Heart of the Ocean

The air was stuffy and silent but for the sound of their mingled breaths, the windows heavily fogged, shielding them entirely. Sasuke lay back, cradling Naruto's head in his arms, idly stroking the short, messy hair. His heart had quickened, his stomach tightening. They had got this far, and it would be all too easy to go on like this, escaping reality forever, but... Sasuke just couldn't carry the weight of any more secrets.

Naruto blinked up at Sasuke, still enjoying the feel of his cheek resting against Sasuke's chest. He could hear the other man's heart beating and it lulled him into a sense of comfort. "What is it...?" he whispered huskily.

Taking a deep breath before the plunge, Sasuke closed his eyes, ceasing the motion of his fingers through Naruto's hair. "It's...it's about me. And why I dress like a woman. And...about Itachi. Naruto...he isn't my fiance. It's all just a front, created to conform to some standard of propriety."

Frowning a little, Naruto stared up at the other, shaking his head slowly. "I don't understand..." he said slowly. "He touches you and kisses you, and he says that he's in love with you. Is he just your lover, then?"

Shame burning all through his body, Sasuke looked away from Naruto, suddenly feeling as though he were being choked. "H-he--" he struggled to speak, his throat constricted. "He is...my elder brother. The only person in my family who's still alive. My parents...they died, when I was very young. He's all I have left."

Naruto's body tensed almost painfully as he stared at the other, shaking his head slowly, blue eyes focussed on Sasuke intently. "I don't... understand..." he said slowly, shaking his head a little more. This didn't make any sense.... "I saw him touching you..."

Squeezing his eyes shut, Sasuke forced himself not to break down, though his eyes were already prickling. He could already feel Naruto slipping away. "He does touch me. He started doing it...when I was very young. You see, I...we were not always this wealthy. Itachi worked very hard so he could take me in. By dressing like this...and letting him do what he will with me... It was all I could offer him, for everything he has sacrificed to keep me from being sent off to an orphanage." A tear rolled down his cheek and he scrubbed it away frantically, still looking determinedly away from Naruto. "This...must disgust you. I understand."

An anger began to build inside of Naruto, his whole body hot with it as he began to sit up, staring at Sasuke. "He... touched you since you were younger?" he asked, his voice shaking. He'd never felt so angry in his entire life. Never. Not even when he'd found out about his parents, not even when he'd lost his house, his money, his car, his everything.

Fear began to build inside of Sasuke; he was sure now that he had ruined any chance that he and Naruto had. He'd been a fool, to think that he could ever live a normal life, survive even a moment outside his brother's hold. "Yes... Naruto, I...I know it's unforgivable, and blasphemous, and I know God will condemn me for it... I've accepted it. I told you..." He swallowed hard, covering his eyes with his hand. "My path was laid out for me...long ago."

Naruto shook his head, and he reached out, grabbing at Sasuke's chin, turning the other's face towards him. "I'll kill him," he growled softly. "For taking away from you something he had no right to. You're not his property. You're not his lover... you're his brother. I'm you're lover. I love you. I'll kill him before I let him touch you again," he said furiously.

Sasuke's eyes sprang open and he stared at Naruto, hardly believing what he was hearing. The other had professed the antithesis of what he'd been expecting in so short a time that his emotions simply could not keep up--the tears were still there, just as uncontrolled, just as powerful. Simply too overwhelmed to speak, he reached out with trembling arms, looking almost pleadingly at the other.

Naruto's arms came around Sasuke, holding him tightly as he kissed Sasuke slowly on the mouth. "Mm, I love you. I love you, love you, love you," he said fervently. "I'm not going to let that sorry excuse for a human being touch you for the rest of your life."

Shaking, Sasuke huddled close, holding onto Naruto with his arms and legs, breathing in his scent, loving him. Loving life. Loving everything, if just for a moment. One blissful, never-ending moment. "Thank you...Naruto. Thank you..."

--

Sasuke could picture the look on Kisame's face when he and the other stewards found the empty Renault--fogged-up windows and all--and he laughed out loud as he and Naruto emerged on deck, hands joined, not wanting to be apart for even a moment. Smile unwavering, he caught his breath, turning toward Naruto and locking his arms about the other's neck, huddling close.

Naruto spun Sasuke around in a circle as he held their bodies together, chuckling as he smiled brightly. "So, princess, what should we do now~?"

Laughing and holding on tight, Sasuke looked up at the other, reaching up to gently brush aside a stray lock of golden hair. "Let's run off together," he murmured. "I've already decided. When the ship docks...I'm getting off with you."

Breath catching in his throat, Naruto's smile grew bigger, and he kissed the other, holding him tighter. "You promise?" he breathed, rocking them together. The thought that he'd be getting off of this boat with someone he could actually be with made him feel heady.

Sasuke kissed back fiercely, sealing the promise, huddling closer when he felt a rush of cold air at his back. He parted very slowly, almost too wrapped up in the other, so much that he very nearly missed a flash of white in his peripheral. Alarmed, he spun around, just in time to see a massive formation of ice in the distance, growing closer with each passing moment.

The ship was headed straight for it.

"N-Naruto--what is that?" he gasped, fingers clutching at the other man's jacket. He'd never seen anything like it before, and judging by the sudden shouts carrying from the crow's nest above, it was something dangerous.

Shaking his head, Naruto clutched at Sasuke, tugging him backwards as fast as he could, fear washing over him as the boat scraped against the large iceburg, the whole boat shuddering and creaking as huge pieces of ice showered the deck. "It's an iceburg!" he shouted.

The resounding crunch of ice striking steel was deafening, and Sasuke watched in terror as the massive thing lurched past, moving back into the shadows. Still holding tightly to Naruto, he felt the tremors pass and glanced over at the side of the boat, where chunks of ice were scattered everywhere. "Do you think...the ship is damaged?" he said faintly.

Naruto shook his head, holding Sasuke a little tighter to his body. "It wasn't that much of a bump," he said slowly, sounding a little unsure. "I'm sure we'll be okay..."

Nodding, Sasuke held on tight, not quite able to shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "We should probably find someone and ask them," he said shakily, swallowing hard. "Perhaps warn the others..."

Tugging Sasuke a little further away from the ice that was now being kicked around by a few teenaged boys, Naruto shook his head. "I... we can try to find someone," he said slowly. He wasn't sure what exactly was going on, or how bad it was, really.

Swallowing hard and nodding resolutely, Sasuke grasped Naruto's hand, sweeping up the stairs from the well deck. Three men were clustered near the entrance, talking in low, urgent voices. Heart pounding uncomfortably, Sasuke climbed over the locked gate, catching sight of the captain rounding the corner from the outside stair. They passed Sasuke and Naruto without a glance, their expressions grim. Sasuke's spirits plummeted; this was no mere bump.

Naruto's expression tightened a little at the look on the captain's face and he listened intently to what they were saying in hushed voices. He'd become accustomed to having to listen to older people's conversations this way since he was a lot younger. This was definitely, definitely not good. This was... the worst that could have happened. Face incredibly pale, he turned back to Sasuke. "We... this is bad," he whispered.

Dark, astute eyes moved between Naruto's face and the captain's, and Sasuke bit his lip, hand tightening around Naruto's. "We must warn the others," he said in a low voice. "Itachi, I...I have to tell him." He looked at Naruto urgently, begging the other to understand. "He's still my brother."

Shaking his head, Naruto held Sasuke in place, his face looking a little afraid. "That'll make it worse..." he said quietly, frowning a bit.

The hand that wasn't held fast in Naruto's reached up, caressing the blonde boy's face gently as its owner gave him a determined look. "Come with me, Naruto," he insisted, the strength of his love for the other evident in his deep dark eyes. "I jump, you jump...right?"

Sighing a little, Naruto leaned in, kissing Sasuke softly on the mouth. "Yeah, yeah, I know..." he said slowly. "This is just going to be a long night."

Sasuke kissed back firmly, relieved and more than a little frightened. "I know," he whispered, pulling back and locking eyes with Naruto. "But we'll get through it together. Come on."