Deserving

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I lean against the wind, pretend that I am weightless And in this moment I am happy
- I Wish You Were Here (Incubus)

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Sasuke was thinking. About a lot, actually. Many a heavy thought was weighing on his young mind, all of it because of his teacher, one Hatake Kakashi. His mind was working overtime. His regular thoughts of fighting and revenge had been pushed aside for the time being, all because of Kakashi's strange words.

"You deserve to be happy."

What exactly did that mean?

It had all started when the two were training together, one cold and rainy afternoon. The actual training session had been cancelled because of said rain, and both Sakura and Naruto had opted not to show. Sasuke had. Kakashi, somehow knowing he would, had been there to challenge the young man. It had happened before as well, each time launching directly into a fight, little words being spoken between them, always ending in exhaustion on Sasuke's part. The jounin would make sure Sasuke wasn't too badly beaten before heading his own way.

That time had been different, though. That time, Kakashi had stayed a little longer, arms around Sasuke's shoulders. They had talked, Sasuke revealing the pains of his past and the goals of his future, all the while, Kakashi patiently listening, no expression visible on his masked face. It had ended again in silence, Sasuke still unsure as to why he'd revealed himself to his teacher. Awkwardly, he'd managed an exit, but not before Kakashi had laid a soft kiss on his forehead, and left him with the parting words, "You deserve to be happy."

What exactly did he mean by that? Deserving to be happy.

Thus, here he pondered, making his way home after a particularly rough fight during the day's training, his left hand stinging with blood where he'd been cut by a wayward kunai. He ignored his wound, walking slowly among the many beautiful trees surrounding Konoha. So deep in thought, he did not hear the running footsteps until he felt the harsh slap on his back, and heard the grating laughter of their shortest teammate, the indefatiguable, Uzumaki Naruto.

Sasuke sighed in annoyance. Which better person to get into the way of his already muddled thoughts, than the most confusingly simple person he'd ever met. Uzumaki Naruto. Loudmouth, deadlast, total moron. Brave, determined, sharp. And strong. Daily, he grew stronger. Sometimes this worried Sasuke, watching someone who was so weak, increase his abilities to such an incredible extent. Other times, it excited him, being able to have someone that he could test his own advancement against.

Still, he wasn't in the mood for the currently grinning idiot, and said so in a few words, "Get lost." and he began to walk away again. Naruto just laughed a little more and ran a bit to catch up with the dark-haired boy, falling into step beside him.

"Ne, ne, Sasuke~," the blonde began, "what's eating you? You were totally out of it during training, _and_ you didn't hear me run up beside you. Thinking? I know that can be hard." He snickered a little. Amused at his own jab at Sasuke's intelligence. Sasuke just rolled his eyes.

"That didn't stop me from kicking your ass, usuratonkachi." This caused Naruto's smile to turn into a grimace of distaste.

"Only because I tripped on that tree branch!" He yelled indignantly.

"Yeah, but who's fault is that?" Naruto just huffed crossing his arms, his cheeks puffed out in anger, a spot of red dotting them. It was actions like those that caused Sasuke to want to smile. Sometimes, the other boy was just so damn amusing.

"What the hell's so funny!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke paused. He hadn't been aware that he'd been laughing softly. He clamped his lips together, looking away from the angry boy. Naruto just hmmm'ed in annoyance, glaring at him.

After a short while of walking in silence, Naruto gave a sigh of exasperation.

"Geez! Hanging around you is so boring!" Naruto exclaimed, rolling his eyes skyward, "Don't you speak or something?" Sasuke ignored him. He hadn't asked to have Naruto follow him around. Naruto sighed again.

"Look, what happened to your hand? It's bleeding everywhere! Hurt yourself during the fight or something?" Sasuke looked sideways at the other boy, giving a peculiar look, "You did that baka." He replied.

"I did!" And the look on Naruto's face was surprising. Bordering on concern, he took in the bleeding appendage with wide eyes. "Hey, stop a minute," the blonde said, grabbing Sasuke's injured hand gently and dragging him towards some trees, "I'll bandage it up for you."

At that, Sasuke arched an eyebrow. The orange-clad genin showing genuine concern was shocking. To go as far as to want to help, especially him, was unfathomable. Unresisting, he allowed Naruto to sit him down and start work at cleaning the wound with the edge of his shirt. Using some bandages that Naruto had pulled from god-knows where, the blonde carefully wrapped Sasuke's hand. As he watched the golden head bent in concentration over his wound, Sasuke had a funny feeling in his chest.

It was actions like these that caused Sasuke to try deperately to breathe. Certainly they'd gotten closer over time, all of team 7 had, but with Naruto... Sometimes the boy was just so damn... It made his heart stop.

"Why do you care?" Naruto looked up in surprise at the question, pausing his actions momentarily. Flustered, he returned his gaze to Sasuke's hand. Sasuke looked down to where their hand were joined, his own hand pale in Naruto's more tan grip. 'Such small hands' Sasuke thought, gazing at Naruto's fingers, studying the short, bitten fingernails. 'Such delicate looking hands'. He almost missed what the other boy was saying.

"I don't care, not really," he was muttering, "it's just that, sometimes, ya know, I get to thinking..." Sasuke waited patiently.

"People like us. Like you and me, we don't really have people to do stuff like this for us. To help us when we're hurt. I mean, when we're around others, sure, no problem right? Iruka-sensei, and Kakashi-sensei would be there. Sakura-chan too. But when we're alone, at home... Who do we have?" Naruto looked up into Sasuke's face, noting the confusion, "I have a point to this I swear.

"What I'm trying to say is... people like us, deserve stuff like this too, people to take care of us when we're home, and alone. So I'm not really doing it for you, I'm more doing it for me... because when I'm alone, I wish someone would do it for me, too..."

Shocked for the second time that day, Sasuke could only stare, "You deserve to be happy," Sasuke whispered, gazing at Naruto in awe. He watched the colour play on the other boy's cheeks as he nodded and dropped his head, somewhat confused, to Sasuke's response.

"Y-yeah, something like that, I guess." Sasuke felt his heart warm, and he smiled softly, his head bending close to Naruto's until they were leaning against each other. Rubbing his head slightly against Naruto's, he closed his eyes and tried to imagine how they must look together. Dark and light, night and day, sun and moon. Golden hair and midnight hair mingling. Hand in hand. Sasuke found himself ducking slightly to bring his mouth close to where he thought the other's might be. He heard Naruto gasp slightly, and relished the sound. Now, their breath was mingling, their lips so close...

Sasuke gently closed the gap between them, using the momentum to push against Naruto, laying him flat on the ground, their fingers now twined together. Their chests bumped as they breathed deeply in and out through their nostrils. Their mouths still pressed together, moving against each other like a whisper.

How was it possible to want someone so much? To want to be with them, and be part of them, and to have them be part of you. So much so, that your heart aches, because in the other's simplicity, in their beauty, in their strength, in their determination, in their _being_ you can touch it... That thing called happiness.

Pulling away, Sasuke gazed down at Naruto's flushed visage, his eyes closed with pale lashes against his cheeks. He rested his forehead against the other boy's, licking his lips, tasting Naruto, a curious concoction of ramen and sunlight.

"Wh-what was that?" Naruto questioned breathlessly, his eyebrows drawn together, as his eyes fluttered open to focus on Sasuke's features, "Why did you do that?"

Sasuke smiled, "I did it for me," he said searching Naruto's face for something, "and, I did it because I wanted to." Naruto's eyebrows shot up in surprise, taking in the meaning of Sasuke's words. He opened his mouth to make some sort of retort, but Sasuke brought their joined hands up and placed a finger against Naruto's lips.

"Shhh," he said, "for now, lets just lie here..." and at Naruto's puzzled expression, he continued, "for us."

Naruto's smile was brilliant.

Yeah, Kakashi was right.

You did deserve to be happy.

AN: I was looking at some gorgeous KakaSasu sites and just had to put something with the two of them together. Though this was a SasuNaru, and I will never like KakaSasu as a pairing, I can certainly view it in much the way I see Iruka and Naruto. Like the older brothers or parents, that the two so desperately need.