Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ My Longing, My Love ❯ My Longing, My Love ( One-Shot )

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

A/N: Okay, this is kinda dark and depressing, and might be slightly OOC as I haven't had time to rewatch the entire series. They shouldn't be too far off though- I've been keeping up with the manga!
Warnings: Self-harm, YAOI (more like shounen-ai...) and... I think that's it.
Please read all the way to the end- it doesn't have a sad ending.

My Longing, My Love

"Shut up, Naruto!" a girl with bubblegum pink hair shouted at a blonde boy with whiskered cheeks. Her face was red with fury, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan!" he apologized, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. A wide smile was stretched across his lips as always, making him not appear sorry in the least.

"Sorry? That won't work, Naruto." Sakura said. She breathed in deep, trying to get calm. A vein twitched in her forehead. "All we left you was one thing- ONE THING!- and you blow it. How am I supposed to explain to Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun that we failed because you couldn't identify one of the plants?! We covered this over and over in the Academy..."

"I'm gonna be Hokage one day! The Hokage doesn't need to know simple things like this!" Naruto declared with his usual blind enthusiasm and belief that he would ascend to that coveted position one day.

It was all so very routine and very ordinary.

"It's a medicinal herb! We had a whole class on these- and it's one of the easiest to identify once you find it! That herb could very well save your life one day, but you can't even-"
Sakura's tirade was cut short by a loud popping noise announcing the arrival of the other two members of Team Seven.

"Yo." Kakashi said, raising the hand not currently holding Icha Icha Paradise, Volume Six. "You found them all?"

"No- Naruto messed it up again!" Sakura complained loudly. "This is the third time this week!"
Naruto winced slightly, but the wince went unnoticed by the other three in the small forest clearing where they had agreed on to meet after an hour.

Their mission had been simple- just a D-class mission. Look for herbs in the Konoha Forest so the medic-nins don't run out. It had been as simple as the mission yesterday- babysit some rich lady's cat. Before that, it had been laudry.

The cat had escaped for three hours before Sasuke had found it up a tree in the front yard, and the laudry had been easily blown away when Naruto had forgotten how to properly hang it. Sakura had forced him to rewash each article until it was sparkling, and then she had hung the garments out to dry.

"What did the dobe do this time?" Sasuke asked, bored. He casually toted a basket full of differnt kinds of herbs- he and Kakashi had paired up to tackle the other side of the forest, and had apparently found all their herbs with no problems.

"Don't call me that, bastard!" Naruto screeched- predictably- and launched himself at Sasuke.

Like a well-rehearsed play, Sasuke stepped back so he would be just beyond the reach of Naruto. The blonde tripped and fell flat on his face in front of his rival.

"Dobe." Sasuke said again, drawing out the syllables so the word sounded even longer. Naruto growled in righteous anger, picking himself up and launching himself at Sasuke again.

This time, it was Kakashi who stopped the fight.

"Now now..." Their silver-haired teacher may have smiled, but with that mask it was impossible to tell. "Save that energy for training. Or our next mission."

He put Naruto down- the blonde hadn't even realized Kakashi had picked him up- and went back to his book.

"What do we do, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked. Without even looking up, the silver-haired Jounin replied.

"You'd know the herb better than us. It shouldn't take you very long to find it, ne?" Sakura nodded, then disappeared after a series of complicated hand symbols.

"Sasuke, Naruto." Kakashi added after a moment.

Sasuke didn't reply, just turned his head to acknowledge their teacher. Naruto began bouncing up and down in excitement.

"What is it? Do we get a top-secret mission that only we can know about? I'll do it!"

"Both of you are dismissed. I'll stay here with Sakura." Sasuke merely nodded and turned, beginning to walk out of the forest.

Naruto groaned loudly.

"Aw, c'mon! Aren't there any A-class missions for us? I can do it, I know I can!"

"Then pass all your D-class missions first, dobe." Sasuke called over his shoulder. Naruto spluttered, turning to look at Sasuke in anger.

"BASTARD!"

The last Uchiha just smirked and continued walking.

Scene Change!

"Look at him."

"Just because he's a demon, he thinks he owns the place."

"Look at that stupid smile."

"I don't want my kids near that beast."

"Little monster-"

"-should have killed him when we had the chance."

"-surely the Fourth never intended this-"

"What if that seal breaks?"

"Children, get inside-"

"I don't want you anywhere near that boy, son."

"I'd never sell to a creature like that."

"Quite right. Anything he wants from me will be rotten and moldy."

"Creatures like him should make do with scraps."

"-don't know WHY they promoted him to Genin-"

The subject of the hushed conversations walked cheerfully down the street, apparently unaware of the words being said about him. If he had been a normal child, he could never have heard such quiet whispers.

Being the Kyuubi's vessal, however, did grant some dubious advantages- such as very acute hearing. Naruto could hear each and every word like someone was talking to him.

That smile he always wore stayed firmly in place as he whistled and walked to his shabby apartment. It was the only place that anyone in Konoha could spare the room, or so he had been told.

He would have believed it too, if he hadn't known that several couples all across Konoha were looking to adopt and had been for years before his birth. If he hadn't see the orphanges in Konoha- there were two, total- with a few empty beds, then he might have been content with the 'apartment' barely big enough for him and his things, let alone guests.

The blonde dropped his mask as he closed his apartment door behind him. He shuffled slowly to his bed, dropping onto the worn mattress without grace or dignity.

The mattress protested his actions harshly, but he paid the noises no mind.

His blue eyes were dull, and his shoulders heavy with what had to be the weight of the world.
The so-called 'hyperactive ninja' of Konoha seemed drained.

'It's getting harder.' he thought to himself, recalling the looks on his teammates faces with sorrow and a touch of pain. Sakura was always yelling at him- her face was always angry. The words mattered little to him- but her face... Disappointment and anger were always present when she turned to him. Scorn was clear in her voice and her attitude- even her pretty eyes.

Naruto had long since given up on his crush for his pink-haired teammate, but eyes were powerful things. They were said to be mediums to someone's soul- and Sakura could be very kind when she wanted to be. She didn't know what went through the blond's head- ergo, it wasn't her fault that she hurt him like this.

Kakashi- he never really acknowledged Naruto either. All of the jounin's attention seemed to be on Sasuke or Sakura. What could Sasuke learn or do well? What did Sakura know that could help them? Whenever Naruto screwed up, the jounin acted like he had known that it would happen- worse, that he expected it.

It was probably unintentional on his teacher's part too. Kakashi always acted like he knew everything, and he saw talent with a very keen eye.

The villagers were by far the worst. They thought that he couldn't hear them- he could, clear as a bell. It hurt, but he couldn't let them see how much it hurt him to hear their cruel words.

They didn't know him, yet claimed the right to judge him. It wasn't fair, but life wasn't supposed to be. Still... did it have to hurt so much?

They- the villagers- were the reason he had been alone his whole life. No one had taken him in- not the demon-boy. The demon-child had no place among other children- even orphans. He had to be kept alone, like a victim of a terribly deadly disease that was potentionally contagious.

Only one person had reached out to him when he was a kid- Umino Iruka. Iruka-sensei had been there for him, but Iruka could never be Naruto's surrogate father. The brown-haired chuunin had classes to teach and missions to go on and meetings to attend- he could never commit fully to being Naruto's guardian.

And now...

He never saw Iruka anymore. The teacher had many classes, and Naruto had missions as well as training. They would still meet occassionally for the odd bowl of Ramen, but they were no longer close.

While Iruka would never hate him, Iruka could never give him what the blonde needed.

There was one person who might be able to, but that was impossible.

Naruto curled in on himself, one hand going to the wrist of the other arm. The blond ran his fingers up and down the inside of his arm absently, thinking about that one person who could give him everything.

They were so alike- both orphans, both lonely. Both had grand dreams they would achieve one day.

They were still so different.

One was alone by choice. He was a prodigy. He was the last in a very long line of powerful shinobi. He had a near unstoppable bloodline limit. He was sought after by everyone in the village.

Sasuke was, in short, perfect.

Naruto was not.

He was shunned. He was 'dead-last', as the object of his affections loved to remind him. He had no clue of his geneology, never knowing even the names of his parents. He had no special powers or secret techniques- Sexy no Jutsu and Kagebushin didn't count. One was useless and the other everyone knew he used.

The only edge he might have was the Kyuubi, and that was the cause of all his problems in the first place.

Sasuke could give him what he needed- that recognition, that acceptance. The love.

The only problem was that Sasuke didn't know how Naruto felt. Would never know. Could never know.

As much power as Sasuke had to build Naruto a new life, a new world, he could also destroy the old one irrevocably. Naruto would be left among the shattered pieces of his heart again, and this time he might not have the strength to reassemble the fragile thing.

Naruto's fingers traced rough bumps and lines across his arm, the pads of his fingers sensitive enough to pick up each scar. It was a shameful secret- one only he and Kyuubi knew. He couldn't let anyone else know- it was weak, the way he could no longer resist when times were difficult.

He was weak. In everything, he was weak. He was unable to harden his heart against what other people said, and unable to stop allowing people inside of his heart. He was unable to win matches and spars with others his age, and oftentimes when he did win it was at a very high cost. He was always behind everyone else, and had to watch their backs as they slowly travled farther and farther away.

As for his mental state- the dependance on cutting. If that didn't make him weak, then nothing did.

Sasuke would never love him, especially while the blonde kept acting this way. Naruto, however, was powerless to change the need. It was glorious- one moment of sharp pain, and then all your senses focused on that one sensation so the other, less tolerable pains faded into the background. It was oblivion for one satisfying moment, and then reality was less harsh.
Then he would remember what he had done as Kyuubi healed him, and need to cut again. He would cut over and over, until the memory faded and could no longer hurt him.

It hurt worst when he thought of Sasuke. Initially, the thoughts of the dark-haired boy would be pleasent. Naruto would remember the way the light shone on Sasuke's hair, the way the Uchiha could always win and do it with a smirk. That power he contained as a weilder of the Sharingan. The way his rare smiles shone like jewels in a desert of ugly rock.
The way Sasuke would sit and think, an aborable frown across his perfect lips and furrowing that smooth brow.

The way Sasuke would sleep- an innocent expression on his face, no longer burdened by the woes of the world. The way he'd shake when he had a nightmare, only to calm down and even lean into Naruto's hand when he offered comfort. Watching the other sleep had to be a favorite pastime of the blond, even if Sasuke was never aware of his little habit.

Then, he would recall exactly what the relationship was between them.

Sasuke didn't like him. It may not be hate now, but that was only because Naruto had won a modicum of respect from the other on previous missions. It most certainly would be hate if the dark-haired boy found out about the demons inside of Naruto- the real one as well as all the mental ones. If Sasuke ever found out just how weak Naruto was- about the scars on his arm and on his heart- he would shun the blond. If Sasuke ever found out about Naruto's feelings... they would never talk again. Sasuke would ignore him, or look at him with the utmost loathing. The expression that would be on the Uchiha's face would rival that of the one Sasuke had when he thought of Itachi.

It would never happen, even if the problems Naruto had were nonexistant. Being the last of his clan, Sasuke would need a wife to bear him strong children. Sasuke had many fangirls, so there wouldn't be a problem of finding a suitable woman when the time came. The dark-haired boy constantly commented on how annoying Naruto was.

It was always too much for Naruto- being so close to the one he loved, and knowing it would be impossible to ever fulfill that silent dream he carried in his heart. It hurt so much, though- he couldn't keep the pain inside, even if he could keep the goal.

That was the longing that had first caused him to cut.

Naruto curled himself into a ball, ignoring the growling of his stomach. He hadn't gotten much money that month- the fund for orphans was tight, especially as the orphan aged- and had been carefully rationing what food he had. He had enough food for another week at this rate, and in a few days over a week he would have his check for next month. Assuming, of course, that it didn't get 'lost in the mail'.

Naruto closed his eyes tiredly. Hunger had not been his only problem. Bouts of isomnia had been bothering him as well- thoughts of what he was and what he couldn't have kept him awake, and often he couldn't sleep until he had seen Sasuke. His isomnia and hunger was what had kept him from completeing the missions he was given.

That cat had sensed the Kyuubi within him from the chakra Naruto was using to keep himself awake. As soon as he had gotten drowsy enough to doze, that damn animal had cut and run.
Dizziness caused by lack of food and sleep had made him sloppy, and he had neglected to hang the clothes up properly.

Today had been the worst- he had collapsed after leaving Sakura and had slept for the entire hour, only being woken up by Sakura's voice as she neared the clearing.

Naruto felt his eyelids droop. He had only woken up a few minutes ago, but exhaustion both mental and physical was eating him inside and he couldn't... stay... awake...

The room faded to black, Naruto still curled up in the fetal position.

Time Skip!

It was dark outside by the time blue eyes opened again. Naruto blinked sleepily at the nighttime sky outside, then rolled over to check his clock.

'Eleven already?' he thought, sitting up and stretching. He was still slightly sleepy- not enough to be able to go back to sleep right away, but enough so that in a few hours he would.
He just needed to relax for a few hours, and he knew just how to do that so his dreams would be sweet when he fell asleep again.

He rolled out of bed, standing lazily and striding over to the single window he had. It was late- most people would be asleep. He was still dressed- ready to go.

He pried the window open and left through the small opening. He closed it behind him- he had long since learned the trick to open that window from the outside without forcing it. Leaving the window open had lead to all sorts of unpleasent circumstances for him before...

Naruto shook the memories off, feeling them settle in the back of his mind like angry ghosts. He concentrated some chakra to his feet and began jumping from building to building so he could reach his final destination undetected and that much quicker.

Minutes later, he dropped down onto one of the long walls surrounding the Uchiha estate. After a few more minutes, Naruto effortlessly navigated his way through and around the numerous defenses Sasuke still kept up with. It had taken him weeks to figure out the pattern and where to step, but had been well worth it.

Silently, he cracked open Sasuke's window- it had taken him a while to find, the first time- and dropped into the room.

"Hey, Sasuke." he whispered quietly- so quietly he could barely even hear himself. He smiled tiredly.

Sasuke was adorable- even though the Uchiha would protest at the adjective- when he slept. He always slept only on one side of the futon, almost inviting someone to cuddle. The dark-haired boy was always on his side, both arms bent and curled in front of him. His legs were always bent at the knee, slightly curled up to his chest. The sheet draped over his figure outlined the slight curve of his side and strong legs.

The soft, even sound of Sasuke breathing filled the room, the sheet moving up and down with each of the Uchiha's breaths.

Slowly, Naruto moved forward to kneel beside the futon that Sasuke was sleeping on. Absently, he reached forward and gently moved a stray lock of hair that had fallen in front of the pale face he was admiring.

The Uchiha seemed so childlike and vulnerable like this... not smirking or glaring, just relaxed. Naruto lightly trailed his fingers over the smooth skin of the dark-haired boys cheek.

Sasuke was always asleep pretty deeply by this time- a habit he would eventually grow out of, unfortunately for Naruto. Once Sasuke had trained himself to wake up whenever he felt another person in the room with him, the blond's nightly visits would have to cease.

A mournful expression crossed the blond's face. He was so distracted by the thought he didn't notice the dark-haired boy move.

Naruto let out a surprised yelp as someone grabbed his wrist, pulling his hand away from the other's face. The blond yelped again- louder- when he was tackled to the floor, a kunai at his throat and one hand pinned palm-up beside his head.

Eyes that had just been turned the color of blood blinked down in surprise as the person he held at kunaipoint.

Blue eyes wide with surprise stared up at the person sitting on his chest.

"Dobe?" Sasuke said, confusion and suspicion mixed in his voice.

"Teme! What'd you do that for!?" Naruto demanded, panicking and slipping behind a familiar mask. He struggled against the other boy desperately, but to no avail.

"Let me go!" the blond demanded, avoiding looking Sasuke in the eye.

"What the hell are you doing here, Naruto?" Sasuke demanded. Naruto could tell that the other was glaring at him, but he didn't look up to confirm.

"Let me go." he repeated again, feebly. Slowly, he stopped his useless struggling.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke said again, glaring down at the other boy. Naruto returned the glare.

"Nothing. Lemme go, bastard!"

"Has it been you who has been coming here at night?" Sasuke demanded, pressing the kunai a little harder into Naruto's neck. It didn't yet draw blood, but one false move and the crimson liquid would be pouring out in buckets.

Naruto remained silent, looking away from Sasuke with a indignant expression.

"Tell me." Sasuke demanded.

"... so what?" Naruto said defensively, volume just above a whisper. Taken aback, the dark-haired shinobi didn't have time to react as the blond shoved him off of his perch. He fell backwards, rolling smoothly to his feet.

A few feet in front of him, Naruto slowly clambered to a standing position.

"I won't bother you anymore. Teme." The insult seemed to be added as an afterthought.
Sasuke lowered the kunai he was still holding.

"Dobe...?" he said questioningly. This was not the hyperactive blond he knew- Naruto was never this sad or quiet. He stepped forward, reaching out unconsciously to the figure clad in orange in front of him.

Naruto stepped back, not meeting Sasuke's eyes.

"I'm leaving." he said, looking up for a moment before turning towards the window he had entered.

For a moment, Sasuke was sure he had seen the other's blue eyes bright with moisture, as well as hardened by walls much bigger and thicker than his own.

Without really realizing it, Sasuke stepped forward again and grabbed one of Naruto's wrists in an iron grip as the blond began moving for the exit.

Naruto instantly began trying to yank his arm away, but it was no use.

Sasuke's grip just tightened- and as it did, the Uchiha realized that he was feeling something that was not supposed to be there.

He could feel slightly raised and puckered lines of skin- scar tissue. Those did not belong on Naruto's wrist.

"Naruto?" he said in shock as he felt the lines. Naruto kept struggling to pull away, movements more frantic and desperate now, but Sasuke would have none of it. His grip tightened painfully on the limb he held as he pulled the blond back towards himself.

"Let me go, damn you!" Naruto yelled, frantically trying to free his arm. He spun around in Sasuke's hold, using his free arm to try and shove off the hand holding him.

Almost as though in a trance, the Uchiha's hand holding the kunai dropped the weapon and snaked around Naruto's flailing arm.

Almost gently, the hand caught the sleeve of the orange jacket Naruto was so fond of and pulled upwards to reveal more of the arm. Sasuke's hand- the one occupied with Naruto's wrist- spun, so that the inside of the arm would be facing up.

Naruto's struggles had ceased, the blonde now looking down at the floor and the hand not being restrained was clutching onto Sasuke's shirt.

Not being one to show surprise, Sasuke's eyes widened maybe a millimeter when he saw the pale white lines across his teammates pink flesh.

"What's this?" he asked, hoping that he was wrong. He may not have shown it, but he did care for the blond. He had always thought that he had known Naruto too- happy, hyperactive, and loud. This... this was totally outside of that definition.

"I thought that'd be obvious, teme." Naruto said after a moment, not looking in Sasuke's eyes or speaking above a whisper. "They're scars."

"From what, dobe?" Sasuke demanded, eyes boring holes in the top of the other's skull. "From what?"

"That's none of your business!" Naruto replied hotly, renewing his short-lived attempt at pulling his arm away. Sasuke's grip stayed firm.

"It became my business when I found out." Sasuke said, his fire burning behind his eyes. "Tell me, or I will go to Kakashi and tell him about this. I'll go to Iruka-"

"No!" Naruto protested, looking up into Sasuke's face with a look of horror. "Please, don't tell anyone. Just forget, okay? Go back to sleep, and we can pretend this was just a dream. Don't tell anyone- even you're not that much of a bastard, right?"

"I will do it if you don't tell me how you got these scars." Sasuke said, voice dead serious. Naruto swallowed heavily, giving one last, futile attempt to pull his arm away from the Uchiha.

"I wanted to make it go away." Naruto said, his voice weak and childlike. His voice showed more vulnerability than anyone would expect out of the blond. "Are you happy now, teme?! Now you know I'm weak- here's all the proof you need- right here!" Naruto shook his arm, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind as to what he meant by 'proof'.

"Dobe..." Sasuke said hesitantly. Naruto's wrist slipped from numb fingers, but the blond didn't make any move to run. "How long has this been going on?"

'How long has this slipped past me?' the black-haired boy thought, feeling slightly sick at the notion.

"This long." Naruto replied softly, slipping off his jacket. The action left him in his old, too-large white wifebeater and his orange pants. The loss of the bulky jacket made his weight loss even more noticeable, but that was not what coal-black eyes focused on.

Slowly, Naruto turned his arms so that the inner part of both limbs could be clearly seen in the moonlight.

Sasuke's face- already pale- lightened a few shades at the sheer number of scars. It wasn't so much the actual wounds that affected him- it was what those scars represented.

Sasuke reached out with one of his hands, lightly grabbing one wrist and bringing the arm up so he could see more clearly. Naruto flinched, like he expected Sasuke to throw the arm back down and denounce him as a weakling and a fool.

Instead, Sasuke brought his other had up and traced a few of the deeper scars.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" he asked.

"... and who was I supposed to tell?" Naruto demanded quietly, voice coarse as though the blond was trying to hold back tears. "Why do you think I began cutting? For the hell of it?!"
The Uchiha felt as though he had been slapped.

"Us?" he asked, barely realizing what he had said before it left his mouth.

After a minute's pause, Naruto nodded slowly.

"You all hate me anyway... why would I tell you anything?"

"We don't hate you, dobe!" Sasuke said, anger beginning to boil once again in his body. "What made you think that?"

"Sakura-chan's always yelling at me. Kakashi-sensei doesn't notice me. You..." Naruto's voice was thick with emotion, and at the word 'you' he became too choked up to continue talking.

"What about me, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, tone leaning towards dangerous. Naruto was practically shaking in his grasp, but he didn't let go.

"You hate me." Naruto said, words slow and hesitant. Not hesitant from thinking that Sasuke would confirm or deny the words, but it was the hesitance of someone who knew that their words weren't true, or if true, that they weren't the whole answer. There was a deeper meaning here, and Sasuke was determined to find it.

"You know I don't. What is the real reason you didn't want to tell me?" Naruto shook his head.
"Answer me."

"No." the blond replied. "Please- I just want to go home."

"Not until you tell me." Sasuke replied evenly, calming down slightly.

"... it's your fault in the first place, bastard." Naruto said quietly. Never mind the feeling of being slapped earlier- now Sasuke felt as though someone had sucker-punched him in his solar plexus.

"Me?"

"It's your fault." Naruto said, voice revealing him to be on the verge of tears. "I was supposed to hate you like you hated me, and it would have been fine! But you... you... I-I want to hate you, bastard!" The blond's voice was bordering on hysterical by now, punctuated by long, drawn-out breaths taken in effort to keep tears in.

"You were... supposed to hate me? Supposed to?" the Uchiha asked slowly, mind attempting and failing to process the information he had learned.

"I don't..." Naruto said. "I don't. That's why I came here earlier. That's why I visit- I can't sleep until..." The Kyuubi's holder abruptly cut himself off, as though he had revealed much more than he had intended.

"... Until you have seen me." Sasuke said slowly, finishing the sentence for the other. It was more a statement than a question. At Naruto's nod, he continued. "Why me?"

"I... I was..." Naruto collapsed forward, Sasuke barely managing to catch the other boy before he hit the ground. The blond didn't seem to notice. "I was supposed to hate you."

Like a lightning strike, understanding came over Sasuke. He carefully adjusted the position he and Naruto were in, making the embrace more comforting.

Slowly, Naruto's arms came up behind Sasuke, clutching at his shirt and holding on for dear life.

"You like me, don't you?" Sasuke asked, already knowing the answer.

Naruto slowly nodded, tears sinking in slightly to the material he rested his cheek against.

"You love me?"

Again, a nod, but much more slowly and hesitantly. Sasuke's arms tightened around the blond boy- and to his surprise, Naruto began struggling and trying to get away.

"Naruto?"

"I don't want your fucking pity, teme." the Kyuubi's vessal said heatedly. His tears seemed to have taken a backseat for the moment as he let his anger reign.

"What if it's not pity, dobe?" Sasuke demanded, grabbing Naruto's shoulders so he could look the other in the eye.

Those summer sky blue eyes were rimmed in red from crying, and Naruto seemed absolutely miserable but determined to keep whatever remaining pride and dignity he had.

"You don't even know me! No one does! No one!" Naruto yelled.

"I want to. It's not my fault you don't let anyone close!" Sasuke returned.

"Oh yeah, like I need to hear that from an Ice-Pri-" The blond was cut off by a pair of smooth, pale pink lips covering his own.

Sasuke was kissing him.

It was almost gentle, but demanding and needy as well. Sasuke was asking for him to calm down, to be quiet- to listen. Sasuke was trying to convince him that it wasn't fake- it was real, and it wasn't just pity for 'dead-last'.

They broke apart moments later, the blond shocked into silence and the Uchiha allowing the warmth of his true feelings for the other to show in his dark eyes.

He opened his mouth once or twice to speak, but the words he wanted to say wouldn't leave his lips.

"It's not pity." he said instead, unable to bring himself to name the emotion he was feeling and hoping Naruto would get the idea. "It's not." he reiterated.

Naruto just looked at him in shock.

Slowly, the blond began to inch his head forward, lips meeting Sasuke's again as if to confirm that the kiss they had just shared was no dream. Seeing Naruto move, Sasuke leaned forward to meet him.

This kiss was more gentle, testing and hesitant. Both needed to confirm the other was there for them- both needed the gentle connection born of their feelings for each other, not something born of lust.

When they broke apart for the second time, they embraced again. Naruto tucked his head under Sasuke's chin, listening to the powerful heartbeat of the shinobi holding him. Sasuke's eyes were trained on the parts of the long scars he could see, his arms cradling the smaller ninja.

"Never again." he said. "Never."

"Aa." Naruto agreed, seeing where Sasuke was focused. He yawned, eyes half closed. Without the constant pounding of his heart and his emotions running high, exhaustion was catching up quickly. He tried to push himself out of the warm embrace, but Sasuke held firm.

"I'm tired..." Naruto said, yawning again. "Gotta go home."

"Sleep, dobe." The insult was said affectionately, without so much as a hint of malice.
Sleepily, the blond nodded and fell into a content, dreamless sleep. The only thing he could still feel in that comforting darkness was the feeling of two arms wrapped around him, protecting him.

Sasuke smiled slightly at the boy in his arms. He felt sleep catching up to him as well, and as carefully as he could he picked up the sleeping blond and moved over to the futon. He set the blonde down and then laid next to him. As he only had one pillow, he moved Naruto so the blond would be laying on his chest and yanking the blanket up to cover them.

Unconciously, the blond nuzzled closer to him, causing his small smile to widen.

The last Uchiha closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep beside his... boyfriend? Lover?
Companion?

In any case, he fell asleep beside his most important person, holding him close.

END (Sequel?)

A/N: Okay- I wasn't entirely sure if I could just end it right here without offering a sequel. I won't add to this- it was meant as a one-shot and will stay that way- but I will make a sequel if we liked this.
I tried to keep them IC and their roles IC- I hope it worked. Hopefully- even though this was depressing- it was an enjoyable read.