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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
- 4
- 5
Chapter Five: A Proud Way of Life

That morning, Naruto had a very weird dream.
Usually his most vivid dreams were of becoming a great Hokage, or of ramen he could never eat before he woke up, but this was quite different. Despite being around lots of perverts, he hadn�t had many wet dreams, let alone one about his best friend.
Dream Sasuke was glaring at him, looking royally pissed off about something. Naruto guessed it had to do with the fact that he was wearing a very short black skirt. Sasuke�s arms were folded across his chest, not even trying to cover himself.
�You can�t be serious,� Dream Sasuke snapped in a deadly tone.
�Huh?� Naruto asked.
Dream Sasuke motioned irritably at the skirt. �This! You pervert. This is low, even for you. I�d expect it from that lame excuse for a legendary sennin. Looks like some of that rubbed off.�
�I�M NOT A PERVERT!� Even in his dreams, Sasuke had to piss him off. Why couldn�t he let him enjoy this? Sasuke had such� interesting legs� and the skirt went up so high� Naruto wondered if Sasuke was wearing anything underneath�
Sasuke�s nose wrinkled. �You want to lift up my skirt?�
Naruto blushed.
Dream Sasuke rolled his eyes. �Idiot, I�m a boy. You�d better come to terms with that. Besides, if I were a girl, you couldn�t fight me.�
�What?�
�Would you really fight a girl like you do with me?�
�Well� No.� Not to say that he wouldn�t fight one ever, especially if it was for a mission, and if they were as strong as that Temari girl from the Sand Country, or even Tsunade. But Dream Sasuke was right, it wouldn�t be the same. His and Sasuke�s relationship was so interesting because they fought.
Dream Sasuke smirked. �So get rid of this fucking skirt.�
Naruto grinned and a second later found himself looking at the completely naked visage of his rival.
Snarling, Dream Sasuke pulled a kunai out of who knows where. �Okay, now you die.�
Naruto started backing away. �Hey hey, at least you have a penis!� He pointed at the� rather interesting body part, frantic. �I realize you�re not a girl!� Even though he really is pretty enough to be. Naruto decided to keep that thought to himself. Dream Sasuke was pissed at him enough already.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. �Small favors.�
�Well, not that small.�
Sasuke glanced down and blushed slightly. �At least you didn�t make me pathetically small in order to compensate for your short comings.�
�OI!�
*
The real Sasuke woke because Naruto was breathing against his neck�against the cursed spot where Orochimaru had bitten him�and it gave Sasuke a sickly feeling all over once he noticed it. He didn�t want to associate Orochimaru�s touch with Naruto�s�that was just wrong on so many levels. He twisted around so Naruto�s head landed on the hammock and Sasuke grimaced at the sight.
Naruto was oddly cute with his hair rumpled from sleep, strands falling into his face without the forehead protector to hold it back. Giving into an uncomfortable impulse, Sasuke touched the blond head and found it thick, like fur.
Like before, he had slept incredibly well last night, and he knew it had to be because of Naruto. Warmth squeezed his chest, and Sasuke began to seriously consider waking the idiot with a kiss. Hell, he wasn�t even drooling this morning. Before he could though, someone called his name.
�Sasuke-kun?�
Turning to face his other teammate, Sasuke gave Sakura a look of extreme irritation. �What?� Looking around the room he saw that their clients were already gone, meaning that they had probably seen him and Naruto together as well. Wonderful. The day was just getting better and better.
Sakura�s green eyes were wide open, and her smile was faltering, uncertain with the scene she had woken up to. �Um, Sasuke-kun, why were you sleeping with Naruto?�
She�d woken a few minutes before and had watched the entire scene unfold (had Sasuke been stroking Naruto�s hair?!), too shocked to speak at first. Not only shocked, but afraid as to why.
Sasuke got to his feet, not liking the fact that laying down Sakura stood taller than him. �Because I wanted to.� It was that simple, really. Naruto had moved over and Sasuke had taken the offered space.
Sakura�s smile fell completely now. �And� and not me?� All her hopes and dreams of a future with Sasuke seemed to be wrapped up in that question.
Sasuke sighed. �No,� he said plainly.
Her lip quivered, but before a tear was shed she ran outside. A part of Sasuke was relieved to finally have the moment over with.
What he hadn�t counted on was Naruto waking up.
The blond angrily jumped out of the hammock and stood in front of Sasuke, blue eyes blazing. �Why were you so mean to her?! You know how she feels about you!� It still hurt, but it wasn�t something he could change.
�I wasn�t mean to her,� Sasuke answered, making an attempt to be calm. Why did Naruto always have to favor Sakura? He had her on such a pedestal. It pissed Sasuke off. �She�s just upset that I don�t like her like that.�
Naruto blinked, his anger ebbing immediately, replaced with sharp surprise. Oh shit, does that mean he likes me like that? Sasuke kissed him, Sasuke slept with him�things that Sakura wanted, Sasuke wanted to do with him. Gojyo had said to ask him, and he�d been putting it off. He wondered if now would be the right time.
Or maybe he didn�t really need to.
A second late Sasuke realized what he�d inadvertently given away. He pondered briefly taking it back, but decided it would inevitably be too much trouble.
In light of the dream he�d had, though Naruto could only vaguely remember it now, he began to wonder if he liked Sasuke like that too. Sasuke was pretty�Naruto was aware he wasn�t a girl, yes�and he felt more strongly about him than anyone else. Even though most of the time it was anger, until recently. It did make sense.
�Um. So...� Naruto�s stomach grumbled, which actually saved him. �I�m going to go eat! You coming?�
Sasuke shook his head. �I�m going on deck. See you later.�
�Okay.� Neither of them moved. �Are you going or what?�
Sasuke moved forward and kissed Naruto lightly. �Now I am.� He turned on his heel and began marching up the stairs.
Naruto blushed. �Stop acting cool damn it! It doesn�t affect me!�
�Sure it doesn�t.�
�Prick!�
�Idiot.�
*
Sakura wanted to cry and she refused to give into it. But when Hakkai looked at her with such concern, she threw pride to the winds. She sniffled into the front of his shirt and Hakkai petted her hair as she related the story to him.
�Love is a strange thing,� Hakkai spoke softly. �We can�t choose who we fall in love with, and it�s not always fairy tale endings. That�s just the way things are.�
�I just� I never once thought that he wouldn�t feel the same, only that I had to beat Ino and the other girls to get him,� Sakura spoke into his shirt.
�Are you mad at Naruto?� Gojyo asked from nearby. He stayed close because he was worried about that. Naruto was like Goku�if somebody he cared about was truly angry at him, it would cut deep. And he rather liked Naruto.
Sakura thought about it. At first she wanted to say yes, but then after a closer examination of her feelings she shook her head. �No. I�m jealous as hell, and sad, but I�m not mad at him.�
Hakkai smiled at Gojyo. �That�s good. Naruto-kun wouldn�t want you to be angry at him. Neither he nor Sasuke-kun did this to hurt you.�
Gojyo looked up and saw a certain dark haired youth join them. �Uh, I think I�ll go take a walk.� And keep Sasuke away from Sakura for a little while.
Hakkai, naturally, understood the unspoken intention. �That might be best.� Sakura suddenly pulled away and dried her eyes, seemingly collecting herself. �Feeling better?�
Sakura smiled a little, though it was such a fragile expression. She nodded.
�If you need to talk, I�ll be here,� Hakkai promised.
�Thank you,� she said.
Sasuke saw the leering redhead walking toward him, but made no move to get away from him, as irritating as the Sanzo-ikkou were becoming. Gojyo didn�t say anything though, just stood beside him and lit up a cigarette. �So, are you going to give me a life affirming speech too?�
Gojyo finally looked at him. �Me? Nah. I don�t go in for shit like that.�
Sasuke snorted and relaxed slightly.
Gojyo shrugged. �I dunno, that�s Hakkai and Sanzo�s thing. Hakkai feels like he needs to seek redemption for his sins. Sanzo is a wannabe monk�fuck, he�s not even a very good one. It sounds like crap, but those are their reasons. Now, me? I have a shitty past too; I just don�t like talking about it.� He smirked. �You don�t need to worry about the monkey either�not only is he too dumb, but he doesn�t even remember his past.�
�Humph.� If Gojyo wasn�t going to give a speech, then why did it feel like he was?
�Not that I�m justifying what they�re doing or anything,� Gojyo went on. �In the end, they do it �cause they care. Well, Hakkai cares.� Gojyo chuckled. �Sanzo doesn�t give a rat�s ass whether you throw away your life or not.�
Sasuke glared. �I�m not throwing away my life.�
Gojyo shrugged carelessly. �Hey, it�s none of my business. You do what you want.�
�Why are you still talking?�
Recklessly, Gojyo mussed Sasuke�s hair. �You�re so cute when you�re angry.� Honestly, he couldn�t help himself. Sasuke really reminded him that much of Sanzo�and at least Sasuke wouldn�t shoot at him.
Sasuke moved out from under his hand and glared darkly.
�What?� Gojyo grinned. �It was messed up to begin with.�
He laughed as Sasuke carefully restyled his hair. Sasuke ignored him.
*
The rest of the voyage transpired in relative peace, considering. Sakura remained quiet and morose, sticking close to Hakkai and, oddly enough, Sanzo. She wished she could talk to Ino, but her blonde friend was back in Konoha. Hakkai suggested she write down her feelings, and though she didn�t understand the point of the exercise at first she did it anyway. She asked for a notebook from the captain and began writing. Originally the words were addressed to Ino, but after a time Sakura realized she was actually writing to Rock Lee.
Lee would probably have been more understanding about the situation anyway. Ino would most likely just yell a lot and suggest they try harder to seduce Sasuke.
Though Sasuke and Naruto didn�t discuss their recent revelations, it was in their thoughts, and it didn�t create too much uneasiness between them. They still sparred each day and kissed at night (or just whenever they found themselves alone). They began to talk about other things though, which was only remarkable in that they�d never really had normal conversations before.
�Ano sa! Ano sa! What did you and Kakashi-sensei do?� Naruto asked one time. �You know, during the Chuunin exam.�
�The training?� Naruto nodded. Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly. �Nothing much. Kakashi decided to teach me the Chidori. That�s it.�
�Hmph.� Naruto sat precariously on the coaming, his legs folded, looking rather like a petulant child. �He wouldn�t teach it to me.�
Sasuke glanced at him, a little taken aback. He hadn�t known Naruto had wanted to learn the move. �You couldn�t learn it. The Chidori can leave the user vulnerable to attack. You�d need a Sharingan or a similar countermeasure defensively to be able to use it safely.�
Naruto�s eyes widened and he nodded. �Ohh, I see.�
Sasuke glared. �Do you?�
The dumb blond broke into an embarrassed grin. �Well, kinda.�
Sasuke rolled his eyes. �Note my lack of surprise. Kakashi didn�t explain this?�
Naruto shook his head. �No. He just said he couldn�t teach me and he made the closet pervert do it.�
�Who?�
�Konohamaru�s tutor.�
�Ah.� Sasuke didn�t think he�d met the man, but he remembered the Third Hokage�s grandson. �I thought Jiraiya taught you though.�
�He did, he did! See, what happened was, pervert hermit was spying on girls again and closet pervert interrupted him, so pervert hermit summoned a frog and closet pervert got tongue-whipped.� Naruto looked thoughtful. �Haven�t seen him since then, actually��
Sasuke didn�t even try to understand that convoluted explanation. �What did you learn from Jiraiya?�
Naruto grinned widely. He explained about the Summoning Technique and the Rasengan with excitement, proud when Sasuke seemed impressed. �Pervert hermit is supposed to be this really legendary ninja, but he�s just an old pervert! You know those books Kakashi-sensei reads? He writes them!�
Sasuke�s eyes widened. �Why do we get all the weirdoes?�
�Yeah, I know!�
They slept together too, and even though Sasuke complained when Naruto rolled on top of him, he didn�t really mind. Having the blond near was comforting. And if he sometimes woke up with an erection, it didn�t mean anything.
They hadn�t gone passed kissing, though Sasuke was starting to think about what it would be like if they did.
At last, land was sighted, and they prepared to debark. Only a surprise waited for them on shore. As they approached the harbor, it soon became apparent that it was overrun with an army of demons that were waiting for Sanzo�s group, shouting things like, �It�s Sanzo-ikkou!� and �We�ll kill you!�
The ikkou were ecstatic.
�Christmas came early this year,� Gojyo concluded, giving them all his best shit-eating grin.
�And we were very good little boys,� Hakkai added.
Sanzo smirked and made sure his gun was loaded. �No coal in our stockings?�
Hakkai giggled. �Doesn�t look like it.�
Goku grinned at Team Seven. �You guys stay back. We�ll handle this one ourselves.�
�Are you sure?� Naruto asked uncertainly. There were a lot of them, and it looked like they even had a cannon.
�Yeah, don�t worry,� Gojyo assured airily. �We�re popular. These guys just want our autographs to take with them to hell.�
And so the ninja watched their clients fight. It quickly became obvious to Sasuke that their boasting a few days ago after the pirate attack had not been unwarranted�with the pirates, they had been holding back.
In reality, their fighting was� much more interesting.
Goku and Gojyo each summoned weapons. Goku�s fighting style was quick and erratic, but entirely effective as he was just that strong, and he did the primary amount of damage. Gojyo was much more elegant with his shakujou, which he twisted expertly in wide arcs, taking out whole handfuls of attacking demons in single blows.
Hakkai had no weapon, but rather used an unusual jutsu Sasuke had never seen before�a wave of green chakra that shot out from his palm and hit his opponents. He stayed closest to Sanzo and, when necessary, created a shield of chakra to protect the monk and himself.
All three of them were smiling. They were honestly having the time of their lives. Weeks of pent up aggression was finally being let out.
Sanzo just stood there and shot people.
In the end, the deserted streets of the harbor were covered in blood and dismembered body parts, and there was one demon left, who attempted to scurry away from Goku�s Nyoi-Bo.
�W-wait!� the demon pleaded. �You�re all part demon! Why are you attacking us?!�
Gojyo sneered. �Hey, I remember this line.�
�It must mean we�ve hit the third year mark,� Hakkai murmured, mostly to himself.
�I�m not a demon,� Sanzo put in.
Goku looked at him curiously. �So, when are you going to turn into a demon like Hakkai? Haven�t you killed a thousand demons yet?� He thought he remembered thinking about this once, but it was a foggy, almost dreamlike recollection.
�Shut up!�
�Why don�t you join with us?� the demon tried. �With strength likes yours��
�Tch, how lame,� Gojyo complained.
�Yeah, it�s not like we�re on anyone�s side or something dumb like that,� Goku said, bringing up his staff. �From the day I was born until the day I die, I�ll keep fighting believing only in myself.�
The demon died with a stomach-churning cry.
That�s when something occurred to Sasuke. Sanzo, Goku, Gojyo and Hakkai were all strong, but it wasn�t just because of physical or spiritual power. They were strong because of their personalities, because of the way they had chosen to live their lives. They had no doubt about that or about themselves. Their strength wasn�t something they trained hard to get with one sole purpose in mind, it was just inherent. There was nothing binding them. They were free.
Their strength was true strength.
And Sasuke wanted to be like that.

That was the strength he needed to defeat his brother.
�You�re�you�re demons?� Sakura asked, eyes wide with confusion, and maybe a little fear as well.
�I�m not,� Sanzo repeated with a hiss that made Sakura shrink away.
Hakkai smiled, though it looked a little pained. They hadn�t told the teens the whole truth with reason�people sometimes didn�t take the news very well. Mostly his heart hurt for Goku�he and Naruto had bonded like brothers over the past two weeks, and it would surely hurt the boy when Naruto rejected him. �Yes, I�m afraid so. Goku and I are demons, while Gojyo is part demon. We have limiters that keep us from succumbing to the effects of the minus wave. And, yes, Sanzo�s really, truly human, despite his countenance.�
Sanzo glared at him. �You want to die?�
Hakkai ignored him. �Please forgive us not saying anything.� He bowed. �Thank you for your assistance in getting us here. If you wait, I�m sure another ship will take you back to Konoha soon.�
�Wait, that�s it?� Naruto asked, not sure what was going on. �We just say goodbye and leave you on your own?!�
�Well� yes.�
�No way! Our mission was to protect you while you reached your destination,� Naruto countered loudly. �And you�re nowhere near the place you�re going right? And those demons are gonna be attacking you the whole way? Then our mission isn�t finished!�
�We were only supposed to escort them to the coast, though,� Sakura observed.
�That�s not what the scroll says!�
Sasuke pulled out said scroll, the one Tsunade had given them before they�d left that detailed their mission. �He�s right. Strictly speaking, the �coast� part she added verbally, so it isn�t exactly binding.� He was amazed that Naruto had noticed the loophole on his own. The blond wasn�t usually so observant.
�Doesn�t it bother you that we�re demons?� Goku asked.
Naruto shook his head. �No way. It�s not like you�ve tried to kill us or anything. We�re friends, right? I always help my friends when they�re in trouble!� He was the container for the Kyuubi after all, so of course it didn�t bother him. He just didn�t want Sakura and Sasuke to know yet. Especially Sasuke. Goku, though, he�d have to tell later.
He turned to his teammates shyly. He hadn�t exactly asked their opinions, and they were supposed to be a team. �Uh, if you guys wanted to go home��
Sasuke met his eye squarely. �We�re a team, moron. We took this assignment together.�
�I know, but��
The dark-haired boy smirked. �We�re going with you.� In truth, he had his own reasons for wanting to follow Sanzo-ikkou now, but Naruto didn�t need to know about that. If he was going to become like them, there were still things he had to learn. He couldn�t do that back in Konoha.
Naruto turned to the pink-haired girl. �Sakura-chan? It�s alright if you don�t want to�� He�d have to be a real idiot to not notice that she was still depressed by what Sasuke had said to her. He actually thought it would be better if she went home. Though, he wasn�t so sure he wanted her to go back alone, without him or Sasuke.
But Sakura surprised him by disagreeing. �I�m not abandoning you guys. You two will probably kill each other with me gone!�
Sasuke snorted. �That�s true.�
Naruto turned back to Goku with a wide grin. �See? We�re staying.�
�Well,� Hakkai broke in softly, �it�s really up to Sanzo.�
They all turned to the disgruntled blond.
Sanzo took one look at Goku�s beaming face�glad he wouldn�t have to part from his friend�and lit a cigarette. �Do what you want.�
�Yay!� both Naruto and Goku cheered.
�Oddly, I�m not surprised it�s turned out like that,� Gojyo observed.
Hakkai laughed softly. �Neither am I.�
*
Leaving the harbor town quickly (before any of the villagers figured out who they were and decided to thank them�more often than not, gratitude given turned out to just be annoying), they continued west, riding along the coast. The sun was setting, casting brilliant red and gold rays over the sea, and they watched it as they drove.
Naruto sat close to Sasuke and glanced at the other boy from time to time, fascinated by the way the light played over his features. Sasuke caught him looking and smirked; Naruto blushed and kicked at his ankle.
Sakura studied them carefully, noting every detail of their exchanges, trying to see something wrong with it, before Gojyo made her stop.
They reached the next town well after the sun had set. Sakura had fallen asleep in Jeep and Hakkai carried her to her room, Hakuryu sneaking in through the window to stay with her. The rest were set up similarly to the inn they�d stayed at last.
Goku waited until the inn was relatively quiet before rising, which interrupted Naruto and Sasuke�s quiet conversation.
�What�s wrong, Goku?� Naruto asked the older boy. He realized he hadn�t talked to his new friend very much recently because he�d been paying more attention to Sasuke. He felt guilty, but he couldn�t help it. He really liked it that he and Sasuke could get along.
Goku grinned disarmingly, shaking his head. �Mm, nothing�s wrong. I�m just gonna go visit Sanzo.� He�d been giving this a lot of thought. Besides, he figured that after weeks on the ship, discovering their feelings for each other, the two ninja deserved to finally have some time alone. He knew he wanted to be alone with Sanzo, even though they wouldn�t do anything.
Sanzo wasn�t ready yet.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Before he would have felt self-conscious about Goku being there while he and Naruto were sharing the same bed, but after a week of not having any privacy he just shrugged the discomfort off.
�What if he shoots you?� he asked.
Goku just shrugged, unconcerned. �He aims to miss.� He waved at them and walked toward the door. �Night, guys!�
�G�night!� Naruto echoed.
Goku crept outside and to the far end of the hall, where Sanzo was sleeping. The lights were off and he cautiously checked the doorknob. It was unlocked�it usually was, in case they needed to have an emergency meeting, and they always had their meetings in Sanzo�s room (even though he complained). Besides, if a demon tried to attack Sanzo, his senses would tip him off. This was why he couldn�t simply sneak in, of course. Sanzo might think he was an intruder and really shoot him!
He opened the door and peeked inside, ready to duck back behind the door if necessary, and opened his mouth to speak. He jumped when the monk spoke first.
�What do you want?� Sanzo asked, not opening his eyes.
�Um. Hi. Did I wake you up?� Goku didn�t walk inside yet. It still wasn�t safe. He could see the small hand gun gleaming in the moonlight.
Sanzo growled in irritation. �Yes.�
�Sorry. Sasuke and Naruto wanted to be alone.�
Sanzo�s eyes widened slightly as he understood. Honestly, after everything that had happened on the way here, he should have expected this. At least he didn�t have to worry about one of them getting pregnant. (1) �Fine. Come in.�
Goku beamed and quickly came inside, closed the door behind him and climbed into bed with Sanzo. The priest moved over and didn�t grumble too much when Goku curled up next to him.
�We�re just sleeping,� he warned.
Goku nodded readily. �I know.�
Sanzo sighed and tucked his gun back under the pillow. Eventually, when he thought Goku was asleep, he let his hand rest atop the boy�s head.
Goku murmured happily in his sleep and moved closer.
*
Gojyo turned off the shower and began drying his long hair, still a little put out that Hakkai had declined the invitation to join him. They were off the boat, damn it, this was supposed to be the part where they had deliriously wild sex! Trying to do anything in the hammocks was just too weird with Sanzo nearby, and he wasn�t that much of an exhibitionist anyway. Hakkai had suggested they use the cargo hold, but the crates tended to move around with the tide and there hadn�t been much room. The cook had slept in the galley, so it was off limits. For the two weeks at sea it had been a somewhat long dry spell.
Exiting the adjoining bathroom into the bedroom, Gojyo caught sight of Hakkai and stopped in his tracks.
Hakkai reclined naked in the bed, his hands folded calmly on his stomach, almost awkwardly covering the scar there.
�I,� Gojyo swallowed and let his towel drop to the floor, �I thought you weren�t in the mood.�
Hakkai gave a small, seductive smile. �I said I didn�t want to join you in the shower. You know I don�t really like shower sex.�
Gojyo did. Hakkai let him talk him into it sometimes though. The redhead smirked widely and sauntered to the bed.
�I�m going to fuck you into the mattress,� he warned.
�Please do,� Hakkai murmured, expression turning predatory.
So that�s what Gojyo did.
*
Silence descended on the room after Goku left. Naruto shifted uncomfortably and glanced sideways at Sasuke. �So, um. What were we talking about?�
Sasuke forced himself to stop fiddling with the hem of his tank top. He thought back. �You were telling me about the fight between Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade.�
�Oh yeah! It was really crazy.�
�So, he got away?� Sasuke had to ask, though he knew the answer anyway.
�Orochimaru? Yeah, him and Kabuto escaped.� Naruto grimaced, remembered the bespectacled man who�d helped them during the exam, only to inevitably be revealed as the traitor he was.
Sasuke couldn�t suppress a shiver and he reached up to touch the spot on his neck. He wasn�t ready to face that man either. Why do I have to be so weak? Has everything I�ve done meant nothing?

Naruto looked at his friend when he didn�t say anything more, and noted the dark expression on his face. �Sasuke?�
The look was gone as soon as Sasuke realized his thoughts were so visible. �It�s nothing. I just� don�t like thinking about that man,� he confessed.
�Oh.� Naruto grinned reassuringly, satisfied with the answer, and brushed his shoulder against Sasuke�s. �S�okay. There�s more interesting things we can do anyway.�
Sasuke broke into a small smirk. He could tell by the familiar gleam in Naruto�s eyes that he wanted to kiss. It occurred to him that this was probably what Goku had thought they would do when he left, but he couldn�t bring himself to care at the moment.
Naruto took the smirk as acquiesce and tilted his head forward to capture Sasuke�s lips. The kiss started leisurely, not too different than usual, only they weren�t huddled under a blanket trying to stay warm against the cold sea air or squeezed together tightly in a hammock trying to keep as quiet as possible. They were alone, finally, and Naruto really liked that.
He licked Sasuke�s bottom lip, feeling a little wary. After the first time, Sasuke hadn�t been too keen on it, so he was surprised when the dark haired boy opened his mouth now. Their tongues touched gingerly and Sasuke made a soft moan as he tasted his rival. Naruto�s boxer-covered penis gave an interested twitch in response.
Sasuke pulled back with a nervous smile. �That�s still weird.� His mind was foggy and he puzzled over how things had gotten intense so suddenly.
Naruto smiled back. �Mm,� he responded instead of agreeing and resumed the kiss quickly, grinning when Sasuke made that noise again. After a time, he pushed Sasuke back onto the bed and rolled on top of him.
Naruto wasn�t thinking about much of anything, except that he wanted to feel more of Sasuke. So he slipped his hand underneath his friend�s shirt to touch the pale skin. Beneath him, Sasuke twitched and nearly bit down on his tongue in response, but made no move to stop him. Naruto moved his other hand under too, exploring Sasuke�s soft skin.
At the same moment it seemed, they both noticed they were beginning to grind their hips together. They stopped and felt each other�s erections.
They panicked. Immediately Naruto sat back in his heels and Sasuke sat up, pulling his legs in close to his chest to hide the evidence. Naruto just used his hands. They both blushed furiously.
�Um,� Naruto spoke after a moment, �You?�
Sasuke eyed him warily. �You too?�
Naruto nodded. �Heh. So, um, do you wanna stop?� As much as they�d kissed, this hadn�t happened before. True, he�d gotten an erection while kissing Sasuke a few times before, but it hadn�t been like this. He wasn�t sure what they were supposed to do.
Inwardly he sank at the prospect, but Sasuke forced himself to shrug. �Do you want to?�
�I don�t know,� Naruto answered honestly. �Wanna just kiss for a while?�
Feeling surprisingly relieved and disappointed, Sasuke nodded once more and allowed Naruto to push him back onto the bed and move to lie beside him. Sasuke curled his arm around Naruto�s waist to hold the blond close.
Naruto pressed their foreheads together, smiling shyly. �I like you too, you know.� It occurred to him that he hadn�t exactly said it yet. Sasuke kind of did back on the ship, and it was only fair, right?
So Naruto had picked that up. �You do?� Sasuke echoed dumbly.
Naruto grinned and nodded. �Yeah. You�re a jerk, but you can be really cool too, and you�re pretty, and you�re my best friend.�
Sasuke wasn�t sure what to say to that, especially the �pretty� and �best friend� parts. Then, something occurred to him. �What about Sakura?�
Naruto blinked, sitting up so as to see him more clearly. �Huh? Well, uh� Yeah, I like her too.� He blushed again.
His anxiety was quickly replaced by an indefinable rage. �So you�re trying to sleep with me because she won�t?�
Naruto was even more confused, though the �sleeping with� part made him blush. �Huh? What are you talking about?�
�You�re only with me because you can�t be with her!� Sasuke accused.
�That�s not true, you moody bastard!� Naruto shouted back. �I said I liked you! What�s you�re problem?! Do you really think I would use you like that?!�
Sasuke didn�t answer, but his anger was swiftly quailed. He realized that because he was still uneasy he�d taken it out on Naruto, who was the indirect cause. He wasn�t going to apologize though.
Naruto sighed loudly. �Geez, Sasuke.� He brushed a lock of dark hair out of the other boy�s eyes, then decided it was safe enough to nuzzle his cheek against Sasuke�s.
�Do you like me more than her?� Sasuke pressed, unwilling to drop it completely yet.
He didn�t have to think about that. He�d already been giving it a lot of thought. �Yeah!� He laughed and kissed Sasuke�s jaw lightly. �I just want to be her friend. So don�t be jealous, prick.�
�I�m not jealous.�
Naruto sat up and grinned at what he saw. �And I suppose you�re not pouting either.�
Sasuke glared. �No.�
�Right.� Before Sasuke could start to respond, Naruto kissed him again.
TBC.
1. Yeah, as long as they don�t do anything while Naruto�s using the Sexy no Jutsu.
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Perception of Strength