The Sound of Dreams

AN: It's Tuesday morning, do you know where your update is? :D Props to Yume for figuring out what was going on!! Hope you like this chapter and I will see you all again on Saturday!! As always, thanks for reading and a big thanks for the reviews!!!


CHAPTER 12


Naruto found himself standing in the greenish water before the Kyuubi's cage. Two red eyes glowed balefully out at him. "I need his chakra," Naruto said succinctly.

The Kyuubi gave a toothy grin and turned around in his cage. A moment later a clawed paw-like hand shoved a humanoid shape against the inside of the bars directly behind the paper seal. Orochimaru looked a little dazed and worse for wear. He gave a pained gasp as dark purple chakra was pulled from his body and out through the seal.

Naruto let himself to channel the foreign chakra as he returned to his senses.

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The yellow eyes darted to the side as the figure strode through the entrance. The guard at the door hastily dropped his gaze and bowed.

Sasuke kept a step back to try to figure out what the fuck had just happened. His seal no longer burned but it tingled unpleasantly. As they approached a branch in the tunnel, the figure stopped. "Sasuke-kun, you're reluctance makes me think that you don't wish to be here. Come, stop lagging behind."

Sasuke took the last few steps to draw even with his former sensei. Those yellow eyes flashed a warning at him. "Hn," he replied almost weakly.

"Shall we?" the voice suggested. They both stood there for a long moment, Sasuke unsure of what Orochimaru wanted. Then he noticed it. A slight roll of the eyes and a subtle twitch of the head toward the direction they had been moving.

Sasuke felt the tension leave his body. The dobe didn't know which way to go. He had never been here before. "Hn." He almost smirked. He turned and started walking, the other falling into step beside him. He didn't know how the idiot was making his eyes yellow, but he would damn sure find out once they were alone.

They had turned down several halls and were almost to Orochimaru's rooms when a shinobi fell into step with a bow of his head. "Orochimaru-sama," the green eyed, lanky man greeted. "We're pleased that you are here. There are a few matters that I need to discuss with you."

Sasuke gave an emotionless look to the man with light brown hair. "We just got here, Oushi."

Oushi shot a dismissive glare at Sasuke. "I'm sure Orochimaru-sama is anxious to hear about our progress and a few troublesome incidents regarding our latest orders."

"Not now, Oushi," Naruto drawled with the perfect blend of impatience, boredom and amusement. "As Sasuke-kun pointed out, we have just arrived. I want a bath and a real meal before anything else. I will send for you when I am ready."

Oushi bowed once again and dropped back. Sasuke couldn't help but glance over his shoulder to see the man staring after them. Their eyes met briefly and the older ninja abruptly turned and walked off.

Sasuke stopped in front of a door and, after looking discreetly both ways, made a couple of hand seals. He then opened the door and motioned Naruto inside.

The room was a little bit more opulent than the previous had been but not by much. The bed was a little bigger and had black silken panels held back with sashes on all four sides. A purple couch sat in front of a large fireplace but otherwise it was similar enough not to garner interest. Naruto turned to Sasuke and his eyes slowly faded to blue. The seal went quiet afterwards and Naruto gave him a smug little grin.

"How the hell did you do that," Sasuke asked in a hushed tone, not wanting his voice to carry.

"I said he was sealed away. I didn't say he was gone. I can pull his chakra out through the same leaks that allow the Kyuubi's out," Naruto answered with a shrug as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"But he is still sealed?" The voice didn't betray any emotion but Naruto could tell that the dark haired shinobi was a touch concerned.

"Yes," Naruto assured him.

Sasuke gave a nod, indicating he was satisfied.

"How's your leg and arm?" Naruto asked, referring to the injuries the teenager had sustained while fighting Kabuto. Sasuke had seemed to recover quickly enough, but he wanted to make sure since they had an infirmary at their disposal for the moment.

"They are fine now. Strip down," he ordered quietly as he started pulling out dirty clothes from their packs.

"Gee, Sasuke, and you haven't even told me you loved me, yet," he grinned cheekily.

"Baka. I want to get our clothes washed while we are here. Being cold is starting to look better than smelling you at night."

"Ass," he griped as he shed his clothes.

"I'll get us some fresh supplies as well. Hungry?"

Naruto gave him a look.

"Hn. I will have food brought. Go shower." He gathered up the dirty clothes.

"Anything else, Mom?" he asked sarcastically.

"Don't forget to wash behind your ears." Sasuke headed for the door with Naruto's amused laugh following him.

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Naruto stood in the warm downpour, enjoying the sensation sinking into his tired and sore body. He fingered his hair idly, wondering if he should cut it at the next village. It wasn't like he was going to let one of Orochimaru's henchmen near him with sharp pointy objects.

He blushed slightly as he recalled his last conversation regarding "pointy objects." He then decided to leave it long since it had become a part of their morning ritual for Sasuke to brush and tie back his hair. He wasn't going to give up the sensation of the onyx eyed shinobi's fingers running through his hair even if he did complain about Naruto's ineptitude in tying knots the whole time he did so. It was the same comforting feeling he got waking up with the other young man curled up against his side for warmth.

They were both very careful not to comment on either occurrence, aside from gripes and insults, but like everything else between them, Naruto was sure it would cause a fight sooner or later. Either he would push for more or tease the other ninja or said ninja would decide that touching another human being would somehow make him unable to avenge his clan and it would blow up between them.

So he pragmatically decided to enjoy what he could while he could before the inevitable explosion. Until then, he would dance around Sasuke as much as he had to and make it last as long as he could.

Naruto tensed as he heard the door open to the bedroom. Someone moved something around, there was a clattering sound and then the door shut a few minutes later. He quickly washed himself then exited the large shower stall. After drying hastily, he wrapped a towel around his waist and walked into the room. The first thing he noticed was the now lit fire that threw warmth out into the air.

The smell of freshly cooked food led him over to the sitting area where a medium sized table sat low to the ground with cushions laid out around it. A wide variety of dishes covered the table, making his mouth water. Not wasting another second, he tightened his towel and knelt down on a purple pillow. 'Purple obsessed freak,' he thought with a grimace, ignoring his own hypocrisy.

He grabbed a pair of black lacquered chopsticks with white herons painted on them. 'Shmancy,' he snickered. "Itadakimasu!" He dove into the heavenly smelling food with gusto.

A few moments later, the door opened again and Sasuke walked inside. He glanced over toward Naruto and, after shutting the door, joined him at the table. "Eat your veggies," he said almost absently as he settled himself down.

"Do you enjoy ordering me around, teme?" he asked sourly around a mouthful of food.

A shoulder lifted negligently and Naruto almost wished the black undershirt were gone so he could see the pale skin beneath the open white cloth. "Don't then. We have three to four years of growing left on us. I'll enjoy being taller again."

Naruto muttered something profane under his breath before starting in on the vegetable dishes.

Sasuke carefully hid his smirk behind a morsel of food. "Clothes are being washed. After a shower, I'll grab the scrolls and the provisions. We'll need to stay tonight to avoid suspicion. We really shouldn't leave for a couple days, but I don't want to waste time on these losers," he said in a low-pitched voice.

"What do you want me to do?"

Sasuke looked away in faint disgust. "Moron, I don't need to see what you're chewing."

Naruto deliberately opened his mouth wider. "Bleehhh."

Sasuke shook his head, rolling his eyes. "You just need to stay in the room and keep your mouth shut."

Naruto pouted a moment before shrugging. "Fine, fine."

They were both silent as they demolished the spread before them, Naruto predictably putting most of it away.

Sasuke got up and went over to a dresser and pulled a set of his own clothes out of it. Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Why are your clothes in here?" he asked suspiciously.

Sasuke's eyebrow lifted at the question. "What's it to you?" He heard teeth start grinding together.

"I want to know why your clothes are in the fucking snake's bedroom, teme," Naruto ground out angrily.

Sasuke smirked at him. "Jealous?" He grunted as Naruto was suddenly across the room, grabbing him and shoving him against the dresser. Red tinted eyes glared at him, demanding an answer. He briefly considered yanking his chain a bit more merely because a part of him enjoyed this response, but as more red bled into those azure colored eyes he decided against it. "We only came here a few times. Not enough to want to trust people to stay out of any room I might leave my stuff in. So I just put it in here to keep it safe."

The hands slowly loosened from his collar and Naruto stepped back away from him.

"He never touched me that way," Sasuke added quietly. He didn’t feel it prudent to tell the upset blonde just how close he thought the Sannin had been to that point, however.

Blue eyes blinked then looked away awkwardly. Sasuke watched him walk toward the couch, muscles across his back still tense. He took a brief moment to admire the bared skin, then fished around in another drawer. He threw a pair of tight black pants towards the blonde. "You'll have to do without underclothes," he paused as that vision passed through his mind, "but at least it is better than a towel."

"Thanks," came the mumbled reply.

"Why don't you try meditating. It's been awhile since you've had a chance," he suggested.

He got a look that plainly said "yeah, right."

"Just try it," Sasuke urged.

Naruto snorted derisively. "I didn't know you cared so much."

Sasuke stiffened in response. This is what happened when he showed weakness. "I don't," he said in an ice cold voice, "I just don't want you falling behind again and slowing me down. You made me a promise and I will sure as hell make sure you fulfill it." He stalked out of the room and shut the bathroom door resoundingly.

Naruto winced, cursing his big mouth. He pulled the pants on after discarding the towel on the floor. They were snug but they would do. He sat cross-legged on the couch and tried to calm himself and clear his mind. Just the idea of the sick bastard touching Sasuke was enough to cause his body to tighten like an over-wound spring. He forced himself to breathe deeply and closed his eyes.

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Sasuke washed himself with quick angry movements. He didn't need anyone, dammit. Needing someone meant he was weak. If he wanted to kill his brother then he couldn't afford any weaknesses.

It just felt so damn nice being around Naruto after three years of constantly watching his back and not trusting anyone around him. Constantly aware of the fact that his existence was getting closer and closer to an end. He just felt like he could breathe now.

He just needed to put more space between him and the dobe. He couldn't afford to get distracted at this point. But it had been a pleasant surprise to see the one person who had always seen him and not the labels put to him by others jealous over him. Maybe after he had his vengeance, if he lived...

He dressed in his clean clothes and exited the bathroom. He was glad to note that Naruto was sitting lotus position on the couch, his chin resting on his chest. 'Looks like the hyperactive dobe is good at relaxing after all.' A soft snore sounded from the couch and Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch. 'Okay, maybe a little too good.' He shook his head as a smile fought its way to his lips. He then quietly left the room to fetch the secret scrolls.

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Naruto was bored. He had finished his meditation (nap) an hour ago and he had nothing to do. So he decided to paw through Orochimaru's belongings. It wasn't like the Sannin needed them anymore.

He found a few more pants like he was currently wearing that he chose to add to his traveling pack. At least his 'nads would be warmer. He snickered at the purple obi in the armoire, but refrained from throwing it in the fireplace. He found a small coin purse in the desk that had some cash in it. He put that with the pants on the couch. He would add it to his frog wallet that Sasuke had finally coughed over. He found it interesting how his former teammate kept “finding” his belongings.

He quickly sat at the desk chair as someone tentatively knocked on the door. He pulled out a random scroll as he said a distracted seeming "Enter." He couldn't help but admire the pretty red haired girl that came in to clear the dinner dishes. She noticed his gaze and both blushed and looked afraid at the same time. At his concerned frown, she speedily finished and practically bolted out the door. He hated to think what she had either experienced or had heard about the Sannin's appetites.

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Sasuke walked into the room to find Naruto hanging from the ceiling, glued in place by chakra through his feet, doing crunches. He paused to admire the flex and stretch of the other's toned body before he placed their packs by the couch. Blue eyes watched him between reps as he moved about the room, putting clean clothes and provisions into their bags. The two packs that contained the scrolls were noticeably larger than they had been. He wordlessly set out a clean set of Naruto's clothes on the couch for him to wear in the morning. He noticed the braided cord on the table and added it on the stack.

Naruto dropped from the ceiling, twisting and landing on his feet. "Everything done?"

"Yeah. We should be able to leave tomorrow morning if we avoid Oushi." He stood there for a moment, mentally reviewing his “to do” list and was satisfied that he had thought of everything. Glancing up, he noticed that Naruto had moved over to the bags and was looking through them. Sasuke sighed and pulled his personal bag over and opened it up. He still had the blonde's old orange jacket buried in the bottom of his bag and he was unsure why he was reluctant to give it back. He fished out Naruto’s hitae-ate from where he had been hiding it and handed it over to the blonde.

Naruto looked up as he felt Sasuke’s hand bump his shoulder then looked down at his forehead protector held in his friend’s hand. He could tell by the pattern of the faint scratches on the metal that it was his. He grabbed it and stared at it in disbelief. “Where did you find this?” he demanded, stunned that the one object he had cherished most was once again in his possession.

Sasuke lifted a shoulder negligently. “Found it with some junk that had been thrown out.”

Naruto felt a large grin stretch his mouth as he impulsively hugged his friend in gratitude. While the feeling of Sasuke in his arms was surprisingly warm and comfortable, he let go as soon as the other boy tensed up. Being rather attached to his limbs, he didn’t want to irritate his friend with his excessive emotional displays.

Sasuke blinked at him once or twice before making a beeline towards the door. “Get some sleep,” he ordered gruffly. “We are leaving tomorrow.”

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow. "It would look strange if I stayed the night in here. I have a room a few doors down."

"Oh." Naruto tried to keep the disappointment out his tone.

Sasuke paused at the door, trying to think of something to say. Finally he shrugged. "Stay out of trouble," he said before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

Naruto sighed and flopped down on the bed. It was going to be a long night.

TBC


AN2: For those who are curious, according to my Japanese dictionary (not gonna claim that I can speak the language past the pigeon stage), Oushi = Bull