Title: "Lunar, Solar"
Author: Shaitanah
Rating: R (overall)
Timeline: 1 month after the Itachi/Sasuke fight
Summary: "…because Sasuke would be the moon, Naruto would be the sun, and during an eclipse..." One can expect only trouble from unbidden guests. Naruto obviously forgets it when he sees a certain Uchiha on his doorstep, asking for help. [Sasuke/Naruto Please R&R!
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi. Story title from Pablo Neruda's Drunk With Pines. Lyrics from Tori Amos's Blood Roses.
A/N: This will probably become AU as soon as Kishi completes the fight. Maybe it has already become.
LUNAR, SOLAR
Chapter 1
Sense
Can't forget the things you never said.
On days like these starts me thinking…
Some part of him was still waiting for Naruto to sneak up on him in a flurry of black and orange and yell: "I'm taking you home!" He was standing by the door, a simple grey door like dozens of others in that block of flats, and couldn't bring himself to knock because behind that door the flurry of black and yellow and orange and blue (blue was the worst part in all its sparkling, heartbreaking, persistent sincerity) was waiting.
Sasuke felt no guilt, no exhilaration, and no uneasiness. He stared blankly at the door and he saw himself raise his hand, and then the fist connected with the paneling. He watched, dazed as if he was someone else, a passer-by, as the door cracked open and Naruto peeked out to see who was knocking. Sasuke held his breath and looked at the ragged t-shirt that was swaying casually around the youth's torso. The traditional Leaf sign spiraled hypnotically across the dusty black background. He looked up. A few locks of yellow hair streaked over his forehead, free from the headband and untouched by a hairbrush.
Naruto choked on the ramen he was chewing and suddenly banged the door shut right in front of Sasuke. It was so unexpected that Sasuke just kept staring at the door, still seeing yellow instead of grey, his mask of arrogant self-confidence treacherously slipping away.
The door opened rapidly again. Naruto had already put the bowl of ramen aside and was now eyeing the visitor in numb astonishment.
"Sasuke…" he whispered hoarsely – and lunged at him, his fist colliding with Sasuke's jaw forcefully. The blue eyes glowed fiercely. He grabbed the front of Sasuke's shirt and growled: "Who the fuck are you!? You can't be him!"
Sasuke sighed. He should have expected this. He pried Naruto's fingers loose ever so gently and pushed him away with a sudden speedy blow. The youth groaned as he hit his spine against the wall, but was up on his feet in an instant. He flung himself at Sasuke, a kunai flashing in his hand. Uchiha countered the blow and hurled Naruto inside the apartment before the neighbours paid more attention to the noise than it was permissible. He grabbed Naruto by the hand and tossed him down on the sofa. The blond jumped up, but couldn't keep balance. The sofa knocked over, he barely avoided being trapped beneath it.
"Hey, moron, calm down!" Sasuke's cold voice rang. "It's me, and I haven't come to fight you."
Naruto released a slow heavy breath. Mesmerized, Sasuke watched the rise and fall of his chest as the t-shirt stuck to the damp skin. Rubbing his bruised wrist incoherently, Naruto narrowed his eyes and drew out:
"What do you want?"
Sasuke looked away. He focused on the messy surroundings, trying to keep his mind clear of all the unwanted emotions that suddenly attacked him. The place was upside-down as if Naruto had just returned from a long trip. Items of clothing, fragments of paper towels, dried stumps were scattered randomly about the room. Naruto's field rucksack lay on the half-made bed in place of a pillow, and the pillow itself peeked gingerly from beneath the nightstand.
Sasuke spotted a photograph by the bed. One out of the four identical pictures that each member of Team Seven used to have. He had left his own at home, but there were times when he could see the image as clearly as he saw Naruto before him now.
"You know, if you saved the time you'd wasted on chasing me you could clean up," Sasuke said just to break the silence. His voice sounded unnaturally strained. Before Naruto stopped gaping at him and showered him with curses, he fixed his gaze firmly on the window and uttered in a steely voice: "Itachi is dead."
"I know," Naruto murmured after a short pause. "I, uh… We heard about that. Erm… congrats?"
Sasuke smirked. "Not yet. There is another person I'm looking for. And for that," he looked around, meeting that painful blue resolutely in the end, "I need your help."
Naruto blinked in surprise. The words flowed between them like dust in the wind. Sasuke gritted his teeth.
"Why would I help you?" Naruto asked moodily.
"Because I'm your friend," Sasuke said and drew closer. "Because you're a better brother to me than Itachi ever was, isn't that right?" From the corner of his eye he could see Naruto's hand dart up. He felt the pointed tip of the kunai find his artery and press lightly against it. The coolness of the metal against his skin felt oddly soothing. With a twisted smile, he continued: "And because I'm asking for it. Isn't that enough?"
Naruto's hand was trembling. The pressure became harder. Acting on some impulse, Sasuke put his hand flat against Naruto's chest, feeling his heart hammer against the ribcage. Every beat ground into his palm, sending jolts through his body. Sasuke inhaled deeply.
"Just who do you think you are?" Naruto said in a low voice. His hand dropped impotently. He pushed Sasuke away and spat: "After everything you've done you simply show up here and claim that you… you need me!? That's rich, dammit! Now what if I happen to have other plans, huh, Sasuke!?"
"Well, you don't. I've been watching you for the past week. You refused three missions in a row and have been hanging about idly ever since. Clearly you were planning to go after me once more. But I'm here now, aren't I? What will you do now?"
"I'm not like you," Naruto whispered in defeat. His eyes suddenly flared as he glared at Sasuke with undisguised animosity. "I can't leave everything behind just because you want me to! For fuck's sake, I have friends, I have duty, I have my dream!"
Sasuke took a few steps towards him and whispered in his ear: "I am your dream, Naruto." He could feel Naruto's excitement run in shivers down his spine and couldn't tell why he was so nervous.
He continued to the door and said coolly without turning back: "I'll be waiting for you at the gate at sundown. If you tell anyone I'm here, I will leave immediately. Oh, and Naruto." The youth squinted and added in a low voice: "When I said I needed your help I didn't mean it had to be voluntary."
The streets glistened with the remains of the fresh rain. Sasuke pulled the hood up to conceal himself from curious glances and strode absent-mindedly through the village. It was brimming with life exactly the way he had remembered it. The air smelt of peach blossoms, moist earth and wet leather; that gentle scent made him incredibly homesick.
A gaggle of kids passed him by, giggling and chatting cheerfully. Sasuke's lips twitched in a semblance of a smile. He forgot how to smile long ago. He wasn't sure he had ever known.
He found himself standing in front of the Yamanaka flower-shop, gazing at the colourful sign-board. Decorated with dozens of flowers and filled with light that rained through the tall windows, the place looked beautiful. Slowly, reluctantly Sasuke came in. The door bell rang, but no one came out to meet the visitor; he was relieved.
He paused by the ikebana shelf. He couldn't take his eyes off a small ikebana, slightly lost between its gorgeous counterparts. A few dull green horse-tails rose in artistic disarray around a triangle of bright irises. The bottom of the prop was laid out with silver and lilac stones.
"People tend to overlook it because it's too small," a soft female voice uttered. Sasuke tensed.
"I prefer simplicity."
"Well, according to traditions, three elements are the maximum. I prefer two."
Sasuke moved carefully to see a gleam of gold to his right. Ino's long hair streamed down his shoulder, shining against the violet of her garment. He wondered briefly how long it could grow in three years.
"Who makes these?" he asked though he knew full well they had always been Ino's passion. Come to think of it, he knew more about his former classmates than he ever imagined.
"I do," Ino replied. "Would you like to buy anything? The little one seems to have caught your interest."
There was some poorly disguised sympathy in her tone, and Sasuke wondered if maybe, just maybe she could see through the cloak…
"No, thank you. I don't have a tokonoma anyway."
"Traditions are good," Ino laughed, "but seriously, you can put it on a table. Horse-tail stands for sky, by the way. And iris–."
The door bell rang again, cutting off her speech. Ino apologized quickly and went to meet the new visitors. Sasuke saw their reflections in the mirror hanging above the counter. The pink-haired girl and the dark-eyed youth whose features bore strange and unpleasant resemblance to his own looked like an illustration from a fairytale book. The impression weighed down on him when Ino poked fun at them playfully.
"Hello there! What are you two up to, looking all lovey-dovey here?"
"Shut up!" Sakura murmured. She was beginning to blush, but the guy whom Sasuke remembered seeing at Orochimaru's lair (ah, yes, the weirdo lecturing him about his bonds with Naruto) showed no emotion. Sasuke smirked at that. "I need a bouquet for Mom's birthday. Would you please arrange it? And for your information, Sai's just helping me out with… stuff."
"Suuuure," Ino shrugged.
Sasuke continued watching them. His chances to slip past them unnoticed were slim, so he pretended to be engrossed in studying what looked like oversized lilies soaking in a bucket under the ikebana shelf. He kept a wary eye on the couple, not so much examining Sakura but the weird Sai character. So he got himself integrated in Team Seven. Sasuke waited for a pinch of jealousy at his place being taken. It didn't come.
Ino got Sakura's order ready quickly, and the two left. Sakura was smiling; Sai kept his face politely neutral. His expression was warmer than Sasuke's would have been and betrayed no hint of annoyance. Perhaps he really liked her company. But then again, Sasuke never really knew her despite their countless missions together. She must have changed a lot over the years.
He made for the door, but froze in midmotion as if having recalled something. The feeling of uneasiness that had gripped him when he had entered the shop increased. Sasuke lifted his hand a dropped a few coins on the counter.
"See you've changed your mind," Ino chirped.
Sasuke couldn't understand what made him buy the ikebana. He felt the pleasant weight of it in his hand as Ino gave him the packet. But honestly, a flower arrangement was completely useless to a vagabond that Sasuke had become. He had no personal belongings except for his clothes and weapons, and certainly it was no time to start collecting rubbish.
Nevertheless, he took the ikebana and walked to the door. Ino saw him off with a hearty smile. He remembered he had never set foot in the Yamanaka shop before. He had never seen her that way and he though she was cute in the way flowers could be cute.
"You never told me," he said quietly, "what does iris stand for?"
"Whatever you like," she replied and vanished into the store room before he asked her to be more specific. All those enigmas were beginning to get on his nerves.
A gust of wind blew in through the open door. The flowers swayed their heads in perfect unison and exhaled pole and dew. Sasuke breathed in and stepped outside into the golden afternoon of Konoha.
"Are you spying on me, Suigetsu?" Sasuke inquired icily.
A huge puddle in the middle of the road shifted and rose in a streaming water column. It took the shape of a slender male body. Suigetsu gave Sasuke a toothy grin.
"Just making sure everything goes as planned. By the way, how did you know it was me?"
Sasuke snorted irritably. "Do I look stupid? I've seen a puddle of the exact same size and form three times already." 'Clearly he believes that if he has such a big sword he needs no brain.'
Suigetsu laughed. Sasuke's face darkened. The members of Team Hebi were not stupid, not even Suigetsu, otherwise Sasuke wouldn't have singled them out. They must have noticed the change in Sasuke's behaviour, but had been oddly tactful not to mention it. Deep inside Sasuke was expecting some nasty comments from Suigetsu, but the Mist ninja remained silent.
Sasuke handed him the packet. Suigetsu knitted his eyebrows but refrained from any remarks.
"Go back to the inn and wait for me. I'll be there by nightfall."
"Alone or?.."
Sasuke glared at him to prevent any more questions. When Suigetsu was gone, he lowered himself on the grass, still chilly because of the late rain, and stared thoughtfully at the buzzing village. He had a clear view from the hilltop. The trees sighed in the wind above him. Sasuke closed his eyes and dozed off. He forgot when he had felt so peaceful for the last time.
The setting sun smeared the stains of red and gold across the sky. The fading sunlight shone Sasuke in the eye as he woke and yawned wearily. He had slept for several hours in a row, longer than he ever did in the past month.
He felt Naruto's presence before he made out the splashes of orange through the bushes, and he certainly heard him before that. A shrill outcry in the form of Sasuke's name rang across the hills.
"Louder, you idiot," Sasuke hissed. "I bet there are some deaf people in, say, Suna who haven't heard you yet."
Naruto snickered. The moody expression on his face didn't become him, and Sasuke was relieved to see a glint of curiosity in his eyes.
"So," Naruto began, seemingly indifferent, "where are we going?"
Sasuke uttered a non-committal 'hmm' and gestured for Naruto to follow him. They darted through the shaggy tree tops in silence, the wind howling in their ears. That sound, high-pitched and slightly mocking, was all Sasuke could hear until another one, barely audible yet strong, mixed in. Naruto's breathing. Naruto's heartbeat. Even inhales and exhales and strong, confident thudding. For a second Sasuke shut his eyes and let the sounds carry him forth.
They landed on the outskirt of the small town, ablaze with evening lights. From such distance they could not discern the outlines of buildings, and so the town looked like a flock of fireflies frozen over the dark streets.
"Will there be two of us?" Naruto asked quietly.
Sasuke suppressed a shudder. He had almost forgotten about his companion. He was so used to traveling alone if not with Hebi that to have another breathing and talking thing beside him seemed somewhat surreal now.
"Actually there will be five," he replied. "My teammates are waiting at the inn. Hurry up."
"What kind of people are they?"
Sasuke sighed. He found it hard to answer that question; he had never tried to analyze his companions.
"They're just a bunch of jerks," he said softly under his breath.
Naruto's eyes grew wider. He caught up with Sasuke to have a better look at his face. Sasuke snorted quietly; it must have been a disappointment, but then again Naruto should already be used to it by now.
"Why keep them around then?"
"I've long since outgrown Kakashi's lectures about teamwork," Sasuke said gravely. "They remain by my side because they are useful to me. Much like you right now."
Sasuke turned to look at him. Naruto scrutinized his face, his lips unnaturally white, but it was not hurt that Sasuke saw in his eyes.
"You really are such a bastard," the blond drew out sharply.
"Heh, welcome to the real world," Sasuke chuckled dryly, "which isn't always the way you want it to be. Do you think I'm unaware of your true motives? If you plan to drag me back to the village after we kill the person I'm looking for, you'll be disappointed. I don't think I'll ever go back. This is not my home anymore."
Long sidelong shades that street torches cast danced over the asphalt. The town was still and far sleepier than it seemed from the hilltop.
"I made a promise," Naruto said stubbornly.
"You'll have to fight me if you're so set on keeping it."
Naruto smiled faintly. "I'd give my life for it, Sasuke…"