Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Embracing Dreams ❯ Chapter 18

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Author's Notes: This part was a headache to write. Sasuke absolutely refused to cooperate, Kakashi kept trying to steal the show, Naruto was threatening to go girly on me, and Kyuubi was just...no help whatsoever. I'm glad it's finished.

Warnings: violence, blood, shounen ai, SasuNaru, NaruSasu

Part 18

Kakashi didn't get it. He didn't know how Naruto had gotten Sasuke to come back so quickly. As far as he could tell, the blonde was completely unscathed. Sasuke was rigid and unresponsive, but no worse than usual. Kakashi came into the kitchen late the next morning to find the two getting along in relative calm, Sasuke sipping coffee while he cooked, Naruto heartily eating ramen for breakfast. Kakashi immediately snagged a cup of his own and hovered.

"Didn't expect you to be back so soon," he drawled at the top of Sasuke's head.

Sasuke flicked him a bored glance, "Do you want any of this?"

Kakashi glanced at the flat circular thing cooking in the skillet. It looked like a pancake. That couldn't be right. The smell was a little off and, besides, Sasuke didn't like sweet things. "Nah."

"I do!" Naruto piped up from the table.

Sasuke tensed for a split second and then shot a look over his shoulder. His expression and tone were mocking, but he didn't quite look at Naruto, "On top of noodles?"

"Ramen," Naruto corrected, glowering. "Ramen noodles. And why not?" He grinned. "It smells good!"

Sasuke's eye ticked as he turned back to glower at Kakashi, "If you don't want anything, go sit down."

"Eh?" Kakashi blinked, as if hurt. "Am I bothering you?"

"Yes."

"And why is that?" prodded Kakashi. "You know, Sasuke, I think of you as my own rabid son. If there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here for you." He gave his most angelic sacrificing father smile, earning him a twitch. Then the moment was ruined by certain loud mouthed blonde elbowing him away from Sasuke.

Naruto had stalked over to dump his empty ramen container, conveniently making the cooking area so cramped that Kakashi had to move to the side. He glowered at the man and waved him back some more. "You heard him," he muttered, "go sit down. You're in the way."

Kakashi blinked. So he was in the way, was he? He gave a narrow-eyed smile and let himself be herded over to the table. "Ah," he murmured to the irate blonde, "I wouldn't want to bother Sasuke. He looks especially tense this morning. I don't suppose you know why he would be so tense this morning?"

Naruto flinched, pointedly not looking in Sasuke's direction. "Mind your own business," he muttered.

Instead of blushing, Naruto had actually paled. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. He considered reminding the brat that Sasuke was his business. Then he thought better of it. Another push so soon after the last one and Sasuke might not come back at all. Iruka wouldn't like that. Besides, it would be more interesting to tackle Naruto when he was alone. He settled in for a nice staring session. He was curious how long Naruto could take it before he cracked.

Sasuke didn't speak again. He was thinking. Too much, not enough, he wasn't really sure. He ignored Kakashi and Naruto alike, not even saying anything when Naruto coated his pancakes in syrup, despite the raisins he'd added to the batter, that already made them borderline sugary. He noticed vaguely that Naruto was staring wide-eyed at the way he attacked his food. He ignored that, too. Naruto hadn't exactly hesitated to wolf down his ramen, and it wasn't as if he had any reason to be polite in front of Kakashi. He'd slept unreasonably well last night, dropping right back into the same dead sleep he'd had in the fields. And he'd woken up just after dawn feeling wide awake. Clearly, something was seriously wrong with him.

He was a little too eager to teach Naruto a lesson, and wasn't that a juvenile thing to think. Teach him a lesson. What, was he five? He knew it was immature. Pointless, even. But the fight last night honestly rankled him. It wasn't even his embarrassment. It was the idea that a relatively painless scuffle could be considered a fight. He was familiar with matches that were over almost as soon as they'd started. The difference was that those ended when one person was incapacitated. They were serious, dangerous, deadly. These scuffles Naruto kept dragging him into were an insult to all the fights he'd had over the years. Then there was the fact that he'd lost without even realizing that the fight would end the second his back touched the ground. Pinned? Fine, then, he'd show him pinned. The only question was how to go about it without killing the moron.

Naruto opened his mouth when Sasuke got up from the table mere minutes after sitting down. He closed it again without speaking. He didn't know what he'd been planning to say, anyway. He'd been getting weird vibes from Sasuke since their walk back last night. It made him nervous for some reason. Then there was the way he'd bolted his food, scarily fast compared to how politely he'd eaten around Iruka. And he kept getting this dark look around his eyes, like he was amused by something only he could see. Even the way he moved to wash his dishes suddenly seemed worrisome. There was a sharpness to every little movement Sasuke made that reminded him of Kyuubi right before one of his mutilation dreams. Not exactly reassuring. And Sasuke still hadn't looked at him. Oh, sure, he looked in his general direction and talked like things were normal, but he wasn't actually seeing him. Somehow that was worse than being ignored outright.

On top of that, there was the pervert, who'd been staring at him since he sat down. Sure, he'd rather have the pervert bugging him than Sasuke, but that stare was getting really annoying. He waited until Sasuke left the kitchen before he snapped. "What!" Naruto rounded, scowling at Kakashi. "What, do I have something on my face?"

Kakashi beamed. The brat had lasted almost ten minutes, four more than he'd estimated. "Yes, you do," he remarked cheerfully. "Cute little kitty whiskers."

"They're scars," Naruto bristled. The only scars he had, as a matter of fact, and scars he was quite proud of. He'd had them before Kyuubi woke up the second time and started healing every tiny little injury he had. He did wish they'd been somewhere other than his face, but he still liked them. They were really unique, after all, like having a tattoo.

"They look like whiskers to me," Kakashi smiled. "Fitting ones, too, with your talent."

Naruto tensed, sending Kakashi a suspicious and disgruntled look. "What do you know about my talent?" Iruka wouldn't have told him. No way. He was suddenly reminded of what Sasuke had said about the pervert's touch. He scooted his chair further away from the table. He didn't see how anyone could copy Kyuubi, but he wasn't taking any chances.

"Just what I've seen," said Kakashi. He tilted his head thoughtfully and started ticking points off with his fingers, "Red eyes, fiery orange energy, sharp teeth, claws, pointy ears, a tail," and Naruto was starting to look panicked, so he gave a sly smile and added, "and your voice changes considerably. Why, it almost sounded like a completely different person. I don't suppose you have a split personality, do you?"

Naruto appeared frozen in place, wide-eyed and very pale. Kakashi went in for the kill, "What's his name? Neko-chan, maybe? Ah, no, that's right, Pakkun says fox not cat. I suppose that would explain the territorial behavior..."

"What do you want?" Naruto mumbled. Inside he was railing. Was it that easy to put together? The pervert had only seen Kyuubi once. And what did he mean about the dog? Kyuubi disliked dogs as a rule, but dogs had never had a problem around Naruto. He was pretty sure he didn't smell like a fox - Kyuubi didn't have a real fox's body, so there was no way he could smell like one. Then came the big question. Did Sasuke know?

'Not yet,' Kyuubi muttered sullenly. 'I told you it was only a matter of time. There's no reason not to tell him yourself.'

'Yes, there is,' Naruto shot back. 'I don't want him looking at me like that. He'll think I'm crazy!'

Kyuubi snorted, 'Look who he's been living with. I doubt crazy is anything new to him.'

"Oh, I'm just curious," Kakashi said, oblivious to the silent exchange. "Iruka was very open about his talent, and I'm sure Sasuke's told you about his and mine by now. The fact that you're keeping yours a secret, well," and he smiled, "it makes one wonder what you're hiding. And why."

Naruto focused his darkest glare on the pervert. "It's none of your business."

"Sasuke is."

'He's threatening me!' Naruto blurted to Kyuubi, while gaping at the pervert.

'Or challenging us,' Kyuubi growled back, 'I'll kill him if he tries anything.'

"Now, now," Kakashi waved, "don't get all worked up. I'm not going to spill your odd little secret, though I would suggest you tone down the teeth and claws the next time he makes an appearance - it's not exactly subtle, after all. No, I just want to know if this alter ego of yours is the reason you managed to get Sasuke to come back quietly last night."

Naruto blinked in confusion, actually thinking about that for a moment. Kyuubi had tracked Sasuke down, but the fight had been him. He hadn't used any talents, so, "No."

"I see," Kakashi nodded. And he did, finally. The lack of injuries had told him either the kids hadn't fought, or Naruto had used some unknown talent to subdue Sasuke without either of them getting hurt. If the brat hadn't used his 'secret' talent, then it was obvious how he'd gotten Sasuke to stand down. He'd sexed him up. Ah, good old fashioned tactics never failed. Nothing shut Sasuke up like a flash of porn. Mystery solved. Now to find Sasuke and enjoy how especially spirited he was behaving this morning. He'd always thought a little sexing up would be good for the kid. Not too much too fast, of course, just enough to dislocate that ill placed stick of his. "Nice talking to you," he smiled at Naruto. "And don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

Naruto turned to stare after the pervert. Kakashi had looked eerily cheerful, almost skipping out of the room. That just wasn't right.

'What's going on?' Naruto asked Kyuubi. 'What just happened?'

'I'm not sure,' Kyuubi muttered, though he had his suspicions. 'Finish eating and go outside for a run. You'll want to stretch those legs before the kid challenges us.' Naruto pouted irritably and Kyuubi sniffed at him. 'Don't look at me, I warned that you'd be sore today. It's not my fault you haven't been getting enough exercise lately.' Luckily he expected that to change shortly. Sasuke was letting out enough adrenaline to make him heady. Whatever the kid had planned, Kyuubi hoped it would be painful. He was tired of having Naruto doubt him when he said the kid was stronger than he looked.

.-.

Sasuke spent most of the day reading in the backyard. He'd had Naruto fetch him some of those primers Iruka had mentioned and was wading his way through the first book. It was boring, too easy, and driving the blonde stir crazy. He'd just flipped to the second chapter when he caught Naruto peeking at him from the window. He was halfway through the third when the blonde came out, fidgeted just outside the door for nearly twenty minutes, and then went back in. By the time he was on the sixth chapter, Naruto had come all the way to the rock before he started his fidgety shuffle. Sasuke didn't bother to look up, appearing entirely engrossed in the elementary material.

"Hey," Naruto murmured, finally. "Um, Sasuke...?"

"I'm busy," said Sasuke. "Go away."

Naruto grimaced and bit back a complaint. It was past noon and Sasuke was still reading. A textbook, even. How could anyone sit for hours on end reading a textbook? He just knew Sasuke was doing this on purpose. He scowled and scuffed a foot on the grass. "It's lunch time," he said hopefully. "You gonna eat?"

"Maybe later," Sasuke said, turning a page slowly as if he had all the time in the world.

Naruto's face dropped into a squinty-eyed glower. One more try, he could manage one more try and then he wouldn't have to wonder when Sasuke was going to challenge him, he'd challenge the jerk himself. "Want me to bring you something?"

If Sasuke was surprised by the generous offer, he gave no sign of it, "Tea would be nice."

"Okay!"

Sasuke flicked an amused look after him. Too easy. His eyes were back on the book by the time Naruto came out, "Thanks."

"Sure," said Naruto. He waited a few more minutes and then did his best to sound casual, "So, are we still gonna fight today?"

"Later."

Naruto fought back another grimace. "Okay." He turned back to the house feeling relieved - the fight was still on, and annoyed - Sasuke could at least look interested in challenging him, and frustrated - when the hell was 'later'?

'What are you laughing about?' Naruto demanded, more than a little cross.

'I like him,' Kyuubi smirked.

'Well, good for you,' Naruto grouched, 'because right now I don't like him at all.'

Kyuubi's grin widened even more, 'I know.'

Mere minutes after Naruto disappeared into the house, Sasuke finally acknowledged the patient pervert who'd been spying on him for most of the day. He turned to a fresh page in the textbook and wrinkled his nose. Kakashi smirked at the tiny facial expression. That was Sasuke's way of saying, 'fine, I admit you've succeeded in annoying me, now go away.'
Kakashi strolled out from behind the tree closest to Sasuke, a small orange-covered book held open in front of his face. He stopped beside the rock and let his gaze flick down casually, "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with your food?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Kakashi beamed. He knew that look, too. Inner Sasuke was now sniggering in dark barely suppressed glee. That narrow glittery eyed stare was as close to a chuckle as he'd get from the brat. Oh, yes, Sasuke was in a very devious mood today. As much as he enjoyed watching his kid plotting something evil, he was fairly sure Naruto wouldn't last much longer. It was up to him to make sure Iruka's adopted son was still alive when he returned. While comfort sex had its benefits, Kakashi didn't care much for tears. They ruined the mood. He resolutely didn't consider the possibility that Iruka might kill him rather than seek comfort. Kakashi was an optimist, after all.

"I approve," Kakashi said, with a confident nod. "Given, he's a bit green for you, I had in mind someone more experienced who could carry you around by the scruff of your neck so those claws of yours can't do any damage. But he's eager to learn, easily riled, and hormone ridden enough to suffice for the time being. He must have done something right last night, to make you so eager to return the favor."

Sasuke turned a slow look on him, arching one dark eyebrow, "Do you want to die?"

"Now, now," Kakashi said cheerfully, "none of that. I'm simply giving you my support. It's only natural for boys your age to experiment. And this is the perfect opportunity for you to get in some of that home therapy I recommended, to get over your contact phobia. If you ever need me to make myself conveniently absent for a while, just say the word."

Sasuke's expression was studiously bland. Kakashi immediately took that to mean Sasuke was trying to hide the fact that something he'd said had interested the boy. Now which part would that be? Kakashi felt a slow smile curving over his face until his visible eye narrowed with mirth.

"In fact," Kakashi murmured, ever so casual, "I think I'll take a long walk around town. It'll probably be a few hours before I get back, but I'm sure you can take care of yourself until then. Be sure to take your vitamins for the day. I noticed you skipped those at breakfast. Naughty, naughty. If I didn't know you'd refuse anything drug-like from my hands, I'd have brought them out to you. They'd go down well with that drink your little blonde friend brought you."

Kaksahi strolled off, his face hidden happily in the open book. He could be very considerate. Not that Sasuke appreciated it. Ungrateful brat. Here he was, showing complete trust in a pair of teenagers, who collectively had sex and violence on the brain. If it had just been Naruto and that hidden fox ego-thing, he wouldn't have done it. Sasuke was different. He was fairly sure Sasuke had never seen a naked person, male or female, let alone considered what a normal teenager would do if left alone with that person. Besides, it was officially three days and counting. This was the point where Kakashi typically began his pursuit. Openly stalking, groping, cornering, offering aphrodisiacs to the more inhibited of his targets. He wondered how the latter would work with Iruka. It would probably depend on that drug he was taking. Not that he'd ever noticed adverse side effects with his own 'specially ordered' pills. They'd been patented by Jiraiya-sama himself, after all. They were guaranteed to make the most recalcitrant lover into a growling sex kitten. Kakashi hummed to himself, pleased with how well his imagination went with the illustrated porn open in front of him. By the time he reached the sidewalk, he'd forgotten why he was taking a walk, fully engaged in his own little fantasy.

.-.

Naruto didn't know what to expect when Sasuke called him outside. He'd been watching television, snacking on ramen, and doing everything possible to distract him from the long delayed fight. It had worked so well he hadn't even noticed when Sasuke came in. He only heard him coming down the stairs, giving a small smirk when he glanced over to see him standing in the livingroom doorway. Naruto jumped to follow. He wasn't nervous anymore, just impatient. He followed Sasuke over to the furthest rock on the right. Then Sasuke turned to face him and Naruto's attention was caught by the cuffs he was wearing on his arms and legs. They were white and loose with tiny belts on the ends. The ones on his arms reached just past his elbow.

Naruto blinked. 'Kinky.'

'Nice,' Kyuubi agreed. 'He'd look better in them without the black clothes, though. Or any clothes at all, for that matter. Don't stare too much. He's starting to glare at you.'

Naruto quickly pushed away his surprise at the unexpected kinky accessories. Sasuke was glaring suspiciously at him as if he'd actually heard the silent exchange. He put an innocently eager expression on his face.

"Kakashi's gone," said Sasuke. "If we fight in the future, we'll do it in the fields. Agreed? I don't like witnesses."

"Sure," Naruto said quickly. He wasn't big on witnesses, either. Iruka had a bad habit of stopping him any time he used Kyuubi in a fight. Of course, that only happened when Hiko really pissed him off, but still. No witnesses was a pretty good rule. He decided to toss one in himself, "If we fight in the fields and you get hurt, you have to come back to the house so Iruka can fix it." Sasuke recoiled, giving him one nasty glare. Naruto stubbornly glared right back. "That's my rule. I heal fast on my own, so that's not a problem. I don't like seeing people hurt, so if you get hurt you have to say something so you can get help." Especially if he was the one who'd caused the injury. "Agreed?"

"Fine," Sasuke said coldly. Naruto's confidence in this 'quick healing' was starting to annoy him. "I'm challenging you. Use your talents. Don't hold back on my account." He pulled his knife free of the left arm cuff. Kakashi, in a rare moment of honesty, had left it under his pillow, returning it last night just as he'd promised. "I'll be using this."

Naruto's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing into a squinty stare just as quickly. Sasuke couldn't seriously be planning to use a single knife, right? Yeah, it did catch the sun, so it was probably sharp. But it was only a few inches long. "I keep telling you, I heal really fast. I mean really, really fast. Especially from stuff like cuts."

Sasuke stared, his cold and blank expression shifting slowly into a dark half smile, "Then you should live through this."

Naruto saw Sasuke's eyes flash red, giving him a few seconds' notice before he found himself lying on his back with something sharp digging into his neck. He blinked dazedly, just as the first warm trickle crept down to his collar.

'What...?'

'I told you he was fast,' Kyuubi drawled, sounding faintly amused and very casual.

Sasuke face eased into Naruto's line of sight. Naruto blinked at him.

'If I just got knocked down, why is he the one glowering?' Naruto murmured, only now realizing what had happened.

Sasuke gave the stunned blonde a derogatory sneer, "Does it count as a 'pin' if a weapon is touching you, but not the person holding it?"

"Um," Naruto stared, "I don't think so."

"Good," said Sasuke. He moved away, shaking a few drops of blood off his blade and watching as Naruto finally started getting up. He could see the way that small wound he'd made was closing itself. There was a thick throb of that ruddy energy and tiny wisps of steam, as if the cut were hot to the touch. He didn't have to feel his blade to know the wound hadn't been that hot when he'd first cut him. Not instantaneous healing, then. Naruto was glaring now. Sasuke felt that smile tug at his mouth again. He could have ended the fight just then, simply by touching him, and Naruto knew it.

"Defend yourself," Sasuke said, graciously giving an advance warning this time. He approached him slowly, openly, with his hand curved so the blade of his knife pressed lightly against the inside of his wrist. Naruto tensed the closer he got, then lunged at him. Sasuke waited till he was almost within reach. He dropped to the ground again and calmly swept Naruto's feet out from under him. If it had been anyone else, he'd have tossed the knife at his exposed back. But he'd already decided not to cut up Naruto's clothing. While Iruka might not recognize blood stains, he'd surely notice tattered clothing.

Naruto's reaction was quicker this time. He caught himself on his arms before his face could meet the grass. He twisted around, aiming a kick at Sasuke, who was still crouched behind him. A frustrated growl started in his throat when he missed by a good foot and a half. Now he knew how that bulky moron had felt when he'd beaten the guy as if he were standing still. Compared to Sasuke, he was ungainly. Not tall enough to get the reach he wanted, not light enough on his feet to manage that graceful speed. And Kyuubi wasn't being the least bit helpful.

'Stop laughing!' Naruto snarled at the snickering fox. 'Whose side are you on?'

He shoved off, momentarily forgetting his decision not to punch Sasuke when Iruka wasn't handy to heal the scrawny guy if he accidentally broke him. He feinted to the left, legs braced enough so no simple kick would budge them. Sasuke snicked to the side, avoiding his outstretched hand and lining his face up for a perfect punch. Naruto put his full weight into the blow. And he cried out when his knuckles met with the sharp end of a knife three inches shy of Sasuke's face. He froze, absolutely sure the blade had sliced through his hand all the way to his wrist. No blow he'd gotten in any of his sparring matches had hurt like this. Sasuke was just watching him, blank faced, left hand holding his wrist from beneath, the right holding that knife in an underhanded grip.

Kyuubi relented at the numb panic that was holding Naruto immobile. 'He didn't cut through your hand, he just sliced the skin off your knuckles. I can't heal it with the knife still embedded. Pull free and hit him while he's waiting for your reaction. It doesn't hurt any more than punching a brick wall would.' There was a tiny hint of sympathy in his tone. Mostly he felt satisfied. Naruto had no more concept of real pain than he did real speed. Sasuke was proving to be a good introduction for him.

Naruto obeyed without thinking it over. His hand still felt like it was on fire, or cut in half down the middle. He couldn't block it out, so he used it the same way he'd used his weight, tossing it into a left handed punch that clipped Sasuke's right arm just above the elbow. He heard a sound then that made his lunch heave into his throat. A muffled crack mixed with the wet sound of that blade cutting the rest of the skin off his knuckles. He could feel it scraping bone as it jerked itself free, blood splattering out to speckle his left arm. Kyuubi immediately surged forward, turning the pain into a hot itchy sensation that was nearly as bad.

'Want me to take over?' asked Kyuubi.

Naruto almost let him. Then he caught sight of Sasuke standing off to the side. He was holding that knife in his left hand now, but he was watching, waiting, still looking so darkly amused that Naruto wanted nothing more than to knock that look off his face. Sasuke was playing with him, taunting, dragging this out when clearly he could have pinned him a dozen times over already. As tempted as he was to let Kyuubi beat the jerk into the ground, that would be admitting he couldn't beat Sasuke himself. There was no way.

Kyuubi sniffed at the sudden blaze of stubborn pride. Naruto was good at learning skills through practical usage, but they hadn't experimented enough for him to hold his own against a mutant as clearly experienced as Sasuke. And the brat would never believe that until he'd had the truth forced down his throat. It still wasn't like Naruto to be this much of a sore loser. 'He's testing you,' Kyuubi explained, as patiently as he could under the circumstances. 'Figuring out the limits of your healing abilities. That's the reason he's using that knife instead of a more deadly attack. I told you, he won't fight all out until he knows how strong we are.'

'Playing with me!' Naruto growled, 'That's what he's doing!'

Sasuke's eyes narrowed when Naruto suddenly lunged at him again. He'd seen the way Naruto had reacted to the sudden pain earlier, his face turning ash white, those blue eyes widening until he looked so innocent Sasuke felt disgusted for ever having starting this. Then he remembered his reasons. He had a choice. Find out how seriously he could fight Naruto without endangering him, or stand down and let himself be 'pinned' again and again until Naruto bored of the game. Frankly, he'd had just about enough of standing down and letting the blonde throw his weight around. He met the furious lunge with a careful swipe of his knife, right about eye level. Sure enough, Naruto pulled back with wide eyes, all of his attention locked on the glinting blade. Sasuke used the distraction to kick him down yet again. This time he followed, placing his left hand on Naruto's forehead before the boy could roll himself back up.

"Pinned," said Sasuke. Naruto gaped in outrage, and Sasuke let his own dissatisfaction show on his face. "It's not much of a fight, is it. If you want to fight me, come with the intent to injure if not kill. I can't fight someone I'm afraid to hurt. You can't best me if you're afraid to use your strength." Naruto's mouth moved as if he was struggling for something to say. Sasuke cut him off, "That's my first condition. If you want to challenge me, fight me seriously because I'll be doing the same."

Naruto bristled, suddenly resenting the light hand on his forehead. As if Sasuke was so confident he'd stay put that he didn't even need to hold him down. "And the other conditions?" he glowered.

Sasuke felt that amused smile pull at his mouth again. He thought he understood the way Naruto had smirked at him that time in the mud. There was something very satisfying about seeing an opponent blustering after being humiliated. He let his hand slide off Naruto's forehead, brushing a bit of his hair. Soft. And Naruto's expression went from frustrated to wide-eyed just as quickly as Sasuke's anger had turned to shock last night. How appropriate. Sasuke leaned close enough to give him the wrong impression.

"My second condition," Sasuke murmured, that smile glinting in his eyes. "If you want to kiss me," and his fingers casually brushed over Naruto's cheek until he was sure those sky blue eyes couldn't get any wider, "ask me."

Naruto gulped, all of his frustration and anger being replaced with breathless anticipation. He licked his lips nervously and let out a quiet, "Okay..."

"My third condition," and Sasuke was so close Naruto shivered from the breath on his face. His eyes slowly traced over Naruto's mouth before suddenly flicking up. "I'll call you whatever I want, usuratonkachi." He immediately stood up and turned away, calmly undoing the cuff on his right arm. Nearly a minute passed before Naruto sputtered.

"Asshole," Naruto blurted, gaping at Sasuke. He got to his feet and stared at the boy's back. He didn't know whether to be angry or amused at his own expense. Kyuubi was obviously settling for the latter, snickering away inside his head. Naruto sent him a sullen, 'Traitor.'

'Hardly,' Kyuubi drawled back.

'Seemed like it,' Naruto muttered, 'the way you were laughing at me instead of helping. Where do you get off laughing in the middle of a fight?'

'It's your own fault for not listening to me. I told you he was fast, confident, and dangerous. Don't underestimate him next time.'

'Whatever,' Naruto groused. 'You could have at least given me some claws to counter that knife of his.'

'You didn't ask,' Kyuubi pointed out.

Naruto bristled at that, 'I shouldn't have to! We were supposed to be fighting together! Instead you just sat back and laughed at me.'

There was a certain amount of hurt mixed in with the anger in that accusation. Kyuubi ignored it. 'I did help. I healed you and gave you freedom to use as much strength as you wanted.'

'Strength,' Naruto scoffed. 'Lot of good that did me.'

Kyuubi growled at the ungrateful tone. 'You broke his arm. If I'd known you would be that reckless, I wouldn't have given you any freedom at all. I gave you free access to our strength and you used all of it in a thoughtless attack that could have killed him had it landed anywhere else. Be glad I know how well you learn from mistakes or I'd never let you fight on your own at all.'

Naruto barely heard the rest of that comment. He ran over to Sasuke and stopped just shy of grabbing his shoulder. Sasuke was crouched down, removing the cuffs from his legs. He didn't look like he'd gotten a serious injury, but Naruto remembered the burn in the kitchen and knew that didn't mean anything. There was that cracking sound he'd heard when he hit him. And Sasuke wasn't using his right arm. A sharp breath caught in his throat. Iruka wasn't home. Even if he were, he'd told him again and again that he couldn't heal broken bones. "Sasuke? Is your arm...?"

Sasuke sent him a defensive glare, "It's-"

"Don't say it's fine!" Naruto cut him off. "Don't! You agreed! If you're hurt you have to say something so-" He stopped short. Get help. What kind of help could they get for a broken bone? That was serious! This wasn't like a scrape or a burn. He dropped his head, his hands curling into fists at his side as he clenched his teeth. "Damn it," he said in a small voice. "I'm sorry..."

'Hospital?' Naruto asked Kyuubi. The question came out weak and tentative. He couldn't forget the way Kyuubi had rounded on him. 'I should have been more careful. You were right. But...it's not like I can take it back, so...hospital?'

'That's a good idea,' Kyuubi said. There was no judgement on his part. Like he'd said, he knew how well Naruto learned from his mistakes. The kid had a conscience that was almost sickeningly guilty when it came to hurting other people. As for him, he'd known someone would get hurt from the moment Sasuke had pulled out his knife. This was why he'd said the boy was too dangerous to spar with. Dangerous for them, and for himself.

"Moron," Sasuke called, breaking Naruto from his guilty pose. The blonde turned to flash him a pained look. Sasuke tossed the small item he'd plucked from the grass right after Naruto had prodded him about his arm. Naruto caught it. Then Naruto looked at what he was holding, let out a horrified cry of disgust, and dropped it as if it were on fire. Sasuke snorted at the childish behavior. "It's your skin," he smirked darkly. "I cut it off you myself. Which is why you struck back, in case you forgot. I told you to defend yourself. There's no need to apologize for following my orders."

Just the way he said it was almost enough to make Naruto go off on him. The slimy feel on his hand where he'd squeezed that nasty strip of bloody skin didn't help any. He grimaced and glared and furiously wiped his hand off on his pants. "That's disgusting. You don't throw stuff like that at people!"

Sasuke snorted in amusement. "Moron."

Naruto glowered at the insult. As strange and violent as the fight had been, he'd definitely have to fight him again so he could reinstate the 'no calling me names' condition. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered. "We have to go to the hospital to get your arm looked at."

A quick glare answered that. Naruto ignored it. He went over and prodded Sasuke on the back, ignoring the way the boy tensed and doubled his glare at the contact. "Better leave that knife in the house. I've never been inside the hospital here, but some of them have metal detectors and stuff."

"I didn't agree to go anywhere," Sasuke reminded him, his eyes narrowed into black slits. "Stop pushing me."

"Well, if you'd start walking, I wouldn't have to prod you so much," Naruto sniffed. Sasuke grudgingly started walking toward the house. Naruto followed right behind, more than willing to poke him again if he hesitated. "By the way," he said, in an attempt to lighten the surly mood. "About that second condition of yours. You said to ask, right? What if I did ask?"

"Right now?" Sasuke growled testily. "I'd say go to hell."

"I knew it," Naruto glowered. "You'd think I was torturing you, making you go to a hospital to get help. They're not so bad."

"I hate hospitals," Sasuke spat. "All they'll do for a minor break like this is bind the area. I can do that myself."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "You've had breaks before?"

"Too many to count."

"Damn," Naruto blinked in surprise. He quickly squished the macabre interest that reared up at the idea. This break was his fault and that wasn't the least bit cool. "Well, I haven't had any breaks that I couldn't heal on my own, but I've been to a lot of hospitals. Don't worry, I'll get us in and out as quick as possible." And hopefully the bill wouldn't be too outrageous. Iruka-sensei was already going to kill him, either outright or by guilt tripping him to death. He sighed again. "I really am sorry, you know."

Sasuke gritted his teeth, "Stop saying that." His eyebrow twitched. "And stop poking me. Do it again and you'll find out if regrowing a finger is as easy as regrowing skin. I doubt it is."

"Egh," Naruto grimaced. He suddenly noticed the white-knuckled grip Sasuke had on that knife of his. He drew his prodding hand back. "Okay, okay, I won't poke you. No blood in the house, all right? I'll have enough trouble just washing it out of my clothes." Not to mention the pain of having a little skin cut was bound to be nothing compared to an actual amputation.

'He's kinda scary,' Naruto murmured. 'Think he'd really do it?'

'Definitely,' Kyuubi hummed, sounding very pleased with the idea. 'I really like him.'

'You would.'

.-.
TBC