Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Pieces Of Me ❯ Spin ( Chapter 18 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Drabble Eighteen

Title: Spin

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn’t belong to me. ^.^

Summary: Can he succeed in stopping Sasuke a second time? [NaruSasu]

A/N: Ah, and here is drabble eighteen folks. Not much to say here, I guess. Just review and let me know what’s up. Okay? Ja ne, Minna-san!

Ooh, and one more question! Has anyone ever seen Black Blood Brothers? Mmm, lovely anime…You should go out and watch it! <3

~*Spin*~

His sleep was sporadic and short-lived, as a million-fragmented thoughts spun through his head. He saw Sasuke come back, saw him become part of the ANBU. The dark haired boy was happy for the first time in a long time, but Naruto knew it was all really just a dream. Sasuke wasn't happy; you could see it in every glance, every movement. Sasuke wasn't happy being back in Konoha, even without the weight of Itachi on his shoulders. And Naruto was afraid of him leaving again.

"Naruto! Naruto, wake up! It's an emergency!" Sakura's shrill voice came through his front door, followed by desperate pounding that rattled him from his sleep. Blinking blearily at the alarm clock next to his bed, the blond pulled himself out of the warm cocoon of his blankets and staggered to the door. Once he had wrapped his fingers around the knob, he opened it and suddenly found his arms full of Sakura. "Naruto, he's gone!"

The blond's insides froze up, his hands clenching into fists at his side. "How do you know?" He asked Sakura, his voice clipped. He held the girl at arm's length, and took in the tears running down her face. "That fucking bastard! He's leaving again?! Why the hell didn't he learn the first time?!" The blond stomped into his shoes, not even bothering to throw on some clothes, and left his apartment with Sakura at his heels.

"Naruto!" Came a familiar voice from behind him, and the blond turned to see Kiba running towards him, with Akamaru in his arms, and Hinata following close behind. "Hinata told me Sasuke took off. We going to get him?" The brunet ran his eyes over his friend, and smirked widely. "That pissed, huh?" He teased, gesturing to his state of dress. "I don't think pajamas will hold up in a fight against Sasuke."

"I'm not going to give him a chance to fight. That bastard already left us once; I'm not taking no for an answer." The blond growled out fiercely, his eyes flashing red in the moonlight. He walked as quickly as he could, not really knowing where he was supposed to go. His only guess were the gates leading out of Konoha. "Sakura-chan, you stay with Hinata-chan. Kiba and I will take care of everything. Where is Sasuke going?"

"Naruto, I want to help! If it comes down to the two of you fighting, I can-"

"No. I don't want you to have to see us fight. Just stay with Hinata-chan."

The pink haired girl swallowed around the lump in her throat. "...he's somewhere past the gates. I'm not sure where. Please bring him back, Naruto!"

"Great! Akamaru can track him!" Kiba said excitedly, and Akamaru yipped in agreement. The two boys started at a run, leaving the two girls behind. They ran though Konoha, passed food carts, and dimly lit houses. A couple feet away, standing at the gates, were four figures.

"Yo." Shikamaru said, holding his hand up in greeting as the two boys came to a stop. Chouji nodded at Naruto, a bag of chips in his hand. "So we're going to get Sasuke again, eh? This time will be a piece of cake."

"I would also like to come in case you need help." Lee said, saluting Naruto with one hand. Neji just gave a brief nod next to him, the Byakugan searching the immediate area. "Neji says Sasuke is not far ahead. He is alone, which is good for us. There is no one escorting him this time."

"You guys seriously want to do this again? But you don't even like him." The blond blinked, in awe at the things his friends would do for him.

"We'll catch up to him quickly." Neji said, nodding his head towards the outer parts of the gates. "We shouldn't be gone long. I'm guessing it'll be by morning, if you can convince him to stay this time."

"I'll convince him if I have to break his legs." Naruto growled, sorely reminded of the last time he said that. Sasuke had left him unconscious at the Valley of the End. The six boys shared a look, before Naruto nodded imperceptibly and they took off through the woods. They jumped from branch to branch, and Naruto could feel the breeze through his thin, cotton pajamas. It seemed like he was the only one that wasn't readily dressed for battle.

"He's not that far ahead now." Kiba said, his nose twitching as he picked up Sasuke's scent. The group picked up their pace, letting Naruto lead in fear of the blond biting their heads off. He hadn't even bothered to change into proper clothes for a mission like this. "Just a couple more feet, guys."

Naruto jumped down from the trees, his feet hitting the ground hard, and took off at a sprint. The other's followed above, keeping track of his movements from afar. They would interfere with Sasuke and his fight if worse came to worse, and the blond was left incapacitated.

Finally, a dark figure came into view, the Uchiha fan printed on its back.

"Sasuke!" Naruto roared, his voice echoing off the trees as the other five of his team stopped on the branched above his head. The Uchiha stopped walking abruptly, and tilted his head until Naruto could see one dark eye. The blond came to a screeching halt a few feet away, and took in a heaving breath. "Are you leaving again, you bastard?! Itachi's dead! You have no reason to run away now!" The blond clenched his hands, his nails digging painfully into his palms.

Sasuke turned his head away and kept his back to the blond boy. But at his sides were clenched fists; the only sign that Naruto's biting words had affected him.

"You've been home for two months, Sasuke! There's no way I'm letting you leave again!" The blond went to grab a kunai from his holster, stopping mid-movement when he realized he didn't have any weapons on him. He had been in such a hurry to find the other boy that he hadn't grabbed anything but his shoes.

"Naruto, you dumbass! You forgot your weapons!" Kiba's loud voice came down from the trees, and three kunai whizzed through the leaves and landed at his feet. "Next time, think before you just leave!" The brunet grit his teeth at the blond standing below them, hoping Sasuke was smart and listened to him.

"Hn. Loser. Always rushing into things recklessly." In a mere second, Sasuke had disappeared from his spot, and appeared right behind the blond, a kunai positioned at his throat. Naruto felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. "I have no intention of fighting you this time. Just let me go."

"I can't." The blond whispered, his voice barely above a whisper. Sasuke dropped his arm, and took a step back from the blond, putting his kunai back in its holster. For a moment neither boy said anything, with just the breeze blowing between them. Finally, Naruto turned around so he could look Sasuke in the eyes. "I can't just let you go, teme. I promised Sakura that I'd bring you back, and I sure as hell plan on keeping that promise."

Something broke in Sasuke's eyes, cracking the perfect indifference that was his mask. He clenched his teeth in a fierce grimace, and turned his head away.

"I'm not going back with you. I don't belong there." Sasuke's voice was quiet; so quiet that Naruto had to lean forward so he could hear what the other boy was saying. "You've created some sort of bond with everybody and I just feel like I'm intruding. And it's not like anybody actually wants me there."

"I want you there!" The blond protested, his voice clipped with his irritation.

"I have no reason to stay!" The dark haired boy yelled, his voice bouncing off the trees and echoing back to him. Then, very quietly, he added, "Not anymore, at least." Sasuke rhythmically clenched his fists at his sides, and tried to look at everything else but the blond in front of him. "It's like you moved on and I'm just stuck in the past trying to catch up. It's frustrating."

"What? So now whenever something frustrates you, you're just gonna leave?" Naruto asked incredulously, shoving at the other teen's shoulders. He took a step closer, fire flashing in his blue eyes. "If I gave up every time something frustrated me, I wouldn't be here trying to get you to stay. Hell, all you've ever done is frustrate me." The blond searched the other boy's eyes, trying to find any sign that he had changed his mind about leaving. "You're making a mistake, Sasuke. If you leave now, who's to say what you'll lose when you're gone. Something you can't get back."

"I've already lost two important things to me. What else is there to lose?" Sasuke let his eyes sweep over the blond, before he turned his head and started to walk away again. Naruto stayed rooted to the spot, Sasuke's words poking holes in his anger and deflating it like a hot air balloon.

"What if there's something to gain?" The blond said suddenly, desperate for the other boy to understand him. Sasuke turned his head again and watched him closely with a contemplative frown. "You said that you had no reason to stay. Well, what if I gave you a reason? Would you stay?"

"Is it a good enough reason?" The Uchiha asked, turning fully to face the blond.

"Um..." God, I hope so. 'Cause if I tell him and it all backfires, how the hell am I supposed to cope?

"I don't think 'um' is a good enough reason." Sasuke smirked.

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled, his cheeks coloring. He took a few determined steps forward, stopping at the other boy's side, and put his mouth close to the teen's ear. His hand went to the Uchiha's shoulder, and he cleared his throat nervously. "If you stay, I promise you won't regret it."

"And why's that, dobe?"

"Because I-" Dammit, man, just say it.

"You what?"

Naruto tightened his fingers briefly, and lifted his head to meet Sasuke's eyes. His mouth moved on its own, and the words flowed out so smoothly it was like he'd said them before. The other boy looked down at him confusedly, like he hadn't heard what the blond had said.

Dammit! "I love you, you jackass!" He yelled. Almost immediately he slapped a hand over his mouth, because he hadn't meant to say it so loud. A second later, directly behind them, Kiba came crashing down through the trees.

"I knew it!" The brunet yelled, pointing his finger accusingly at the blond. "I knew, but no! No one would believe me! There was no way Naruto could love Sasuke. They were just friends."

"Kiba-" Naruto sighed, trying to calm his friend down.

"And here I thought I knew you." Kiba huffed.

"Do you really love me?" Sasuke asked, cutting into their conversation. Naruto looked up at him, searching his eyes for a moment before nodding slowly. Sasuke's face was blank for a while, like he was trying to process everything. "And that's your reason to convince me to stay?"

Naruto just nodded again.

"So are you gonna stay or not?" Shikamaru asked, as he lazily jumped down from his hiding spot. The other three followed him down, waiting for the Uchiha's answer. Naruto watched Sasuke expectantly, and after a while the silence got to him and he turned his head to talk to Kiba. The next moment he found his mouth otherwise occupied by Sasuke's lips.

"Should we take that as his answer?" Neji asked, turning his head away from the scene in front of him. After a "yes" from Shikamaru, the small group of boys walked away, leaving Sasuke and Naruto to work out the little details. "Hn. At least we know Sasuke won't be leaving for a long time. Let's just hope they make it back before dawn."

~Owari~