Here's to the Fox

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

A/N: hi all! i'm back with chapter 2! i hope it's up to par with what i'm going for, but i'm y'all will let me know. this story actually has me quite excited. i haven't been this enthused with writing in a while. so, again, tell me what y'all think, and i'll see you in chapter 3!

thanks to my reviewers: Nyuchan, littleolmee, trabeck, Anon, Cesia, Keina, kitty_delicioux, janet, and Anna. i hope for your support through the end of the fic. *bows*


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Here's to the Fox: Chapter 2
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“Ah, Naruto, you’re just in time.”

The blonde said nothing to that. He was too busy staring at Sasuke, which confused the Uchiha. Did he have something on his face? He was used to girls staring, and maybe a few boys, but the boys never did it so openly. Of course, nothing of this musing was shown on the pale man’s face.

“Naruto, lad, are you in there?”

The blonde looked up from Sasuke to the blacksmith behind him. Sasuke watched as he nodded confusedly then came completely into the building. The door shut behind him, cutting off the sun’s play over tanned skin, but Sasuke was surprised to see that despite the lack of sun, the blonde still managed to glow. He walked around Sasuke to the blacksmith’s side, his back to the Uchiha.

“This here’s Uchiha-san. He wants to see where the explosion happened, and since you’re always around there, I thought you’d be kind enough to take him.” A slightly evil smirk played at the blacksmith’s lips, prompting the Uchiha to think the blonde had made some kind of pleading face. Did he really not want to take him to the site?

“Sure, I’ll take him!” The blonde—Naruto—turned his head and flashed Sasuke a bright, cheery smile. Again, Sasuke found himself confused, but again, he didn’t show it. Even in the presence of strangers he couldn’t show his emotions. He was so fucked up…

“So I’ll give ya the rest of the day off, Naruto, but ya be here in the morning to start the fires.”

“No problem, ojiisan. Thanks.” Naruto turned back to Sasuke. “So, Uchiha-san, how about we get going?”

“Don’t call me that. My name is Sasuke.”

“Tch. I was just trying to be polite. I guess had I called you Sasuke, you would’ve gotten mad at my assumption. Whatever. Come on, it’s a way’s.”

“Naruto, ya be nice, lad. Ya hear?”

“Hai, hai, ojiisan.” Naruto walked to the door and held it open for Sasuke. The raven-haired man stepped out into the bright afternoon sun, followed by Naruto, and they set off in the direction that Sasuke assumed was where the explosion happened.

Yes, he wanted to see this explosion site. A crater? Just how many bombs had been thrown at the blacksmith? And what about the Fox and his ‘wall of red’? That must have been his chakra—the strangely visible chakra that he’d thought only he and his sensei possessed—making a shield for the blacksmith. And bombs impacting with physical chakra… What kind of destruction could that do?

“Sasuke? Are you listening?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Sasuke came out of his musings. Naruto was looking at him confusedly. “What?”

“Ah, nothing. You just had a seriously weird expression on your face. Looked kinda out of place with this emotionless mask you’re wearing.”

“What are you…?”

“Hey, it’s okay. Shinobi are supposed to be all emotionless and shit, ne?”

Sasuke spun quickly and grabbed Naruto by his shirt collar so tightly, the fabric ripped slightly at the neck. “Who the fuck told you I was shinobi?” Sasuke could feel his eyes burning. He couldn’t release his bloodline limit; that would cement who he was, that he was a part of that Uchiha clan… The clan that he came from…

“You did. Your reaction just now spoke volumes, but I could just tell. You’re a traveler, and you’re interested in the explosion site. No one is interested in that but curious ninja. Oh, and the fact that I grew up with shinobi. I can spot one a mile away.”

“So are you shinobi?”

“Nah, that’s way too much trouble!” Naruto grinned that bright grin again, his fingers twining together behind his head to support his neck as he tossed that grin at Sasuke. “Anyway, just why are you interested in the explosion? It happened years ago.”

Sasuke didn’t answer right away. He wanted to tell the blonde it was just idle curiosity. He was on vacation after all. Who wouldn’t want to check out a popular topic within the village? But something about the bright man wouldn’t let him do it. So he found himself saying something he never would have thought possible with a complete stranger.

“About 23 years ago, my village was attacked by a fox demon called Kyuubi.”

Before he could continue, Naruto tripped, and Sasuke’s arm shot out to catch him. When Naruto was stable, Sasuke found that he was slightly reluctant to let go of the blonde. The realization scared the Uchiha just a bit, and he retracted his hand from Naruto’s nicely defined chest rather quickly. He scowled to himself then schooled his features into the emotionless ‘mask,’ as Naruto had called it.

“Damn rocks! Someone should really pave these streets. I’m sorry, Sasuke. You were saying?” Sasuke looked behind them and didn’t see any rocks, but that didn’t mean that they hadn’t been there until Naruto tripped. It wasn’t like the blonde had been tripped up by what he’d said, was it?

“About 23 years ago, my village was attacked by a fox demon. Yondaime Hokage fought the creature and sealed it away. That demon was dangerous. It killed many shinobi, nearly destroyed the village. If this ‘Fox’ is a demon as well, I need to find out and inform the Godaime.”

“How old are you, Sasuke?”

The question was quite unexpected, but the Uchiha kept his cool. “I am 22 years old.”

“So you don’t know how this fox demon was sealed?”

“No one does. The container is nowhere in Konoha. It disappeared after the Yondaime’s death. No one but Sandaime knew what the container was, and he probably destroyed it to kill the demon.”

Sasuke saw some color drain from Naruto’s face. What was wrong with him?

“Oi, dobe, don’t get sick on me. You still have to get me to that site.” He felt Naruto stop walking, but Sasuke continued on. He didn’t know why he’d called the blonde ‘dobe.’ It just felt right. Besides, the blonde was aggravatingly cheerful, naïve even, what with that idiotic grin. But Sasuke felt kind of bad all the same.

“Oi, Sasuke-teme! Take that back!”

Then again, maybe Sasuke didn’t care after all.

~*~

There was no mistaking that whatever had made the crater had been extremely powerful. Naruto informed him that the road was abandoned due to the extent of the gigantic hole. Its diameter stretched the width of the road and beyond; half destroyed trees and bushes completed the picture.

“You said this happened years ago?” The blonde nodded. “Then why hasn’t the forest grown back?” Sasuke asked this of himself more than Naruto, assured that Naruto wouldn’t know the answer any more than him.

It was just like in Konoha. Where the demon had destroyed the forest, nothing grew back. Sasuke could only assume that this ‘Fox’ was a demon. And if Sasuke concentrated extremely hard, he could still feel faint traces of the Fox’s extraordinary chakra. Even after so many years. But it didn’t seem as if this demon had any malicious intent toward the village like Kyuubi. The demon had even saved the Uchiha, though he hadn’t actually needed the help.

“Well, let’s go back. I’ve seen all that I wanted.” Sasuke turned to the blonde to find him staring at the crater with a blank expression on his face. “Naruto?” At his name, Sasuke’s companion tensed, his eyes snapping back into focus. “Dobe, what are you doing? I said let’s go back.”

“Ah, sure, Sasuke. Sorry about that. Just thinking about what could have possibly made a hole this big!” The bright grin was back in place, but the Uchiha thought it looked just the tiniest bit forced. And Sasuke couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of disappointment when he didn’t get a “Sasuke-teme” in retaliation for the “dobe” comment. He shook his head. What the hell was wrong with him?

They started to walk back toward the center of the village, quiet conversation on the surroundings the only thing that broke the atmosphere. Sasuke learned that Naruto loved nature, and Naruto learned that Sasuke had a… passing fancy for it. No one need know about the deer, he firmly told himself.

Suddenly, shouts of “Naruto-nii!” exploded the air, and Sasuke instinctively crouched down in a defensive position, hand reaching for a kunai in his weapons holster on his leg… that wasn’t there. He heard Naruto laugh at him, and he slowly rose from his stance, fighting a tint of pink from his cheeks.

“A little jumpy there, Sasuke.”

“Shut up, dobe.” When all he received was another laugh, Sasuke felt that odd sense of disappointment again. Then children, all clambering to get to Naruto first, surrounded him. The blonde picked up a small girl and swung her around before cradling her to his hip.

“What’s going on Saki-chan?”

“We want to play with Naruto-nii! Come play the Fox game with us!” Naruto looked to Sasuke, seeming to ask permission.

“What are you looking at me for? Go play with them.”

“Only if you play too, Uchiha.” There was a strange glint to Naruto’s eyes, something like a challenge, that Sasuke had never really encountered before. No one challenged him in Konoha, except for maybe his sensei, but that was to be expected. So Sasuke found himself doing something he’d never thought possible; he agreed to play a child’s game with a man he’d only met that very afternoon.

“Why not?” He smirked at the blonde, watching as his vulpine grin turned to something a bit more genuine for the slightest instance before he set the girl down and began to run away.

“Last one to the playground is a missing nin!” All the children began to scream and chase after him, while Sasuke only stood dumbstruck. He’d never seen a grown man run like that, in the name of fun. Every grown man in Konoha only ran when there was danger. Suddenly realizing that he was about to be left behind, and as he didn’t know where the playground was, the Uchiha trotted after them.

“Looks like Sasuke-kun is a missing nin!” Naruto shouted as he arrived. “Look who’s ‘dead last’ now!” Naruto clutched his sides in a fit of laughter, but Sasuke really couldn’t find it in himself to get angry or offended.

“Let’s just play the game, baka.” Naruto grinned at him and handed him a sword.

“Naruto-nii, you be the Fox!” All the children readily agreed with the one who’d suggested it, and Naruto happily obliged. The circle was formed, and the little swords were held out. Naruto stood in the circle waiting for the children to begin.

“Here’s to the Fox, whoever he be; may he live long and merrily!” Naruto had been idly walking along, clanging his sword with the others, but Sasuke knew he was going slowly for a reason. And when, on the last note, Naruto’s sword clanged against Sasuke’s, the Uchiha smirked at the blonde. So he really wanted to play, did he?

Sasuke stepped forward into the circle, and it began. Nothing too rough, as the swords were only plastic, but he was bound to show Naruto why he was destined to join ANBU when he made jounin. Nobody defeated Uchiha Sasuke, genius ninja of Konohagakure.

Amidst the thrusting and parrying, jumps and turns, Sasuke found himself doing something he hadn’t done since he was a child; he was laughing. At that moment in time, nothing mattered to him but playing with Naruto. There was no Konoha, no training, no fan club… no vengeance. Just him and Naruto. Sasuke was under the impression that the sword fight was going on longer than it really should have, and Naruto was the children’s hero. So in an act of selflessness, which Sasuke firmly titled annoyance at the game, the pale man let up his guard the slightest bit. Naruto took the hint, and Sasuke the missing nin fell to the ground ‘dead.’

The children cheered and clapped at the evil ninja’s downfall, and Sasuke couldn’t help but smile. They really admired the blacksmith’s blonde apprentice. How could he cause them any sadness? All this passed in his mind, though his face was as emotionless as ever. But when he locked eyes with the blonde, Sasuke saw a gentleness in the blue sparkle that said Naruto knew what he was thinking whether Sasuke hid it or not. Is that what they called having a ‘moment’?

The game continued on until the sun began to set. Mothers came to retrieve their children, some stopping to talk to Naruto, others apologizing for the rush but inviting the blonde over for dinner sometime. It seemed the whole village admired the blonde man. Sasuke wondered what that kind of admiration was like. How was it to be admired without having the weight of expectation chained to it?

“Sasuke, how many times are you going to space out on me?”

Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts. “As many times as you do it to me, Naruto.”

“Then I guess I owe you one. But maybe next time, ne?” Naruto grinned at him, and they started back toward the blacksmith. Sasuke felt the need to walk the blonde back since he’d spent all day showing Sasuke around, and Naruto put up no complaint. The short trip was made in companionable silence. Sasuke felt more at ease with a complete stranger than he’d ever felt at home, and he was wondering if he’d ever see Naruto again when the other man stopped at the door of the blacksmith’s.

“Oi, Sasuke, how about we get lunch tomorrow? I know a great place you should try before you leave town.”

“You want to have lunch with me?”

“Of course! Why not? You’re such an interesting guy.”

Sasuke felt something warm in his chest. “Then I’ll see you at lunch, dobe.”

“Argh! Just for that, you’re buying, Sasuke-teme!”

That warmth suddenly became a fluttering, and Sasuke said goodbye to the blonde before he ended up doing something foolish… like hug him; crush him so tight to his chest. Sasuke felt tiny pricks of moisture forming in his eyes and furiously blinked them away. Uchiha Sasuke did not cry, even if he had just made his first true friend.


TBC


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ah, isn't that so sweet? sorry if there's a little ooc, but it is AU. that means i can do whatever i want. fwah haha wah haha hah haha!