Just for Us

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the affiliated characters, nor do I make any money from this work of fiction.

WARNING!!!: This is YAOI, not just shonen-ai. There is male-sex ahead (pun totally intended) everyone, so please do not read in the same room as, say, a parent, a sibling... your boss...

…Actually, you’re good for this chapter. Just be quick with the minimization process. ^^

This is un-edited/non-beta’d/straight off the top of my head, so please excuse any mistakes you might find.

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Halloween

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Naruto had never been one to enjoy Halloween. The idea of being in a crowd full of literally masked people pushed his self-preservation instincts into overdrive and he usually spent the night of spirits huddled in his apartment. It certainly did not help that the holiday fell at the end of the month with the Kyuubi-festival and the villagers were still a bit wound up from the remembrance. Therefore, he thought, he was perfectly justified in his reaction to Sakura’s costume party.

~Flashback!!~

“So, Naruto. You going to do anything for Halloween?” Warning bells went off in his head when he saw the sly/innocent look on Sakura’s face. He still wasn’t sure how exactly she pulled off the expression without looking internally ill like Naruto did when he tried it, but it was a secret the girl apparently intended to take to the grave.

“Uh, I think I have a mission,” he lied, nervously shifting his eyes from side to side. The pink haired woman’s face transformed into a skeptical frown. “You know you’re a terrible liar, Naruto. Come on, what are you really doing?”
He scratched his cheek and looked away from his former teammate. He mumbled his reply to his no-longer steaming ramen and winced when the short tempered kunoichi demanded he repeat himself. “Nothing , alright? I’m not doing anything.”

He pouted as he stared forlornly at the noodles in front of him, losing his appetite as he waited for Sakura’s reaction. The young woman smiled, the tension building in her arms releasing as she accepted the answer. “Well, then, how about you come to my costume party? Everyone we know that doesn’t actually have missions will be there. There’ll be food and prizes for the different types of costumes.”

He was already shaking his head no before she finished, a list of cons springing up in his head like Huns from the snow*. “Sorry, Sakura-chan. I, uh, don’t have a costume! Yeah, and, um, I don’t have enough money to get one by tomorrow night.” He plastered on an apologetic smile and lifted his hand to rub sheepishly on the back of his blond head, flinching as Sakura’s fist landed on the ramen bar; denting the smooth wooden surface.

“What? That’s the excuse you’re going to try and pawn off on me? Don’t be an idiot Naruto, what’s the real reason you don’t want to go?” Blue eyes began to dart around again, trying to avoid the irate woman’s own sparking green eyes. “No, that’s really it, Sakura-chan! I don’t want to be the only one there without one, y’know? That would make you look bad for having invited me so late.”

He knew they were the wrong words as soon as they left his mouth and he could only watch in muted horror as a vein popped in Sakura’s ample forehead. “I always knew you were stupid, Naruto. But I never thought you would live up the dobe image so well.” And just like that, Naruto no longer cared what Sakura said or thought.

“Shut your fucking trap.” The words were quiet, but that didn’t belittle the emotion behind them. Sakura’s teeth clicked together as she slammed her mouth closed. “I have taken so much shit from you over the years, Sakura. I’m sick of it.” He stood from his stool and Sakura was forced to realize just how much Naruto had grown from the small, obnoxious, orange clad boy she had taken to viewing him as.

A calloused and scarred hand riffled through blond locks in an exasperated gesture. Normally sky blue eyes were the color of slate grey and when they focused on her she almost fell out of her own stool. “If you just weren’t so fucking pushy about getting your way all the time, then maybe I’d be willing to overlook this. But you’re always like this. From now on, Haruno-san, I would like it if you only spoke with me in a professional capacity. I want nothing more to do with you, your bitchy attitude, and your goddamn self-righteous anger.”

He turned and walked away without a backwards glance. He needed to get away. That little confrontation had drawn the eyes of a few villagers, and they were not looking upon him with sympathy. He leaped to the nearest rooftop, trying to ignore the tightening in his chest when he heard a sob escape behind him.

~End!!~

And that was how Naruto found himself sulking on top of the Yondaime’s head several hours later. Darkness had already descended on the village and he could see all of the pumpkin-shaped lanterns and Jack-o-Lanterns lighting the streets. He scowled down at the image, not wanting to admit, even to himself, that he wished he could enjoy it all too. But, after so many years of being chased out of the area by angered villagers, civilian and shinobi alike, he had learned to
appreciate it all from a distance.

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The trip to the apartment was quick and Naruto was relieved to find the bedroom window still open. He crept inside, toeing off his sandals underneath the sill, and proceeded to the figure sleeping on the large bed. Tan fingers stroked through inky strands and equally dark eyes opened to take him in. “Naruto-kun,” Sai acknowledged, sitting up so he could be at eye level when the blonde sat down.

“Hey,” Naruto whispered, leaning in to steal a chaste kiss from soft, pale lips. Sai responded to the gentle kiss, tilting his head questioningly when Naruto pulled away without deepening it. “I know you’re running back-to-back missions, so I just came over to sleep.” Naruto’s voice was soft, portraying a calm that his stormy blue-grey eyes didn’t match.

Sai merely nodded, scooting over and lifting his covers. The whiskered man flashed him a small genuine smile, standing up to strip down to just his forest-green boxers. He snuggled into Sai’s arms when he got onto the bed, sighing heavily as he buried his nose in the other’s neck. The lithe arms wrapped around him held tighter and legs entangled with his own. He listened as Sai’s breathing evened out and deepened; a soft purr rising in his throat in contentment.

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Naruto spent the next day cleaning his apartment, alone save for his clones. He had left Sai’s place after the artist himself had gone to meet up with his teammates for the mission of the day. Not wanting to mess up the man’s immaculate apartment in boredom, he had gone back to his own home to wait out the next twenty-four hours.

He snorted as dust flew up his nose from the couch cushions he was currently beating. “This is the last time I wait so long between cleanings.” He told himself, carefully neglecting to remember that he said this every time he cleaned the apartment. A knock at the door had his hand stilling and his entire body tense.

He swiftly and quietly walked to the door, a credit to all shinobi-kind, slipping a kunai into his palm along the way. A look out of the peep hole revealed to him a bored Shikamaru and a pissed looking Ino. “Naruto! We know you’re in there! Open this door before I do it for you!” Naruto cursed under his breath, a bit put off at having his plan to ignore them so easily foiled.

He sighed as he unlocked the door and opened just enough that he filled the entire entryway; leaving no room for Ino to try and force herself in, as he was sure she wanted. “What d’ya want, Ino?” He didn’t even try to pretend that he cared why she was there, which apparently was the absolute worst move he could have made in regards to the platinum haired kunoichi. The already narrowed aqua eye turned into a fire-spitting slit at his blatant disregard for her presence.

“How could you treat Sakura so badly after she bothered to invite you to her party?” Naruto suppressed the urge to growl at the ignorant woman before him. “Listen, I tried to tell her that I didn’t want to go and she wouldn’t take it. It’s her own fucking fault for always being so goddamn bossy; so don’t come to me asking for fucking answers.” Shikamaru looked at the blonde, really looked; a calculating gleam coming into his dark eyes.

“I see. So that’s what it is. Sorry to have been so troublesome, Naruto.” Before Ino even had a chance to open her mouth to protest, Shikamaru was already pulling her onto the rooftop across the street. A blond brow raised quizzically at the retreating pair. Naruto just shook his head and closed the door. After reinstating the locks, he turned to oversee the progress of his clones, sighing (once again) when he noticed they had all stopped in order to eavesdrop.

“Back to work, you ingrates! Or nobody gets ramen!” Despite the fact that he was, essentially, yelling at himself, Naruto felt immense satisfaction when the clones scattered.

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Night had only just fallen when Naruto received an unexpected, but most welcome, visitor. “Sai?” he questioned as he opened the living room window. The pale-nin entered on silent feet, removing his sandals as soon as his feet touched the floor. He didn’t respond verbally, instead he reached out and pulled the shocked Uzumaki into a hug.

“The mission was simple, so we finished early.” The ex-ROOT member answered Naruto’s unspoken question. He pulled away from the hug, smiling minutely when tan arms reluctantly released him. “Yamato-san informed me that Kakashi-san told him that Sakura-san was very upset with you. Something about a Halloween party?”

Naruto drew away from Sai as if he were burned, causing the other man to tilt his head in confusion. The demon-vessel drew an agitated hand through messy blond locks as he let out an aggravated sigh. “I swear to God that girl can’t keep her fucking trap shut. Shika and Ino were here earlier, and she was actin’ like I punched her mom or something!”

The young man paced in front of his worn, but finally clean, couch. Sai followed him with depthless eyes; taking in the slightly shaking, tightly clenched fists at Naruto’s sides. “Naruto-kun,” he called, frowning a bit when he caught frantic blue eyes. He held his arms open again and was a bit surprised by how quickly Naruto collapsed into them; normally Naruto had a little bit more self-control than that.

“What is the real reasoning behind your behavior?” He felt the back underneath the garish orange shirt tense, even as his hands ran up and down in a soothing gesture. He had to tighten his embrace when it seemed like Naruto wanted to get away from him.

“It’s nothing,” Naruto finally said, his voice gruff as he hid his face in Sai’s neck, “I told her I didn’t want to go to her stupid party and she blew a gasket. I’m so sick of her acting like a bitch to get what she wants out of me, and I told her so.” Pale hands continued to run their path on Naruto’s back and he felt his muscles relaxing despite his emotional discomfort.

“That is the reason why Sakura-san is upset, but you did not answer my question.” Naruto growled, pulling back forcefully until he could look Sai in the eye. “Yes, I just fucking did.” Sai didn’t react other then bringing Naruto back into the crook of his neck, by way of one of his hands on the back of Naruto’s head.

“Naruto-kun, why were you so very set against going to Sakura-san’s party? I am of the knowledge that it is old friends that are in attendance. Not only that, but you have engaged all of the locks on your door and windows; as well as the fact that you have several more traps than usual around your apartment. Now, please, what is the real reason?”

Naruto’s body stayed tense a few minutes longer before suddenly going completely boneless. Sai staggered under the sudden dead weight and had to quickly maneuver them onto the puce colored couch. He sat with his back against the arm-rest, propping one leg on the floor and the other against the back of the couch; settling Naruto comfortably in-between both limbs.

The be-whiskered face was pressed firmly against his neck and he shivered as he felt a mouth nibble at his pulse point. When Naruto decided to speak, it was so quiet that Sai nearly missed it. “I’ve never liked this month. October just seems to bring out the worst in the villagers.”

Naruto heaved a great breath, holding it in his lungs for a moment before slowly letting it out. His eyes were closed, his eyelids quivering. “During the time of the Kyuubi Festival, they used to go out of their way to make my life miserable. Throwing stones if they happened to see me outside the apartment, sometimes it was rotten food though. But, when night would fall and the villager’s would drink more and more… they got worse.”

“When I was still at the orphanage it wasn’t so bad. An extra smack or two then they’d lock me in a closet or whatever for the night. When I was forced to move into this apartment, though… I was alone and no one was there to stop them from coming in.” Sai tightened his arms as Naruto’s breath hitched.

“It was my sixth birthday the first time they actually broke in; before that all they would do was break the windows or chuck shuriken at the door. That time though… I guess they really wanted to make the “demon brat” learn his lesson to never attack the village again.” Naruto laughed bitterly, and Sai had to do his best to hide his disgust at the sound.

“Anyway, by the time they were done and the ANBU decided to step in, I ended up in the hospital for about two and a half weeks. I was out just in time for Halloween. Since I was usually locked away in the apartment, I had no idea what was up with all the orange stuff. How they hell was I supposed to know what a fucking pumpkin was? Whatever. So, as I was walking home from the hospital, I kept seeing people walking around with masks on.

The only people I had even seen with masks on were the ANBU and they were usually more trouble than they were a help, so I started freaking out. Apparently, I was making a scene. Y’know? Six year old kid crying in the middle of the street because he’s scared shitless isn’t what the marketplace vendors really see as appropriate. So, they attacked. Threw all sorts of shit at me; kunai, cabbage, a few shuriken, and some rotten tomatoes.” Naruto suppressed the urge to cry out by biting down on Sai’s creamy flesh, which was already littered with similar marks.

“When the ANBU showed up to see what was going on, I just freaked out worse. I blacked out when one of them got too close and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in a hospital bed again. Seems like Kyuubi didn’t like the fact that his host was being so damn weak. Old man Hokage told me that the ANBU had to knock me out so that I wouldn’t hurt myself. I really just wish he would’ve told the fucking truth.

Well, anyway, after that, it sort of became like a game for the shinobi in the village to see who could get me on my birthday then who could top it by getting me on Halloween. I was already so on edge because everyone could be an enemy; but now they knew the whole mask thing scared me to near fucking death.” He pulled back, raising up onto his elbows so that he could look down at Sai, eyes rimmed red with tears left unshed.

“So now you know. Why I always take away missions on my birthday and why I didn’t want to go to Sakura’s fucking party.” When black eyes showed no signs of pity, his shoulder’s sagged in relief. He leaned down, brushing his lips over Sai’s pliant ones. The pale nin closed his eyes, savoring the feel of Naruto’s all encompassing warmth while trying to absorb all of the emotional turmoil the tale invoked within him.

“Come, Naruto-kun,” he whispered when Naruto pulled away from the gently caress, “Let’s get to bed. It has been a long day.” Naruto’s smile in response was worth any baggage that the blond carried. Though, who was Sai to complain about someone being just a bit off?

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After securing Naruto in a cocoon of blankets, Sai made his way out of the quiet apartment; the many deadly traps set around the place making sure to ward off any ill-doers. He exited through the window, picking his sandals up as he went.
Over the rooftop, Sai moved like a blur. He blended into the blackness of the shadows and made sure to skirt around the brightly lit streets; still filled with party-goers and the many pumpkin shaped decorations.

He dropped down in front of the door to the bar Sai knew Sakura had rented out for her party. He listened as someone sang drunken Karaoke and as the audience laughed at the person’s attempts at staying in-sync with the song playing.

He walked in on silent feet, not very difficult considering how very loud the group of elite ninja was at the moment. His eyes darted around the room, searching intently for a shock of pink hair he knew to be the foul-tempered kunoichi.

He finally found her, leaning heavily on a laughing Ino, both women being watched by Shikamaru, who was shaking his head at them. Sai made his way over, avoiding a drunken Kiba who had launched himself at a full-body length mirror, mumbling something about a man standing in his way to the bathroom.**

There was no need for him to say anything to catch the inebriated women’s attention; Shikamaru handled it for him. “Hey Sai, how’s Naruto?” Sai nodded his head in acknowledgement to the greeting. “He is sleeping now. He has had a long day.”

Sakura suddenly seemed very sober as she latched onto the conversation. “Naruto? That jackass! I went through all that trouble and took time out of my day to invite him to my party, and what did he do!? Called me a bitch and left! I swear, if it weren’t for the fact that I pity him for chasing after me for all these years, I wouldn’t have anything to do with him.”

Sai’s hand shot out before anyone could blink and Sakura suddenly found herself facing a new direction, with a terrible stinging in her cheek. Ino gasped loudly and overdramatically, calling attention to the small group as silence fell over the previously noisy bar.

“Sai?” The ink user looked to see Kakashi making his way towards them, his singular eye clear despite the wobble in his walk. “What’s going on here?” Sai plastered his usual grin onto his face, causing a few of the assembled to back up a few steps, many of them not used to Sai’s odd way of displaying emotions.

“Nothing, Kakashi-san. I merely came here to tell Sakura-san that she is a heinous bitch and that I would like that she keep her distance from Naruto-kun from now on.” He tilted his head for effect and was not disappointed when a few people moved further from him.

“What did you just say?!” Sakura appeared to have gotten over the shock of being slapped by a former teammate, and she was livid. Her green eyes spat malicious intent and the vein in her forehead throbbed dangerously. Before she could make a move on Sai, she found herself unable to move.

“Kage Shibari no Jutsu***, success. Don’t be so troublesome, Sakura. You know what he says is true. You’re extremely insensitive when it comes to Naruto. I’m kinda surprised he didn’t say anything about it earlier, considering how impatient he usually is. You can go on now, Sai. We’ve got her.”

Sai nodded to the shadow nin, a genuine smile gracing his lips for a millisecond before his face returned to its usual blank state. He nodded once more to Kakashi, then took his leave; the crowd of shinobi and friends parting like the Red Sea before him.

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Naruto’s eyes snapped open as he felt another body dip onto his bed. “Mmurr, Sai? S’at you?” The pale nin slipped under the covers and sniggled into the sleep frazzled blond. “Yes,” he answered, burying his face in Naruto’s warm chest.

“Mm, okay.” Strong arms encased him in even more warmth and he smiled a genuine smile again. Gradually his breathing slowed down to match Naruto’s and as he was losing the last visages of consciousness, he heard Naruto whisper, “Looks like I finally got a treat for Halloween.” He slipped off into oblivion with those words as his chariot; the smile staying on his lips, unknowingly matching the one on Naruto’s.

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- End Shot 7!!

Author’s Note At the Bottom!

Oooh, first time I got to use an asterisk in my story! And I go to use three of them!!

*= If you have never seen Disney’s “Mulan”, this probably went right over your head. If you have seen the movie (enough times to know all of Mushu’s lines), then this was hilarious to you! Possibly…

**= Okay, so my best friend, Anime-Sweetie07, called me up one day with this list of random thoughts that people have. One of the random thoughts was this guy (A) who almost got in a fight with another guy (B) at a bar because B wouldn’t get out of A’s way. Turns out, A was just looking at himself in a mirror. Heehee The lesson here, kids, is don’t drink at a bar that keeps a full-sized mirror on their bathroom doors.

***= The Shadow Bind Technique, pretty mush Shikamaru’s signature move.
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Sooo, I bet no one saw that coming!! Truth be told… neither did I. Honestly, in my mind, when I was thinking of the concept for this one, it ending in a completely different way; with more sex and less… I don’t know… plot? Yeah. Don’t know how that happened. ^^

However, dudes! Look how long this was! I looked at the word count when I was done and I was, ‘What?! That makes no sense! How could I have done so much??’. Truly mind-boggling.

Anywho, this is my special Halloween chapter! Though there wasn’t really much Halloweeniness… I’ll make up for it with a role-playing chapter later, how’s that? ^^

As always, please review. I really do love the feedback and I love suggestions from the readers! (Ahem, yes, that means you.)