Author: Rasengan22
Note: I’m busy this month?

Thank you for reading. Thank you for your support.

Chapter 10: Sasuke, I think I'm falling...

Something cold nudged Naruto’s forehead. He rolled over onto his side with a tired grunt. He heard a voice but chose to ignore it, curling into a fetal position because it was so damn freezing inside his usually comfortable bedroom. A sharp kick hit him directly between the shoulder blades. He grumbled, curling in even further as a string of spit glued the corner of his lip to the hood of his sweatshirt. There must have been a poltergeist in his house. That was it! It was the only explanation because no one in his family--even Temari--would dare try to wake him up so early in the morning, sans a house fire. Even then, it’d be better to let the firefighters haul him out and throw him on one of those stark white trampoline sheets that would keep him from becoming one with the ground.

The poltergeist’s hand (since when did poltergeists have hands?) grabbed his shoulder rather violently and forced him to roll onto his back. Naruto opened his left eye, but his vision was unclear. He blinked a couple times and his other eye opened after he managed to crack his sticky lids apart. He sucked in a large intake of breath when he realized there was someone standing above him, grabbing the collar of his coat and hoisting him partly off the grass. He flushed despite his sleepiness, finding the face near his to be rather feminine and attractive.

Was he totally having a wet dream but the kind where you wake up inside your own dream when still dreaming?

The hand strongly grasping his coat released him and Naruto fell with a hard thump onto his backside. His head hit against the solid, damp ground and he groaned loudly in pain. He sat up lazily and rubbed at his eyes until he could finally make out objects more than six inches in front of his face. Of course, that sucked, because then he realized the woman of his dreams was actually Sasuke.

“What the hell, asshole?” Naruto growled angrily, pushing himself off the ground. He stood slowly and clumsily, eyeing the burnt out remains of their camp fire from the night before. They were alone.

“I thought I was going to have to dump a bucket of water on your head to get you to wake up.”

Sasuke smirked. His arms were crossed over his chest, and despite the fact they’d slept outside all night by the fire, it sure as hell didn’t show on him. Naruto glowered resentfully, because, again, he really hated early mornings. Really hated them. Stupid smug Sasuke wasn’t making it any better.

“I’m surprised you didn’t,” Naruto grumbled, trying to figure out why the hell he would have confused Sasuke for a girl. He stared at him critically as Sasuke checked his watch. Well, in a way, Sasuke’s face was sort of…

Shit. What the hell was he thinking? Even if Sasuke’s face was kind of…pretty… he was as sensitive as a rock. Actually, a rock might be more sensitive than Sasuke. Saying such a thing was degrading for all rocks everywhere. Even the kind that used to squish people in the old days when they were thought to be a… er… witch. Right. That’s what happened when every single English class he’d taken forced him to read The Crucible.

“Well, idiot, now that you’re finally up, would you like to get a move on?”

When the ability to focus gradually returned to Naruto, Sasuke was staring at him oddly. He’d been lost in a mosaic of groggy thoughts he’d never even be able to piece together enough to attempt to articulate them. See, this is why he shouldn’t be bothered in the early morning. Nothing would come of it but grumpiness and a bad attitude.

“Are you feeling alright?” Sasuke asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto broke out into a reluctant smile at the concern. He took a step toward Sasuke and grinned.

“Aw, I didn’t know you cared.”

He was tempted to slap Sasuke’s cheek playfully but decided he might need his hand over the next 72 hours.

“I don’t,” Sasuke admitted. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Why so serious?” Naruto asked through a malevolent grin. Sasuke glared at him for his efforts. Naruto glanced down when he realized Sasuke had a piece of paper sticking out of his pocket. He pointed at it as he frowned. “What’s that?”

“It’s a map.”

Naruto raised his head, eyes aglow with sudden excitement. “Oh, shit! So this is for real? Let me see it!”

Sasuke stuffed it deeper into the pocket of his Varsity jacket. “No.”

Naruto tried to make a grab for it, but Sasuke shoved him against the chest with one hand and Naruto stumbled backward, scowling.

“Why not?” he asked.

“Because you’ll lose it.”

“I will not!” Naruto cried indignantly. Though he probably would, he knew that. It still seemed like he should stubbornly argue the point.

Sasuke gave him a skeptical look. “Right,” he drawled disbelievingly. “I have it memorized. It shouldn’t take us too long to find what they want us to find.”

Naruto stretched his arms above his head and yawned, not feeling competitive enough at this time in the morning to fight for control. The morning was cool, but it wasn’t too bad. The chill was tolerable, and his layers of clothing had kept him fairly warm during the night. He was a bit surprised he hadn’t heard Jiraiya or Kakashi return when they'd dropped off the map, but it was possible they'd been charmed while sleeping. When he breathed, little clouds of air fell like mist from his open mouth. He breathed out again purposefully just to watch it and rubbed his hands together blissfully even though the tips of his fingers felt a little frozen.

“So what do we gotta find?” Naruto asked curiously as he slipped his hands into his pockets casually.

Sasuke frowned and looked off toward the woods on the opposite end of the lake. Naruto also glanced that way and found what Sasuke was staring at. A very pale blue colored door with a golden doorknob was floating at the edge a row of trees. It seemed to be standing upright on its own. At least that's what it looked like from here. The color of it made it appear as if a piece of sky had fallen and somehow glued itself there like a pleasant piece of pieceful backdrop against the dreary brown colors of the woods.

“Uh, what’s that?” Naruto asked, pointing even though Sasuke was already staring at the floating, magical object.

“A door," Sasuke said dryly and headed in that direction, ignoring Naruto’s previous question.

Great, well, if Sasuke thought he was going to be in charge of this little scavenger hunt then he was gravely mistaken. The only thing keeping him from tackling Sasuke was his desire to prove he was capable of compromise and maybe… teamwork. He could do that. Even with Sasuke. For a greater cause, really, he could do that!

“Thanks, Captain Obvious,” Naruto muttered but followed Sasuke nonetheless.

Sasuke approached the door first, Naruto nearly stepping on his heels as he studied it.

“Maybe we should knock first?” Naruto suggested unhelpfully.

“Don’t be stupid,” Sasuke chastised, exploring the front of the door with his gloved hand as if searching for booby traps invisible to the eye. Of course he’d have to go and act like he knew what he was doing.

“So is this the way to get in y'think?” Naruto strolled around to the other side of the door, but there was nothing behind it. He was at a loss. “What should we do?”

Sasuke turned the knob and opened the door as Naruto came around to the other side again. The door swung open with a creak as if its shiny hinges were actually centuries old. Naruto’s mouth fell open at what he saw behind it.

“Talk about Twilight Zone,” Naruto remarked with wide eyes.

Behind the door was not a random entrance into the woods. In fact, it was as dark as a cave tunnel and a very strange, frigid breeze seemed to be coming from inside. It caused goosebumps to form along Naruto’s skin. It wasn’t a good feeling. In fact, it felt sort of foreboding, like… walking into a darkened basement late at night after hearing a noise that needed to be investigated. Naruto swallowed and glanced at Sasuke hesitantly only to find him intently gazing into the unlighted and mysterious passageway.

“You first?” Naruto said uncertainly.

Sasuke turned his head slowly to regard Naruto, his expression unreadable. Naruto blinked at him blankly in response.

“You’re not scared are you?” Naruto asked, taking Sasuke's hesitation for fear. A slow grin of triumph spread across his face.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “As if, moron.”

Apparently, to prove his point, Sasuke took a step forward, then another, and once he entered the door he suddenly vanished from Naruto’s sight.

Naruto panicked.

“Sasuke!?” he called, eyes wide as he stared into the door, seeing nothing but the daunting blackness.

He went around to the other side again and there was still nothing there. He felt the frame of the door, looking for any kind of trick to it. He’d never seen anything like it before, but maybe it was simply a portal to… somewhere?

Shit. Shit. Shit.

He went around to the front again, feeling surprisingly anxious, already wondering if Sasuke was in any kind of trouble. Naruto swallowed down his indecision and stepped into the darkness after Sasuke, realizing now that Jiraiya and Kakashi meant business, and all fun and games were over. The black swallowed him whole, his stomach dropping and the most interesting sensation he'd ever experienced enveloping his body. It felt like he was in outer space, free of gravity and physical restraints. It was surprisingly warm, maybe like being in the womb. However, it didn’t last long as suddenly he was surrounded by a harsh, bright light, his limbs flailing wildly as he fell from the sky and landed with a huge smack against hard ground, his head thwacking against what presumably was a large rock, knocking him out cold.

With a strong sense of déjà vu, Naruto struggled to open his eyes, his vision muggy and clogged, his head reeling.

“You really are worthless, you know that?”

Sasuke stood over him for the second time today, frowning thoughtfully. Naruto found himself staring at the tiny wrinkle that had formed between the other teen’s dark, attentive eyes. Naruto sat up with effort, rubbing the back of his head as he glanced around his new surroundings, ignoring Sasuke’s comment.

“Where the hell are we?” Naruto mumbled. As he looked around, his eyes widened considerably. Sasuke glanced over to where Naruto was looking.

The scene in front of them was something out of a National Geographic documentary. It was like going through that door had dropped them amidst a primitive rainforest in South America. The trees were lush and green. Even the air was muggy and hot, fat with moisture to the point Naruto realized he was sweating under all his layers of clothing. Immediately he began squirming out of his jacket. He wiped his sweaty brow with the back of his hand.

“I guess we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Naruto murmured, glancing up at Sasuke. While Naruto felt rattled and probably showed it, Sasuke appeared relatively calm. As if portals to different places were a daily occurrence for him. Maybe he watched a lot of Dr. Who?

Or a better explanation…That boy was obviously a fucking robot!

Still, that robot decided to hold a hand out for Naruto to grab. Naruto stared at it, taking a moment to register what the gesture meant before he took hold of it and began pulling himself up with Sasuke’s aid. Naruto gave a nod of thanks without having really wanted to acknowledge the help.

“So what’s the plan?” Naruto asked, gripping onto his puffy jacket with one hand, its sleeves touching the ground, dirtying the cuffs already. He was tempted to take off his sweatshirt, too.

“Well, you being unconscious for about twenty minutes ate up a bit of our running time." Sasuke sneered unpleasantly. “So I suggest we get moving.”

Naruto swallowed down the retort he really wanted to make, siding with his desire to be diplomatic on the matter. Although, he was also getting off on the idea of being the better man.

“Fine with me,” Naruto said with a forced sniff. “But you have the map. I haven't even had a chance to see what the hell we’re looking for.”

Sasuke reached into his pocket and brought out a carefully folded piece of lined notebook paper. He held it out to Naruto, who swiftly and rudely took it off of him. Sasuke didn’t let go though and Naruto’s fingers slid against the paper, giving him a very nice paper cut up the side of his right index finger.

“You asshole!” Naruto yelled and grabbed for it again, and this time Sasuke let go with a smirk. “Fucking jerk.” Naruto turned his back on the other teen and began unfolding the map, smoothing out the creases with his hand.

Naruto studied it for all of fifteen seconds…

What the hell?

He was sure 3-year-olds could draw better than this. It looked like a big, lop-sided heart with stick figure drawings of trees, open clearings, watering holes with stick-figure alligators and snakes. There were three large X’s on the map, each spread out nearly equidistant from one another. Symbols accompanied each X, apparently indicating the object they were meant to find at the location: a key, a book, and what appeared to be a grouping of numbers on a piece of paper. Their supposed path was indicated with a winding line of dashes. At the bottom of the paper were ridiculously disproportional drawings of what appeared to be Kakashi and Jiraiya’s laughing, amused faces, as well as a warning written in bleeding red ink: BEWARE OF TRAPS.

Naruto closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on to accompany his lack of sleep and lack of access to coffee or some other form of convenient caffeinated stimulant. He shook his head regretfully, absently sucking at his injured finger with the cut on it.

“These two are supposed to be professional?” Naruto muttered to himself. Suddenly, the paper was swiped out of his hand.

“Let’s go,” Sasuke ordered gruffly, starting in toward what could presumably be called an entrance into the dense forest, as apparently they were sitting in one of few clearings in the area according to that map.

“Do you even know where we’re going?” Naruto inquired bitterly as he followed, keeping a distance of several feet between them.

“I think I have a better idea than you, but if you think you know better, by all means,” Sasuke returned, stepping into the forest, the leaves overhead immediately filtering out the sun’s rays into tiny pinstripes of light that fell onto the ground like laser beams.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head again, feeling the sore spot just above the base of his neck. Normally, he would have argued obstinately, but he was still feeling groggy from falling as well as the effects of waking up early in the morning. And anyway, he was going to take the higher ground here by keeping his mouth shut whether Sasuke appreciated it or not. If anything, over the next three days he was going to show Sasuke that he wasn’t merely a burden, but someone that could be relied on in any given situation.

It’s not like Naruto was the one unwilling to give it a try.

The forest floor was surprisingly moist under his sneakers. The heat was already getting to him, but he wasn’t sure if abandoning his jacket and sweatshirt was a terribly bright idea. For now, he endured the sweat, absently wondering about things like deodorant and toothpaste and how he had neither. As if Naruto cared much about that, but he wondered how Sasuke would do without all the hygeinic conveniences of home. He internally snickered at the idea of a greasy-haired, nasty-smelling, dirty finger-nailed Sasuke.

The corner of Naruto’s lip curled upward for the first time that morning, even as he became the victim of a vine’s backlash as Sasuke moved it aside but didn’t bother to warn him. It smacked him right in the center of his chest. Naruto stopped, grimaced, glared at Sasuke’s back and continued on. Sasuke would rue the day he got on Naruto’s bad side! He would make sure of it!

“We’ve gotta be lost, right?” Naruto whined after getting vine-whipped for about the twentieth time in the last hour.

It seemed as if there was no end to the amount of human-sized leaves shooting out of all of these trees. They were like tentacles, threatening to reach out for him and keep him trapped there forever. It was also kinda similar to all those Vietnam movies he’d ever seen in his life and at any moment he was expecting to get sniped in the back of the head by enemy fire.

Sasuke stopped ahead of him, and Naruto made sure to stop this time because if he face-planted into one more person he was going to end up with a black eye or no eye at all. Maybe that's what had happened to Kakashi?

“At least let me see the map?” Naruto suggested hopefully, wiping his brow with the back of his hand and the edge of his dirty sweatshirt cuff. His throat was parched, but as far as he’d seen they hadn’t come across a single source of water yet.

Sasuke turned to him, glared, but he did take out the map and hand it over. “Suggestions?”

Naruto ran his eyes over it intently, still unable to comprehend the juvenile artistic abilities that went into the creation of the map. “Uh yeah, I think we should head for some of those X’s.”

Sasuke grabbed the map out of his hand with a fierce glare, and Naruto laughed in his face.

“Maybe this would go a lot smoother if you lighten up?” Naruto raised an eyebrow and stared skyward. Tropical, colorful looking birds flew over his head, branch to branch, occasionally squawking at one another, probably warning their friends of the two idiots traipsing around in an endless jungle. It would have been a lot more beautiful a sight if he hadn’t been anticipating one of them shitting on his head.

Or, better yet, Sasuke’s.

“Just because you never take anything seriously.” He heard Sasuke mutter under his breath. Naruto looked at him sharply with narrowed, alert blue eyes.

“Just because you take everything seriously,” Naruto shot back out of frustration, adjusting the hold on his oversized jacket he had under his arm in a makeshift roll.

“One of us has to,” Sasuke responded flatly.

“Hey.” Naruto lowered his voice. “Why are we fighting already? All we have to do is find these stupid things, avoid some traps, and hopefully find water pretty soon before I pass out. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“If it’s not so big a deal, why don’t you try leading, Naruto?” Sasuke held out the map for him to take again. Naruto took it from him gently despite wanting to rip it out of the other boy’s hand.

“Fine,” Naruto agreed through clenched teeth, tilting his chin haughtily. He gave it a quick glance again, stared around their location and blindly picked a path. He had a fair amount of luck, so maybe he could just wing it. “This way.”

He didn’t even wait for Sasuke before he began trudging and pushing his way through a heavy line of shrubbery, not hesitating to let the branches go just in case they might hit Sasuke upside the head and knock some personality into him. The ground in front of them began to incline into a steep hill and idly Naruto wondered if there might be poisonous snakes and some of those large woolly spiders that could eat small babies. In life, there wasn’t much that truly bothered him, but if he ever woke up with a tarantula on his face…well, let’s just say that would end up being a good day to wash his bed sheets.

Ah, so many reasons to wash bed sheets and so little time.

“Hey Sasuke,” Naruto called behind him as he wound a path between some slim, gangly looking trees with leaves that came to a five sharp points, somewhat resembling throwing stars.

Sasuke made a noise like a grunt--unless that was another forest creature, like say, a wild boar--but Naruto pretended it was a sound of acknowledgment nonetheless.

“So… if you’re not seeing Sakura at the moment, that means she’s available, huh?”

He thought he heard Sasuke stop, but if he did, he quickly picked up his pace again.

“Is that really all you can think about at a time like this?” Sasuke asked.

“Well it’s not like you’re making any kind of conversation,” Naruto pointed out bitterly.

“What makes you think I’d want to talk about Sakura anyway?”

Naruto hummed thoughtfully, pushing past a heavily thorned bush he wasn’t going to bother warning Sasuke about.

“I really don’t get it. I mean what’s wrong with her?” Naruto asked, genuinely puzzled.

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Sasuke answered, “But she’s clingy and totally disregards my privacy and personal space.”

“So what you’re saying is you don’t like girls clinging to you?” Naruto said, a tone of gentle teasing in his voice.

“Not really,” Sasuke replied earnestly, apparently missing Naruto’s tone.

Or…

Naruto stopped. “Wait, what?” He turned around and looked at Sasuke questioningly. The other boy stared at him evenly, a hint of lift to his eyebrow. “So, er…”

Sasuke raised both eyebrows. “ ‘So’ what?” Sasuke repeated impatiently.

“…What about boys?”

“What about them?” Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest, clearly looking annoyed.

“You like them clinging to you then?” Naruto tilted his head to the side, the corner of his mouth twisting up oddly.

Sasuke dropped his arms and glared. “You’re an idiot.” He started walking, pushing past Naruto heavily. Naruto stood there for a few seconds, staring off into nowhere but then abruptly his gaze shifted to Sasuke’s back.

“Hey wait!” he called, jogging after him. “I’m the one that’s supposed to be leading!”

“Not if you’re going to be thinking up stupid things in that empty head of yours,” Sasuke commented snidely as Naruto caught up to his side, brushing up against his elbow.

“You know,” Naruto said, smirking as he caught Sasuke’s eye. “You didn’t answer the question.”

“It wasn’t worth answering,” Sasuke returned as Naruto made a point of jogging a few steps ahead of him.

“Yeah right,” Naruto countered, chuckling loudly at Sasuke’s expense. “It’s okay. I won’t judge. I like all kinds of people. I support your kind.”

“My kind?” Sasuke sighed heavily in irritation, and Naruto cracked into a cruel smile of satisfaction. It was so fun getting on Sasuke’s nerves! It should be a national pastime so that everyone could enjoy it!

“Yeah yeah, you know, you being gay and all…”

“Naruto,” Sasuke warned.

Naruto cackled evilly, proud of himself for avoiding a wayward rock that jutted out from the ground dangerously. Had he tripped, he would have fallen for about the tenth time today.

“Just, uh, keep in mind I don’t think you’re quite my type…”

“Naruto,” Sasuke warned again in a louder voice.

Naruto waved his hands obnoxiously in front of him, hoping to goad Sasuke further.

“Although it does leave me wondering what you did when I was unconscious and naked,” Naruto said in an innocently inquisitive voice.

“Naruto!” Sasuke shouted.

“What?” Naruto asked finally, whipping around, and unfortunately losing his footing on the hill.

He saw Sasuke’s wide eyes as the other boy jumped forward, attempting to grab the front of his sweatshirt as Naruto began to fall backwards, not having seen the ledge hidden by all the overgrown shrubbery. For an instant, he thought he was saved as Sasuke held him. But the loose dirt under his feet gave way, the small roots connected to the grass tearing and shifting as he fell downward, Sasuke still gripping onto him. Naruto fell and tumbled, Sasuke going down with him as they rolled over sludge and dirt, rocks digging into Naruto’s back and side. All Naruto could think was how eerily quiet the forest seemed and he could hear himself yelling, but the noise sounded so far off. It felt like forever as they fell, his cheeks and bare hands getting scraped against stones or snagged by thorny plants. One last bump and suddenly they were both airborne, the light surrounding them violently blinding. At some point, Sasuke had released his shirt, but Naruto’s eyes were glued to the other boy in fear during their freefall, where, suddenly, a roar as loud as a locomotive exploded in his ears.

It wasn’t until then that he noticed a large waterfall to their right. The plummet was swift as they hit the water hard, plunging into it with a loud, painful slapping sound. The water was a clear blue, stinging Naruto’s eyes because he hadn’t shut them upon entry. Naruto gasped, taking in water as it burned his throat and stomach and the inside of his nose. His arms shot out and he tried to paddle to the surface despite the weight of all his heavy clothing. His jacket had been lost somewhere. Naruto fought to break through to the surface, the waterfall still raging loudly and violently, the powerful current sweeping him further and further away from the cliff where they’d fallen.

Panicked, Naruto looked around him, urgently searching for Sasuke anywhere and everywhere. He held his breath and dove back down into the water, but the current was so strong it was difficult to stay under for very long, and his clothes were beginning to bog him down. He tried pulling off his hooded sweatshirt but it stuck to him as if an accomplice to their bad luck. Arms and legs already feeling tired, Naruto swam closer to the center of the water where they had entered, his eyes wide with unabashed alarm, his fear of having lost Sasuke made worse by the fact that when he looked to the shore, a red and white varsity jacket clung to a branch jutting out from the muddied, mossy shore, squirming and twitching as the current struggled to pull it back down into its hungry depths.

TBC

A/N: Get it. The chapter title? It's because he fell. Literally.

-slaps knee-