When Love Fades

Chapter 40 - A Chance Encounter I

Naruto wasn't one to keep secrets.

For starters, he completely sucked at it. His face was generally an open book, especially to his friends who'd had years of experience reading it. But there was no way he wanted Kiba to find out that he was thinking about contacting Sasuke. Which was why he found himself texting Shikamaru on Saturday morning telling him he needed to talk, but not to mention it to Kiba.

Naruto didn't want to be stupid about it. Things had been really bad with Sasuke at the end and he knew there were real issues that needed to be solved. But for the first time in over a year, he thought there was a chance that there was actually some common ground that they could stand on. But Gaara's words and Itachi's words had Naruto wondering if somehow he'd been so stuck in his own head he'd misread some of the things Sasuke had done.

He felt an excitement buzzing in him that he hadn't felt in months. Maybe even for almost a year. Were things actually fixable with Sasuke? He didn't know, but if there was any chance, then he was damn sure going to try. If Sasuke really hadn't been sick of him and waiting to leave, if somehow they just had... gone off track but not in a way that wasn't solvable, then he needed to know. Maybe it would be too late. God knows Sasuke was probably going to hand Naruto his ass after the way Naruto had walked out but Naruto had never backed away from a fight out of fear before. He'd walked away from Sasuke because he'd honestly believed that there was nothing left to fight for. He knew he couldn't make Sasuke care about him. But if he'd been wrong then... then... he didn't know, but he had to at least try to find out. Maybe they would only ever be friends after this or nothing at all, but he wanted to explain to Sasuke why he'd left and finally hear the man out on what Sasuke had really been feeling in the months leading up to the break-up.

Kiba would probably remove Naruto's head with a dull spoon if he thought that Naruto was giving any real consideration to trying to talk things out with Sasuke but he just needed to know.

Naruto knocked on Shikamaru's door barely able to wait until he heard the usual shout of 'it's open' from the man who was always too lazy to get up and actually answer the door. Naruto let himself in, glad that at least Shikamaru was awake. Naruto's mind had been buzzing constantly since he left Gaara's and he needed to talk to someone about it.

"Shika?" Naruto called out as he entered the small apartment. Shikamaru could afford something larger, but he didn't want to have to clean it. He was more than happy to live in his tiny bachelor's pad.

"Hey, Naruto. I got your note. What's going on?" Shikamaru lifted his head from where he was stretched out on the couch. He looked like he was just waking up from a mid-morning nap but it was just as likely he hadn't bothered to go to his bed to sleep the night before.

Naruto walked over, shoving Shikamaru's feet off the couch to make space for him to sit down.

"I think... I think I might have fucked up." Naruto pulled Shikamaru's legs back over his to return the man to his original position.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "This is news how?"

"Fuck you," Naruto sighed, tipping his head back to rest against the back of the couch, looking up at the ceiling. "I just... I think maybe I should... talk to Sasuke."

Shikamaru tensed and Naruto looked over at him, surprised. "What? I thought Kiba was the only one of you guys who hated him. Look, Shika, I just... I told you what Itachi had said, right? That he thought Sasuke just had a different idea of how to do relationships or whatever. That in his head, working hard so I didn't have pressure on me was Sasuke's way of like... being serious about us?"