When Sasuke Met Naruto (SasuNaru)

- Chapter 30 -

Sasuke stared out the window of the bus, watching as the trees passed by in a green blur. It was Friday evening, and he and Naruto had just left to go spend some time out by Lake Konoha. Over the horizon, Sasuke could just see the sun setting, casting an orange glow over the sky as they drove onward. It felt strange, being outside of Konoha like this. Even though Sasuke had lived in the city his entire life, he had never really explored the outskirts of the city, and was now surprised to see all the wildlife that was growing just miles from his home.

"Nice, isn't it?" Naruto asked, poking his head over the Uchiha's shoulder with a grin. "Just wait till we get to the park – it's amazing."

"I wonder if Shikamaru's ever come out this way," Sasuke asked absent-mindedly. "I'm sure he'd love to look at the clouds out here..."

Indeed, even from the speeding bus, Sasuke could clearly see the swirling clouds overhead. It was much easier to take them in without the skyscrapers clogging up the sky – made everything seem more peaceful.

So this is why he's always watching them...

"You could always give him a call, you know," Naruto said, glancing over at his boyfriend amusedly.

Sasuke shrugged. "He won't answer, anyway. He's on a date with Temari tonight – apparently they're going shopping or something."

"Oh, he's gotta be loving that," the blond responded, rolling his eyes.

"He probably thinks of it as a break – as long as he's away from home, he doesn't have to worry about Gaara harassing him."

Naruto considered this for a moment. "You don't think Gaara would actually interfere, do you?"

"Nah, he probably just wants to scare Shikamaru more than anything else. Still... I wouldn't put it past him. I think if you push him far enough, Gaara's capable of just about anything," Sasuke responded, finally tearing his eyes away from the window.

"You may be right," Naruto replied, staring vacantly at an old woman across the aisle. "I really think Gaara's mellowed out in the past few weeks, though. I mean, he isn't trying to kill you anymore."

"As far as we know, anyway," Sasuke said enigmatically.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for all we know, Gaara could be using all of us – earning our trust before finally turning on us..."

"Don't say that, Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, raising his hands in mild outrage. "Gaara's been trying really hard – just look at the progress he's made with Lee!"

Sasuke chuckled at his boyfriend's indignation. "I'm joking, I'm joking. Look, everyone can tell Gaara's changed – it's like night and day."

"Then why would you lie about something like that?" Naruto pouted, his arms crossed seriously.

Sasuke burst into laughter. "Because your reactions are priceless!"

As Naruto became quite animated in protesting Sasuke's claims (and, ironically, proving them in the process) the Uchiha maintained his mask of amusement. Though he'd insisted he was only joking, the truth was Sasuke still had some reservations about Gaara. It wasn't just because the redhead had basically sexually assaulted Naruto, either – though that certainly was a part of it. The real problem for Sasuke, though, was much harder to put a finger on. To him, something about Gaara simply seemed... unstable. Sure, having Naruto and Lee around helped Gaara psychologically, but Sasuke couldn't shake the feeling that any sort of turbulence would shatter that apparent calm in an instant. And if it was something particularly traumatic...