Surival Training, Team Work Skills

Chapter Four

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine...and such...
Authors Note: I wonder for how much longer I can keep this constant updating going before I hit a writers black like a wall...lets hope it isn't until I am done. Whenever that may prove to actually be.
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"And THAT is why I am terrified of chipmunks," Naruto finished his story. Finally taking a breath at the very end. He was greeted by soft snoring.

"Sasuke? Ah! You could have TOLD me you were sleeping," Naruto snorted with a humph. Of course Sasuke was not looking nor listening to anything Naruto had just said because he was in fact, sleeping rather soundly. Naruto yawned and glanced at the paler boy. For the first time he saw Sasuke in what appeared to be a state of peace. All the worry lines gone, the frown relaxed and eyes closed as he snored softly in his sleep. Naruto only smiled lightly and settled to rest with a big yawn.


"Oiy! Naruto, wake up!" Sasuke nudged the blonde with his toe like he were something horrible that may bite at any second if he happened to stray to close.

"Mmerphimgerble," Naruto mumbled and rolled over so Sasuke turned from a simple poke to a good kick in the ribs. "Ah! Attack! Where?"

"What?" Sasuke blinked, what the hell was Naruto talking about?

"Who kicked me?" Naruto asked lethargically. Sasuke was very tempted to blame it on the tree, just to see how Naruto would react. But he got a better idea.

"The EVIL chipmunks," he teased.

"Shut up," Naruto snapped. He was not a morning person and being teased was definatly a new twist to life.

"Why are you scared of chipmunks anyways?"

"Oh my God! I told you last night! How soon did you fall asleep??" Naruto replied with a gasp of exasperation as he pulled himself
from the shelter.

"I don't know. Tell me again," Sasuke shrugged.

"No, it's a really LONG story! I'm not going over it all. It's kind of embarrassing anyways so it doesn't matter," Naruto replied, a little edgy. He really did hate mornings. And waking up with Sasuke was even worse, no break and all he does is nag!

"Oh...Well...Food's ready," Sasuke replied.

"FOOD!"

Okay, so apparently he was good for something aside from nagging. Sasuke was a rather good cook. A stone slab, being
precariously supported by sticks over the fire was being used to function as a hot plate. It worked rather well to carefully cook the fish.

"You're welcome, help yourself."

The invitation had not been necessary, Naruto was already stuffing his mouth full, slurping down everything currently on the plate.

"Hey! Some of that is mine!"

"Gerf luke!"

"Gimmie!"

Naruto began to laugh through his mouthful of food. Somehow hearing someone like Sasuke say 'gimmie' was extremely comical.
The laughing turned to chocking and Sasuke took that opportunity to snatch some food back from Narutos' grubby little hands and
began to eat. Watching Naruto turn blue was actually very entertaining.

"If you ate slower you wouldn't chock," Sasuke started to nibble tastelessly at his tiny share of fish. He never ate that much so it was not as though he was depriving Naruto of all that much.

"Thanks for jumping to help me," Naruto scowled when he had recovered, "I could have died!"

"But you didn't...unfortunately."

"What was that!?"

"Nothing."

"Liar! I heard you!"

"Why'd you ask then?"

"Well...uh..."

"Naruto?"

"What?"

"Kakashi is right. We...really do fight a lot..."

'And I have come to realize that my hate is just denial for my affections...'

"I guess we do," Naruto was forced to agree, it was only the truth.

"Well...how are we going to fix it?"

"I dunno...I was hoping you had a plan since you brought it up..."

The two boys sighed simultaneously and lapsed into silent thought.

"We could make sweet passionate love...?"

"Wholey crap! Did Uchiha Sasuke the Dull just try to make a freaken joke?!?"

'Actually it was wishful thinking...but sure if it would allow me to keep my dignity then sure, a joke.'

"A failed one apparently," Sasuke replied outwardly with a scowl.

"Ahh! How cute!" Naruto teased. Sasukes' scowl depended, more or less to hide the blush that had deepened there.

"Go to hell fox boy," Sasuke snapped in his attempt to cover up his affection. And in doing so he crossed that tender line.

"You can call me idiot, dobe, retard. Anything. But you CANNOT call me THAT. I've been teased and hated all my life because of
that, and I won't tolerate being picked on because of what is in me. Not now, not EVER again," Naruto was hurt, and seriously. Something the raven haired ninja had never seen before. And something he never wanted to see again. The way his face fell and his eyes suddenly glittered with years of constant hidden sorrow. The sorrow he so skillfully masked with a smile and a stupid joke.

"Naruto...I...I...I'm sorry I really...didn't mean..." Sasuke felt a lump come to his throat as Naruto turned his back on him.

"I never thought....that of all people...That at least you would understand and NEVER call me something like that," Naruto's voice
shivered. Sasuke looked at the ground and spotted wet droplets by his feet. Was Naruto...crying?

"I am..." apologizing would not be enough. Sasuke walked up behind Naruto, bravery and sorrow overcoming any ration thought as he turned to doing something he did know how to do. Expressing his feelings through actions rather then words. Sasukes' arms wrapped lightly around the blondes waist very boldly and rested a chin on his shoulder. He felt the Kyubi kids body tense at his touch and was not sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I did not mean...to hurt you..." Sasuke said softly into Naruto's ear. He felt Naruto shudder against him as his own breath ghosted
across the blondes neck.

"Sasuke?" Hearing his name spoken by Naruto he snapped back to reality. Realized what he had done. He had just given himself away there was no turning back. No more hiding like he had originally intended to do as it would be just so much easier. Naruto now
knew. His face flushed deep crimson and he pulled back from the fix boy slowly. Naruto turned to face him. The tears had run streaks of clean where the water had washed away the dirt on his face.

"What?" Sasuke managed to squeak out in an abnormally high voice. He sneezed and coughed as though it was all his throats problem. He hated puberty and it's uncanny timing in making his voice crack it really was incontinent.

"I know...that you never really meant it. But it still hurt, a lot. But at least it worked."

"What worked?"

"You've been blushing your brains out since we got here. I've been trying to get you to ADMIT that you liked me for a little while now. I gotta say you did pretty good keeping your mouth shut," Naruto grinned.

"Liar!"

"Okay so that was sort of a lie. But I was getting suspicious..."

"What? Wait, am I really that obvious? You don't care?"

"Yes you're obvious. You kept starring at me, and I know you pulled that kiss on purpose...Then again I don't blame you. I AM pretty hot," Naruto teased, still grinning.

"You're so full of yourself! I did NOT do the kissing thing on purpose!"

"Sure..."

"I didn't!"

"Well you should know then..."

"Know what?"

"You're a horrible kisser and you have gross breath."

"N-nani!?"

"You heard me!"

"Baka!"

At this point Naruto was howling with laughter and fleeing from an angry Sasuke, who was chasing him with a vengeance.

"Stop!" Naruto yelled. He came to a dead stop out of his sprint, which was pretty hard to do. Sasuke however could not pull the same trick and slammed into the fox boy in his attempts at stopping. Both boys tumbled to the ground, Sasuke on Naruto in a tangled heap.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"Well...we both know we have...had a crush on each other for a while...Or at least I have anyways. But...that doesn't change the
fact that we still argue a lot." Naruto pointed out as he extracted himself from beneath Sasuke and brushed himself off.

"Is it arguing or teasing?"

"I don't want to take the chance of being hung from the academy ceiling with barbed wire from my big toes. Nor does being a target
for...the students appeal to me either," Naruto pointed out.

"Good point...I still don't know how to do that though."

"No kidding...especially because teasing you is so damned fun...."

"Nani!?"

"Oh come on! You react so well. You can't blame me!"

"You torment me for AMUSEMENT!?"

"Yup!"

Naruto once again found himself fleeing from an angry Sasuke. The could only die of stomach cramp inducing laughter as he ran.
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One small step for us, one huge step for Naruto and Sasuke.

Haha and you never found out why he is scared of chipmunks. Which I do have a story for. Maybe I'll add a parody chapter at the
end for you all to explain.

And I just BARELY managed to make the update today. You gotta be patient with me over the weekend though. Unfortunately I do have a life, and a job.

Hope you enjoyed!
White Liger