No Revenge Is As Complete As Forgiveness

A/N: Finally, the new chapter is done. Took me quite a while to flesh it out, but I think I am pleased with the final result. I hope you will be too.



CHAPTER 19





The house was dark and quiet when Naruto returned to it. After removing his shoes he passed the darkened corridor and living room, only to pause at the sofa when he noticed that Nagato wasn’t there. Hadn’t Kakashi brought him here?



Confused and a little worried he headed for the bedroom, intent on asking Kakashi what he had done with their guest – surely he was no longer angry at him, especially after what Nagato had done today for all of them – only to freeze at the door and stare at the scene inside.



Kakashi and Nagato were both on the bed, completely dressed save for their bare feet, Nagato’s head pillowed on Kakashi’s broad shoulder while the Jounin’s strong arms were wrapped securely around the red-head’s much smaller and thinner figure. One of Nagato’s legs was resting between Kakashi’s, his slender hand wrapped around the man’s middle as he slept secured in his embrace.



There was something incredibly sweet about the sight before him and he leaned forward to take a better look at them in the faint light that poured from the window. He had spent many a night in Nagato’s place, although he was usually naked and sated after long and passionate bouts of love-making, and he knew just how warm and safe one felt there.



Nagato appeared to be sleeping soundly, undisturbed by Naruto’s arrival, his thin face open and relaxed. With his vision enhanced by Kyuubi’s abilities he could see the thin stress lines at the corners of the red-head’s eyes, as well as those at the corners of his mouth. Because he appeared youthful and much younger than he actually was, due to the unusual jutsu he had used most of his life, Naruto tended to forget that he was about the same age as Minato would’ve been had he survived his encounter with the demon Fox. Now in his sleep his real age became more pronounced – he looked painfully vulnerable and fragile. Although the body he now resided in – his friend’s body – had been well taken care of while only used as a puppet, Naruto could tell that he wasn’t making such an effort now that he inhabited it completely. He looked too thin. He had to coax him to eat more from now on, lest he began to resemble his original form.



The irony of the situation was not lost to him, of course. Only a few short years ago they had tried to kill each other, locked in a deadly dance that did claim Kakashi’s life, destroyed Konoha and almost cost Naruto his sanity and his humanity, not to mention his life as well. And now, the very enemy who caused them so much trouble slept securely in Kakashi’s arms, looking relaxed and more innocent than he had the right to be.



Sometimes Naruto still thought about Jiraiya-sensei, still felt the pang of loss and anger when he spoke to Nagato. The red-head had taken so much from them, and while he had managed to return almost everything, their Sensei remained gone. It was for Jiraiya’s sake that Naruto had let go of any of thoughts of revenge so he could pursue that elusive dream of peace that all three of them so desperately strived for. And yet, sometimes, it was so hard to let go, so hard to try and forget and forgive. He wasn’t entirely sure he had forgiven, sometimes he didn’t know whether he was even capable of forgiving. Perhaps he had to talk to Sasuke about that – Jiraiya’s death created a bond between them, stronger than anything they had experienced before – a bond of loss and desire for retribution. And yet Sasuke appeared to have finally let go of his thirst for revenge. Whatever happened today had managed to convince his friend to let go and truly look forward. Naruto had to ask him about some pointers on how to do that too.



Quietly he approached the bed until he was looming over the two men and took in the details his proximity provided – Nagato’s clothes were stained and rumpled, his bright hair tangled, the hand around Kakashi’s middle clutching at his shirt in a way that Naruto could only call desperate. The sense of vulnerability when he looked at him intensified and the blonde felt guilty about his previous darker thoughts about revenge and retribution – they had all lost so much and most of the time Nagato seemed to be hanging on by a thread – trying to appear as powerful as he was rumoured to be and yet peaceful enough so as not to invoke closer scrutiny, trying to heal the wounds in the relationships with his neighbours and establish normal diplomatic relations, trying to maintain Ame’s failing economy while enormous funds were transferred to Konoha in reparations for the material damage he had caused during his invasion. A lot of those money, Naruto knew from well-placed sources in Nagato’s village, were formerly Akatsuki’s funds, but not all of it. Ame’s small and fragile economy was now stretched thin. If those negotiations with Konoha failed, things in Nagato’s homeland could go very bad. He was balancing many acts and the strain showed on him despite his efforts to hide it.



When he looked up he noticed that Kakashi’s single uncovered eye was glinting at him under his semi-lowered eye-lid – his lover had awakened at some point. It was natural, of course, all Nin were trained to be light sleepers as it was usually a matter of life and death to awaken before the person stalking you in your sleep put a Kunai in your heart or in your throat. The fact that Nagato hadn’t actually wakened up as well meant that he either wasn’t that great of a ninja, regardless of whatever powers he had originally been born with, or that the jutsu he performed today took more from him than Naruto initially thought. Or he was awake and he was pretending to be asleep.



His suspicion must’ve been written over his face because Kakashi just smiled minutely at Naruto.



“He’s asleep. What happened today exhausted him completely. He couldn’t even recognize me when we returned here.”



Naruto raised an eyebrow curiously as he sat carefully on the edge of the bed.



“Oh? Is that why he’s wrapped around you like you’re his personal teddybear?”



Kakashi rolled his eye.



“We look that odd like that?”



“Kind of.” Naruto admitted. “I wasn’t expecting that you’d find it in yourself to…” he paused, searching for the proper word and then finally gave up “…comfort him like that. Only yesterday you two surely looked ready to go for each other’s throats. Especially you, which is understandable. What happened?”



Kakashi’s turned and focused on the sleeping man’s face.



“He didn’t actually ask ME to stay with him.” He began.



“Oh?”



“As I said, he was hallucinating when we returned. He thought I was some guy named Yahiko and begged him not leave.” He looked up at Naruto again. “You know who that is?”



Naruto sighed and ran a hand over his face. It had been a long, stressful day and he suddenly felt tired.



“Yes. One of his old teammates. From what he told me they were the closest thing to a family he had after…” his throat closed up “…after Jiraiya-sensei left them.”



“I see.”



“He didn’t ask for Jiraiya-sensei?”



“No.”



Nagato must’ve heard Jiraiya’s name even in his sleep because he suddenly let out a pained little moan and stiffened in Kakashi’s arms. They both looked down at him in surprise and almost jumped at the next moan that was even more agonized than the last. The hand clutching Kakashi’s shirt convulsed and trembled before tightening even more. His upper lip lifted and curled in a grimace that was either pain or fear, or both, and he murmured something before another whimper tore at his lips. The unintelligible whispering continued, as well as the trembling and shaking as if he’d touched a live wire. Kakashi leaned forward to try and make sense of what he was saying, curiosity written over his handsome features. Naruto leaned too and listened. The sounds seemed only semi-coherent, and what they could make out was said in Ame’s distinct dialect. Naruto looked up helplessly.



“What is he saying?”



The curiosity on Kakashi’s face was slowly – and he could tell, unwillingly – replaced by pity.



“I think he’s talking to your teacher.” He finally responded. Naruto looked away, the grief that threatened to overwhelm him earlier settling in his gut like a rock.



“Really.”



A gentle hand settled on his knee and he turned to look at Kakashi, who was looking at him worriedly.



“What happened with letting go of the past?” he asked gently. Naruto bit his lip.



“It’s good idea in theory but practicing it isn’t so easy.” He answered bitterly. The figure in Kakashi’s arms let out a long, pained wail.



“Please… please, I’m sorry…” he sounded like a little boy. “Please don’t go…”



Kakashi sighed and then finally wrapped his arm around him, pulling him closer to his chest, rubbing soothing circles over his back.



“It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. Shhh, it’s okay.”



Naruto got up from the bed and for a moment the Jounin worried he’d leave, too bitter to be able to stand the sight, but he surprised him, as he always managed to do, when he circled around them and sat on the other side, then slid forward and lied down, settling on Kakashi’s other side and laying his head on his shoulder, wrapping his arm around him. Bleary blue eyes looked up at him and he thought he could see them shimmering with moisture though it could’ve just been a trick of the moonlight seeping into the room. He reached over Kakashi and caressed Nagato’s cheek. The red-head immediately leaned into the touch like a cat seeking affection. His tremors seemed to be abating and he was settling into fitful sleep once again.



“I can’t stay angry when you do this.” Naruto whispered.



“Do what?”



“When you’re all gentle and nurturing.” His fingers combed tangled fiery locks and Nagato sighed softly, warm breath puffing against Kakashi’s throat. “Sasuke somehow let go of his rage, despite everything he went through. Somehow I need to find a way to do that too, for all our sakes.”



Kakashi looked at him and smiled at those words – his single eye crinkling into a pleased half-moon, reminding Naruto of his childhood and the sense of safety that expression gave him back then. That, at least, hadn’t changed over the years.



“Goodnight, love.” The older man murmured before Naruto slowly drifted off to sleep.



When he woke up that morning he felt pleasantly warm, his entire body relaxed in someone’s tender embrace, his own arms wrapped around a slender, warm body. Naruto kept his eyes closed, eager to hold onto that sense of warmth and safety for as long as possible, knowing that when he did wake up completely he would face another long and stressful day. It felt so much better to just lie here, cuddle with Kakashi and forget, at least for a little while, all the troubles and issues he had to solve as a Hokage.



As he slowly emerged from his drowsy state though, it occurred to him that the body in his arms was thinner and smaller than Kakashi’s, not to mention that it actually smelled different than his lover. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked away the last vestiges of sleep before focusing them on the face before him. Nagato was sleeping soundly, his lips parted, revealing pearly teeth, red hair even wilder than usual, sticking at odd angles on his head. Kakashi was nowhere in sight and Naruto assumed he had gotten up at some point and mildly wondered at Kakashi’s ability to extricate himself not from one but two sleeping ninjas and do so without waking them, leaving them together alone in bed. Left to their own devices they had drifted closer in their sleep until they found each other and cuddled.



Suddenly he flushed crimson when the situation fully dawned on him – he was in bed, embracing a man who had once been his worst enemy. At least they were both fully dressed.

Nagato murmured something in his sleep, sighed and pressed himself closer to Naruto, apparently happy to still have a human-sized teddybear despite Kakashi’s absence. His long leg was thrown over Naruto’s hips and while the younger man contemplated just how to repeat Kakashi’s feat of leaving without waking him the other tugged him closer. With his pelvis pressed firmly against Naruto’s hip, it immediately became clear that he was sporting an impressively sized morning wood. Naruto stiffened, feeling both mortified and worried what would happen if Nagato woke up – the level of awkwardness would be too painful to bear, he was sure of it.



Nagato sighed again, his warm breath tickling Naruto’s throat, and pressed himself even closer. The younger man could feel every inch of his heated erection through the thin cotton pants they both wore, so hard against the sensitive flesh of his hip. The red-head murmured something in his dialect and began to rock against him, sliding his cock up and down against Naruto, using the leg he had over his knees as leverage. He lay there, unsure what to do and how to avoid this potentially disastrous situation – not to mention his worry of Kakashi’s reaction if he chose that moment to walk in. At the same time, Nagato’s moans against his ear, tiny and needy and broken, the moist, soft lips pressed against his throat, the graceful, wanton movement of his hips undeniably affected him. He could feel it – the familiar heat at the base of his spine, the tightening in his groin just before he hardened. Nagato’s movements were becoming desperate, he was writhing like a cat in heat and mewling like one against his throat and he finally hardened as well, unable to control his reaction to having a warm, aroused body in his arms. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to roll them over, spread the red-head’s legs wide and thrust against him, rub them together until they reached their completion.



Of course, doing that was out of the question for multiple reasons – it was wrong to even consider doing that to Kakashi, not to mention that Nagato was still actually asleep – he had given no consent to being taken like that. Still, laying like this, aroused and motionless while his bedmate was happily riding his hip closer and closer to orgasm, was pure torture and he stared hard at the ceiling, trying to block out the desperate little moans that sounded in his ear, the heat that radiated off Nagato’s body, the familiar scent of need and arousal filling his preternaturally sharp senses.



Finally Nagato stiffened and came, letting out a low, keening wail, hips jerking wildly against Naruto, and the younger man felt the wet heat of his release through their pants. They both lay there panting, Naruto from arousal, Nagato still shuddering from his orgasm. He sighed and nuzzled Naruto’s throat, his breathing slowly returning back to normal. In a few seconds though he suddenly gasped and froze and Naruto turned to see what was wrong, meeting a pair of shocked eyes staring at him from up close. So, he had awakened at last.



Nagato’s face suddenly turned chalky before flushing crimson when the reality of the situation dawned on him. He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out other than a shocked hiss. Naruto watched him quietly, unsure what to say or do as well. Suddenly the red-head pulled away from him as if he were scalded, still staring in mute shock, and in his haste to get away from Naruto he almost fell off the bed before Naruto reached and grabbed his shirt to steady him.



They stared at each other for a few long moments, Naruto’s hand still tightly fisted in Nagato’s shirt, before the latter finally looked away, an even darker blush spreading over his face and neck. He looked down, his entire pose utterly dejected and radiating shame and embarrassment. When Naruto tried to pull him closer, still worrying he’d fall off the bed, the other flinched as if he expected to be struck.



“Hey. Hey, it’s okay. I’m not mad.” He tried to soothe him. Truly, he wasn’t. Aroused and frustrated, yes, angry or disgusted, no. He had spent too long around Jiraiya to feel any embarrassment about anything sexual and living with Kakashi didn’t really help in that regard – the man was as much of a pervert as his Master, even if he were a little less loud about it though just as obvious.



“I’m so sorry. I didn’t… I don’t know how could I…”



“Nagato, believe it or not, I do that all the time when Kakashi’s around.”



Okay, maybe that was just too much information, because the other did look up then and stared. Naruto cleared his throat.



“You must be all sticky and uncomfortable. Why don’t you go and wash up? I am sure Kakashi’s somewhere around the house, making breakfast. We’ll join him afterwards.”



Nagato nodded and hurriedly left the room when Naruto let go of his shirt, his bare feet barely making any noise on the tatami floor. When he was out of sight, Naruto stared at the bedroom’s door and frowned.



“How long do you intend to stand there?”



Kakashi waltzed in, his expression mildly amused, his single dark eye twinkling with mirth.



“I caught just the end of it, but it looked like he was having fun.” He stated.



“Oh, great. You watch someone hump your lover and perve over it, rather than have a jealous fit and swoop in to save me.” Naruto grumbled unhappily.



“He was asleep and hardly responsible for his actions.” He paused, growing more serious but not angry. “You looked like you wanted to have fun too.”



Naruto could feel himself blushing and trying to repress the worry that began to gnaw at him.



“You know I was just kidding about the jealous fit, right?” he asked, trying to sound light-hearted though his voice came out almost as a squeak.



“Easy. I’m not angry, Naruto.” Kakashi said as he sat down on the edge of the bed and reached for the blanket that still covered Naruto’s lower half. He pulled it away and revealed his tented pants. With a wry smile he reached and rubbed his erection through the thin material, his hand large and hot over his organ as he teased him. Naruto sucked in a breath and fell back onto the pillows, his slender legs spreading a little to accommodate his lover better. With a pleased chuckle, Kakashi hooked his thumbs under the hem of his pants and pulled them down along with his underwear, then carelessly dumped them on the floor by the bed. He pulled away then, undoing his own fly and holding Naruto’s gaze with his own as he took his pants off as well, pleased with the hungry, almost predatory expression on the blonde’s face. Naruto’s blue eyes traveled down and took in the sight of his erection, deliciously curled up, the moist, reddish tip pointing towards his navel.



“Looks like we were all having fun.” Naruto commented with a smile that showed enough canines to be as predatory as his eyes. Shamelessly, he spread his legs wide and lifted his hips in an obvious invitation.



Kakashi knew he didn’t have enough time to prepare him properly and take him. And while he knew that he could slide inside his lover with barely any preparation and whatever tearing he caused would heal immediately, it didn’t mean he enjoyed the thought of hurting him. Besides, the sight of the red-head dry humping the younger man was tantalizing enough to want to do the same. With a smile he lowered himself between Naruto’s spread thighs and the long legs immediately locked over his narrow hips and pulled him closer, their erections sliding against each other nestled between their flat, muscled bellies. Kakashi reached for the bedside stand and rummaged through its drawer until he found the tube of lubricant they kept inside. Squeezing a generous amount on his palm he slid his hand between their bodies and took them both in his grip, slicking them with the slippery gel so they could rub comfortably against each other.



The large, thick lengths barely fit in his palm and he bit his lip at the sensation rubbing against Naruto so intimately, wondering why they hadn’t done this more often. When he was done slicking them up he put his hands on the bed on the sides of Naruto’s head, holding himself up, looked down at the flushed, beloved face and began to thrust. Naruto moaned and gripped his broad shoulders, the legs around his hips tightening even further to increase the friction. His eyes fluttered and closed and he flung his head back as their lengths slid against each other, the wet sound of flesh rubbing against flesh filling the otherwise quiet room, mixed their own quiet moans and grunts and the rapid, panting breaths of pleasure.



The sensation was delicious, Kakashi decided, hot and slippery, while it lacked the sheer, almost overwhelming stimulation of being engulfed in the tight heat of Naruto’s taut little ass, or having his lover’s cock ram ruthlessly against his prostate, it was tantalizing and intimate and he definitely, definitely needed to do this more often. The pleasure became more and more intense as he rocked against him, Naruto’s back arched as high as their position would allow, trying to press himself as close as possible. It wasn’t enough, for either of them, and with a frustrated growl Kakashi held himself up with one hand only and slid the other between them, once again cupping their erections together, feeling them both thrust in and out of the tight channel of his grip, as well as against each other. He could feel the slippery wetness of the gel, as well as their own juices, copiously leaking out of them as they neared their completion.



Naruto came with a growl and shuddered against him, his come coating his hand and their lengths. Kakashi followed closely after him, gasping slamming his mouth against his lover’s, taking his lips in a wet, hungry kiss.



They collapsed on the bed, shivering in the aftermath of their pleasure, their limbs tangled together. Naruto laughed giddily.



“I am turning into as much of a pervert as you, Kakashi.” He remarked gleefully.



“Oh, please. You cannot become a pervert – people are born that way, love.”