Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Insanely Yours ❯ This Close ( Chapter 21 )

Chapter Twenty-One: This Close

 

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"Not once in life have I been real, but I've never felt this close before."

"Naruto,"

 

"Huh?"

 

"How old are you?"

 

"Nineteen. Why?"

 

"....Well, from where I stand, you look like you're seven."

 

"I'm not sure about whether or not that was an insult, Sakura." Naruto replied. Sakura just shook her head and sighed, mumbling something about immature, dumb, blondes. Naruto just stuck his tongue out at her and continued doing what he'd been doing before she'd interrupted.

 

He dipped his paintbrush into the red paint and spread the color all over his middle finger. His pinky was yellow, his ring finger was orange, his pointer finger was green, and his thumb had a two eyes and a smile painted on it.

 

"This is a masterpiece." He stated proudly.

 

Sakura rolled her eyes. "No. It's a stupid hand-turkey." She scoffed. "You're ridiculous."

 

"Sakura, you're no fun." Naruto told her, shaking his head while painting his middle finger. "You need to stop being such a stick in the mud. I mean, really, have some fun once in a while." He told her. "You know my turkey is badass. Don't hate."

 

The pink haired girl tried not to laugh, but Naruto was just way too serious about his turkey. "You're insane." She laughed. Naruto nodded and smiled.

 

"Why, yes I am."

 

After about two minutes of begging, pleading, and heavy coaxing, Naruto actually got Sakura to let him paint a turkey on her hand. He made sure that each of the turkey's feathers was pink so that they'd match Sakura's hair. Sakura couldn't even retain her sour mood because Naruto was too much of a delight to be around; she couldn't bear to stay upset around him. He took her wrist and made her hand move up and down.

 

"Gobble, Sakura." He told her.

 

She shook her head and laughed. "Oh no, you're not making me gobble. Absolutely not!" she protested. Naruto shrugged and smiled.

 

"Fine, then I'll do it. Gobble, gobble! Gobble!" he chuckled. Sakura couldn't help but laugh with him. She laughed so hard that her sides hurt, so hard that she couldn't breathe. "I make the perfect turkey, don't I?" Naruto joked. Sakura continued to laugh. Neither she nor Naruto was aware that everyone in the art room was staring at them like they'd lost their minds.

 

Sakura stared at her hand, still giggling. "I wonder how long it's gonna take for me to scrub this paint off." She mused.

 

Naruto shrugged. "Long time, probably." He answered.

 

"You make me feel like a kid." Sakura looked up at Naruto, a smile on her face. "I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing."

 

"Anything that involves me is a good thing, Sakura-chan." He boasted proudly.

 

The pink haired girl rolled her eyes and laughed. "Ri-ight."

 

It took them both ten minutes to wash the paint off of their hands. They were both still at the sinks after everyone else had cleaned up and left. Naruto promised Sakura that he'd never paint her hands again and she promised not to ever let him paint his own hands. Shizune stayed behind with the two of them while they washed their hands and she scolded Naruto, telling him that he'd been irresponsible. Naruto had to hold his breath to keep from laughing.

 

After they'd finished washing their hands, Shizune guided them both to the tv room. She announced to the patients that, since it was Thanksgiving, she would let some of them help her with dinner. Naruto, of course, was not allowed into the kitchen, so Shizune told him that he'd help her set the food on the table when it was done. Gaara wasn't allowed in the kitchen for obvious reasons. Sakura opted out because she hated being around food, and even though Shizune tried to get her to help, she outright refused. Sasuke was nowhere to be found, so Shizune didn't bother to go find him. In the end, Shizune managed to drag Sai, Neji, Kiba, Hinata, and Shikamaru into the kitchen with her. The five of them reluctantly followed her out of the tv room.

 

"You know, sometimes I'm glad I'm not allowed near kitchens." Naruto joked while making his way over to the couch. Sakura followed him and sat down beside him.

 

"So...when you were living at home," she began. "You never cooked by yourself?" Sakura questioned.

 

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. I've always lived with my sister and she usually did the cooking. She didn't trust me near a stove, hell; I don't trust me near a stove." He said. Sakura nodded.

 

"Is it hard?" she asked. "I mean...do you...is it hard not to think about it a lot? Starting fires, I mean?" she questioned. Naruto shrugged.

 

He put his arms behind his head and took a deep breath before speaking. "Honestly? Yeah." He answered. "Sometimes I try not to think about it but...other times, I just can't control myself. I dunno...it's difficult." He sighed. Naruto turned to Sakura and spoke. "What about you?"

 

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

 

"I mean, do you think about...you know...throwing up," he said, for lack of a better word. "Like...when you're eating, is it...is that what you think about?" he asked her.

 

Sakura wrapped her arms around her small abdomen and shrugged, staring at anything but Naruto. "Sometimes." She admitted. "I'm just...I'm not used to eating and having to keep it down, you know? I mean..." she paused, staring down at the white tiles on the floor. "My mother...my mother encouraged it. Back when I was at home she...she treated this like it was a good thing. She didn't want me to come here." Sakura told Naruto. "She thinks I'm fine, but I know..."

 

"Know what?" Naruto questioned, looking down at Sakura.

 

The girl shook her head and smiled bitterly. "I know that I'm not fine."

 

Naruto gently placed his arm around Sakura. He could feel almost every one of her bones. "I don't think that any of us is perfectly fine." He told her. "We're getting there, though." He grinned. Sakura smiled and laid her head on Naruto's shoulder.

 

"You always say the right things." She said in a small voice. "Thank you, Naruto." The boy just nodded and said nothing more.

 

Eventually, Naruto and Sakura turned on the television in the tv room and found themselves totally engrossed on some Thanksgiving special on the History channel. It was a documentary about how historians were trying to debunk the myth about the Pilgrims and the Indians coming together on Thanksgiving. A few ridiculous reenactments were shown, leaving Sakura and Naruto doubling over with laughter.

 

Sakura revealed that Thanksgiving used to be her favorite holiday, and Naruto admitted that he'd never really cared for the holiday. When Naruto asked Sakura why thanksgiving had been her favorite holiday, she told him that it was the one day where her mother refused to cook. Naruto spoke no more on the subject.

 

Gradually, after a few hours, the families started rolling in. The first family to arrive was Kiba's. His mother and his sister arrived, surprisingly, with Kiba's dog, Akamaru. Naruto had never seen Kiba so excited in his life. The brunet seemed happier to see his dog than to see his mother.

 

"Hey, Naruto! C-Come over here!" Kiba waved him over cheerfully. Naruto stood up from the couch and waltzed over to Kiba and his family. "This is my family," he introduced them. "This is my mother, Tsume, and my sister, Hana."

 

Naruto extended his arm in order to shake Kiba's mother's hand. "I'm Uzumaki, Naruto. Nice to meet you, ma'am." He greeted. He turned and shook Hana's hand as well. "Nice to meet you too." He said.

 

"It's a pleasure, trust me." Hana smiled.

 

"Kiba's told us so much about you, Naruto." Tsume Inuzuka patted Naruto's shoulder. "We hear you're quite the good friend."

 

Naruto shrugged. "I'd like to think so." He grinned.

 

The next family to arrive had been the Sabaku's. Gaara's sister, Temari, and his brother, Kankuro, arrived together. They searched for Gaara the minute they walked into the building. When Temari spotted him, she pulled him into what looked like a bone crushing embrace. From the pained expression on Gaara's face, it was deducible that he didn't like it one bit.

 

Soon, Sakura's father and mother showed up. Her father hugged her and kissed her forehead, telling her how glad he was to see her. For some reason, her mother didn't touch her.

 

Aya was the next to enter. When Naruto saw her, he nearly raced over to her. He hugged her tightly and she laughed, pushing him back gently. "Careful, careful," she told him, motioning towards her abdomen. "Not too tight, Naruto."

 

"Sorry! Sorry!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping back immediately. "Are you okay? I mean, is the baby okay? Did I do something wrong??" he asked, questions flying out of his mouth at a mile a minute. Aya laughed and kissed his cheek, shaking her head.

 

"It's alright," she assured him. "Just a little uncomfortable, that's all."

 

"Jeez, Aya! You weren't this big two months ago!" he exclaimed.

 

Aya flicked his forehead and shook her head at him. "That was two whole months. I'm sixth months pregnant, Naruto. What did you expect??" she grumbled. Naruto hugged her shoulders and smiled, despite the fact that Aya had abused his forehead.

 

"You're still beautiful, sis. I don't care how big you get!"

 

"Oh, thanks." Aya deadpanned.

 

"Welcome, everyone!" Shizune emerged from the hallway, smiling at all of the families that were gathered in the lobby. "If all of you could come to the dining room, we can get started with dinner. Follow me, please." She beckoned them all forward and everyone followed her. Naruto, who was walking behind Aya, could barely hold back his laugh as he watched her waddle along. She was just so adorable. He just wanted to reach out and rub her belly like she was Buddha, or something.

 

As everyone filed into the dining room, Shizune asked them all to take their seats at their respective tables. Naruto had been about to sit down next to Aya, but Shizune didn't let him. "Naruto-kun, why don't you help me bring out the food." She told him. "I'd like for you and Sasuke-kun to bring out to main dishes."

 

Naruto almost groaned. He could've sworn that he was going to get out of all this.

 

"Sure," he spoke, following Shizune toward the kitchen. When they reached the kitchen, Naruto saw Sasuke standing outside the doorway, manning a cart full of food. As soon as he saw Naruto, he pushed the cart forward.

 

"Here, take this one." Sasuke ordered. Naruto opened his mouth to object but Sasuke glared at him. "I don't want you going in the kitchen, idiot." He hissed under his breath.

 

Suddenly, it dawned on Naruto; Sasuke was actually looking out for him, openly caring for him. Naruto couldn't even stop the smile that spread across his face. Sasuke continued to glare but Naruto just kept on smiling. "You're so sweet, Sasuke." He teased. Sasuke rammed the cart forward, rolling its wheel over Naruto's foot.

 

"And you're still an idiot."

 

"You only say that because you care." Naruto grinned, ignoring the pain in his foot.

 

Sasuke scowled. "As if, dumbass."

 

"I care about you too, you know."

 

"Would you just get away from here?"

 

"Boys!" Shizune shouted, slamming the stove closed. Both Naruto's and Sasuke's heads snapped in her direction. The woman's entire face was red and she wore a frown. "There will be none of that today," she scolded them. "Take the food to the table and behave. That's all I'm asking."

 

Naruto smiled and Sasuke's scowl deepened. "Yes ma'am." They spoke in unison. Naruto rolled the cart away, a satisfied grin on his face. He rolled the food cart into the dining room and began setting the food onto the table. He noticed that, in his absence, more people had arrived. Now, sitting at their respective tables, were Sasuke's brother, Itachi, Itachi's caretaker, Deidara, Sai's brother, Yamato, and one of the former patients, Ino. Not-so-surprisingly, Naruto didn't see Shikamaru anywhere.

 

After setting the food out on the table, Naruto went over to Sakura and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes perked up and she searched the table, eyes darting left and right. She stood up, excusing herself for a moment, and left. Moments later, she returned with a reluctant Shikamaru. She forced him down beside Ino and then went to take her seat across from her parents, once again.

 

When Naruto went to sit down beside his sister, she looked over at him and started speaking. "So," she began. "Where is this Sasuke character, anyway?" she asked him. "I think...I should meet him," she paused. "Properly, this time."

 

"Yeah, I think you should meet him too." He agreed. "He...sorta has an attitude problem...so...watch out for that."

 

"An attitude problem?" Aya repeated.

 

Naruto sighed. "Alright, to put it simply, he's sort of an asshole, okay? Like, it's not just his attitude; I think his lifestyle revolves around being an asshole. He can't help it, seriously. I don't think he's even aware of it."

 

"But, he's nice to you though, right?" Aya asked.

 

Naruto shrugged. "Occasionally," he answered, smiling. As soon as he'd said this, Naruto saw Sasuke emerging from the hallway. His smile widened significantly and he sighed, watching Sasuke walk towards the table. Naruto couldn't tear his eyes away from him. All of a sudden, Aya broke out into uncontrollable giggles.

 

"Well, I think I've found him." she laughed, covering her mouth, attempting to stifle the sound. "With the way you were just giving him the goo-goo eyes, it was pretty obvious." She giggled. Naruto rolled his eyes.

 

"You're ridiculous."

 

"You're ridiculous!" She replied. "I mean...you're so obvious. You're totally...in love with this guy!"

 

"Aya!" Naruto exclaimed, "Stop it!"

 

"I can totally see why, though!" Aya continued. "I mean, he's sorta...beautiful. Yeah...he's beautiful." She nodded. "Alright, I approve."

 

Naruto groaned, tugging at his hair. "Ugh...you're terrible...I can't believe I'm related to you..."

 

"I love you too, Naruto." she kissed his cheek. Naruto wiped it off. Aya laughed.

 

After Aya stopped teasing him, Naruto eventually got the guts to wave Sasuke over. Considering that the last time Sasuke had seen his sister, she'd been gaping at him like he was some sort of freak, so Naruto hoped that this meeting would go over well.

 

Sasuke walked over to where Naruto and Aya were seated. He laid eyes on the woman and extended his arm towards her. "Aya, correct?" he questioned. She nodded and shook Sasuke's hand, a shit-eating grin on her face.

 

"Yes, and you're Sasuke." She said. "So you're the guy that my brother lo-...likes so much. It's nice to meet you- the right way."

 

Sasuke nodded. "It's nice to meet you too." He greeted her politely. "Naruto talks about you quite a lot. He's missed you." Sasuke spoke. Aya beamed.

 

"Oh, I've missed him more, I'm sure."

 

After a few moments, Sasuke returned to the table where his brother was. Aya waited until the raven was out of earshot and, when he was, she turned to Naruto and spoke. "Okay, I really approve now." She confessed. "He doesn't seem like a bad person. I don't have a problem with him."

 

"Thank goodness." Naruto muttered under his breath.

 

Minutes later, after all of the food had been set onto the rectangular table at the front of the room, Shizune told all of the guests and patients that they could start eating. Naruto stood up from the table and told Aya that he would go and get her food so that she wouldn't have to get up. He walked over to the table where the line was forming, and oddly enough, found himself standing behind Sasuke. He smirked and leaned forward, speaking into the raven's ear.

 

"I love how nice you were to my sister." He whispered.

 

Sasuke snorted. "I didn't want her gaping at me again."

 

"I'd gape at you too if I found my brother on his knees in front of you."

 

"...you don't have a brother."

 

"You know what I mean, you ass."

 

After getting his sister's and his food, Naruto brought both plates back to the table. One was significantly larger than the other; the smaller one belonged to Naruto.

 

As he was sitting down, Naruto's eyes roamed around the room full of people. He saw mostly everyone sitting at a table with one or more guest. Sakura was actually eating, sitting across from her mother and father, Kiba was sneakily feeding table scraps to Akamaru, Shikamaru was sitting next to Ino, listening to her talk with a dazed expression on his face, Gaara was sitting in between his siblings, looking almost miserable, Sai and Yamato were together, and Sai actually seemed happy, and Sasuke was sitting with his brother and Deidara, holding a conversation. It was then that Naruto realized who was alone: Neji and Hinata.

 

The both of them were sitting alone at a round table, staring at their food, which neither of them had touched. Neji seemed angry; Hinata was absolutely emotionless. Naruto stood up almost immediately.

 

"Aya, I'll be right back." He told his sister. The blonde walked straight over to Neji and Hinata's table and both of them looked up when they saw him approaching.

 

Naruto smiled and waved. "Hey, guys." He greeted them. Neji glared at him; Hinata almost smiled. "Hinata-chan," he started, turning towards the girl, reaching out to grasp her hand. She curled her cold fingers around his. "Would you like to come and sit with my sister and me?" Naruto asked. He then turned to Neji. "Neji, you're invited to come sit with us too. We could use the company."

 

It only took Hinata two seconds to pick up her plate. Neji, however, took much longer. He gave Naruto a hard stare, as if he were trying to stare right through him. Eventually, the pale-eyed boy nodded curtly, still glaring at Naruto. "Fine."

 

Naruto brought the two of them over to the table and when he saw the surprised, almost confused, expression on his sister's face, he gave her a look as if to say cut it out. She nodded and then smiled at the two new people approaching the table. Hinata and Neji pulled up two chairs across from Naruto and Aya. Aya smiled and extended her arm towards Neji.

 

"Hello, I'm Aya, Naruto's sister." She greeted him. "And you are?"

 

"Hyuga Neji." He answered. When Aya went to shake Hinata's hand, the girl timidly took Aya's hand before quickly retracting her own, hiding it in her sleeve.

 

"And your name is?" Aya questioned.

 

"Hinata." Neji and Naruto answered in unison. Neji openly scowled at Naruto and the blonde looked away as if he didn't even notice. "She's mute." Neji informed.

 

Aya nodded. "Oh." She replied.

 

Little by little, everyone at the table began to loosen up. Surprisingly, Neji actually decided to hold a conversation with Aya. He said more to her than he had ever said to Naruto. Naruto, however, chose to direct his attention to Hinata.

 

"Hinata, do you like thanksgiving?" he asked her. She just stared at him, unmoving. Naruto hadn't expected much else. "Well, I do." He continued. "I didn't like it when I was younger, you know, because all I ever wanted to eat was ramen. But, you know, when Aya and I were together, when it was just us, I learned to appreciate the holiday." He ate a forkful of turkey and kept talking, his mouth full of food. "Ah meh, ah ove spendinh tie wif my sisser." Which translated to, I mean, I love spending time with my sister.

 

Hinata clasped her hands over her mouth, hiding it from Naruto. But he could still see her eyes and he could tell that she was smiling. At least he knew that she thought he was funny.

 

"You know, Hinata-chan, you should really smile more often." He told her, after finally swallowing his food. "I'm sure you've got a wonderful smile."

 

Hinata never let her hands fall away from her mouth. She was still smiling.

 

All of a sudden, Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and was surprised to see Deidara standing behind him. "Hello, Uzumaki-kun." Deidara greeted him. "I just came over because, well, Itachi wants to speak with you. It seems that Sasuke's been trying to keep you away from him." he laughed. "Poor Sasuke is afraid that his brother's going to say something embarrassing."

 

Naruto quickly stood from the table, telling Aya, Neji, and Hinata, that he'd be right back. Deidara led Naruto over to his, Itachi's, and Sasuke's table. Oddly enough, Sasuke wasn't at the table. Naruto pulled up a chair beside Deidara. "Hello, Itachi-san." He greeted the older man.

 

Itachi's sightless eyes met Naruto's and a light smile came over the man's face. "Ah, Uzumaki-kun, how nice of you to join us." He said. "Where is Sasuke?" he asked.

 

"Bathroom." Deidara answered. Itachi nodded.

 

"Good." The man turned to Naruto, speaking to him. "Sasuke was afraid that I'd say something...that would embarrass him."

 

"Are you going to say something like that?" Naruto questioned.

 

"Probably." Itachi answered. Naruto laughed. "My otouto is very...sensitive, when it comes to the subject of you." He stated. Naruto's ears perked up. Had Sasuke had other conversations about him with Itachi? Had they been talking about him? "As I've told you...he is quite taken with you. You are...one of the first people that he's ever taken a liking to. I am concerned." Itachi admitted.

 

"Concerned?" Naruto repeated. "About what?"

 

"Yours and Sasuke's relationship, of course," He replied. "Sasuke is...Sasuke has been through quite a lot. He's not stable, Uzumaki-kun. He needs stability. He needs someone to depend on." Itachi paused, asking Deidara if Sasuke was anywhere around. Deidara told him no and so Itachi kept talking. "I will not be here forever and I need to make sure that you are someone that Sasuke can depend on, that you are someone stable."

 

"...Itachi-san..."

 

"Listen, I know that you have strong feelings for my brother, but he's not normal. You, Naruto, are not normal. I need to be sure that you will be cured; I need to be sure that Sasuke can be cured. I can't have him depending on someone who can't control himself. He...feels very strongly for you, and so I only want to make sure that you will always be able to be there for him."

 

Ultimately, Naruto was left speechless. He couldn't find one thing to say. He just stared at Itachi, mouth hanging agape, eyes wide. It was a good thing that he couldn't see the expression on Naruto's face. Naruto took a deep breath, letting everything that Itachi had said sink in. "I...you're right...you're right." Naruto managed to say. "I...Sasuke...I'm closer to being cured than I ever have been." Naruto replied. "Closer to being normal...and let me assure you, I'll always be around for Sasuke...stable or not, even when you're...not here." He spoke. "I...also feel very strongly about Sasuke and I want to be there for him. To be honest I think I...I'm sure that I lo-"

 

"-So," All heads turned at the sound of Sasuke's voice. The raven stood in front of the table, glaring at everyone. "You waited until I was gone to drag him over here. Smooth, Itachi." Sasuke took his seat beside his brother. The older Uchiha just smirked.

 

"I try." He remarked. "I'm glad that you're back. I wanted to tell you that I approve." Itachi smiled at his brother. "Naruto is a good person."

 

Sasuke snorted. "I already knew that. As if I needed your approval-"

 

"-Sasuke, don't be an ass to your brother." Deidara interrupted, shaking his head at Sasuke. Naruto laughed.

 

"I guess I'm not the only person who thinks you're an ass, hm?"

 

"I'm sure I'm not the only person who thinks you're an idiot, either." Sasuke retorted.

 

Itachi sighed. "Otouto, don't be rude."

 

"Don't butt in, Itachi." Sasuke grumbled. Naruto tried not to laugh that time.

 

Eventually, Naruto returned to his own table. Aya didn't bother asking why he'd been gone so long; she was too engrossed with whatever she and Neji were talking about. Naruto resumed his conversation with Hinata and was finally able to finish eating his meal.

 

After a while, everyone finished eating and the food was cleared from the table at the front of the room. Iruka and Kurenai brought out an array of games that the guests could play with the patients. Naruto picked up a game called Apples to Apples and suggested that they all play. He dragged Sasuke over, seeing as how Deidara and Itachi opted out. Neji also decided that he'd rather not play, and Hinata made no move to join the game. So, Naruto pulled Kiba, his sister, Hana, Sakura, Shikamaru, Ino, and Aya, into the game.

 

This was the only game that Shikamaru couldn't win at. Apparently, Shikamaru had no sense of humor, which was the main component that was needed for this game. This was the first time that Shikamaru got beaten by Naruto, of all people.

 

"Kiba, how can you honestly pick that card??" Shikamaru questioned, glaring at said boy.

 

"I-I...think that this is the best answer..."

 

Shikamaru huffed. "You think that Demi Moore is the best card that describes Cute?? Are you mad??" he exclaimed. "Demi Moore is not cute!"

 

Kiba shrugged. "...She's a handsome woman."

 

Naruto couldn't help but laugh as he gathered all his green apple cards, holding them proudly. "Don't get pissy, Shikamaru," he grinned. "Mad 'cause I beat you, eh?"

 

The brunet scoffed. "I am not mad." He said, lying through his teeth. "I just don't see how this game is logical."

 

"It's not logical," Sakura piped up. "That's the whole point!"

 

Ino, who was sitting between Sakura and Shikamaru, laid her head on Shikamaru's shoulder and laughed. "C'mon, Shika, don't be a sore loser," she told him, smiling. "Loosen up already!" she giggled. Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her and shook his head. He tried to pretend to be upset with her, but the telltale blush on his face said otherwise.

 

"Okay, next card," Aya announced. She picked up a green card and laid it on the table. "Unusual." she announced. Immediately, everyone at the table began shuffling through their cards, trying to find the card that would help them win. They placed their red apple cards facedown around Aya's green apple card and when Aya picked them up, she mixed them and then read them aloud to everyone else. "Camping trips, A Sunrise, The Metric System, The Midwest, Nuclear Power Plants, and The Universe." She said.

 

Aya stroked her chin dramatically as she stared at all of the cards. "I'm gonna have to go with The Metric System." She admitted. "Whose card was that?"

 

"Mine." Sasuke answered reluctantly.

 

"Come on, Aya! You should've gone with Nuclear Power Plants!" Naruto argued. "They're pretty damn unusual!"

 

Aya just laughed and passed the green apple card to Sasuke. "You're upset, huh? Afraid that Sasuke's gonna kick your butt at this game?" she teased. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest haughtily.

 

"As if he could." He scoffed. Sasuke turned to him, smirking.

 

"Are you so sure that I couldn't top you, Naruto?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

 

Naruto coughed, choking on air. "You're such a bastard." He cursed. Sasuke almost laughed.

 

"My turn!" Kiba's sister, Hana, waved her hand in the air excitedly. Everyone at the table picked up another red apple card, making sure that they each had seven red cards. Hana picked up a green apple card from the stack and flipped it over. "Spooky." She read. Again, all of the players searched through their cards for the perfect answer. Once they'd all set their cards out around hers, she picked them up, shuffled them around, and read them aloud. "The Ocean, Stephen King, Boxing, X-Rays, and Sean Connery...I choose Sean Connery."

 

"Yes!" Naruto cheered, collecting the green card, adding it to his ever growing stack.

 

Kiba frowned at his sister. "Hana...Stephen King is way spookier than Sean C-Connery." He told her. She shrugged.

 

"I like Scottish guys."

 

"...He's old as dirt, sis."

 

Hana laughed. "I liked him back when he was James Bond, sue me."

 

The game continued for another half an hour, ending with Naruto winning. At the end of the game, as everyone's cards were being collected, Shikamaru vowed to never play Apples to Apples again.

 

After putting all of the cards away, Naruto grabbed the box and returned it to the table at the front of the room. He had just been about to grab another game, but before he could, he was nearly yanked out of the room by none other than Sasuke. He pulled Naruto clear out of the room and into the hallway, making sure that they were both hidden from everyone else.

 

Naruto shot Sasuke a peculiar stare. "Might I ask why you've kidnapped me?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow curiously. Sasuke had a very cross, irritated expression on his face.

 

"Your sister disturbs me." He confessed. Naruto laughed, loudly.

 

"She disturbs you?"

 

"And she's nosy."

 

"What?" Naruto began, folding his arms across his chest and smirking. "Did she ask you if we've slept together?" he questioned.

 

Sasuke paused, staring at Naruto suspiciously. "...yes." he answered. Naruto nodded.

 

"And what did you tell her?"

 

"I didn't tell her anything!"

 

"Why not? I mean we have slept together-"

 

"-I didn't think that was any of her business." Sasuke remarked.

 

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure she already knows...I mean, seriously, she's got this fifth sense or something..."

 

"Sixth sense, you dumbass." Sasuke hissed, running his palm down his face. "We already have five senses." Naruto shrugged again.

 

"...I knew that." He lied. Sasuke just shook his head. Naruto chuckled lightly, leaning forward to wrap his arms around Sasuke, clasping his hands behind the raven's back. Sasuke tried to pretend not to care that Naruto was currently wrapping himself around him. Naruto, of course, was not to be ignored. He pulled Sasuke closer to him, their bodies almost touching. "Now, what's the real reason that you pulled me out here, hmm?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

 

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot." He insulted. Naruto just kept on smiling.

 

"You still didn't answer my question, asshole." He remarked. "What? You wanted me all to yourself, huh? Got tired of sharing me with my sister?" he questioned. Sasuke was silent for several moments, staring at Naruto.

 

"...she is very possessive of you." He finally answered.

 

Naruto beamed. "Well, so are you."

 

"I have reason to be." Sasuke argued. Naruto held a questioning expression. Sasuke didn't meet his gaze.

 

The blonde moved closer to Sasuke, their noses almost touching. "Now...what's this about you being able to top me? Hmm?" he asked. Sasuke smirked.

 

"I do top you."

 

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I could top at any time, you know." He said. "I just prefer to let you do all the hard work." Naruto leaned forward and kissed Sasuke quickly, smiling again. "We can continue this conversation later. Right now, we've got to go entertain our guests."

 

"I don't think they need entertaining." Sasuke commented, peeking into the room where everyone else was. "Your sister seems pretty engaged in whatever she and Neji are talking about." He paused, a smug smile coming over his face. "Maybe she likes him."

 

Naruto stared at Sasuke blankly, not one bit of humor in his gaze. "That's not even remotely funny."

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

"I've never been so glad to be in this room." Shikamaru spoke, staring up at the ceiling of his and Naruto's bedroom. Naruto nodded quickly.

 

"Definitely." He agreed.

 

Unfortunately, after all of the guests had left, Shizune had assigned Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sakura, to clean-up duty. Shikamaru had to put away all of the games, Sakura had to wash the dishes, and Naruto had to sweep and wash off all of the tables. Currently, his fingers resembled raisins.

 

Naruto sighed and glanced over at the clock on the wall. It was two in the morning. He couldn't sleep. Surprisingly, Shikamaru couldn't sleep either. Naruto, deciding that he didn't want to sit in silence, turned and spoke to his roommate.

 

"So, Shikamaru, I was wondering," he began. "Is there...still something going on with you and Ino?" he asked. Shikamaru seemingly ignored him. "I mean...I've never seen you smile that much until she got here."

 

Shikamaru folded his arms behind his head and lay back on his bed. "If it's not obvious already, I...like her." He stammered. "...she told me that she came just to see me. I guess I was...I guess I was happy." He confessed. A wide grin spread over Naruto's mouth.

 

"That's so sweet!" Naruto exclaimed. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

 

"Man...you're so gay."

 

"Tell me something I don't know." Naruto retorted.

 

Shikamaru sighed, returning to their previous conversation. "I don't know...it's different without Ino around. I'll admit that everything was better when she was here...I was happier when she was here." He admitted. Naruto just nodded.

 

"So...shouldn't that give you some sort of motivation?" he asked. Shikamaru stared at him, curiosity in his eyes. Naruto spoke again. "I mean...if she makes you happy, shouldn't you want to get out of here so that you can be with her?"

 

The brunet man stared up at the ceiling for several moments. Eventually, he sighed and closed his eyes. "Shouldn't you be somewhere with Sasuke?" he inquired. Naruto couldn't hold back his laugh.

 

"Real subtle way to change the subject and try to get rid of me, Shikamaru."

 

But, Naruto knew that Shikamaru was absolutely right. Naruto honestly did want to be somewhere with Sasuke.

 

After a few minutes, Naruto decided that he was going to stop grilling Shikamaru and that he was going to sneak over to Sasuke's room. When he checked the clock again, he saw that it was past two thirty, which meant that the orderly who was supposed to guard the hallways was asleep. Naruto had no trouble slipping out of his room and sneaking over to Sasuke's hallway.

 

Upon reaching Sasuke's room, he knocked twice lightly and then gripped the doorknob, pushing the door open slowly. When he entered the room, he saw Sasuke sitting on the bed as he usually did. "Wow," He spoke in a low voice as he walked into the room. "You must really appreciate having a single, huh?" he questioned while he looked around Sasuke's nearly empty room. Now that Sai had been moved into a different room, and all of his things were gone, Sasuke's room seemed so much larger. "You must love the privacy too." Naruto stated.

 

Sasuke shrugged. "Well I don't get much of that, seeing as how you're in here every waking hour." He teased. Naruto narrowed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at Sasuke playfully. "I mean, I don't mind it if you invade my personal space every day." Sasuke commented.

 

"Shut up, you ass." Naruto insulted him, still, with a smile on his face.

 

The Uchiha smirked and extended his arm towards Naruto, palm up. "Come here." He beckoned the blonde over. Slowly, Naruto sauntered over to Sasuke, taking his hand, lacing their fingers. Sasuke gently pulled Naruto into his lap. Naruto placed his legs at either of Sasuke's sides and Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist.

 

"My-my, you've finally got me all to yourself, hmm?" Naruto grinned, wrapping his arms around Sasuke's neck.

 

"Yes, after your sister tried her hardest to keep us away from one another." Sasuke scoffed.

 

Naruto laughed. "She wasn't trying to keep us away from eachother!" he remarked. "Aya's just...overly protective, that's all. I mean...she's just...looking out for me." He said, shrugging his shoulders. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him curiously.

 

"Hmm, looking out for you because you're involved someone whose been classified as a psycho-"

 

"-Bull-shit." Naruto frowned. "She's just concerned about me. I mean, she was the same way with my old girlfriends. It's not about you- she just worries way too much." The blonde brushed Sasuke's bangs out of his eyes and smiled at him. "Does it really matter, though? Even if she didn't like you, I still would."

 

Sasuke nodded. "I see." He said. Naruto grinned and occupied himself with Sasuke's hair. He slowly raked his fingers through the other boy's hair, twirling strands of it around his fingers. Sasuke was too fixated on the blonde's presence to even attempt to tell him to stop.

 

"You know, your brother told me something while he was here," Naruto began, still playing in Sasuke's hair. "He and I were talking for a bit, and he told me...he told me that I'm one of the first people that you've truly taken a liking to." Naruto paused, smirking, eyebrows raised. "Is that true, Sasuke? Am I special?" he questioned, teasingly. Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto, shaking his head.

"I wonder why he told you that," Sasuke mused, pretending to be uninterested in Naruto's statement. The blonde pouted, sulking. Sasuke almost laughed. "There were others before you...other people that I'd been involved with," he stated. "But...none of them were like you. None of them were as special as you." He teased. Naruto knew exactly what he meant by special.

 

"I refuse to take that as a compliment, you bastard."

 

Sasuke smirked. "You really walked right into that one." He replied. Naruto glared at him- Sasuke shrugged. "Well you did."

 

"You're such an assho-"

 

Immediately, Naruto was silenced when Sasuke caught his lips in a kiss. The blonde quickly pulled back, shaking his head in distaste. "Uh-uh, you're not getting out of this one, pal. You insulted me!"

 

"You insult me all the time, constantly."

 

"So! That's different! Everything I say about you is true!"

 

"Yeah? Well it's true that you're special, very special."

 

"Bite me, you fucking prick."

 

"I'd be glad to."

 

Naruto couldn't even come up with a snappy comment before Sasuke literally tossed him onto the bed. Naruto opened his mouth to protest but Sasuke pressed a finger against the blonde's lips, keeping him quiet. The Uchiha leaned down and kissed Naruto, closing his eyes and gently tugging on the boy's bottom lip with his teeth. Naruto brought his head up from Sasuke's pillow, deepening their kiss.

 

"...you're really good at distracting me, you know that?" Naruto murmured, licking his lips.

 

A sly grin slid its way across Sasuke's face. "I know." He answered. Sasuke kissed Naruto again, slipping his tongue into the boy's mouth. Naruto mimicked the action, moaning against Sasuke's mouth; their tongues danced around one another. Again, he reached up and tangled his fingers in the raven's hair, gripping tightly. He could feel Sasuke's cold fingers against his chest and a shiver ran down his spine. Naruto pulled away, taking in quick breaths.

 

"What...are we gonna do?" he panted, chest heaving up and down.

 

Sasuke trailed a single finger along the middle of Naruto's chest. "What do you think we're going to do?" he questioned, raising a single eyebrow. Naruto grinned and rose, pushing his hands underneath Sasuke's shirt as he kissed him again. Sasuke gripped the hem of Naruto's shirt and began pulling it over his head. "You should be a little quieter this time, you know, your screams might wake the orderly." He teased.

 

Naruto bit down on Sasuke's lip and laughed when the Uchiha recoiled. "As if, jerk." He replied. "I don't remember you being very quiet either."

 

"Incidentals, Naruto." Sasuke tossed Naruto's shirt aside, casting it onto the floor. Sasuke pulled Naruto between his legs, and Naruto draped both of his legs around Sasuke's waist. Sasuke brought his face to Naruto's chest and wrapped his lips around one of Naruto's nipples. The blonde hissed lightly while Sasuke rolled his teeth around the sensitive nipple, sucking it gently. After a few seconds, Sasuke released the nipple and turned his attention to the opposite one.

 

The Uchiha reached behind Naruto, sliding one hand into the boy's pants. Naruto released a surprised whimper when he felt Sasuke's cold fingers gripping his ass, but he continued kissing him, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. Naruto cast Sasuke's shirt onto the floor and splayed his tan hands across Sasuke's pale chest.

 

Naruto felt Sasuke's second hand slither into his pants and grab another handful of his ass. The blonde grinded against Sasuke while Sasuke only pulled him closer, squeezing his buttocks, kneading his fingers into its flesh. Naruto's hands were everywhere, in Sasuke's hair, on his shoulders, massaging his biceps. He tightly gripped Sasuke's arms; their lips were still locked. Kissing, licking, sucking. Somehow, Naruto's tongue clumsily ended up outside of Sasuke's mouth, leaving a trail of saliva on his chin. Sasuke pinched Naruto's backside and Naruto jumped.

 

"You're so...sloppy," he huffed.

 

The blonde licked Sasuke's bottom lip, "Are you complaining?" he asked, grinning devilishly. Sasuke pulled his hands out of Naruto's pants and Naruto gently pushed the raven down onto the bed. Naruto kissed Sasuke once more before he proceeded to leave wet kisses along Sasuke's chin, his neck, his collarbone, his chest. He gripped the waistband of Sasuke's sweatpants and pulled them off, throwing them aside. Naruto took off his own pants, slipping them off and throwing them in the same direction as Sasuke's sweats.

 

Sasuke chuckled lightly as he watched Naruto undress. "Do you always not wear boxers?" he questioned. Naruto kissed Sasuke's stomach and laughed.

 

"I just don't see the need," He admitted, tugging at the band of Sasuke's boxers. "Especially when you're around," he grinned. Naruto slid Sasuke's boxers off and kissed his stomach once more before going lower.

 

Naruto closed his hand around the head of Sasuke's penis, holding it steady as he lowered his mouth to the base of the shaft and placed his tongue flat against it. Sasuke nearly lost it when he felt the warm, moist, muscle sliding up and down his cock. He could feel Naruto dragging that unholy tongue across his cock, his saliva covering it wholly. Sasuke closed his eyes and buried his hands in Naruto's hair, gripping the blonde locks.

 

Sasuke's breath was heavy and quick. His hips jerked forward, pushing his shaft against Naruto's fist. "...you're too good at this," he breathed. Naruto responded by bringing his lips to the underside of Sasuke's cock, humming lightly, and massaging the head with his thumb. He looked up at Sasuke, smirking, and the raven could do nothing but lay there, helpless, trying to catch his breath.

 

The Uchiha had to force himself not to come when he felt Naruto's mouth around him, enveloping him. Naruto placed a hand on Sasuke's chest, holding him down so that he wouldn't move. He took in as much of Sasuke's member as he could without choking. The blonde dipped his tongue into the slit at the head of Sasuke's cock, and that's when Sasuke realized he couldn't take it anymore. He moved Naruto's hand and then sat straight, pulling the blonde up. It was all he could do to stop himself from coming.

 

Naruto just grinned, reached out, and grabbed Sasuke's wrist. He took two of the raven's fingers into his mouth and began sucking them, coating them with his saliva. He slid them in and out of his mouth until he was sure that they were wet enough and then, he lay down on his back, bringing Sasuke down with him. Sasuke slid his slick fingers into Naruto and began a scissoring motion, moving his fingers back and fourth inside of Naruto.

 

To distract himself from the discomfort, Naruto yanked Sasuke down by his shoulder and captured his lips. He felt Sasuke thrust his fingers into him roughly, ramming his fingers against his prostate, and he gasped against Sasuke's lips, digging his nails into Sasuke's shoulders. Sasuke continued his actions until he was sure that Naruto was ready. Naruto had already begun to rock against Sasuke and so, the raven removed his fingers and grabbed one of Naruto's legs, hooking it over his shoulder.

 

He barely gave Naruto time to adjust before pressing the tip of his erection against Naruto's opening. Naruto released a breathy moan as he writhed underneath Sasuke. "...hurry up, bastard..." he hissed, pushing down onto Sasuke's shaft. The Uchiha just smirked.

 

"...whatever you say." He whispered, right before he slammed into Naruto. The blonde's nails dug deeper into Sasuke's shoulder, creating crescent like imprints, as he released a high pitched, breathless moan.

 

Naruto glared up at Sasuke through his half-lidded eyes. "Asshole! Ah...you...could've given me a w-warning," he stammered. Sasuke snorted, holding back a laugh.

 

"You wanted me to hurry up." He stated. Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but Sasuke began to rock back and forth inside him, and Naruto's protest just dwindled down into a moan.

 

Sasuke repeated his previous action, going as deep as he possibly could, drawing sinful noises from his partner. Naruto let his eyes close and let his hands find Sasuke's hair. He tangled his fingers in the black mop, crying out every time Sasuke touched his sweet spot. Sasuke smiled down at Naruto, kissing him here and there, whispering incoherent things to him.

 

As Naruto lay there, rhythmically moving against Sasuke, whining softly, Sasuke realized that couldn't have been more convinced; Naruto was all he needed. Naruto was beautiful.

 

Sasuke ran his fingers through Naruto's blonde locks, gazing at him thoughtfully. Naruto looked up at Sasuke and smiled weakly. The blonde slipped his leg off of Sasuke's shoulder and then he wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck, pulling himself up so that he was sitting on Sasuke's lap. Sasuke bucked his hips upward, thrusting into Naruto.

 

"...God...Sasuke..." Naruto whispered.

 

Sasuke grunted as he felt Naruto's hot, slick skin against his. He enjoyed the feeling of the boy's chest against him, his heart beating as erratically as Sasuke's. "Fuck...you're still so damn tight..." he hissed, holding onto Naruto's waist. If he kept this up, he'd end up blowing his load before Naruto even came close. The other boy groaned, shaking his head slowly.

 

"...wait for me, Sasuke," he pleaded, breathlessly. "...just wait."

 

The raven dug his fingers into Naruto's hips, slamming him down, his own hips bucking uncontrollably.

 

Naruto moaned again, burying his face into Sasuke's neck as he bounced up and down on his lap. "C'mon, Sasuke...please...make me come..." Naruto begged, sinfully rolling his hips on top of Sasuke's cock.

 

Sasuke roughly thrust upward, hitting Naruto's prostate over and over again, making Naruto cry out, over and over again. Naruto's lips found Sasuke's and he sloppily kissed him, his tongue twisting in and out of the raven's mouth. Sasuke was sure that Naruto had drawn blood from his shoulders with the way that his nails were digging into Sasuke's shoulders. He ignored the burning pain, kissing Naruto, forgetting everything.

 

The passion in between them was just as heavy as the heat around them. The sound of wet flesh slapping against flesh echoed throughout the room, mingled with fervent, breathless moans, panting and whining.

 

Some sort of electricity passed between the both of them, clouding their minds, impairing their vision. Naruto bit down on Sasuke's neck, keeping himself from crying out as he came all over his and Sasuke's chests. He felt Sasuke tensing underneath him right before he released inside of him, cum seeping out of him, spilling out onto Sasuke's thighs.

 

Naruto held onto Sasuke tightly, his arms wrapped around Sasuke's back, his face hidden in the crook of Sasuke's neck. His breathing was slow, heavy. Gently, Sasuke laid Naruto on the bed and pulled out of him, still not relinquishing his hold on the blonde.

 

The both of them were absolutely spent. Sasuke lay down beside Naruto, pulling him to his chest, and Naruto curled up next to him, smiling. He kissed Sasuke's lips once more, smoothing the raven's hair away from his forehead. For several minutes, Naruto lay there with his head against Sasuke's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. Eventually, it would lull him to sleep.

 

Naruto hugged Sasuke's chest, breathing in his scent, tasting him on his lips. "...I love you." He whispered, without even thinking to stop himself. The words had just left his mouth of their own accord, and it had been too late to take them back.

 

But even as he'd confessed, Naruto realized that Sasuke had already fallen asleep. His eyes had closed; there was a peaceful expression on his face. Naruto sighed thankfully and relaxed, closing his tired eyes. He was asleep within minutes, curled against Sasuke once again.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Peace & Love: DizziKatz