Mah. Updating this. Now I can go work on Spring Break, then SAM D: Manga has broken my brain. Went to Otakon. It was... large. Enjoy!

After walking Hinata back to her place and receiving an alarmingly intimidating glare from her father and a strange, suspicious look from someone who appeared to be a younger sister, Naruto headed in the direction of his flat. To do what? He didn’t know. But it seemed as if he’d be safe there. A ninja could dream. He was still feeling full from all the food he’d eaten and a bit tired from the amount of training he and Konohamaru had accomplished. He had to hand it to that little twerp; Konohamaru was catching on really fast, and it would only be a matter of time before he’d be able to create a working Rasengan. He was learning faster than Naruto had!

It was mid-afternoon, and the sun was beating down on the village. The doors to the shops were wide open, allowing for meager circulation. A stray dog with dark, shaggy brown hair sniffed at an empty cardboard box near the porch of a sake shop. The proprietors of the udon shop next door called out to him, and he waved, wishing them a good afternoon. Cheerfully, Naruto threw his arms behind his head and clasped his fingers together. He grinned widely, his eyes shut in a tight squint. He was just passing by a small fenced-in park with a large, gnarling tree at its center when he happened to catch a glimpse of the dark figure leaning against the thick trunk. Naruto stopped in his tracks and turned to face the familiar person, wondering what the hell he was doing alone in a place like this.

“Oi!” He called loudly, waving an arm as he jogged in the direction of the tree. The person merely watched him as he ran up, still casually leaning against the tree, face expressionless other than the subtle movement of his eyes. “What’re you doin’ here?”

The other ninja looked him up and down. “You’re dirty.”

“Huh?” Naruto gazed down at his unzipped jacket and his wrinkled pants. There were splatters of mud and dirt caked on his knees. “Oh, yeah. Well I was at the training grounds helpin’ out Konohamaru, and then Hinata came along with lunch…”

“I see.”

“Heh.” Naruto threaded his fingers behind his head and bounced on his feet. From here he could see his apartment on the upper-level of the complex where he lived. He stared at it for a few seconds then looked at his friend again. “So, what’re you up to today, Sai?”

Stiffly, Sai straightened, fussing with the glove on his right hand, adjusting the bit of leather around his thumb. “Waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me?” Brow furrowed in plan confusion, Naruto cocked his head to the right and dropped his arms to his sides. “Do we have a mission I don’t know about?” He scratched the side of his head. “I saw Kakashi-sensei earlier. He didn’t say anything about a mission…”

Sai looked at Naruto as if he’d henged into Sakura-chan during her time of the month.

“What?” he asked, feeling an itch of irritation. Sai raised an eyebrow, sighed, and turned his head to the left to glance over his shoulder. “Ohhhhh…” Wow, he really was slow! It couldn’t be true though, could it?

Sai glanced at him again, and Naruto’s jaw dropped.

“No…” Disbelief, mild curiosity, and a bit of disgust blended together in his tone. He started to flail his arms in front of him. “No, no, no… Are you…!?”

“Yes.” Sai gave a short nod of the head.

“No!”

“Yes.” Sai’s neutral expression slowly turned into a smirk, and Naruto glared kunais at him.

“…!”

“…”

“Gyaaaaaaaah! That old hag! The next time I see her, I’m gonna give her a piece of my mind!” Naruto fumed, stomping around on the ground and kicking at a clod of dirt near one of the bald patches in the grass.

“Does it really bother you that much to spend time with me?” Sai asked with a tilt of the head. He had his eyes shut and was wearing one of those fake grins Naruto hated so much.

“Wha-?” Naruto halted his tantrum to really look at Sai. “Huh!? Of course not!” He turned his body to the side and stuck a hand inside the right pocket of his pants. “No… I dunno. I’m just kinda tired, and this day has been kinda weird already. I’m not sure why I made a big deal about it actually…”

“We can make it as short and painless as possible if you want…” Sai suggested, and if Naruto didn’t know any better, he’d say his teammate sounded the slightest bit disappointed.

Now he felt guilty.

He rubbed at his chest and sighed heavily. “No, no. In fact, I’d like to hang out with you. We don’t do it very often outside of missions, do we?”

“Not really, no,” Sai answered succinctly, placing a hand on his hip.

“’Kay. So what did you have in mind?” Naruto asked and made a forced chuckle. “I already ate with Hinata so a candlelight dinner is out of the question. Heh.”

Sai rubbed at his chin, dismissing the joke. “I thought we’d go back to my place.” He shifted and pointed at the building over the fence and a few blocks away. The small window on the second story was swung wide open.

“Your place?” Naruto repeated quizzically, unsure. “What’re we gonna do there?”

Sai shrugged. “I’ll paint your portrait.”

Naruto stared at him and blinked twice. Sai stared back without blinking.

“I don’t have to pose nude or anything, do I?” Naruto voiced suspiciously.

“I don’t think I’d have a small enough brush to create the fine details of such a tiny penis.”

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?” Naruto shouted, spit flying haphazardly out his big mouth and landing on Sai’s left cheek and shoulder. Still smiling, Sai wiped it off with the back of a gloved hand and laughed in that irritating way he did sometimes.

“But if you’re so eager to get naked in my presence,” Sai remarked, crossing his arms over his chest, “I’m sure we can make some kind of special arrangements?”

Flustered, Naruto’s face turned a rather significant shade of red. As red as that time he volunteered to try out a sample tasting of Ichiraku’s new menu item: Wasabi Ramen. It had taken him days to recover those lost tastebuds as well as a normal color to his face.

“You wish, pervert,” he mumbled under his breath, feeling too lethargic to start a fist fight in the middle of town. The fact that the large tree created such nice shade for them had resulted in a light breeze, making him want to lie down and take a nap. The idea of sitting for a while didn’t sound so bad. He couldn’t move around a whole lot if Sai was going to paint his portrait, right? Maybe it meant they could simply sit there in silence. Naruto could live with that.

Sai was still watching him, waiting for his answer.

“Alright,” Naruto agreed with a swift nod. He gave Sai a rougher than necessary slap to the back. Sai didn’t so much as bat an eyelash or issue a grunt at the abuse. “All the other Hokages have their portrait hanging in the Hokage Tower! I suppose I should get a head start on mine, eh?” He laughed uproariously at his own joke, quietly beaming.

By the time he opened his eyes again, Sai was already darting and jumping over fences and heading toward his own apartment.

“Hey!" Naruto yelled crossly, following after him as he leapt over the wide-planked fence and then another, sprinting through people’s yards and jumping over laundry lines teaming with drying clothing. “At least wait for me, bastard! You can’t start without your subject! Wait up, will ya?! Dammit, Sai!!!”

-------------

Naruto couldn’t honestly recall if he’d ever been inside Sai’s flat, but he probably would have remembered complaining about the lack of furnishings. Being a ninja, he’d slyly jumped up to the top floor of the bi-level apartment and gone through the open window. The room was more long than wide, probably perfect for an artist’s studio, not that Naruto was altogether familiar with the appeal, but it was homey enough. Sai was already sitting on a small, solid black crate, setting up the easel and fiddling with the brushes he’d placed in a couple buckets beside him. He took the opportunity to nose about. There were several framed art pieces of landscape hanging on the wall, most with a clear place for titles, but all of them happened to be blank. From outside the window he’d entered like a cat burglar, he could see the tall tree and the park they’d just come from. He went to the sill and braced his arms on it as a gentle breeze caressed his cheeks and feathered through the fringes of his hair. He squinted against the sun and smiled.

“Are you sure you wanna do this in here?” he asked, eyes roving across the buildings. “It’s so nice out after all!”

“In here I won’t be distracted,” Sai answered, and, curiously, Naruto glanced over his shoulder at him. He shrugged and walked over that way.

“Have it your way,” he said. “Uh, so, where exactly do you sleep? I don’t see a bed anywhere.”

“I don’t sleep much,” Sai replied, wiping and wringing out a pair of brushes on the side of the pail. “But there’s a futon downstairs.”

“Ah." He went over to the kitchen, which was really just a string of appliances against the wall: a small refrigerator, an oven, a couple cabinets, three drawers and a few cooking utensils hanging on the back wall. A tall, silver metal pot sat on one of the back burners of the gas stove.

“This might take a while, you can grab a seat if you want,” Sai said, looking over the easel. “I think I’m about ready.”

Naruto looked around the room for something that would make do as a chair. “Uh… Maybe I’ll just… stand?”

Sai shrugged. “Whatever.”

“Hmm. Where would you like me?” He grinned suggestively.

“Move a few feet to your left, a little off-center to where I am,” Sai replied, brush in hand as he swept his bangs out of his eyes with his left. Naruto moved to where he was told, surprised at how he suddenly felt self-conscious.

“Heh, I think the last time I had my picture taken was the photo Kakashi-sensei took of Team 7,” Naruto smiled sadly, and his shoulders slumped a bit. “Before that was after I’d finally gotten my forehead protector from Iruka-sensei.” He frowned a little, melancholy in his nostalgia. “I remember when that old man Hokage nearly pissed himself when he saw what I’d drawn on my face that day. Took me frickin’ forever to get it right, too, and then he tried to make me retake it!” He shifted his gaze to Sai, watching the other ninja as his dark eyes concentrated on the stark white canvas, occasionally shifting up to watch him. His hand moved in quick strokes, back and forth, up and down. Naruto observed him sedately, lost in his memories. It had been a long time since he’d thought of the Third.

“Yes,” Sai said after some time, “I’ve heard rumors about your relationship with him.”

“Relationship?” Naruto chuckled, angling his body slightly to the right until Sai reprimanded him for moving. Naruto ignored the order, although he eventually corrected his posture. It was hard for him to stand still for this long. “You make it sound funny.” He pulled a face.

“I’m sure you caused him as much trouble as you continue to do for Kakashi,” Sai replied. The sound of his brush over the cloth canvas made a relaxing sweeping noise. Like the crunching of leaves under foot during autumn.

“Hey!” Naruto shouted defensively. “I don’t cause him trouble.” He rubbed at his chin and grinned evilly. “Heh, maybe sometimes, but I gotta keep him on his toes. He’s getting up there in his age now. Wouldn’t want him to go senile.” Naruto chuckled and stared down at his sandals. “Eh, so your place is pretty clean? Are you a neat freak or what?”

Borishly, Sai looked up for a moment, his hand paused in the air. “I’m not a slob like you if that’s what you mean.”

“I’m not a slob!” Naruto scowled then remembered the state of his apartment when he’d been there earlier. “Mah, well. There isn’t always time to clean up between missions…”

“I’m sure.”

“Feh,” Naruto replied, forgetting he wasn’t supposed to move, so he turned his head toward the open window again. A pair of small brown birds with black specks to their wings flew by. One stopped to sit on the sill briefly and then flew away again. “So, uh, all your other artwork… they don’t have any titles.”

“Right, I don’t title my works,” Sai said, but then stopped to stare blankly at the canvas. He raised his eyes. “Except one…”

Naruto met his gaze with a raised eyebrow. “Oh? Which one is that? I didn’t see it.”

Sai shook his head. “It wasn’t something I painted…”

“Huh?” Naruto cocked his head. “Then what was it? Can I see it?”

“No.”

Naruto scowled and laced his hands together behind his head, burying them into the fine hairs in the back.

“Stop moving,” Sai said firmly, making Naruto jump.

“Oh right. Forgot,” Naruto said, squirming, letting his arms fall to the side. They were quiet for a while, and Naruto felt content enough to watch Sai as he worked. He’d seen him drawing on plenty of occasions. Little sketches in that notebook he always carried around with him but rarely showed anyone. Sometimes Naruto found himself a little envious of Sai’s talents. He didn’t have anything like that to show for himself. In fact, if he thought about it, there wasn’t much to his life outside of being a ninja. Well, he could cook. A little. Okay, not much beyond boiling water. Although he had picked up a few more culinary tricks while traveling with the old hermit…

Naruto sighed and then breathed in deeply, feeling an ache in his chest and wondering at what point would he no longer be overwhelmed by the sting of that loss. Not that he’d ever forget, and not that he wanted to. Sometimes he thought he never wanted it to disappear so long as he could remember. It was the same as with, well… Sasuke. It was that ache inside his chest that reminded him and kept him going, desperate to keep the promise he’d made to Sakura-chan nearly three years ago.

“What are you thinking?” Sai asked suddenly, surprising Naruto.

“Huh?”

“That expression. You looked like you were in pain?” Sai’s head tilted down a bit. “Should we stop?”

Naruto chuckled nervously. “Eh? No, no!” He forced a smile. “I was just thinking…”

“Was it about Sasuke?” Sai asked as he went back to painting.

Naruto tensed, his gaze just above Sai’s shoulder, staring across the room at the opposite wall where there was a small, lonely-looking fireplace.

“Why do you say that?” he asked in a soft voice.

“Sometimes you get that look when you’re talking about him to someone else.”

“Do I?” Naruto asked, feeling his cheeks heat up. “I’ve never noticed.”

“Well, they do say you’re oblivious.”

“Who is this ‘they’ that you’re always talking about?” Naruto asked with a frown.

Sai shrugged. “Almost done.”

“Hmph. Don’t change the subject. Do you and Kakashi-sensei and Yamato and Sakura-chan get together after training to talk about me?”

Sai blinked a few times but didn’t lift his gaze away from his work. “I don’t get together with anyone after training.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right,” Naruto said sheepishly and rubbed at the back of his neck. “You never wanna go out with us. You should though. It’s all a part of the bonding experience.” He grinned at his teammate though Sai wasn’t really looking at him. It seemed as if he no longer needed Naruto to finish up the rest of what he was doing. “So how does it look?”

Sai made a quick few dashes with a flick of his wrist and then set the brush down into the pail holding water. It clinked against the metal. Sai appeared to be going over what he’d done.

“It’s not bad.”

Naruto bounded over excitedly. “Can I see? Can I? Let me see.” But before he could peek around the corner, Sai had rolled it up and was already tying a thin red rope around it to keep it from unraveling.

“Hey, won’t it smear or something if you do that?”

“Not this ink,” Sai answered, and finished tying off the knot. “Here,” he said and handed the parchment over.

“Thanks?” Naruto looked quizzically between the tightly rolled piece of art and the one who’d painted it. “Are you in a hurry or somethin’? Got other plans, eh? I doubt it’s a date!” He waggled his eyebrows.

Sai smirked and raised an eyebrow. “A date?” he repeated. “Why, are you interested?”

“Wha-?” Naruto’s mouth opened wide and his jaw dropped mid-way to the floor? “Huh! No! Of course not!” He flailed his arms, squeezing harder around the scratchy paper than he meant to. “I’m not into guys, dammit!”

Sai stared at him blankly until Naruto started to get twitchy.

“I’m not.”

Naruto watched as Sai reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, his thumb brushing the of his arm. He felt the heat of the other ninja’s hand through his jacket.

“You’ll come to terms with it at some point,” Sai said and gave his arm a stiff pat. “But if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting with Yamato and Anko.” He released Naruto’s arm and began cleaning up his painting supplies scattered on the floor near the crate he’d been sitting on the entire time.

“With Yamato and Anko…?” Naruto narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking to her about?” He shivered. That woman could still be scary. He pressed his hand to the cheek she’d nicked when she’d thrown that kunai during the Chuunin exams.

“A mission.”

“How come I don’t know about it?” Naruto frowned deeply and stepped toward Sai, looking serious.

“You’re not supposed to, that’s why. So if you’ll excuse me. You can leave the way you came.”

“Fine,” Naruto said, feeling irritated. “But tell me about it later when you get back, huh? I hate being left out of the loop about stuff. No one ever tells me anything!” He walked over to the window, portrait in hand as he lifted his leg and planted a sandaled-foot onto the sill, staring down at the ground. “Sai?” he asked, turning his head around.

Sai looked over at him.

“Be careful,” Naruto said slowly. “Okay?” He gave a lop-sided grin.

Sai blinked at him several times as if not comprehending what Naruto had just said. “Okay…”

“Bye then!” Naruto yelled as he crouched in the sill, ready to jump. He waved the rolled up canvas. “And thanks for this. I can’t wait to hang it in the Hokage Tower once I’m in charge.” Then he leapt out of the sill. He hit the ground hard, bracing himself by applying a cushion of chakra to his feet so the impact wouldn’t damage his joints. Although how many old ninjas did he know who had arthritis? Well, of those who survived that long. He’d have to ask Kakashi-sensei how his knees felt after decades of jumping from roof to ground.

After a series of leaps from roof to roof, Naruto launched himself down into the street, wanting to make his way back to his apartment for lack of anything better to do. He wanted to check and see if he’d been left any word about Shizune’s findings yet. Maybe Sakura-chan had left a note on his door. Ah, Sakura-chan… He still had hopes that one of these dates would be with her. As he thought about the possibility, he began to unravel the twine tied tightly around his portrait. He crumpled it up in his hand and stuffed it in his pocket. The sun was in his eyes as he walked Westward, the texture of the paper scratchy against his fingers.

As soon as he unrolled it halfway, he nearly choked on his own spit. In fact, he did. So much so that people around him started to look in his direction. He stumbled into a nearby alleyway that wreaked of wet garbage. An orange tabby cat darted out from behind a cardboard box with an irritated-sounding hiss as Naruto attempted to bring in some air. He huddled against the wall and looked around, checking to see if anyone was watching him. He unrolled the parchment again, this time taking in the full scope of what Sai had painted. His cheeks turned a ridiculous shade of embarrassed crimson.

“That… that… THAT BASTARD,” he yelled, as the cat from before let out a frightened shriek and scampered quickly out into the road, nearly being run over by a passing vegetable cart.

He couldn’t help but stare at the realistic details. That it was so life-like is what made what was on there all the more disturbing. The color, the texture of the figures’ hair; the skin; the eye color; the muscle tone; the… uh… yeah… the erm... sweat... on... uh...

That’s when he heard an impish giggle. Naruto looked around him, not seeing anything. The giggle turned into a cackle and suddenly there was a loud thump behind him and a hand squeezing his shoulder.

“Is that…?” the girl chuckled, curling over and clutching at her stomach as Naruto’s eyes went wide. He tried to roll up the portrait, but it was snatched from his grasp.

“No, no, no… Give me that! Don’t look at it, Ino! Gyaaah!” Naruto screamed desperately, but the female ninja kept it out of his reach. She opened the scroll and looked it over, making several appreciative noises that caused Naruto’s face to burn. She flashed it in front of Naruto.

“Not that I’m really going to judge you on this,” she said, throwing her long blond ponytail over her shoulder. Her bangs covered up her eye, but the other one sparkled mischievously. It made Naruto’s stomach drop. “But… why are you carrying around a portrait of you… and Sasuke… naked?” She burst into a fit of giggles. Naruto took the opportunity to grab the canvas out of her hand and roll it up. He looked all around them, his face still burning. His ears were so red, and he was so embarrassed he felt something close to tears gathering in his eyes.

“It’s not my fault! I thought Sai was painting my portrait and that pervert-bastard ended up giving me something like this! What the hell?! I’m gonna kill him when he gets back!”

“Mmhmm,” Ino hummed obnoxiously, a hand on her hip as she checked out her nails. “Well, if you’re not gonna keep it,” she said, bending forward and pointing a manicured finger in Naruto’s face. She smiled coyly, “Do you mind if I keep it?”

Naruto glared. “Are you sick or something?”

“Oh, there’s nothing sick about that,” she said sweetly.

“Huh?”

“Wait until I tell Sakura…”

Despite Ino being a girl, Naruto pushed her up against the wall, a hand on the slim girl’s shoulder. “You wouldn’t dare…”

“Wouldn’t I?” Ino asked. “I bet she’s gonna feel so left out, too.” She feigned a pout, her bottom lip sticking out.

“Fine,” Naruto breathed out harshly. “What do I gotta do so that you’ll keep your mouth shut about this?” He swished the artwork back and forth.

“Well, actually, you see… I’m quite flattered…”

“Flattered?” Naruto backed away, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m your next date, but I have a favor to ask…”

“Favor?” Naruto gave her a suspicious look. “What kind of favor…?”

“Does that really matter?” Ino said, smirking as she touched her hand to her firm stomach. “There’s somewhere I wanna go. A boy I have to make jealous…”

Naruto scrunched his nose. “I don’t know about this…”

“Ah ah ah,” Ino tsked reproachfully, treating him like a toddler. “You’ll have fun, too, don’t worry.” She offered him a wink, but it didn’t make Naruto feel any better.

“Go home and change into something,” Ino looked him up and down critically. “Nicer.”

“Nicer? What’s wrong with what I have on?” Naruto asked, plucking at the front of his jacket.

Ino sighed loudly. “Ugh. I’m sorry, Naruto, but that orange and black ensemble is just so… tacky. Wear something you would for going out. I’ll meet you at your place in 20 minutes. I have to get dressed myself.”

“Um… I don’t really have any say in this do I?” He looked toward the road and then back at Ino.

“Nope.” She gave him a wave and another wink and darted up to the roof of the complex next door. He watched her as she moved, feeling like he’d just been kicked in the stomach.

Wow, remind him next time to not list Ino as a comrade he truly cared about… She was… evil, conniving and, God did he pity Shikamaru and Chouji! And here he thought his team was dysfunctional! Shit!

“Crap,” he muttered loudly and kicked at an empty soup can. The label was green and too torn up to see exactly what kind of soup it had once been. “Women!” He rolled up the portrait, not really knowing whether he should discard it or hide it somewhere in his apartment… or simply burn it. He didn’t want to take a chance that someone might see him… and Sasuke… doing… that.

Although he was curious…

Why would Sai ever think that Naruto would be the one on the… receiving end...?

Never.

That would never happen.

TBC