Forgive Me, Naruto

A Warm Heart

Sasuke's POV:

Me and Naruto enter one of the abandoned buildings and look around. Almost instantly, he walks into a spider web and trips on the ground.

"Ouch..." he says, rubbing his back.

I hold back a laugh. "Watch where you're going, blockhead," I say.

Shooting me an annoyed look, he stands up and continues rubbing his back.

"Not everyone has been blessed with visual prowess," he says, rolling his eyes.

As we continue looking around, I notice that I begin to have that warm feeling in my chest again. Thinking back to the last time I felt that, I realize it always happens whenever I spend time with Naruto.

I take a glance at him. Looking around, he confusedly rubs the back of his head.

"Uh...Sasuke, can I see the picture again? I kinda forgot what it looks like," he says.

This was the third time he asked that. I let out a chuckle, staring at the blonde idiot.

"What? What's so funny, ya know?" He says, crossing his arms.

"Nothing. Come look at the picture again, loser," I say, pulling it out once more.

What is this feeling, and why does only Naruto make me feel this way?

~

We finally decide to take a break and eat the granola bars we packed.

"Damn it," Naruto says, holding the picture. "I can't find anything! How are we going to save Hinata if we can't find any clues?"

"Toneri seems smart. It won't be easy, but we'll find her," I say. But deep inside, I'm worried too.

"I sure hope so. Sakura's gonna be devastated, ya know," he says.

He then sighs and takes a bite out of his granola bar. He turns toward me, looking at me for a moment, and then pushes my hair out of the way to reveal my Rinnegan, just like he did at Ichiraku's.

I nearly choke on my granola. "Stop doing that, loser!" I shout.

"Then stop hiding your eyes!" Naruto chuckles, casually biting his granola.

I begin to feel the warmth in my chest again, like I have been the entire day. I look away from him, hiding my smile. After a silent moment of us eating, I finally decide to speak up.

"Naruto?" I say.

"Hm?"

"At the festival...you told me you overcame hatred with love."

"Yeah...?" He says, turning toward me.

"How exactly do you know when you're feeling...love?"

He scratches his head for a moment. "Well...I think it depends"

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Well...someone once told me all love isn't the same. Like, there's a difference between loving food and loving a person."

I raise an eyebrow. "There's a difference?"

"That's what I said, ya know! But apparently yeah. They told me that we love food because it fills our stomach. But when we love other people, it's because they fill our heart."

I sit quietly, thinking about what he said. Is that the warm feeling I've been having? A full heart? Is this love?

"...Have you felt that way before?" I ask.

"Food? All the time! You know I love ramen!"

The idiot says with a wide smile.

"I meant the other kind, dumbass."

"Huh? Oh. Well...yeah. I guess so," he says, rubbing his head.

We both sit in awkward silence until Naruto finally speaks again.

"...How about you? Uh, feeling that way about a person, I mean," he says.

I stay silent for a moment and think, putting my hand on my chest. I start to smile.

"Yeah, I think so," I say, looking up at the sky.
I feel Naruto's eyes linger on me for a while, before he follows my gaze to the sky.

I chuckle. "You're not gonna ask who?" I ask him.

Naruto shrugs and looks down. "It's none of my business."

I turn to him. Naruto does the same, causing us both to stare deep into each other's eyes.

"I don't care who you feel that way for, but Sasuke, just know that no matter what, I'll always feel that way about you," Naruto says with a small smile.

I remain silent and continue to stare at his eyes.

"I tried to fight it, I really did. I kept telling myself to give up, it's just wishful thinking. But I can't help it," he says, chuckling. "It's okay though. I know you don't feel the same way and that's fine. I'm cool with being just fr-"

I lean in and interrupt him with a kiss.

(art creds: @cubur_chi on Instagram)

Surprised, he stiffens at first, but then slowly relaxes as our lips are still together. He puts a hand on my shoulder and kisses back. We sit there for a while, kissing and embracing each other. My chest feels so warm that it might explode.

When we finally break apart for air, we both stare longingly into each other's eyes.

So this is love, I think to myself, smiling.

Watching me, Naruto smiles back.

"Smiling looks good on you, Uchiha," he says softly.

I try to retort with a sarcastic response, but for once, I have nothing to say. God, this idiot.

I finally understand why only Naruto makes me feel this way, and the thought that Naruto feels the same way towards me makes me feel an inexplicable way that I could only express by smiling like an idiot.

A full heart.

Now. Now is the time for the envelope. But as I reach my hand into my cloak, we both hear Sakura shouting our names.

"Naruto! Sasuke!"