The excitement in the air boomed as the start of the race dawned. Drivers hurried to their cars like ants, nervously waiting for the starting flare. Shikamaru, Neji, and Kiba left for their places after a quick talk with Sasuke's team. The brunet team leader turned toward his team mates, a blonde boy and a pink-haired girl.
"Well,...this is it." A trademark, victorious smirk flashed on the brunets face.
Naruto and Sakura nodded in agreement.
"Remember, from here on out, we're all on our own. So, I'll see you guys at the first check point. Good luck." With that, the three racers stepped into their cars.
A screaming red flare spiraled into the sky, exploding above the sun-baked desert. Cheering thundered across the city as cars roared into motion. Dust was spit into the air from the speeding cars, a herd of buffalo stampeding across the dry plain. The sun stood watch over the racing cars. Numerous gas stops could be found along the long path; smart drivers only stopped for gas and the bathroom, opting to carry food along with them in the autos. It would be well into the night before anyone finished for the day.
The fourth day came to a close as the last of the racers rolled into the second to last check point. The town was alight with people meandering in and out of the many bars and clubs. Many drivers went straight to their hotel rooms, wanting to get a good night's sleep, while the rest partied it up with the locals.
Sasuke crossed the hall of the hotel he was staying at, knocking on Naruto's door.
"Just a sec..." The door swung open, revealing a blonde teen in only a pair of blue silk pajama bottoms. "Yep, wuz up?"
"Well, it seems you're quite the little thief. I was wondering where those pajamas went." Sasuke smirked. 'Naruto really is too cute.'
"I...I just really liked them, that's all." The brunet sauntered past the sputtering Naruto into the blonde's room, closing the door behind him.
"I heard among some people that we're in the lead. Though, I can't be sure of the accuracy of those rumors."
The official time records were not announced until the end to keep up the element of surprise, but there were always unofficial timers lurking about. So, generally, everyone knew who was winning.
The brunet sat down on the plush double bed, patting it, beckoning for his lover to sit as well. Hesitantly, Naruto moved to the bed, sinking into the plush mattress.
"Hey,..ah.. Sasuke... isn't it weird that Orochimaru hasn't tried anything sneaky yet? I mean...I hope he doesn't plan on sabotaging the last leg of the race tomorrow....ah..Are you listening to me?" Naruto stared annoyed at Sasuke who was currently consumed with fiddling with Naruto's hair.
"No." Naruto scoffed as Sasuke continued with his playing. "You know I can't concentrate when you're around, especially when you're wearing nothing but my pants and we're 'alone'." The blonde's eyes widened.
Sasuke placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, pushing him down on the bed, before straddling the blonde. Leaning down, the brunet captured the smaller boy's lips in a soft kiss. By now Naruto was used to these sudden actions so this time he didn't protest. The room was completely dark except for the flickering lights of passing cars and night clubs coming through the window. Sasuke hungrily ate Naruto's lips, delving his tongue into his lover's mouth. His hands wandered over the tanned flesh of the blonde, carefully inspecting every inch of skin. Muscles and skin, nothing went unnoticed, not even the thin raised scar that ran across Naruto's side.
Naruto's eyes flashed open upon remembering the scar. The unearthly sound of screaming tires and crunching metal filled the blonde's head. Pushing the brunet off, Naruto shot up and collapsed onto the floor. He sat on his knees, frantically clapping his hands over his ears, desperately trying the silence the terrible noise. Sasuke was stunned. What was going on?
"N..Naruto? Are you ok?" The brunet crawled over to the side of the bed, staring down on the panicking blonde.
""Make it stop! I don't want to see this?" Naruto writhed on the floor, images of a car crumbling on itself flashed in his mind. The blonde could see two passengers, one brunet and one blonde, screaming as the car they drove smashed into a wall. Memories came flooding back to Naruto.
"S...Sa...Sai?"
The flooding memories stopped as Naruto looked shakily up at the brunet staring down at him. Why hadn't he seen it before? ....Sasuke looked exactly like Sai. That's why he was so familiar.
"Sai?" Sasuke stared confusedly. "Oh,...um, Naruto, is that the boy who died in the car crash?" Once again, Naruto was dumbfounded.
"W...what did you say?" The blonde stood up.
"I asked if Sai was the boy that died in the car crash you were in."
"H..how do you know about that?" Anger was starting to creep into the blonde's voice.
"I...I looked it up. When I found out about your father, I did some more research and found a newspaper article. It said that you and your...boyfriend were in a terrible car accident and Sai ended up dieing."
"How dare you! Who said you could go snooping around in my past?" Sasuke was hurt. Why would Naruto act like this?
"Look, I'm sorry I went behind your back. But, can you blame me if I wanted to know more about the one I love? And besides, it's not good for you to keep all those emotions bottled up inside. It's not healthy."
"Not healthy? I'll tell you what's not healthy: you holding that grudge against your brother. You know very well that your parent's death was an accident. Your brother never meant for it to happen. He only wants you to forgive him for his mistake."
"Y..you talked to my brother? Didn't I say not to go near him?" Sasuke now was hurt and angry. "Well, it seems that I'm not he only one to go behind other people's backs."
With that, the brunet walked out of the room, leaving behind an upset blonde.
