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Perception of Strength	By : chrissysky Category: Gensomaden Saiyuki > General Views: 1541 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gensomaden Saiyuki, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Chapter Two: Fear of the Inevitable
When Yaone finished recounting what had happened, she jumped and squeaked as Kougaiji, the man she had sworn to follow no matter what, punched another large dent into the wall.
�Those bastards!� the redhead shouted, his eyes blazing with rage. �How could they do this?!�
Yaone exchanged a worried glance with Dokugakuji over their prince�s behavior. It was usual for them to see him this angry, but usually it was about their own people, not the enemy.
�Kou,� Dokugakuji began cautiously, �you do remember that Sanzo-ikkou are supposed to be our enemies right? We�re supposed to fight them�� It was true that in previous circumstances, they had often found themselves fighting side-by-side with their enemy as opposed to fighting against them, but they all knew it couldn�t be like that forever. They were destined to face each other in combat.
Not that he looked forward to fighting his little brother to the death. A small part of him was actually relieved this had happened.
�That�s not the point!� Kou shouted. �They�ve traveled so far for so long! They�d earned the way here with sweat and blood, and she�she just took it from them! Neither of them have any sense of honor! DAMN IT!� He punched the wall again, this time making a large hole where his fist landed. All three of his companions jumped this time.
�Onii-chan� I�m sure they�ll come back,� Lirin said, attempting to calm her brother. �Those guys are too stubborn to give up.�
�I know that, but�� Feeling helpless, Kougaiji looked up at the incased form of his mother, Rasentunyo. In circumstances like these, he wished more than anything that she was not sealed, so she could give him advice. �I��

It�s been nearly two years now since I first fought them. And since, I�ve been trying to implement how they live, how they�re free of everything.
They have true strength.

�I don�t know if I can serve that bitch any longer,� he finished, words hanging thickly in the air like a death sentence.
It probably was.
*
The birds outside chirping were what woke Sasuke up the next morning. He doubted he�d gotten more than three hours of sleep, but the sun was rising and he hoped to get in some training before they continued on toward the coast. But the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes and sat up was bright blond hair shining in the early morning sunlight.
Naruto and Goku were sprawled on each side of their bed; Goku�s arm was resting atop Naruto�s chest. Naruto�s mouth was wide open, and a stream of saliva cascaded out of his mouth.
Sasuke sneered in disgust. This was the guy who had beaten Hyuuga Neji and Gaara of the Sand? And let�s not forget that Haku kid in the Land of Waves. He remembered that battle all too well, though like Naruto, he chose never to speak of it. It was the first time he had been able to use the Sharingan, his family�s bloodline limit. He�d done it because� that stupid idiot had fallen unconscious�
It still confused him. He�d put himself between Naruto and Haku, knowing perfectly well that it was a trap, and�
He didn�t know why. His body had just moved on its own. It wasn�t as if he cared about the moron.
Sasuke continued to watch Naruto, and that line of drool, as the sun rose further.
But he did care.
When he�d heard his brother had returned, it wasn�t just revenge that had spurred him into finding him�a part of him kept thinking about the fact that Itachi was after Naruto. A part he�d been fighting against since the Land of Waves.
It had been a very long time since he had allowed himself to feel anything, and then he�d met Naruto, who was managing to melt the ice chips that had incased his heart. He wasn�t a touchy-feely person. He wasn�t supposed to be like this. He was supposed to get revenge; it was his duty to kill Itachi and restore his clan.

But� this feeling� What does it mean?

Sasuke kept watching Naruto sleep�thoughts of that early training gone to some far away place�as if Naruto held the answers to his confusion. The loud blond always seemed so sure of himself and the path he was on. He had no doubt in his mind�he would become Hokage, stronger than all those who had come before, and the village would respect him.
Sasuke knew the path he had to take in his life� But unlike Naruto, he wasn�t without doubt.
He almost envied him.

He�s not that bad looking, I guess. Actually, he looks kind of like the Fourth Hokage�

Suddenly, that accidental kiss came to mind. On their last day in the Academy, just before Umino Iruka had assigned their genin teams, Naruto for some reason had gotten right in his face to glare at him. Sasuke had, naturally, glared right back.
Then someone had knocked into Naruto from behind, pushing the two of them together�or more accurately, their mouths.
It had been his first kiss.
He�d felt a little nauseated, though it wasn�t normal nausea. More than anything, he was just embarrassed that it had happened in front of their classmates.
Sasuke smirked a little, remembering how Sakura, Ino, and the rest of his �fan club� had nearly killed Naruto for stealing that kiss. After he�d thought about it though, Sasuke found he was alright with that. Naruto was annoying, but not nearly as annoying as those girls were.
He didn�t know what that meant either.
Naruto gave a sudden twitch and his eyes snapped open, as if waking from a bad dream. Those eyes immediately found Sasuke�s, though it took him a few minutes for his sleep-fogged brain to realize what he was seeing: Sasuke sitting cross-legged in bed, staring at him.
�Sasuke?� he asked around a yawn. �What is it?�
Caught in the act, Sasuke turned his face away to hide his blush. �Nothing.�
�What? What?� Naruto pressed.
�Just forget about it.� Sasuke stood to get dressed, turning his back to the blond and thus ending the conversation. It�s just the pillow fight from last night. It�s making me feel introspective. Because he knew damn well that if it had been anyone but Naruto, he would never have done such a thing�loosening up.
Growling, Naruto stood and got right in Sasuke�s face so he had to look at him. �Asshole, don�t ignore me! Why were you staring at me?�
�What makes you think I was staring at you?� Sasuke replied in a bored, superior tone. Even he knew what a stupid statement that was though.
�Maybe because you were looking right at me? Geez, and everyone calls you a genius!� Naruto snarled the last word contemptuously.
�Just drop it, Naruto.� He just wanted to forget it had ever happened, like everything else that involved the blond.
�No!� snapped Naruto. �You�re always doing this! Acting as if you�re better than me! Why are you always such a jerk?!�
�Leave me alone, idiot!�
�Not until you tell me why!� He got right in Sasuke�s face now. He could feel the Uchiha heir�s warm breath.
�I don�t know!� Sasuke winced at the slip. He hadn�t meant to say it; it sounded too much like a weakness. He hated seeming weak, especially in front of Naruto.
Naruto just blinked in confusion. He didn�t know? That was weird, and very familiar.
Now, it just so happened that the two of them were standing right in front of the door, which opened inward, as most doors do.
Down the hall, Gojyo had woken a few moments before with ideas of reenacting the previous night�s carnal activities, but as he�d been kissing Hakkai�s neck, his lover had gently prodded him into getting up and waking the others for breakfast. He�d used that gentle, manipulative tone, the same one he used when he told Gojyo to use an ashtray instead of a beer can. Gojyo, in the four years of knowing Hakkai, had yet to build up a resistance toward it, and he didn�t think he ever would.
So he got up and decided to wake Goku first, so he could wake Sanzo and get hit for it. He�d opened the door without knocking, since it was only Goku and the two ninja brats. He would have knocked if they were girls, because that was totally different.
The door hit Naruto from behind, with enough force to send him colliding into Sasuke. Despite their height differences, their lips still met perfectly.
Worse yet, they were too shocked to part, and were still �kissing� when Gojyo peered around the door. The water sprite raised an eyebrow�the kiss didn�t look particularly romantic, a little uncomfortable actually�and turned his attention to Goku, who was still sleeping. �Oi, monkey! Breakfast!�
Goku woke groggily. �Huh? Food?�
�Yeah, hurry up.� Gojyo smirked at the two boys still standing close together. �That goes for you love birds too.� He closed the door as he left.
Goku turned to look at them just as they pulled apart. Huh?

�IT HAPPENED AGAIN!� Naruto shouted�as always, he had to be the spazz.
Sasuke touched his stomach. That feeling was back again, only it was different from before. Still not quite typical nausea though.
�What�s going on?� Goku asked, still sleepy.
Naruto suddenly noticed his new friend watching them. �Uh�uh, it�s not what you think! It was an accident!�
Goku blinked. �What�s the big deal? You were only kissing.�
�The big deal? We�re both boys! Boys aren�t supposed to kiss each other!�
Again, Goku didn�t get it. �So what? I kissed Sanzo�. Once. And he was asleep. But I kissed him!�
Naruto stared at him, jaw unhinged. He didn�t notice that Sasuke was too. �Why would you want to kiss him?�
Goku smiled and looked away from them shyly. �Because� he�s Sanzo.� And for him, that was reason enough.
Sasuke watched the brunet carefully. �You love him.�
Goku scratched the back of his head, smiling awkwardly. �Heh, yeah, I do.�
�But that�s kinda�� Naruto trailed off. Gross wasn�t quite right, because even though he hadn�t been loved a lot in his life, he knew he liked it when he got it. �Guys aren�t supposed to do those things with each other!�
Though, if a cool guy like Goku didn�t think so, it suddenly gave him doubts.
Goku frowned. He�d never seen anything wrong with it, because of Hakkai and Gojyo. �What are you afraid of? It�s only kissing. It doesn�t matter if it�s a guy or a girl.�
�I�m not afraid!� Naruto wasn�t afraid of anything.
Goku grinned. �Well, you kinda act like it.�
Before Naruto could reply, they heard Sanzo holler from outside the door. The shouting must have woken him. �Hey, idiots! Hurry it up!�
�Okay!� Goku rushed out of bed, dressed, and was out the door in record time.
Naruto watched him go, feeling frozen in place. He wasn�t afraid� but�
�Oi.� Sasuke nudged Naruto�s elbow with his own. �Let�s go.� Goku�s words puzzled him as well, but he chose to put them aside for later.
Naruto met his rival�s dark eyes and blushed. �S-Sure.�
*
Shortly after breakfast they hit the road again. Sasuke decided that, since he�d missed out on the training he�d wanted to do that morning, he�d follow from above. Naruto, not to be undone by his rival, agreed and Sakura, not to be left behind by her crush, did also. The whole exchange puzzled the ikkou until they saw the young ninja jumping from tree to tree as they followed the Jeep.
�Hey, Sasuke-teme,� Naruto said as he jumped in his usual manner; using both his arms and legs like an animal. �I bet I go longer than you can!� He was feeling in a competitive mood today, especially after the kiss this morning. He wanted to prove he wasn�t afraid of Sasuke.
Sasuke smirked. �Humph,� he grunted skeptically, knowing that it would just spur the other boy on.
Sakura sighed and followed behind them, not getting involved. �Boys.� Why do they care so much? she wondered, not for the first (or last) time.
�Wow�� Goku gazed in unsuppressed awe at them. �Naruto, show me how to do that later!�
Gojyo snorted. �See?� he said to Hakkai and Sanzo. �Monkey.�
�Huh?� Goku blinked, not getting what he meant.
Hakkai laughed softly and glanced at the children again, unworried about his own driving. �Hokage-sama was right when she said they wouldn�t slow us down.�
�Looks that way,� Gojyo replied, smirking at the two so-called rivals. He was still waiting for the right moment to tease them about the kiss he�d walked in on. Speaking of teasing� �Though, who would have guessed Sanzo-sama was such a sucker for children?�
�Shut up or die,� Sanzo grumbled, ignoring the way the redhead leered at him.
�Hmm. Now that you mention it, Sanzo does seem to have a soft spot for kids,� Hakkai agreed thoughtfully. Sanzo�s violet eyes narrowed and Hakkai just smiled at him blissfully. �That could be from his association with Goku.�
�Sanzo has a heart after all!� Gojyo simpered. �He�s not all, �Die! Get the hell outta my room or die! Shut up! Can I kill you now?��
�Do you two want to be buried beside each other like married couples?� Sanzo asked darkly.
Hakkai chuckled. �I didn�t know we were that inseparable, Gojyo.�
Gojyo tightened the arm that dangled around Hakkai�s shoulders. �Hey, you know a grudge against me is a grudge against you.�
�Oh my.�
Sanzo rolled his eyes and let it drop. �Stop distracting the driver.�
�Oi, if I was gonna distract the driver, I�d do this�� Gojyo let his hand wander down Hakkai�s stomach.
�Gojyo!� Hakkai gasped and sure enough, they nearly veered off the road into the surrounding trees. Sanzo shot at the water sprite until he was too afraid to go near Hakkai for an hour.
At noon, they reached the coast and stopped to dine before going to the docks. Sanzo approached the first captain he saw, found out where his ship was going, and immediately began haggling. The others left him to it. Goku and Naruto looked around in obvious wonder at the large ships currently docking the port. People walked on platforms back and forth carrying cargo and sailors shouted orders at one another as they worked among ropes and sails.
�Have you been on a ship before, Sasuke-kun?� Sakura asked.
The dark haired boy shook his head silently.
�I think this will be a first time for all of us,� Hakkai noted, speaking from what he knew of everyone�s various pasts. He glanced at Gojyo, knowing his lover�s opinion of water. The only �swimming� he wanted to do was in bed, and the only water he wanted near was in a shower. He didn�t look nervous, but Hakkai knew this wouldn�t be a pleasant trip for him.
�Hey, Sakura-chan, Sasuke-teme!� Naruto shouted at once. �Watch this!� Without further warning, he jumped off the end of the peer, right into the water.
�Naruto, you idiot! What do you think you�re doing?!� The girl shouted after him.
There was no splash, however. Standing above the water, Naruto turned and waved at his friends cheerfully, grinning shamelessly at his accomplishment. �It�s like those tree climbing exercises we did in the Land of Waves, only harder �cause the water isn�t solid, yanno?� He was proud to show his teammates again how far he�d come since they�d been originally partnered together.
Impressed despite himself, Sasuke activated his Sharingan to see more closely what Naruto was doing. If anyone noticed his eyes flashing a brilliant red, they didn�t mention it. Seeing just how Naruto focused his chakra on his feet and how it differed from the previous lesson Kakashi had taught them, he mimicked it perfectly and stepped onto the water beside the surprised blond.
�Oi, that�s not fair!� Naruto cried, noticing how Sasuke�s eyes returned to their normal shade of black. �It took me all day to learn that, bastard!�
Sasuke smirked at him and pointed at his eyes. �Sharingan,� he reminded smugly. �Every technique is up for grabs.�
�Nothing less from the genius Sasuke-kun!� Sakura noted with a dreamy smile. He�s so cool!

Growling at his accomplishment being so easily mocked, Naruto crouched and put his hands together above the water. A stream of sea water shot right into Sasuke�s face. �Take that!�
Sasuke sputtered, but didn�t lose balance. Retaliating, he swung around elegantly, kicking water at the blond before Naruto could fully rise from his crouch.
The others, and even some of the sailors, watched as the fight escalated, and it couldn�t be denied that the two looked like they were having a lot of fun. Soon they were soaking wet.
Sakura sighed angrily, damping down the impulse to go hit Naruto. She knew that if she got close though she�d get wet too, so she�d let it slide. For now. �What�s the point in standing above the water if you�re just going to get wet anyway?!�
�Man, I wanna join in!� Goku pouted, remembering how much he�d enjoyed the pillow fight the previous night.
Hakkai laid a hand on his shoulder. �I don�t think you should. This is something important between them,� he told Goku knowingly.
Goku blinked. �It is?�
�You know how you are with Kougaiji? You wouldn�t want anyone to interrupt a fight between you, right?� Hakkai knew it wasn�t exactly the same thing, but it was the best example he could come up with. It wasn�t as though Goku and Sanzo competed against each other, after all�the times when Goku�s limiter came off notwithstanding.
Goku smiled as he caught on. �Oh, yeah. I wouldn�t.� Then he frowned. �But I really had fun playing with them last night.�
�Playing?� Gojyo leered at the shorter brunet. �What kind of playing?�
�A pillow fight,� Goku replied innocently.
Hakkai clamped his hand over Gojyo�s mouth before he could comment on that. �Not everyone thinks like you do, Gojyo.�
�Yes they do,� the water sprite replied, lowering Hakkai�s hand. �They just don�t admit it.�
Sakura blushed. I knew he was a pervert!

�Oi! We�re going!� Sanzo called their attention, abruptly ending the fun.
Hakkai smiled. �Looks like Sanzo found an ATM.�
�Hurray for him,� Gojyo grunted as he lit another cigarette, a step behind his lover as they boarded the ship.
Sakura dug out a towel from her belongings and handed it to Sasuke as he stepped back onto the platform. �Here, Sasuke-kun! So you can dry off.� She mentally patted herself on the back for remembering to bring it.
Sasuke eyed the pink towel but took it anyway to rub his dripping face and hair. When he was done, he tossed it to Naruto, whom the girl seemed to have forgotten. Not that it surprised him. �Here, idiot.�
�Huh?� Naruto blinked at the towel before grinning widely. �Oh, thanks, Sakura-chan!�
Sakura sighed and smiled wanly. �No problem. That�s why I brought it.� She hadn�t hoped to get such an enthusiastic response from Sasuke, but it still hurt a little when he rebuffed her affections. She wondered if she still annoyed him as much as he said she did when they first became teammates.
And thus they embarked on their journey, unsuspecting just how much their lives were about to change.
*
It soon became apparent to Hakkai what the problem was. Not that Gojyo hanging off the side of the ship wasn�t a big hint already.
Sanzo smirked nastily. �The kappa gets seasick?�
�So it seems,� Hakkai murmured. �I�d better take him below, I suppose.� Maneuvering around the various ropes that littered the large ship, he made his way to Gojyo and took him by the arm. �Come on, let�s get you into bed.�
�Don�t need a bed,� Gojyo groaned. �The ground needs to fucking stop moving so much.�
�Yes, yes.� Hakkai resigned himself to playing nursemaid for a little while. Not that he minded all that much. Well, there was the vomit on his shoe, but he could live with it.
�That was really cool, what you did earlier,� Goku said excitedly to Naruto.
�Heh, thanks!� Naruto had removed his top layer of clothing so that it could dry in the sun. It was lucky that today was so warm and that his skin was pretty tanned�he didn�t sunburn easily. Sasuke, who had also removed his shirt, would be more susceptible, and Naruto hoped his skin burned. It�d serve him right, trying to outdo me, the jerk. He had a mental image of Sasuke scratching at red, peeling skin and almost cackled out loud.
�Man, I can�t believe we have to stay on this thing for two weeks!� Goku complained as he looked around. With all the ropes and sailors around, there wasn�t really a lot of room for movement. It seemed even more claustrophobic thinking about how long they would remain here.
�Yeah, this sucks,� Naruto agreed, his thoughts on the same line as Goku�s.
Sanzo glanced at the already bored boys. �We might be attacked by pirates.�
�Really?� Both turned on him with wide, excited eyes. �You think so?!�
Sanzo shrugged and continued smoking.
�Wow, that�d be so cool!� Goku shouted.
�Yeah, I�ve never fought pirates before!� Naruto added.
Sakura rolled her eyes at their behavior, giggling when she saw Sasuke do the same. �It�s funny how alike they are,� she commented, though she was having a hard time paying attention to other things besides the dark-haired boy�s pale chest and abdomen.
�Not really,� Sasuke murmured, glaring at Goku. �It�s more annoying than funny.�
Sakura frowned, not understanding what the Uchiha heir was angry about. �Yeah, Naruto annoys me a lot of the time too,� she said low enough not to be overheard. She didn�t want to hurt Naruto�s feelings.
Sasuke gave her a withering look. �That�s not what I was saying.�
Sakura blushed. �I� I don�t understand, Sasuke-kun.�
�I wouldn�t expect you to,� Sasuke replied, pushing off from the ledge and walking over to the other boys. If Naruto wasn�t going to pay attention to him, then he�d make him.
Sakura stared after him, dumbfounded and more than a little hurt.
Sanzo glanced at her as Sasuke instigated a sparring session with Naruto, thus leaving their third teammate behind. He supposed that he had to put up with their sordid love triangle now that they were traveling together. �If I were you,� he commented, �I�d give up.�
Sakura jumped, having forgotten the standoffish blond was there. �Huh?�
Sanzo didn�t say more; no matter how tempted he was, he didn�t want to make the girl cry. Besides, if Goku saw he�d make a big fuss about it.
*
Hakkai held into Gojyo�s arm, pressing his forefinger into a spot on the redhead�s wrist. Eventually Gojyo stopped heaving.
Gojyo looked up at the brunet perched precariously beside him on the hammock, and then he suddenly noticed the space around him for the first time. The ship had no beds, just the hammocks, and the crew and passengers all slept in the same space. There were two other compartments besides this one; the kitchen and cargo area. He glanced back at his lover. �What�re you doing?�
Hakkai smiled. �It�s a trick I learned once. The next time you feel sick, just press down here.� He showed Gojyo the spot. �It should relieve the tension.�
Gojyo smiled tiredly. �Hey, so you know some other tricks besides what you can do with your chi.�
�A few,� Hakkai said with a laugh. He retrieved a glass of water and held it to Gojyo�s lips. �Drink a little of this.�
After swallowing, Gojyo winced as his tongue felt around his mouth. �Yuck, my mouth tastes terrible.�
Hakkai grinned. �Thanks for the warning.�
Gojyo snorted, but he smiled softly when Hakkai kissed the scars on his cheek gently. His heart always felt like it skipped a beat when the brunet did that. No matter how many women he�d slept with, he�d never let any of them do that. But Hakkai understood where they were from, and he let Gojyo touch the scars on his stomach for the same reason.
�I hate sharing a room,� the redhead grumbled, thinking about just how long they would be sleeping here too. �This is just cruel.�
Hakkai laughed softly as Gojyo squeezed his hips gently. �Maybe we can figure something out.�
�Oh?�
�Yes, you and your insatiable lust shall not go unattended,� Hakkai joked lightly as he stood up. �I�m going to clean up your mess.� Gojyo had thrown up a little on the way down. �Will you be alright?�
�I think I can manage a few minutes without you,� Gojyo replied.
Hakkai chuckled. �That�s good.�
*
Konzeon Bosatsu watched, like she always did, as the group continued their journey. While the current situation was a little odd, she wasn�t worried about it, especially seeing how it was turning out.
�Looks like they have some new recruits,� she murmured, glancing at Nataku�s immobile form. �Maybe Naruto will climb trees for fruit with Goku, yeah?�
Nataku, of course, didn�t respond to the jab.
She smirked. It had been 500 years, but she remembered that time vividly.
Maybe everything they would do from then on would be because of that moment, like a domino effect that continued on, into eternity.
�Let�s see how they continue living��
*
They hadn�t ever really fought before. They�d wanted to face each other in the Chuunin exam, but thanks to the Sand ninja and Orochimaru things hadn�t turned out as planned. This wasn�t truly fighting either, just sparring with lots of shuriken usage and, as they went on, jutsus that weren�t too destructive. The sailors were more than a little irritated by Naruto�s clones flying in all directions as Sasuke evaded them, and the fire, the knives, the shouting, and the climbing, but after a few hours the two eventually exhausted themselves.
Goku, on the sidelines beside Sanzo, watched them wavering on their feet. �They�re so cool.�
�They�re holding back,� Sanzo noted dully.
Goku nodded. �I know.� He could tell they were both capable of more, but were holding back. It was just training after all. �They�re still cool though.�
Sanzo grunted, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Tired though they may be, neither wanted to call it quits just yet. Whoever did would obviously be the loser, and would look weak in the eyes of the other. Obviously they couldn�t do that.
�What�s the matter, teme?� Naruto panted. �Getting tired?�
Sasuke wiped the sweat off his brow. �Che. You�re the one that can barely stand.�
�Oh yeah? I�ll last longer than you, Sasuke! I won�t be beaten by you!�
�We�ll see about that.� Sasuke pulled out more shuriken from his pouch.
Sanzo sighed. �Now they�re just getting stupid.�
�Think we should tell them that it�s almost dinner?� Goku questioned.
�It�s worth a try,� Sanzo grunted, nodding.
�Hey, Naruto! Sasuke! Time to eat!� Goku shouted, earning their attention.
�Already?� Naruto grinned when he saw the sun was starting to set. �Heh. Guess we got carried away.� The crew didn�t look too happy with them, but Naruto was used to being glared at by people so he took it in stride.
Sasuke just naturally didn�t care. He reclaimed his shirt, which was now dry, and turned around just in time to see a peculiar design on Naruto�s flat stomach, but not long enough to make out what it was clearly. In a flash it was gone. A seal? Sasuke wondered. Had it been there the whole time? Sasuke couldn�t be certain. He hadn�t really been paying that much attention. Naruto tended to give away his movements with his expressive eyes, so that�s where a lot of his focus had been. Filing the information away for later, he trailed behind the blond until they reached the dining area. The table was large but already pretty full, so he had to sit between his rival and Sakura. There was conversation but he largely stayed out of it.
�Gojyo�s not eating with us?� Goku asked as Hakkai sat down.
�No, he�s not feeling up to it yet. I�ll save something for him later.� Hakkai gave Sanzo a meaningful look. �I spoke to the cook about, ah, our group�s eating habits.�
�Good call,� Sanzo murmured around his coffee cup.
�He said it shouldn�t be a problem. When the supplies start running low they begin fishing.�
�Fishing?� Goku echoed with eagerness in his voice. �Can we help?�
�I�m sure the boys wouldn�t mind you lending a hand, kid,� the captain said from the head of the table, smiling at his passengers. If today was anything to go by, this voyage was going to be particularly interesting.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, the topic reminding him of the last time Team Seven had fished. Naruto had done most of the catching, and that had been before the blond had learned to stand above the water with his chakra. It had been just after Orochimaru attacked and placed the curse on him. Unconsciously, Sasuke rubbed the side of his neck, the memory of the man�s sharp teeth still strong. Naruto had saved him that time. The curse, however, continued to bother him, despite Kakashi having sealed it.
Feeling eyes on him, Naruto looked up from his food and met Sasuke�s dark, blank gaze. Before he could ask what Sasuke was staring at this time, the dark haired boy blushed and looked away. Huh? What�s his problem now? This naturally just reminded Naruto of what he�d been trying to forget the entire day and he blushed himself.
Sasuke cursed at himself mentally. What the hell am I blushing for? This is so stupid.

It wasn�t that the kiss had really bothered Naruto, even though he wouldn�t have minded trying it with Sakura. It was the fact that it didn�t bother him that bothered him. He felt a little queasy thinking about it, but a little excited too. It wasn�t fear though, despite Goku�s implication, he wouldn�t let it be�he wasn�t afraid of Sasuke!
He�d prove it.

I�ll prove it? How? Naruto questioned himself. It took him until after they all went to bed before he figured it out.
He just had to get Sasuke to go along with it.
Climbing out of his hammock gingerly, draping a blanket around him because of the cold, he crept across the room silently to where Sasuke slept and reached out a hand to poke the other boy. His hand was grabbed before he could do so however. �Ack!�
�What do you want?� Sasuke asked grumpily. It was hard enough trying to sleep when the ship was so noisy, even more so at night it seemed, without his teammate sneaking up on him in what was probably a dumb sneak attack.
�Are you asleep?� Naruto asked softly.
Sasuke glared. �Yes, I talk in my sleep. Moron.�
�You do? Really?�
Sasuke wished his glare could kill. If he was anywhere nearer his brother�s level, he probably had a better shot at it. �No. I was joking.�
�Oh. Oh! Wow.� Naruto grinned nervously. �I�ve never heard you tell a joke before.�
�Don�t get used to it.� Sasuke realized he was still holding Naruto�s hand and abruptly let go. �What did you want?� he asked again, not in the mood for this.
Sasuke found his hand being grabbed this time as Naruto tugged on his arm. �I need to talk to you. Come on.�
Sighing, he threw off his blankets and put his sandals back on. Naruto dragged him back onto the deck. It had gotten dark not long before, so the moon was high in the air and the night crew was at work�though Sasuke spotted a large group of them surrounding a lamp while they played cards. �Alright, what is it?�
�Not here,� Naruto replied, shivering a little in the damp wind.
�Cold?� Sasuke asked with a small smirk.
�No!� Naruto answered heatedly, and immediately proved his lie when he headed for an alcove that faced away from the wind. He sat down and motioned for Sasuke to sit beside him.
Grudgingly, he did so. �Now, are you going to tell me what you want before or after I kick your ass?�
�As if you could!� Naruto shot back, before he turned serious. �Sasuke� Um. About this morning��
�Yesterday morning.�
�Huh?�
�It�s morning now,� Sasuke pointed out. He knew perfectly well what Naruto wanted to talk about now and was hoping to distract the blond. Feeble attempt however.
�Oh. Right. Well, I�ve been thinking about what Goku said� You know, about it not mattering and being afraid of it.� He fixed Sasuke with a determined look. �Well, I�m not afraid.�
Sasuke blinked, quelling the urge to move away from those intense blue eyes. He couldn�t see their true color in the darkness, but it did nothing to diminish Naruto�s clarity. Naruto always had that look on his face when he was absolutely determined to do something, and even though the odds were against him, he still managed to pull it off. Now, it made Sasuke uneasy.
Then, the implication hit home. He glared at the blond. �I�m not afraid either.�
�Prove it,� Naruto urged, mentally cheering at accomplishing his goal more easily than he�d thought it would be.
Not really thinking about it�and still bristling over the veiled insult�Sasuke inched closer and moved to press their mouths together.
Their noses bumped.
Naruto laughed and rubbed his. �Heh. Two times we kiss perfectly on accident, and the first time we�re actually trying to do it we mess up.�
�Humph.� He hadn�t messed it up. Naruto�s head had moved. �Hold still,� he admonished while holding either side of the blond�s face. He tilted his slightly and moved forward again.
This time was better. The ill feeling was still there, but it was different, maybe even a little enjoyable.
Naruto touched his lips softly. His bottom lip was a little cracked from where he�d been biting it earlier. �That was short.�
�What?� Sasuke blinked.
�In the movies they do it longer.�
�Oh.� Sasuke moved in again and held the position longer. Then Naruto began moving his lips and Sasuke mimicked the action. Surprisingly, the repetitive motion improved the experience.
Needing to breath, eventually Naruto pulled away. He noticed Sasuke was breathing heavier too and an idea struck. �Hey, I bet I can go longer than you!� It wasn�t too different than holding breath under water.
Sasuke smirked. He thinks he�s not supposed to breathe? He was just enough of a bastard not to enlighten him. �You�re on.�
Growling softly, Naruto kissed that superior expression. He held out much longer this time, he thought more than two minutes, but he still was the one to eventually give in.
Sasuke tried not to laugh. Naruto looked like he was about to collapse. The blond had held out a long longer than he�d thought he would though.
Noting how winded Sasuke wasn�t just pissed Naruto off more. �Two out of three!�
�Have it your way.� Evilly, Sasuke still didn�t mention anything and made sure to keep his breathing quiet and shallow.
It wasn�t until the next round that Naruto noticed the warm air brushing against his cheek as the other boy exhaled through his nose. �You bastard! You�re cheating!�
Sasuke couldn�t help himself�he actually laughed. �There aren�t any rules against it.�
Naruto grumbled about unfair so-called geniuses who liked to cheat until he felt more than saw Sasuke shiver. Without a word, he rearranged his blanket until it surrounded both of them, making Sasuke sit closer.
Sasuke looked up at the sky in order to appear nonchalant, but noticed how bright the stars were beyond the masts. Usually he felt even lonelier at night when he saw the stars, and cold, but it was hard to feel lonely or cold with the blond warmth next to him. He told himself, even as his eyes drooped, he�d just sit there a moment longer before going back to bed.
Naruto told himself that he�d wait another minute before making Sasuke kiss again.
Before either realized it they were fast asleep.
TBC.
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Perception of Strength