startling the blond. "I thought you were kind. But you've just proven to me that you're not. You're playing with me, after all this? Get out. Get out!"
"Fine, I will!" Naruto removed himself, straightening his jacket. He hurled the basket of cherries onto the floor, not minding if some of the squashed fruit stained Sasuke's rug. The door slammed shut on its own account, Sasuke slid down against it. He felt very hurt—after their confrontation he felt that the blond had known a little about his feelings, how awkward he really felt. He couldn't believe that Naruto only felt lust—it wasn't something he had hoped for.
But then again…
He hadn't told the blond directly.
No, no! It was clear cut. Naruto had seen it before becoming bold enough to drop those lines. The only reason he'd dared to make those statements was because he'd seen that Sasuke was unable to hurt him in any way… and how he'd come barging into his house like that to solicit for sex—because he knew. It wasn't easy for Sasuke to tell people how he felt. He had tried to confess to Naruto after his fright that night, which someone had seen him, something he kept for the blond. To his relief it was Naruto who saw, and nobody else. And through his actions, which he was sure was easily read that day of his 'confession', he had told more than he intended to. Unwittingly told him how weak he was, and what he believed. And Naruto? He'd lewdly talked about his legs and private parts.
He looked at the basket of cherries and bit his lip. For the first time in years, Sasuke covered his face with the palms of his hands and began to cry.
"What the hell did he mean that I was playing with him?" Naruto raged. The blue-skinned stranger he had met an hour ago at the Ichiraku nodded and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. His companion said nothing, sipping his tea and nibbling on dango.
"Does he like you?"
"Never mentioned," the blond replied. "Well, yeah, he DID try to tell me something once…"
"And?"
"And I interrupted him," Naruto grinned sheepishly. "I asked him if he waxed."
The stranger smacked the blond upside his head.
"HEY!"
"Idiot," the blue-skinned man shook his head. "I think that guy's a man of actions. Why didn't you try to read it?"
"It's a love confession, knowing him," a quiet voice suddenly spoke up. The two turned to the stranger's companion. "Foolish boy."
"Hey, hey, hey! Who're you calling a fool?"
"Shut up! You're no better!" Naruto got a good smack on his head again. "So what are you going to do to remedy it?"
"Uh… tell him I love him?"
"If he will let you in," the man with the quiet voice replied. Naruto looked into his red eyes seriously.
"Think I should break in?"
Both men stared incredulously at the blond. They shook their heads simultaneously.
"Aww… you know, I read this book, Icha Icha Paradise VI, and there was this tale of a man who broke in and molested the girl and in the end she said she enjoyed it and she loved him," Naruto mused. "You know, I could—"
"Do that and die," the red-eyed man said in a thick voice.
"I'm just kidding! I wouldn't do that to Sasuke," Naruto pouted. "Although he is a bastard."
"No, he was legally born."
"What the—why the heck are you being so protective anyway? You're not his dad or anything!"
"Right, right. Look here, kid. Just run along and plan how to get back your boyfriend. We're kinda busy here, aren't we, Itachi-san?"
Itachi glared at his companion. He passed on the glare to the blond. "Hurt him and die. He needs grow stronger to kill someone." He bit viciously into his dango and Naruto began to feel uncomfortable. Quickly, he excused himself and rushed off once more in the general direction of Sasuke's home. The blue-skinned man turned to face Itachi.
"Weird kid. Anyway, back to collecting info for our attack next month."
"…UKE… SASUKE!"
Sasuke rubbed his eyes, which felt sore and red. He'd fallen asleep on the couch. The small basket of cherries sat untouched on the floor—Sasuke hadn't bothered to pick it up.
"Sasuke! We've got to talk!"
Some more pounding. The dark haired boy got up and walked towards the door, as if in slow motion. He opened it into a crack and glared at the blond. "What do you want, dobe? To gloat?"
"No, you bastard, I wanted to talk, just like I told you."
"Calling me a bastard when you want to talk things out? Real smooth," Sasuke said dryly. With one hand he attempted to rub away the giveaway stains on his face. It didn't go unnoticed.
"Were you crying?"
"Shut up!" Sasuke tried to make a move to close the door. But Naruto stuck a scroll between, keeping it wedged open.
"Look here! I made a mistake okay? I'm sorry!"
"Sorry for what?"
"Sorry for misunderstanding! I didn't know you liked me. I mean, I'm slow like this! Sasuke!"
The dark haired boy paused. Did Naruto really misunderstand his actions? Could he really have been that dense? Knowing Naruto, he COULD be. Most of all, Naruto was honest. Sasuke found himself slowly opening the door. The scroll dropped to the ground. "You're… not lying now, are you?"
"No!"
Sasuke looked tired. He shook his head and shrugged, a sign that he allowed the blond to step in. Naruto looked around the room. His eyes quickly spotted the basket and he made a move to pick it up. Sasuke stopped him. "You wanted to talk."
"Yeah," Naruto tucked his hands into his pockets. "Sasuke, you're my best friend. I mean, we're still rivals and all, but you're my best friend. I don't like losing you for anything, but I can't help myself sometimes. And damn, you have nice legs."
Sasuke gaped.
"Sorry. I must really like you, to screw up like this. I'm not good with words, I say the first thing that comes into my mind, I can't piece everything together, and yeah, there was some lust involved, but hey, I'm a horny teenager, right?" he grinned, then grew serious. His blue eyes picked up a solemn light. "Believe me, Sasuke. I won't hurt you. Not like that."
"Naruto…" Sasuke looked away. "Tell me…"
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Hey, I won't understand you if you don't tell me things straight in the face, idiot! Part of this is your fault too, for leaving it dangling in the air like that," Naruto said. He was right, and he knew it. Sasuke sighed.
"I suppose you're right. I just… umm. Hmm," Sasuke went red, looking at his hands. The blond stood and waited as patiently as he could. He knew how bad his rival was when it came to talking about his feelings. Nobody even knew what he liked and disliked, and Naruto was no different. To his surprise, Sasuke suddenly bent forward and delivered the blond a chaste kiss. It lasted no more than a few seconds, but it was warm, very warm. "So it is true…"
"What?" Naruto made a confused face. "What true what?"
Sasuke flashed him an uncharacteristically sweet smile. "Pick up the basket, dobe, and close the door behind you."
Naruto complied, finally getting the message. He had found a cure for his infection.
END
Friday, July 22, 2005, 12:33 AM; 4481 words, 8 pages
Note: Try to figure out Sasuke's last sentence. :D Yeah, you need to read between the lines. Or not. Maybe it's hard to catch, but logically I get it.