Everyone's Got Secrets

♦

Chapter 5:

♦

Sasuke opened his eyes, feeling much more rested and normal than when he’d been awoken yesterday by Kakashi-sensei’s aggravating doorbell torture.

The morning sun was trying desperately to break through the heavy draperies, creating a peaceful, hazy twilight in his room. Sasuke lay still beneath his covers, content for the moment to enjoy the peace of his house before he rose for the day. He was curled on his side, facing the middle of his overlarge bed, and so all he had to do to see his companion was raise his rich black eyes three inches.

Most of him felt silly, staring into the lifeless black eyes of Naruto’s green frog wallet. He’d emptied it from his pouch yesterday evening and decided to place it carefully on the pillow next to his, entertaining the piece of his heart that still believed one day Naruto could belong to him.

Sasuke could see in his mind what it would be like to wake up next to his teammate, Naruto sprawled on his back in only boxers. He could imagine Naruto sleeping deeply, barely stirring as an imaginary Sasuke slid over to curl his body against him. Sasuke could imagine the feel of Naruto’s chest rising and falling beneath his cheek, the simple pleasure of entwining their legs together and sliding his palm up Naruto’s chest to rest above his steady heartbeat. Naruto’s arm would naturally shift to accommodate him, pulling him closer to press a gentle kiss into dark hair as he began to wake.

Sasuke closed his eyes to preserve the fantasy, then opened them again and sat up. He picked the frog up from the pillow, pleading in silence for any suggestions as to how to win back its owner, but knowing he’d get no response. He offered a kiss to the top of its ridiculous head and set it back on his pillow, then crawled out of bed, ready to start the day.

He moved to the large mirror in the corner of his room, and turned to look at the injured side of his face. It looked a hell of a lot better than yesterday, but was still tender to his probing fingertips, and the colors had only half faded. He’d spent most of the previous evening in meditation, willing his body to focus its energies on healing the damage, even taking an herbal infusion in order to sleep undisturbed for at the last twelve hours.

It seemed to have worked; what had been a furious tangle of purple, blue and black yesterday was now only a half-hearted grappling of purple, rust and ochre. It also didn’t hurt as much when he opened and closed his jaw.

He stretched, yawning, and turned towards the bathroom to get cleaned up. The extra sleep had done him good; he felt wide awake, and his limbs were restless from sitting still for more than a day. He’d skipped anything too physical so he’d have all his chakra in reserve to heal his face, and he could already tell that he’d go crazy cooped up in his empty house for too much longer, even if he usually preferred to be away from most people.

Sasuke emerged from his bathroom with clean teeth, clean skin, and clean, thick black hair that he rubbed down with his towel until it was mostly dry. He’d grown his hair out a some since he’d become Chuunin, but he didn’t own a brush—he simply put some mousse on his palms and combed his fingers through his tresses, giving his head a quick couple of shakes before letting it air dry. His hair was always perfect this way, and he had absolutely no clue how envious the females of Konoha would be if they suspected he could achieve such sexiness in about thirty seconds.

He dressed in his regular ninja garb, and hopped down the stairs to his kitchen, putting the kettle on for tea, and grimacing at the remaining cartons of curry in his freezer. His stomach growled, and he decided that he was going to have to get some groceries—today, somehow. He could not live another two whole days on curry! Making a mental grocery list, he took out his rice cooker and fixed curry for what he hoped would be the last time.

Sasuke was just about finished eating breakfast when he sensed what could only be Kakashi-sensei coming towards his house at a casual walking pace. Sasuke had expected the man to show up sometime that morning either for training, or to check up on him, so he stayed right where he was in the living room. Eyes buried in his ANBU manual and finishing his meal at his own pace, Sasuke heard his sensei open his front door and take off his sandals, humming something tuneless from behind his mask.

He didn’t bother to look when Kakashi came into the room and sat across from him… until the Jounin leaned forward across the table and intruded in his personal space.

“O-hay-yo, Sasuke-kuuuun!” Kakashi greeted him stupidly, his one visible eye squinting in a happy crescent.

Sasuke put his book down on the table, his sharp eyes taking in Kakashi’s obvious grin beneath his mask, the glowing skin on his visible cheek, and the faint, dark circle under his eye.

“I don’t even want to know,” he told his sensei honestly, his brain flashing briefly to the intimate memory of Iruka he’d shared yesterday.

Kakashi simply laughed, “Maaa, Sasuke,” he winked his blue eye, “It’ll be your turn soon enough!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes in denial, hiding the irrational flip of anticipation in his stomach by picking up his book and taking another bite of curry. Kakashi just hummed to himself, drumming his fingers on the table and effectively ruining Sasuke’s concentration. Eventually he sighed, glaring, closed his book and took his dishes into the kitchen. He returned to the living room, leaning in the doorway and crossing his arms while watching his sensei’s fingers begin toying with one of the pockets of his flak jacket.

“Oi,” Sasuke called. “Are we training or what?”

Kakashi sighed, rising to his feet, his face taking on a slightly more serious expression. “Mochiron, Sasuke-kun.” He walked over to him, “I see you’ve healed quite a bit since yesterday morning.”

Sasuke let his sensei turn his head and examine his left cheek, gingerly touching here and there to see how his injury had progressed.

“Aa,” he answered, wincing once or twice at the Jounin’s touch.

Kakashi fished into one of his pouches and pulled out a small paper envelope. “Here,” he said, offering it to Sasuke who took it and held it to his nose, raising a questioning eyebrow.

“I got it from Shizune this morning. You mix it with tea and it boosts your chakra’s healing abilities. With your high level of chakra you’ll heal almost as quickly as Naruto. Probably. But she said to take it before you go to sleep, so you’ll want to wait until tonight.”

Sasuke tapped the envelope against his hand, brightening at the idea of healing quicker. And Shizune was almost as good as Tsunade-sama when it came to medicine.

“Er, thanks,” he nodded. The Jounin waved it off as Sasuke went back into the kitchen and stashed the envelope with his jars of tea.

“What kind of training are you up for this morning? Taijutsu? Chidori? Isshin-no-Jutsu?”

Sasuke chuckled, “Is that what we’re going to call it? ‘One-mind jutsu?’” They moved towards the front door and their two pairs of sandals.

Kakashi shrugged, “Oh I just made that up right now. It’s your jutsu; did you already name it?” He pushed open the door and the two of them walked out into the sunny front courtyard.

Sasuke shook his head, “Isshin-no-Jutsu is fine. But—” he made his voice serious, holding his hand up as he faced his sensei, “We’re not practicing it today. Not if you’re still giddy from a night with Iruka-sensei.”

Kakashi smirked, attempting to elbow him in the ribs. “You sure you don’t want to know what amazing things can happen when you cook dinner for someone? Ne? Ne?”

Sasuke put some space between them, crossing his arms, “I’m not even old enough to hear about it, so spare me the details.”

Kakashi grinned, “Only for ten more days, Sasuke-kun!” The Jounin winked suggestively and actually giggled.

Sasuke watched his sensei laughing without a care in the world, and sighed. He didn’t even want to think about his upcoming birthday.

He gazed to the side of the house, looking behind it with his mind’s eye and picturing the rocky cliffs across the Uchiha Lake. Training with Chidori would be the most productive, but the most chakra depleting… so it probably wasn’t a good idea until he’d finished healing his cheek. And Isshin-no-jutsu was definitely out.

In a spark of inspiration he turned back to Kakashi, “Do you have your bells with you?”

The Jounin looked him over, all joking aside. Sasuke stared back, waiting for a response; the sun beat down on both of them in the silence. By way of answering, Kakashi suddenly bolted around the side of the house almost faster than Sasuke could see.

Sasuke hesitated in surprise for only an instant, and then he took off after his sensei, his eyes bleeding to red and his hands armed with shuriken. ‘This is more like it,’ he thought, feeling the wind against his face as he ran over Uchiha property in pursuit of a tiny bell in the possession of a perverted Jounin. His mouth quirked in a half smile, pleased to be finally doing something that felt natural.

With restless energy coursing eagerly through his body, he felt a surge of satisfaction that Kakashi-sensei would definitely not have time to read his trashy novel.

♦

Sasuke tied on his hitai-ate for the second time that day, his hair half damp from his second shower.

He was dressed in his casual ninja garb—black shorts, tight black shirt, black sandals. (He looked good in black.) He moved to regard himself in his large, oval mirror, not seeing the sultry lines of his lean form or the handsome definition of his features, but memorizing the parts of his face that showed his injury.

He experimented with different levels of genjutsu, making hand seals and finally projecting the least detectible illusion he could come up with, showing to others that his skin was creamy and perfect. It was a big risk leaving his house half-healed, for he really didn’t want anyone to discover that he’d been injured; it was too humiliating to imagine how all the annoying fangirls would mob him in concern like they had before when he’d gotten hurt on missions. He shivered. Tsunade-sama would be the worst; he definitely had to avoid her. Thank God Kakashi had gone to Shizune for medicine instead.

Despite the risks, he believed the jutsu would work; he was gambling on the odds that no one in Konoha would expect him to be using genjutsu on his appearance—as the last of the Uchiha clan his looks were almost legendary. Satisfied with his disguise and mulling over his mental grocery list, he grabbed his backpack and made his way out of his house and through the deserted streets of the Uchiha district.

Downtown Konoha was bustling, all kinds of people flooding the stores in late afternoon to purchase what they needed to feed their families, or mingling on corners as they waited for tables to open up in the most popular restaurants and cafés.

Sasuke groaned at the timing—he’d neglected to consider that today was Wednesday, which meant all the Genin and brand new Chuunin would be crowded into the arcade, trying to look cool while playing games for half price. The arcade, unfortunately, was directly on the way to the Supermarket, and he’d have to pass by it or take a several block detour.

As he walked closer he could see a group of girls just inside the door with their sodas. He grimaced. If Naruto was with him, they’d be a little less annoying—something about the blond kept them more or less at bay. But alone, Sasuke could be sure they’d attempt any type of molestation they could think of and it was tiresome in the extreme.

Sure enough, as he approached the storefront he heard a shriek of excitement, echoed by a chorus of thirteen-year-old voices.

“Sasuke-kuuuuun! Sasuke-kuuuuuun!”

He kept his steady pace, refusing to acknowledge them as they flooded out of the arcade in all colors and shapes, waving and desperately calling to him:

“Where are you going, Sasuke-kuuuun?”

“Hey there, Sasuke-kuuuuun!”

“Wanna play a game with me, Sasuke-kuuuuun?”

“Can I come with you, Sasuke-kuuuuun?”

“Want a soda, Sasuke-kuuuun?”

“No, he’s going to share mine, right Sasuke-kuuuun?”

One of them tried to grab his arm; he glanced down at her bristly, orange pig-tails for a second before brushing her off. Surely she knew that was way too much blush? He adroitly avoided being surrounded and continued on his way, without even so much as a backward glance. He shook his head, hearing their collective sighs and gasps of “Sasuke-kun’s soooooo cool!” Thankfully the Supermarket wasn’t a ‘cool’ hang-out for beginner ninjas; he hoped he’d get through his shopping without incident.

It was a small consolation that at least now he knew his genjutsu was working.

Sasuke moved through the aisles of the supermarket, barely acknowledging the adults who greeted him, his mind busily creating recipes for the next few days—and not one of them contained the word curry. He’d picked out several vegetables in his basket and was looking over the cantaloupes, giving one a thump to check if it was ripe when he heard his name belted across several rows of produce:

“SASUKE!”

♦

Naruto wandered the aisles of the crowded supermarket, his small shopping basket crammed full of instant ramen packages.

He let his eyes roam over the various foodstuffs on the long, deep shelf in front of him, trying to decide if there was anything else he’d like to eat. Nothing seemed to grab him. Naruto grumbled impatiently, fingering the small red swirl over his sternum that decorated the front of his white shirt, and meandered into the next aisle on his fourth or fifth lap.

He’d wanted to go for Ramen with Iruka-sensei, but Iruka was busy at the mission office. He still felt a bit indignant that Iruka had ordered him to try to eat something other than ramen at least once in a while—but what could possibly be as good?

It was now the end of the last aisle before the produce section, and not wanting to loop all the way back to the beginning like he’d been doing for nearly an hour Naruto grabbed a small box at random and tossed it in his basket. He glanced at it as he escaped from the crammed aisles and rounded the corner to the open produce area. He’d figure out what “Pocky” was later, he decided, as he made his way towards the colorful arrangements of fruits and vegetables to the left up ahead. Kakashi sometimes brought him fruit, so maybe it wouldn’t hurt to get some on his own.

The way was slow, as he had to avoid choosy moms, shopping carts, and active young shinobi at every step. He scanned the dazzling mixture of colors and shapes, trying to find the stand of oranges, when his heart skipped a beat—his eyes halted on a black haired ninja whose beauty stood out like a rare jewel mixed into thousands of river pebbles.

Naruto froze, dropping his basket where he stood, his stomach lurching at the sight of his rival examining the fruit in front of him with his usual attention to detail. Naruto’s eyes searched Sasuke’s face, but he could see no trace of injury—he looked perfectly fine!

The relief at seeing Sasuke so obviously healthy and doing something so mundane was an enormous weight from his shoulders. Maybe there was hope yet that things could get back to normal.

His excitement bubbled up inside him, bursting out in a boisterous shout: “SASUKE!”

His quick reflexes had him through the crowd and approaching his rival in no time. Sasuke turned from the cantaloupe he’d been inspecting and faced him, taking a step back and bumping into the display. Naruto saw those black eyes flash briefly in alarm as he shortened the distance between them, but Sasuke chose to lean back against the stand, quickly recovering and facing him with a practiced look of coolness and ease.

“Sasuke!” Naruto exclaimed again, breathless as he stopped before him, his face both relieved and serious as their eyes met. He was so happy to see him, he grabbed his shoulder and shook him affectionately. “You’re all right!”

Sasuke nodded, not moving out of his grasp. “I was so worried,” Naruto sighed dramatically, letting go of Sasuke’s shoulder to run both hands through his mussed yellow hair.

“Maaa, I should have known that you’d be okay,” he said, grinning and reaching out towards him again, his tone flavored with playful admiration, “You’re an Uchiha after all!”

He put his hand straight to Sasuke’s left cheek and pinched.

Sasuke jerked and let out a startled breath, his left hand smacking Naruto’s wrist away in instinctual defense, eyes narrowed either in concentration or calculation. Naruto’s brows met on his forehead, understanding the meaning behind his teammate’s reaction. Naruto slowly reached upward to touch his cheek again, and just as he thought—Sasuke closed a hand on his wrist, stopping him. They glared at one another.

“That hurt, didn’t it?” Naruto questioned, his voice stern. He didn’t fight against Sasuke’s grip, but he didn’t lower his hand either, so Sasuke held on to it, keeping it several inches away from his cheek.

“Tch,” Sasuke replied, not admitting to the pain, but not denying it either. He raised his eyes and turned his head to the left, retreating with his usual pose of bored superiority while also further protecting the injured side of his face.

“How bad is it?” Naruto questioned, his voice quieter, but stiff with irritation. His heart was tight. He was hiding it somehow, but it was obvious that Sasuke had felt pain, and he had to know how much he’d hurt him. He had to know so he could somehow make it right.

Sasuke only shrugged. Naruto grabbed his shoulder with his free hand and shook him none too gently. “Teme!”

Sasuke turned back to look at him, showing his plain discomfort at their public location. His voice hissed through his teeth, “Let go, dobe.”

Naruto shook him again, “Not until you tell me how bad it is.”

Sasuke said nothing, choosing to glare for all he was worth. Naruto focused on Sasuke’s face, comparing the right side to the left, noting the minute differences. His cheek had felt completely normal, and Sasuke’s skin was a rich, uniform color–nothing strange there. But the skin around his left eye was different…like it was the tiniest bit swollen. And when he compared the angles of his cheekbones, the left cheek was slightly different. Puffier perhaps.

On the surface he looked the same, but Kakashi had taught them both to look underneath the underneath. Naruto gave a dry chuckle; Sasuke really had created a very good illusion, virtually undetectable. Except for the one who also knew the whole story—Naruto got no satisfaction from being the one ninja who could, or would see through it.

“Genjutsu right?” He questioned, as Sasuke’s sulk became a sneer. Naruto let go of his shoulder and raised two fingers to his lips. “I could dispel it myself…” he trailed his voice off, knowing that one simple word would reveal Sasuke’s true face to everyone in the market.

Sure, Sasuke could probably reactivate it, maybe even immediately, but he counted on the pride of the Uchiha to choose to avoid such attention. Sasuke glared at him, flinging Naruto’s wrist away in irritation.

“It’s nothing,” he seethed, glancing at the people all around them.

Naruto flicked his eyes from one side to the other, acknowledging that he was aware they were in public and then crossing his arms over his tight, white shirt.

“I’m not leaving you until I’m satisfied you’re okay,” he said. He meant it literally.

Sasuke sighed, his eyes narrowing in that concentrated, calculating way. Naruto wouldn’t back down—even though it was awkward and maddening to stand there in a face-off, he wanted to make things right. And that meant they couldn’t hide things from each other anymore. He waited for Sasuke’s response, senses alert for any ninja trickery.

After a moment, Sasuke’s face seemed to relax, the corner of his mouth quirking in that way of his. His rival took a small step forward, then another, closing the gap between them while staring into Naruto’s deep blue eyes. Naruto uncrossed his arms, bracing his shoulders and watching, wary.

Sasuke moved so there was barely more than an inch of empty space between their bodies, his extra height allowing him to look downward at Naruto. Naruto’s mouth went dry. Sasuke was close enough to him that he could feel that inch of space get steadily warmer from their combined body heat. He tried to keep his face rebellious, though the rest of him was quite distracted.

Sasuke was trying to make him back up! The bastard! Backing up meant backing down, and he wouldn’t give in—he’d stand there all day long. Sasuke would have to be the one to back up.

But even as the seconds ticked by, Sasuke didn’t. He stood there, oh so close to him. A tilt of either of their chins would bring their mouths together, and Naruto felt a sheen of sweat break out on his forehead as the tension mounted; he realized in dismay that he had to fight just as hard to keep from moving forward as he fought to keep from stepping back.

When he spoke, Sasuke’s voice was a velvety whisper, “I am going to finish my shopping, and then go home and cook dinner. You do what you like.”

Naruto stood there, hypnotized, and then Sasuke turned his back on him and resumed thumping on several cantaloupe.

Naruto took a deep breath, watching the back of Sasuke’s head while trying to clear his own. He let all his breath out at once.

Okay. He was okay. He had two options. He could grab Sasuke and dispel the genjutsu by force, which would make Sasuke mad as hell. Or, he could let Sasuke finish shopping before forcing him to reveal his injury somewhere else. ‘Let’s go with option two,’ Naruto decided, as it seemed reasonable enough. He’d just keep an eye on Sasuke to make sure he didn’t try to lose him, either in the crowded store or on the way to his side of town. And then he’d make him drop the genjutsu.

Naruto brightened; maybe he’d get to finally see where Sasuke lived… Maybe they’d even eat dinner together! That would be… nice.

“Oi,” he taunted, moving up beside his rival and watching him meticulously make his fruit selection. “I hope you’re cooking Ramen!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Usuratonkachi,” he muttered, putting a round cantaloupe in his basket and moving down the aisle.

Naruto chuckled, lacing his fingers behind his head and trailing along after Sasuke as he silently and methodically handled twenty items for every one that went into his basket. He sighed, glad that Ramen was Ramen—he didn’t have to palm, sniff, or squeeze each carton to know that it would be good. Eventually Sasuke seemed to have everything he’d come for, and he stopped near the check out.

“Aren’t you buying anything?” Sasuke asked, making Naruto realize he was empty handed. Naruto smacked his forehead, having totally forgotten his own basket somewhere in the fruit area.

“Uh, yeah,” Naruto chuckled sheepishly, “I think I left my basket over by the oranges, heh heh…” he trailed off.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, “Go and get it then.” He set his basket on the floor and crossed his arms, as if he intended to wait. Naruto’s eyes narrowed, not trusting him to still be there when he came back.

“Fine. But you’re coming with me,” Naruto picked up the basket in one hand, and grabbed Sasuke’s hand with the other, charging back to the produce section.

He felt a thrill from the feel of their hands touching, but figured if he kept them moving fast enough he could keep from being murdered by his teammate long enough to enjoy it. Sasuke pulled against his grip, and Naruto thought he heard a muttered “Kuso!” But Sasuke wasn’t struggling in earnest, and when they found the basket full of Ramen, he acted utterly indignant–although he waited for Naruto to let go first.

They walked back to the check out stands, hands to themselves, and paid for their groceries.

Sasuke put most of his items into the backpack he’d brought, but still had a full bag to carry in his hands. Naruto hadn’t brought anything with him to stash his Ramen, so he had three oddly-shaped, bulging bags to carry as well. Sasuke set off towards his clan’s district, and Naruto followed him, since he didn’t know the whole way. Amazingly, they didn’t run into any of Sasuke’s fangirls—Naruto detested the lot of them.

As they walked in silence, Naruto had time to wonder what Sasuke’s house might be like. His eyes went wide when they came up to the towering, whitewashed arch at the entryway to the Uchiha district. Naruto hadn’t realized how powerful the Uchiha clan had been; he was as young as Sasuke when the tragedy happened, and even though they’d been teammates for years he’d never been to his home.

“Sugoi!” Naruto gaped, looking up at the arch as they passed through the large open gates, seeing the Uchiha fan engraved on either side. Sasuke watched him, but didn’t comment, moving calmly through the deserted streets and empty buildings.

Naruto was even more impressed when he saw the house Sasuke lived in. He gasped like a foreign tourist as his eyes climbed the three floors of the exterior, taking in the craftsmanship of the wooden beams and the custom tile of the roof. Sasuke walked up to the front door and opened it, like it was normal to live in a house like this, and obviously for him, it was. Naruto made some quick calculations, figuring that his entire one room apartment would probably only take up one-quarter of one floor of this house. Sugoi.

Naruto set down his bags of Ramen in the genkan, and took off his sandals. He followed Sasuke into the house, turning to the right and finding himself in the kitchen. It was big and bright, with tons of counter space and wooden cabinets along both longer walls. The shorter wall opposite the doorway housed the refrigerator and a few appliances, and a pocket door that probably hid a good sized pantry area. The center island had a cooktop as well as more preparation surface, and had room for a couple of bar stools on one side… but there weren’t any in this kitchen.

With Sasuke living alone, he probably didn’t need them.

Sasuke put his bags on that counter and began organizing his groceries, moving some items into cupboards, some to the refrigerator, and the last he lined up on the marble cutting surface next to the sink. Naruto leaned against the door jamb, watching him move around his kitchen, getting out utensils and ingredients to prep for dinner.

With no warning Sasuke tossed him a sweet potato, which he caught automatically in the air.

“Wash that for me,” he said, his voice commanding, but not demanding.

Naruto rubbed the skin of the potato with his fingers, then walked over to the sink and held it under cold water, taking the vegetable scrubber Sasuke handed him and scraping the skin clean. It was kind of strange, standing in Sasuke’s house, helping him cook dinner. There was nothing really weird about washing a sweet potato… but it was something domestic, and domestic and Sasuke didn’t seem to go together, much less domestic and Sasuke and Naruto.

Of course Naruto knew Sasuke had to be able to cook; he’d been living alone for nearly ten years. But he’d never seen him do it, aside from grilling fresh fish on missions or something like that. Naruto watched him intently from the corner of his eye while Sasuke got out a wok and heated it up, mixed something in a bowl further down the counter, took out a knife and sliced an onion in fantastic speed, each section the same exact thickness.

Naruto started when he realized Sasuke was staring back at him, catching him in a trance. He didn’t say anything, just held out his hand for the sweet potato. Naruto turned off the faucet, shaking the excess water from the potato and handing it to his teammate, wincing as Sasuke ran his thumb over an area that had been over-scrubbed from his inattention. Thankfully he didn’t comment.

Sasuke transferred the sweet potato to his left hand, grasping the knife in his right. Naruto just barely saw his eyes turn red with the Sharingan before he tossed the potato in the air, moving the knife with blurred speed and then catching each perfect slice before it touched the countertop. Naruto’s jaw dropped—how did Uchiha Sasuke turn cutting a sweet potato into something sexy? He made a mental note to try it when he got home.

Sasuke got out more things: a rice cooker, a piece of white bread, and several large, juicy prawns. Naruto tried to make sense of what he was seeing, the ingredients not fitting any recipe he knew.

“I’m making Tempura Donburi.” Sasuke must have read his mind.

“Well that’s obvious,” Naruto lied, not able to keep his cheeks from heating in embarrassment from his lack of cooking experience.

Sasuke chuckled as he mixed and tested and set everything up just right. “Hn,” was his only comment.

Naruto leaned his back against the counter and watched him from across the island, folding his arms in a relaxed manner. He watched Sasuke’s wide, muscular shoulders move ever so slightly as his hands prepared their dinner. His blue eyes slid down his teammate’s spine to his narrow hips and cute, tight butt that practically begged him to go pinch it. Naruto’s mouth watered.

Cooking was fascinating. Especially if you were watching an utterly gorgeous Chef… but he really shouldn’t be thinking about things like that.

“Ne, Sasuke…” he asked, hesitantly, seeking a more appropriate distraction.

“Nanda?”

“What’s the bread for?” Naruto scrunched up his face, confused.

Sasuke half-smiled over his shoulder, cutting a small cube of bread and then tossing it into the hot oil in the wok.

“If this turns brown in one minute, then the oil is the exact right temperature,” he answered, his voice unusually devoid of condescension.

Naruto thought about the other guys their age; he doubted even Neji knew this little cooking trick, so he was glad Sasuke didn’t expect him to know it. It did make him wonder however—was Sasuke just as thorough with everything he did? Naruto shuddered, his mind recalling how good Sasuke’s tongue had felt two days ago, and could only imagine what the rest of him could do. He closed his eyes. It definitely wasn’t a good idea to keep thinking in that direction, here in Sasuke’s kitchen, just the two of them, with no chaperones for miles…

Naruto stood up, stepping a bit further away from his rival, restless from pent-up attraction and confusing emotions.

“Um… can I help with anything?” He wanted something to keep him busy.

Sasuke looked up from his cooking, glancing around. “Can you handle making some tea?” He cocked an eyebrow in challenge.

Naruto snorted, “Teme…” He went over to the stove and picked up the tea kettle, filling it with water, and then setting it to boil. He moved around Sasuke, opening cupboards and peering inside, searching for the mugs and tea.

Without turning around, Sasuke pointed behind him and then further to the side, “Tea is in that one. Mugs are over there.”

Naruto moved to where he pointed, choosing two mugs and setting them on the counter with the teapot and tray. He opened the cupboard with several jars of dry tea leaves, reading the different notes Sasuke had written on the labels. Between two of the jars he found a small paper packet. He shook it near his ear, hearing a powdery substance shift inside.

“What kind of tea is this?” he asked, turning and holding up the unmarked little envelope.

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder, seeing the packet, and in a flash he’d snatched it from Naruto’s fingers and tucked it into one of his pouches.

“What the hell!” Naruto objected, glaring at his rival. Sasuke glared back, still cooking their dinner. Naruto turned back to the cupboard, selecting the first jar his hand came to, and preparing their tea.

“I just asked a question,” he muttered angrily, turning the stove off and letting the leaves steep in the kettle. Still annoyed, he turned back to Sasuke, moving around the island to stand close behind his right shoulder and peer at what he was doing.

“You’re always hiding things from me,” he said pointedly.

Sasuke glared over at him as he finished cooking the battered prawns in the hot oil. Naruto glared back, their eyes meeting through the thickness of many things unsaid, before the Uchiha turned away.

“Dinner’s almost ready,” he said. Naruto let himself stand close to his teammate for another moment before stepping back.

“Where should I put the tea?” he asked.

Sasuke nodded back through the doorway, “The living room is across the hall. I can take care of the rest.”

Naruto poured the hot tea from the kettle into the teapot, and loaded it with the mugs onto a tea tray. He made his way down the short hallway, past the front door and into a gorgeous sitting room. The tatami mats were cool underneath his feet, and the late afternoon sun was just beginning to pour its orange light through the big windows. He set everything down on the low table, and then moved around the room in awe, eyes drinking in the beautiful ancient vases and wall hangings. There were Shoji screens in two corners, and at the far right was a traditional screen door with elaborate woodcarvings that must open to the back of the house.

He’d had no idea that Sasuke’s house would be so nice. Maybe an understated display of his clan’s wealth, but an unmistakable one at that; it made him wonder just how rich his teammate was. Naruto hadn’t considered it before, and it boggled his mind even further when he considered how many decisions Sasuke had been forced to make since he was a very small child.

Sasuke must have inherited everything from his entire clan when he was only eight. It was hard to project that into a number.

The Uchiha district was empty, but not in ruins; the buildings were structurally sound, just lacking furniture or inhabitants. Sasuke’s house looked well kept, clean and decorated with an artist’s tasteful eye. He’d probably salvaged what he thought was important, and taken over the one house instead of trying to maintain them all, or renting them out. Sasuke liked his privacy. Naruto hmmm-ed, reaching up to touch the exquisite fan of red and white feathers on the wall in front of him, the symbol of the Uchiha name.

His rival entered at just that moment, carrying their dinner on a tray and kneeling on one of the cushions. It smelled delicious, and Naruto followed his nose eagerly over to the table and knelt across from Sasuke.

Sasuke passed him a large square bowl, some chopsticks, and a chopstick rest in the shape of a Koi fish.

Naruto poured their tea, his eyes taking in the work of art that Sasuke had prepared. In the bottom of the bowl was a mound of rice, the prawns and asparagus tempura arranged in a pyramid and held in place by rings of tempura fried onions. Sweet potatoes and broccoli circled the base, all of it drizzled with a thick, dark, sweet smelling sauce that dripped down the tempura and soaked the rice at its outer edges. It looked heavenly.

Sasuke sat proudly across from him, playing the gracious host. Naruto grinned, taking up his chopsticks and saying with gusto, “Itadakimasu!”

Sasuke sipped his tea, not quite hiding a small smile that made Naruto’s stomach do a little flip. Damn, he was so sexy when he wasn’t brooding. Oi.

Naruto took bite after bite, the temperature perfect, the sauce deliciously tangy-sweet, the rice balancing the flavors expertly. He made appreciative noises with every bite, trying not to talk with his mouth full—which meant he didn’t talk at all since he was busy alternating between eating food or drinking tea.

Sasuke ate at his usual, measured pace, trying not to seem like he was watching him, but Naruto could feel dark eyes following his movements. He made a big show of how much he loved the food, and soon his bowl was empty and his tummy was bulging, and he leaned back on his hands with a big grin on his face.

“Teme…” he said jovially, “You really are a tensai, ne?”

“Tch, baka,” was the reply, but Naruto could tell that the compliment had pleased him. He wasn’t at all ready to tell Sasuke how he really felt…but at least this way he felt like he’d told him something.

Naruto closed his eyes in happy gluttony, content to enjoy the ensuing silence while Sasuke finished his meal. He watched him through his long golden lashes, so utterly graceful even when doing something as simple as eating, and his stomach dropped even further. He may have appeased one hunger, but he was aware that it only made another one more impatient.

‘Graceful and deadly’, he thought as he secretly watched his rival. That’s exactly what Uchiha Sasuke was, and he liked it. Not for the first time, Naruto was extremely grateful that Sasuke was on his team and not someone else’s—he wouldn’t want to compete against him for real. Naruto opened his eyes, remembering a certain conversation from the previous day.

“Ne, Sasuke,” he began, “Do you know anything about the Festival of Golden Kunai?”

Sasuke put his chopsticks down, and sipped his tea, nodding. “The one starting in a couple of days?”

Naruto rolled his eyes as he groaned in chagrin. How in hell did everyone know about it but him? He shook off the annoyance in the interests of finding out some information.

“Yeah…there’s supposed to be a competition, a scavenger hunt or something, with a prize for the strongest ninja.”

Sasuke paused, holding his tea mug tightly, then said, “The Golden Kunai.”

Naruto nodded, “Yeah! Yeah! Kiba says it’s worth like five houses or something, but I don’t care about that. I’m more interested in the Hunt. He said sometimes the Hunt is so hard that nobody wins!” Naruto sighed, “I don’t know what’s involved, but I really want to win.”

Sasuke set his mug down, and with elbows on the table laced his fingers together in front of his face, the pose he preferred when pondering a strategy of some kind.

“It’s a tough competition. Winning won’t be easy.”

Naruto glared, “Don’t even try to talk me out of it.” He sat up in excitement, shifting his dishes to the side and putting his elbows on the table. “I don’t care who I have to beat, I’m gonna win!”

Sasuke glared back, “Dobe. I’m not saying it’s impossible. But the last winner wasn’t… normal. I’m just saying it’ll be tough.”

Naruto cocked an eyebrow, “What do you know about the Hunt?” Then he had an awful idea, “Unless you’re going to compete too…?”

Sasuke shook his head, his voice passionate, “Zenzen.”

Naruto’s brow creased, impatient, “But why not?”

What the hell was this Scavenger Hunt that Sasuke didn’t want to participate? Not that he wanted to be pitted against his rival, exactly, but it didn’t quite follow. Sasuke grimaced, ignoring the question.

“Historically, it’s Chuunin vs. Jounin, with prizes for the winner from each side. The final two ninja compete in a match for the Grand Prize, the Golden Kunai. The natures of the competitions are set up by the Hokage. In the last Hunt, Sandaime had two hundred water balloons hidden in a certain area of forest. At midnight, all participants were to find or steal the water balloons, and protect them through the night. At dawn, the single Chuunin and Jounin with the most intact water balloons were declared the first round winners, and then would have to fight each other in some way to earn the Golden Kunai.” Sasuke shrugged, “I imagine this Hunt will be similar, but it will be up to Tsunade-sama to decide.”

Naruto’s intelligent mind was poring over the details he’d just learned. So in the Hunt, he’d have to be skilled enough to find the water balloons, and then also be skilled enough to protect them from all opponents. Interesting.

Naruto propped his head on his hand, fingers curling in his golden hair, equally amazed that Sasuke had just said more than two sentences, and willingly too. He sure knew a lot about the Hunt.

“How do you know all this?” He asked, finding it curious that Sasuke knew so much and still didn’t want to participate. It sounded like a lot of fun, really.

Sasuke looked down into his mug, face carefully blank, before answering, “The previous winner told me.”

Naruto quirked half of his mouth in thought, feeling that there had to be more to this. “So did they tell you what the final competition was? Or how they won?”

Sasuke shook his head, “There wasn’t a second round. He won in the first round, eliminating all the other shinobi in the Hunt by strategically finding and destroying every single water balloon–save for one. With no other qualified combatants, Sandaime awarded him the Golden Kunai and the event ended.”

Naruto opened his eyes wide, “Sugoi…”

They sat in silence. Naruto felt inspired by the story, and was amazed at the ninja’s cleverness at finding a loophole to exploit—although he couldn’t imagine any shinobi who could accomplish something like that, other than maybe the Fourth. But he’d died almost eighteen years ago, so …

Naruto was lost in thought when Sasuke’s voice interrupted his concentration.

“Do you want to see it?”

Naruto looked at him blankly, “Pardon?”

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably, “The Golden Kunai.”

Naruto laughed at the joke, “Yeah right! You were only,” he counted in his mind, “Seven at the last Festival. And you weren’t a Chuunin yet either.”

Sasuke glared at him, then shrugged it off, looking only mildly irritated. His next words were all the explanation needed. “It’s Itachi’s.”

“Itachi…” Naruto repeated, watching his teammate closely.

Itachi! Now that made sense, he was probably one of the most talented shinobi Konoha had ever produced. He could also understand why the subject was uncomfortable for Sasuke, with everything those two had been through. He felt embarrassed that he hadn’t figured it out sooner.

“Hey, that’s okay,” Naruto said quickly, politely declining the offer. “I don’t have to see it.” He waved it off, wishing now that he’d never brought it up.

“I don’t mind,” Sasuke said, rising from the cushion and picking up his bowl. “It’s gorgeous. You’d like it.”

He walked out of the room and Naruto heard the clink of dishes in the sink. Naruto stacked their tea things carefully and carried the tray and his bowl into the kitchen as well. When Sasuke left the kitchen and began to climb the stairs, Naruto followed in silence. The stairs opened out on the second floor, and Naruto peeked from side to side, then turned and followed Sasuke up the next flight of stairs to the third floor.

They stepped out onto the covered balcony, and Naruto would have stopped to enjoy the view over Uchiha Lake, but instead shuffled on to catch up to his teammate. Sasuke slid open a door and stepped through, turning on a couple of floor lamps.

Like everything in the house he’d seen so far, Sasuke’s bedroom was open space and muted luxury.

Naruto’s eyes moved from the antique furniture, to the enormous bed, to the obscenely gilded mirror, to the hip red sofa on the far wall—all of it somehow matching its owner. He felt almost like he’d invaded his best friend’s private sanctuary; everything in this room exuded Sasuke’s keen intellect, appreciation of beautiful things, and of course, a strategic location that was easily defendable for a young man living on his own on the outskirts of the village. Naruto’s eyes took everything in, though he tried not to pry.

Sasuke had crossed the room to an ebonized Mahogany display case. He opened a door, and Naruto moved quietly over to join him, several things behind the glass sparkling in invitation. Sasuke reached inside and closed his fingers around a small wooden box and withdrew it carefully, holding it out to Naruto.

Naruto met Sasuke’s eyes before taking the box in his hands, surprised by the weight of solid gold and hardly able to believe that he was being permitted to look upon such a treasure.

Sasuke nodded to him, “Open it.”

Naruto lifted the lid, and gasped at the terrible beauty of the Golden Kunai, seven inches long and set into a velvet cushion. The gold was polished to a high gloss, contrasting with the deeply engraved markings along each facet of the blade that had been defined by a dark patina. The widest area of the blade tapered to a slim handle, ridged evenly for proper grip, and twisting into a ringed finial.

Naruto stared, amazed that he was holding something so symbolic. Symbolic of the powerful Uchiha clan; symbolic of the beautiful and deadly relationship between two brothers. It was the epitome of weapon craftsmanship awarded to the reigning champion of shinobi, and he felt a mixture of nervous excitement as he held it, only one thought on his mind: He wanted to be the one to win it this time, not for the worth of the gold, but for what it represented.

It would take strength, cunning, and perseverance to make it to the final round, and winning this Hunt would help prove to himself—and to everyone else in Konoha—that his dreams were achievable.

“I can’t believe someone actually made this…” Naruto couldn’t bring himself to take it from the box, instead running the tip of his middle finger across the engravings and down the handle, feeling the details of the ridges and patterns carved into the cold metal.

“Itachi became an ANBU captain soon after winning it,” Sasuke informed him.

That was no surprise if all the top ninja of the village had witnessed Itachi’s uncontested win. Naruto nodded, closing the box and handing it back to him. Sasuke put it back in the display case and closed the doors.

“How many guys did he beat?” Naruto asked, wanting to figure the odds that he could also do something as spectacular as the infamous Uchiha Itachi.

Sasuke cocked his head, thinking. “There wasn’t a prerequisite for competing, other than being Chuunin or Jounin…probably around fifty in all. But it could be different this time.”

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, sighing, “Maaa, I guess I better start training right away.”

Funny how a simple word like “training” could change the whole dynamic of the room, bringing to mind the countless times they’d trained together, including the most recent disaster of a sparring session.

They looked at each other, but quickly looked away when their eyes met. Both stood silently as the atmosphere grew awkward. Naruto shuffled, glancing around the room for something he could use to change the subject, but it only made him aware for the first time that he was alone with Sasuke in his bedroom. A bedroom with a very large, very comfy looking bed. He gulped, not sure where to look or where to stand or how to get out of there without running away.

Naruto glanced back to Sasuke, and found he’d been looking at him, which made his face flush in a worthy imitation of Iruka-sensei. His blue eyes searched desperately around the room but kept coming back to the King sized bed and all the possible activities that could take place on its ample surface.

His brain wasn’t cooperating, shooting him flashes of Sasuke’s black hair fanned around him as he lay on his back, his lips parted and cheeks flushed in arousal, or Sasuke pinning him again, and rolling over and over several times as they fought for dominance on the plush surface of the blankets. He imagined lying curled up next to Sasuke, watching him sleep soundly, his head on a bright red pillow—

Naruto gasped, his full attention on Sasuke’s pillows. He marched over and snatched his wallet off one of them, waving it in the air and coming back to glare at Sasuke.

“Where’d you get this!” He demanded, shocked to find it there of all places.

Sasuke looked guilty and embarrassed for half a second, then straightened up and faced him, his words aiming to wound.

“You were in such a hurry to run away, Naruto, you left it at the river.”

Naruto gaped like he’d been slapped, recoiling from the accusation. “That doesn’t mean that you can decide things on your own and just take it!” He spat, his blue eyes flashing.

Sasuke’s eyes flashed back at him, his voice rising, “One of us had to take responsibility and clean up the mess, Dobe!”

Naruto clenched his fists at his sides, “You didn’t even think about how I’d react! You just took what you wanted, huh?”

Sasuke took a step towards him, his whole body rigid in fury, “AT LEAST I KNEW WHAT IT WAS I WANTED!”

Naruto stood still, stunned. They faced each other, hot, their energy buzzing with palpable electricity around them. He could hear their breathing, sharp and shallow, both of them lashing out in anger to cover up their real emotions. Naruto’s heart beat rapidly. Who the hell did Sasuke think he was? Did he believe that he knew everything? Naruto might not be quite as smart as the Uchiha, but he certainly wasn’t dumb. It made him boil all over again.

“Oi,” he shouted, pointing at Sasuke’s chest, “Next time you do that a little warning would be nice, Asshole!”

Sasuke blinked once in surprise, but immediately recovered his angry glare and shouted at equal volume, “Then next time I do it don’t hit me if you freak out, Moron!”

This time Naruto flinched from guilt and embarrassment, his anger draining from his face. The electricity in the atmosphere dissipated, and Naruto almost felt cold without it. Sasuke was right; he shouldn’t have hit him, even if he had been surprised.

“Sasuke…” he began, taking a step forward and lifting a hand to his rival’s injured cheek.

Sasuke moved his head back out of range, not allowing the touch, but not swatting his hand away. Naruto let it fall to his side. His eyes were simpering blue as he gazed at his teammate, whose deep black eyes were still smoldering at the edges.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, looking at Sasuke and hoping his face conveyed the depth of his apology.

Sasuke’s shoulders lost only some of their angry rigidity, and his scowling face softened only a fraction as his eyes looked at the floor.

It was almost inaudible, but he heard his rival whisper, “Me too.”

Naruto’s heart twisted at the words, knowing how much it cost the Uchiha to say them. Sasuke was so rigid and guarded all the time, and yet he’d managed to bend enough to apologize in his own way. Naruto’s heart melted—he definitely didn’t want to have any reason to fight like this again.

He carefully stepped forward, this time raising his left hand to Sasuke’s right cheek and placing his palm there. Sasuke looked up at him, expression tense. Naruto held his gaze, his heart hammering in his chest and his stomach bubbling with butterflies as he took the plunge. He leaned forward and to the right, gently pressing his lips to Sasuke’s injured cheekbone.

Naruto’s senses narrowed for one split second, feeling the smooth warmth of Sasuke’s skin and inhaling the scents of cardamom and sandalwood. He memorized it all in an instant—he might never have the chance to do this again. He slipped his fingers into dark silky hair as they curled on the back of Sasuke’s neck, then he stepped away, trying not to shake from nervousness at what he’d just done. He put some distance between them, fighting not to giggle hysterically, which would be completely inappropriate and yet was almost irresistible.

Sasuke stood there completely still, at first with no change in his expression. But then Naruto’s stomach squirmed as he saw a timid flush spread across Sasuke’s one cheek. The genjutsu was still hiding the left side, and Sasuke looked so unbelievably cute blushing only halfway. The butterflies in his stomach fluttered lower, and lower, and Naruto shifted his feet to distract himself.

“Maaa,” Naruto said, embarrassed, looking away, “I guess I should be going…”

He decided that he didn’t need to see beneath the genjutsu after all. Sasuke clearly didn’t want to show him, and it would only be more awkward right now if he did. He also wasn’t sure how much longer he could take being in his bedroom.

Sasuke nodded, pulling something out of his shuriken pouch. Naruto recognized it as the packet he’d found with the tea earlier. Sasuke cleared his throat, offering the explanation as his half of the peace treaty.

“And I should take Shizune’s medicine. It’ll probably put me to sleep.”

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, “Is it that bad?”

Sasuke shrugged, “I told you already. It’s nothing.” He picked up Naruto’s frog wallet where he’d dropped it during their argument, and handed it back to him. “Don’t forget this.”

Naruto blushed at him, taking his wallet and putting it away. Sasuke walked to his doorway and stepped to the side, gesturing to Naruto to precede him back to the ground floor. Naruto made his way hopping down the stairs and stopped to put on his sandals. Sasuke leaned against the wall, arms folded, looking beautiful and mysterious in the twilight of the shadowy entryway. At some point it had gotten dark outside—had he really been here that long?

Naruto picked up his grocery bags, and turned to his rival, a hundred different things he wanted to say all cramming together at the back of his tongue, jamming like a kink in a garden hose. Sasuke looked at him, crossing his arms as he leaned.

They stood there in the silence, until Sasuke cleared his throat, “There’s… there’s a good spot for training, past the Lake.” He looked off into the corner, his usual look of boredom on his face. “If you want to use it. Tomorrow afternoon.”

Naruto’s face brightened, and he smiled, “Okay!” He turned and opened the door, looking back over his shoulder. “Ja,” he said before leaping through the doorway and off through the empty streets, running with abandon towards the heart of Konoha.

When he was a safe distance away from the Uchiha district, he gave a wild leap and cheer of giddy excitement, nearly spilling instant Ramen every which way.

♦