Colors

*Yay! More reviews. I’m working quickly on my next few chapters so the posting is gonna be somewhat quick. Suddenly inspired to do more and I don’t know why really.

But please do keep those reviews coming and pop by my blog to check on the next updates. If you wanna leave any comments at all please do so and I’ll answer those queries as best and as quick as I can. Just created a separate MSN ID for this as well so if you’re looking for a chat about anything please feel free to add.

MSN ID : hypergraphian@hotmail.com

Blog : www.hypergraphian.blogspot.com

ONWARD to the next chapter. Sorry about the lack of action but I decided to cut it here as I didn’t wanna break the next chapter. Also, I had a dream of Sasuke in red so I just really needed to put it in. Do review if it’s good, bad, sucky, great, horrible… anything…. If not then just put a vote in for the story.

Thanks again.

*Additional note : I read the first para after my friend said my stories sounded like a choked up engine, and I was like, damn, he's right. Sigh..... Decided to improve on these and to reread the other chapters to ensure they don't sound like choked up engines too. So forgive me if I take a little longer than expected to put up the rest.

Thanks for being patient.


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Chapter 15

The sun was setting on a warm Friday which marked the end of the qualifying rounds. Sasuke was looking at the electronic scoreboard for final announcements of qualifier lap times. He already knew which position he had earned for tomorrow's race but he needed a reconfirmation for Naruto's time. Due to a turn of events, Rock Lee had made it to the pole position having done a fantastic qualifying lap of 53.4 seconds, which gave him the pole position to starting the race the next afternoon. The second fastest lap was earned by Gaara, then Sasuke, followed by Naruto and finally Sasori and this concluded the top 5 positions. He had been pretty impressed with his own performance, having not raced for a long time. However, he was surprised by Naruto’s 4th, which was rather unlike the orange speed demon. According to the other racers, Naruto had never failed to make it into the top 2 spots for any race and today’s 4th was something below their expectations. Sasuke was wondering if it had something to do with his attempt on matching his qualifier time, much like how he had matched his time during the practice sessions yesterday.

He shrugged it off and kept the thought in the back of his mind to make room for more pressing issues. There was no denying their engagement now and although meeting each other would be cumbersome, what worried him even more was how to keep the whole fiasco underwraps without being discovered. With Kisame’s watchful eye and his brother’s new found target to direct his anger at, he didn’t know what would come out next from that sick minded duo. Worse, how would he feel to go under Itachi’s whip again and sell his body after having dedicated his soul to Naruto? The thought of his next session with Itachi chilled him to the bone and he shivered.

“You did well today,” Deidara had spoken from behind him.

“Thanks.” Sasuke smiled meakly.

“Still troubled? How did things go yesterday?”

“Thanks for that.”

Deidara simply smiled and continued, “Don’t worry about the future too much.”

“Easy for you to say…”

“Hmm… anyway, just be careful and I’ll let you know if there’s anything else I can help with.” Sasuke turned to look at Deidara but the man had walked away and Sasuke wondered what was in store for a future that seemed so bleak to him now.

Meanwhile, Kisame had taken to a corner to deliver his report to Itachi.

“Your brother has been under careful watch although I must say that Uzumaki’s presence here does rouse some amount of suspicion…. Yes, Itachi, I will keep a closer eye. Also, I thought you should know. For some reason, the blonde has managed to match Sasuke’s lap times in the races from the practice rounds all the way to today’s qualifiers. I think he’s sending an indirect message. …..Yes, I will report any other happenings that seem out of line.” With that, the shark man ended his report.

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“What the fuck’s your problem Naruto?”

“I told you Kiba, I had a stomach ache.”

“No, that really doesn’t look like you had just any stomach ache unless your stomach ache was selective like selective amnesia maybe???” Kiba sighed and continued, “You were practically fine and your times were fantastic except whenever you turned the last corner. So don’t fucking lie to me about the coincidental tummy troubles you had just before the end of your laps. Fucking hell, why do you have to always slow down just before the damn freaking finish line? Do you realize Lee’s gonna be shaking his green ass in front of our faces tonight all because you had “tummy trouble” and slowed down before the finishing line?!” Kiba was upset and throwing a fit. He couldn’t for the life of him understand what his friend was upto and was getting angrier by the minute.

Naruto looked at Kiba who was seated across from him on their dinner table, but decided to swallow his next sarcastic comments in fear of riling up his friend further. He didn’t want to make a scene at the amateur racers’ dinner and risk creating a spectacle. Afterall, how could he explain his situation with Sasuke in front of Hinata? He wasn’t sure what effect that would have on her perception of him, not that it would’ve made a difference since it was already damaged, but he still didn’t want to imply the notion of her having lost to another guy. Worse still, no one except for Neji and Shikamaru knew about his sudden change in sexual preferences and he was worried he’d have to go through another bout of strange looks and gossips behind his back amongst his friends. The thought of which hurt him slightly.

Not surprisingly, Shikamaru played the mitigator role in putting out the building tension.

“Kiba, just drop it. He’ll pull through it and besides, it just makes tomorrow a little more interesting and having a challenge once in a while is a good thing.” Kiba retreated with Shikamaru’s reply and turned his attention instead towards Hinata, who was beginning to look slightly bored amidst all the drunken festivities.

“NARUTO! You suck! But is that your tactic for throwing me off guard?” Everyone turned to look at the green grasshopper that had appeared. Lee was as strange as Naruto in terms of color sense, if not stranger still. At least Naruto kept his bottoms a neutral color but with Lee, everything had to be green including his pants, his tie and his watch. Naruto wondered inwardly whether anyone in the world could have a more one-sided fashion sense than his friend. *Nope, definitely not*, he concluded in his head.

“You know I don’t suck and anyway, what’s the fun in winning all the time Lee?” Naruto challenged back.

“Nonsense! Winning is everything and I’ll pound that orange ass of yours till there’s nothing left but pulp.” Lee said with a wide grin on his face. Neji hid a smile and Shikamaru just looked annoyed with the noise.

“Yeah do it first and then talk later! You forget that there’s more than just the driver involved here.” Kiba spat, he was displaying more anger than was appropriate as a result of his earlier outburst. Lee recognized that his irritation was no joke and decided to back off with a puzzled and slightly downcast look on his face.

“Well then, we will see about that. Anyway, lets just have a good safe race tomorrow and drink to that, eh?” Lee raised the glass he was holding and everyone obliged, with Kiba doing so a little reluctantly. Lee left after that to gloat over at the other teams’ tables and as he left Naruto felt a little guilty that he had been less than friendly to Lee, Kiba’s response adding to the uncomfortable situation. He made a note to explain and apologize later, afterall, Lee was another of his close comrades when it came to looking for a little motivation and zest for life. Lee was just full of it and Naruto oftened looked him up whenever he needed to be reenergized. *I definitely need to explain this later.*

Naruto adjusted himself in his seat and tugged on his orange polo T-shirt. He ran a hand through his hair, which he had left unbound tonight, the shoulder-lengthed strands falling elegantly to frame his tanned handsome features and bringing out the sapphire glimmer in his eyes. He eyed the local Japanese restaurant where the dinner was being held. They were all seated in close proximity, each team to a table. After countless rounds of ‘sake’ and endless distribution of bottles of beer, the atmosphere was currently defening as everyone was having a rather good time, all except the drivers who had to abstain themselves prior to the race and Naruto suddenly realized why the races next day always fell in the afternoons. No one would be awake enough to get things right in the mornings anyway.

Naruto squinted hard in search of the elegant dark prince. But the roudy crowd and their vulgar display was making it hard for him to spot Sasuke. Ever since that kiss yesterday he was dying a little inside him each minute, not to mention that he had a hard on everytime he thought of the pale man’s porcelain skin, which left his member aching dully after each occurence. He’d been too busy to take care of his throbbing problem and thus chose to ignore it. Afterall, it was more than just the sex he was anticipating, more than just the close proximity, the feel of his skin, the midnight silky hair, the soft lips and then, in the midst of his thoughts, his eyes fell upon the culprit himself. Naruto groaned inwardly, *How the hell does he take my breath away everytime?*.

Sasuke was clad in another slim fitting blood red shirt, this time in smooth, slightly stiff material with a futuristically designed mandarin collar, the red matching his slightly flushed lips and making a stark contrast with the black sheen from his hair, the midnight blue looking almost jet black now with the red’s sinful glow. He followed Sasuke carefully with his gaze, hoping that he would notice him and then, he did. Sasuke’s eyes met Naruto’s and in a little gesture that only Naruto would notice, Sasuke let a small smile curve his lips. He then turned to check on Kisame and Naruto continued watching as Sasuke quickly turned back to face him, placed his index finger on his lips and mouthed a ‘shhh’.

Naruto had to break the stare, the gesture was so sexy and seductive that his cock had grown fully hard and he had to quickly compose himself before someone started to notice the unmistakable bulge in his pants and the burning blush on his cheeks. In that one move, Sasuke had quickened Naruto’s breath, raised his heart beats and left him stunned, which made the blonde wonder if he would faint should he ever find himself confined in a private space alone with Sasuke. He lifted his head again to look for the red devil but was interrupted.

“Hey Naruto!”

Naruto jumped slightly from the tap on his shoulder. “Oh! Hey, Temari.”

“Woah, what’s with you being jumpy? You nervous about my brother beating your ass tomorrow or what?”

“Fucking cut the nonsense and come give me a kiss.” Shikamaru budged in by pulling onto Temari’s neck, guiding her downwards to lock their lips and tongues in a heated kiss. As she bent down, her low neck line exposed the deep cleavage in between her breasts and Neji got the full blast of her well rounded flesh. Neji squirmed, a slight distaste in his looks and he faced away from the scene which sent Naruto into giggles. Shikamaru tore himself from the kiss to have a look at what the blonde was so amused with suddenly only to find Neji’s back faced towards him.

“Oh what, so you guys have problems with heterosexuals?” Shikamaru put his arm around Neji and who had reverted to his previous position, whilst his other hand supported Temari who had made herself comfortable on his lap. Meanwhile, Kiba eyed Hinata and the timid girl looked back, puzzled. She then looked toward Naruto who suddenly realized that Shikamaru may have accidentally let out more than he should have.

“Naruto….. are you… gay?” Hinata spoke and the whole table fell silent.

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Sasuke was feeling a sting in his heart as he watched Naruto. He wanted so much to let his fingers feel the golden sunshine in Naruto’s hair, the loud orange polo-T making his tanned skin seem deliciously juicy. He thought to himself about how he could just keep looking at him and get lost forever in his warm aura. But his gaze was broken with the emergence of a new presence at Naruto’s table. Furthermore, not wanting to get caught by Kisame’s keen eye he decided to make himself socialble amongst his fellow team mates. Seated next to him was Deidara and to his left Kisame. Sasori had joined them in effort to catch up with Deidara and Kisame, the 3 having originated from the same high school as Itachi during their younger days. They were currently engaged in a boring conversation about their past which Sasuke had no connection with and he was trying very hard to be a good listener. Unfortunately, it was proving to be difficult with him being so left out of topic.

“I still don’t get how you guys can work for that crazy bastard.” Sasori commented as he finished another cup of ‘sake’. That line brought Sasuke’s attention to the table and he gave Sasori a mildly interested look. *This guy looks way too young for his age* he thought.

“Itachi’s someone who rewards loyalty well.” Kisame said as he sipped on his drink.

“Oh come on, loyalty? The bastard would no sooner turn around and bite your dick off if he could.”

“Sasori it’s all about skills and what we prefer doing. I mean if you’re being paid a good hefty sum and get to work with people you know, why the hell not? It’s just a career choice,” Deidara tried to slip in a comment to lighten the situation, knowing too well Kisame would have pounded Sasori for his comment if the Uchiha hadn’t been around.

“Exactly, in any case, with your huge ego, starting a garage and playing around with machines all day suits you perfectly well. I can’t fucking imagine you working for anyone at all since machines are the only thing that can get you off.” Kisame chuckled and took another sip.

“I don’t get off to machines mate, and I do make sure I lead a fucking healthy sex life instead of obsessing over one particular individual.” Kisame lifted an eyebrow and sent a warning glare towards Sasori, but his red-headed friend continued. “But I do respect your dedication so let’s cheers to that.” Sasori lifted another full cup of ‘sake’.

“No, no more.” Kisame was trying hard not to give in to the temptation of another drink. He was already a little tipsy but he had a job to do which was to ensure the little Uchiha brat didn’t wander too far from his sight, and if possible, didn’t wander anywhere at all.

“Awe, Kisame, I’ve known you to be able to hold more than that miserable amount you’ve taken. What’s the use of holding onto the Tanker title and not maintain it?”

“Oh just humor him a little will you Kisame? Cheers!” Deidara urged and Kisame obliged and drank another cup.

“We should have one more just to celebrate the Uchiha’s great drive today. But don’t get too cocky there otherwise I’ll be having you chew on my burnt rubber instead on the track tomorrow.” Sasori spoke to Sasuke, his tone friendly.

Sasuke suddenly had an idea and decided to participate in this little series of drinks. He smirked, “Not a chance with me starting in front.”

“We’ll see about that first hair pin then. Cheers!” Sasori replied enthusiastically and with that all of them put their cups together before drinking the entire contents.

“So tell me about how Kisame earned the title of Tanker?” Sasuke asked innocently, playing the part perfectly with a little sarcasm in his tone to hide his intentions.

“Cause Kisame’s been known to be able to hold in more drinks than any of us combined! Remember that time when he finished a whole bottle of whisky and wine on his own and still manage to stumble into classes the next day? That was really funny, especially since the teachers were looking at him strangely for talking to himself, but that was what earned him the title. Most people would probably end up having their stomachs pumped out for doing that much in a night but Kisame was still standing.”

“Oh please, that was then and I’m on the job now.” Kisame was trying his best to pin his feet to the ground but his pride was starting to get the better of him and the smugness was showing in a crude grin on his face.

“Don’t be a spoilt sport. Waiter, warm us another 500ml bottle of sake please,” Deidara had caught a passing waiter who politely nodded at the request.

“Yeah, I wanna see if he really deserves the title,” provoked Sasuke even further.

Kisame looked at him irritated, “So you don’t believe?”

“Well, I mean, being my brother’s closest confidant probably does mean you have some interesting skill sets, drinking included. But I haven’t seen anything that would really let you lay claim to that.” Sasuke rested his head on one hand looking bored at Kisame’s boastful display.

“We’ll see about that. Waiter, bring another round of warm sake.”

The bottles arrived and every team member of both Sasuke’s and Sasori’s entourage gathered around the table to watch and cheer Kisame on. After downing those, the cheering and the encouragement continued. Sasuke watched the boastful shark gourge down the alcohol, cup after cup and soon Kisame had shown that he was able to pour 4 small 500ml bottles of warm sake down his throat without flinching, his fully flushed cheeks the only sign of his drunken state. Kisame’s head was swaying heavily but the team mates urged him on, chants of ‘Tanker! Tanker!’ reverberated throughout the whole dinner venue. Sasuke folded his arms and watched in hidden glee as he had succeeded in putting Kisame well on the way to pissed nation. He looked at Deidara who handed him the key card to his hotel room and gave him a small knowing wink.

“I’ll knock 3 times when we’re back.” He said and the dark angel smiled thankfully before he turned to walk towards Naruto’s table.

TBC

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