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damned_lounge2007-10-30 11:50 am
blind-nights.livejournal.com) wrote in damned_lounge2007-10-30 11:50 am
Entry tags:
Oktoberfest '07 Entry, Memories of a Stranger by shira
Title: Memories of a Stranger
Author: shira (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
blind_nights)
Beta: NONE. BECAUSE I AM TOO MUCH OF A LOSER.
Word Count: 3139
Rating: T? For Naruto swearing, and monster killin'. Yee haw.
Character(s): Naruto, Sai, and mentions of Sasuke. Gaara, too, briefly.
Pairing(s): A little Sai/Naruto if you squint? (Totally support that pairing, yes. :O)
Summary: After Naruto is saved like a true damsel in distress, which his savior Sai faithfully points out, a pseudo-bonding experience occurs. Where Naruto yells, Sai deadpans, and the question of 'What's friendship if you don't even remember the person?' is never really answered.
Notes: I SWORE I'D WRITTEN MY LAST NARUTO FIC, but what am I doing? But really. This isn't fic. This is badfic. Written really quickly, and with no interest in coherency or good writing or Landel's timelines in regards to Naruto or Sai. Rini had to listen to me bitch, though, so I bet she's happy it's over. :O KLFJKFJDGFLJF BADFIC WITH AN ABRUPT ENDING LOLZ.
I apologize for taking another dump on Naruto fandom.
---
Memories of a Stranger
---
It was one thing to wake up in a strange, dangerous place with no memory of how he'd gotten there - that sometimes happened when missions went bad, or when Kiba convinced him to hang out and bought him non-alcoholic sake, only without the 'non-alcoholic' part - but it was quite another to wake up in a strange, dangerous place and wander around night after night, fighting giant cats and crazy nurses with stapler-hands and monsters that took on people's appearances. Wearing a smiley face at that.
Actually, Naruto didn't really mind the smiley face, but that wasn't the point.
So it was that Uzumaki Naruto found himself carefully skulking another corner, hardly able to see past his own goddamn nose, only to run straight into -
Sasuke, of all people.
"Naruto," the other boy said in bland acknowledgement. He didn't even look surprised. "Where are you headed?"
That was another thing about Landel's Institute that really pissed Naruto off: it snatched people up like it was nothing, and plopped them all together as though Naruto hadn't just spent years trying to track the prick down. And Sasuke had been acting like it was nothing the entire time - just a conveniently familiar face in a place full of prisoners. At least Sasuke had to wear a smiley face too. That was something.
"Yo, Sasuke-bastard. Heading over to the pharmacy to check things out. Why the hell are you stalking me?" Two could play at that game, damn it!
Sasuke gave a curt headshake, like he was negating Naruto's entire statement. Whether he'd known Naruto was coming from the opposite direction or not, he gave no sign. Neither of them had their flashlights turned on at the moment. "Don't be stupid. I have no reason to follow you around. But we're both alone, and I was already heading in that direction. It'd be more productive to travel together."
There it was again, that whole 'conveniency' bullshit. But the night was getting on, and Naruto had already gotten a late start. If he went one more night not getting anything done and had to listen to his hag nurse natter away tomorrow... something or someone was getting punched. Who cared about sedation? Made him a little sick, but it wore off, and sure put him to sleep fast - if he could get out of 'therapy', it was worth it.
Sighing, Naruto fingered a scalpel idly, where it was tucked into the back of his pants. "Yeah, yeah, okay. You can just get in behind me, and we'll go." Like hell Sasuke was getting point - just because coming across another shinobi was kind of a good thing didn't mean that Sasuke was going to run the show. He'd come up on Naruto first!
There a sharp scoff, but other than that, no real argument. Naruto just went back to focussing on his footfalls, knowing Sasuke well enough that he didn't have to worry about enemies creeping up on them from behind. Technically, the pharmacy wasn't all that far away if Naruto'd been keeping track of the halls right (and if Sasuke wasn't complaining, he probably was), but it just came down to taking it slow or running the risk of attracting man-eating rats or roaches or something like that. It was a huge-ass waste of time to go slow... though even Naruto knew better then to rush around in this place, where he had no weapons, hardly any chakra, and a lot of super strong enemies around.
The only time he turned on his flashlight was to check to see if he'd gotten the right door - couldn't fucking tell a damn thing even with the moonlight coming in through the windows - and was pleased to see he'd nailed it. Whoever had said he couldn't read maps worth a damn was so wrong.
"Tada," said Naruto, nudging the door open with his foot. Looked like someone had already ransacked the place tonight. "Mission accomplished! See how much easier it is when you're with me?" He shot a grin over his shoulder, but didn't stick around to catch the reply; picking a shelf, Naruto began to direct the beam of the flashlight at the names of bottles. He was going to grab what he wanted first, if Sasuke was planning on stealing some stuff too. And it wasn't like there was a lot of time to stand around chatting anyway - Naruto still had a shitload to do tonight. Like kick some ass and escape.
Somewhere behind him, Sasuke closed the door, and when Naruto turned around to look, Sasuke was coming up on him. Now that he looked, it didn't seem like Sasuke was carrying a flashlight at all.
"I've been thinking," Sasuke started. Reaching up, he tugged a little at the collar of his shirt, pulling it away from his neck. From what Naruto could see of his expression, he looked perfectly neutral. "I'd like to ask for a favor, if you think you're up to it. It's been feeling unusual. I didn't get a chance to ask during the day, but I want you to take a look at it."
No reason to explain what 'it' was. Naruto knew what he meant immediately: the curse seal. Orochimaru's curse seal. Rather than even wonder where this was coming from, why now of all times, and especially why Sasuke was asking him to do it, Naruto just frowned and set his flashlight up on a shelf so it would illuminate the room for them. He didn't stop to think, he just followed Sasuke's lead and stepped closer. He didn't know a damn thing about curse seals, and it wasn't like Sasuke had ever let him even talk about it before...
"Uhm." A bit tentatively, he looked over Sasuke's shoulder to get a look at the tattoo; didn't seem like Sasuke was willing to turn his torso any farther to make it easier on Naruto. He just wished Sakura-chan were here - she was the talented one with all the chakra stuff! "What do you want me to do?"
This was fucking weird, was what it was. Made even weirder by Sasuke's next words:
"You're the same as always, Naruto," came the whisper. A near chuckle. "Still think you can save me?"
He would've asked what the hell Sasuke was playing at if he'd had the time, but then - holy shit and the teeth -
Naruto just barely got a hand under the mimic's jaw before its teeth sank into the juncture of his neck and shoulder - fuck, did he ever feel like an idiot now - and the damn thing was hissing and spitting at him, animalistic and unnatural, scrabbling at his clothes and trying to keep a handhold. Grunting with the effort of trying to knock the thing off - it was a hell of an awkward position - Naruto didn't even see the scalpel being thrown until the Sasuke-mimic's head jerked, and Naruto saw the quicksilver flash of a handle sticking out of the back of its neck.
Perfect shot. Wait, who was throwing those - when had the door opened again?
Feet unable to find purchase, Naruto was bowled over by his opponent who was definitely still alive and kicking, scalpel lodged in nerve clusters or no. He hit the floor right on his tailbone, and if that didn't hurt enough, a blow to the face knocked his head against the ground. His vision exploded into white bursts of light. Damn it. His braced arms weakened, and shit, he was going to get bit!
It was hard to misplace the sound of someone getting kicked in the head - Sakura-chan did it enough to him, he knew the feeling - and it seemed his intuition was dead on when the thing's head snapped to the side, and it was knocked straight off Naruto. He knew, because the weight was gone, and there came the distinctive sound of bone cracking somewhere to his right. Another blow. And Sasuke's voice screaming.
"What do you think you're - !? You're just my replacement! This is none of your - "
"Please don't continue to use Sasuke-kun's voice. It really is unsightly."
It was about as quick as it could be, Naruto figured, when he glanced around frantically only to see the shadowed outline of someone about to break the mimic's neck and ensure it was a final blow.
It wasn't Sasuke, but he just couldn't watch, not even when it was over. Naruto just dropped his head back on the floor, panting softly. Shit, that had really been Sasuke hadn't it? No, but... it had been Sasuke, but not Sasuke, it'd been just like that thing mentioned on the bulletin board... With the teeth and the growling... Meeting one for himself just wasn't the same as hearing about it. That had been messed up.
“Naruto-kun, are you all right?” The stranger's voice again, closer. “You don’t appear to be injured.”
No, not a stranger. Not completely foreign. Where - ? Oh, wait, right. The monotonous voice, the unknown shinobi who apparently knew Naruto personally... Sai... right? The person in question merely pulled an arm over his face and groaned. Some people might have caught the mumbled curse in there, too soft and incoherent to be made out. What he wouldn't give for one single normal night where he could sleep in his own bed with his own pyjamas, and...
Again, Sai’s voice: “You should get up, Naruto-kun. The corpse will no doubt draw attention. I suggest we leave."
Yeah, and getting attacked by a bunch of hungry monsters nibbling on what looked like Sasuke's body was just the perfect way to end the night. No way was he sticking around for that shit. Heaving himself to a sitting position, he opened his eyes only to see Sai's face goddamn looming right above him. He just barely contained a wince, or maybe a yelp, or a combination of both. "What the hell, man. Back off! I'm fine!" He would just not look at the body, nope, not going to look.
The weirdo shinobi calling himself Sai didn't seem to have any notable reaction, other than a blink. Shifting slightly, it seemed the decision was made to follow Naruto's suggestion and pull back a little. Sheesh, what a guy. Naruto hadn't been in that much trouble - he would've handled things himself, that's why he was travelling alone. Not that he had a problem with teams or anything, but the only other shinobi he knew around here were Sasuke and Gaara and who knew where they were, and.
And!
"How'd you even know I was here?" Naruto finally got out, pushing himself to his feet and moving to collect his stuff. Hey, maybe it'd be better if he just nabbed his flashlight and went to the storage room first, then he could do the rest later. Right? Right.
Sai just watched him, having put his spare scalpels away - damn it, if Naruto had just gotten one hand behind, he could've used his own - and was just... watching. "I saw Sasuke-kun on the lower level not long ago. He wasn't planning on venturing up here, and would have had no time to do so. I inferred it was an enemy and saved you."
"That doesn't answer my question! Are you stalking me too? How do I know you're not one of those things?"
He didn't even know this guy called Sai, only having met him maybe once while at Landel's, but during that time two things had become clear: that first off, Sai seemed to think he and Naruto were best friends or something weird like that, and secondly, his smile was totally fake.
And there it was, that fake shit-eating smile.
"Obviously I'm not a monster, Naruto-kun," said Sai. "If I were, I probably would have aided your original attacker. If you couldn't even fend off that weakling, it's safe to say you'd be dead right now if I weren't who I appear to be. Maybe it's more than your memory that's been affected - have you lost all ability to fight too?"
What. The. Hell. That was about the only thing going through Naruto's head as he stared at Sai, hand paused above the handle of his flashlight. What. The. Hell. What the hell!
"What's your problem, asshole!? I thought that was Sasuke! It was Sasuke until... until it goddamn well wasn't!"
Sai had the sense to step to the side when Naruto, newly reanimated in annoyance and frustration, stormed past. "Do you honestly think Sasuke-kun would behave like that? It was a poor, easily discernible tactic to get you close. But I can see you were convinced... I never knew you felt that way about Sasuke-kun."
That stopped Naruto dead. What... was that supposed to mean?
For a moment, he didn't know what to say... but that only ever lasted a moment with Naruto.
Spinning on his heel, he jabbed a finger at Sai, and fairly yelled, "Hey, quit making things up! Just shut the hell up! You don't know anything about Sasuke or me or about me and Sasuke! And just giving me that damn smile, it's really pissing me off!" Who really cared what Sai had to say about that!?
Whirling back around, Naruto stormed out of the pharmacy, not looking back or even really paying attention to where he was going - not the best of contingency plans when it came to nightshifts at Landel's. Who did that Sai think he was? Naruto knew perfectly well he'd never met the guy in his entire life, but yet he had the nerve to say all that crap about... him and Sasuke! And Naruto wasn't even sure what Sai had been getting at, but it hadn't sounded good, and like Naruto would stick around to get ragged on by some weird robot shinobi who claimed to have replaced Sasuke on their own damn team.
But it became apparent that Naruto wasn't going to be rid of Sai very easily. Finally, finally, Naruto came to a stop and turned around on the dark-haired shadow that was following him down the hallway. He didn't quite shine the beam of his flashlight directly into Sai's face, but that was just a thank you for having technically helped him out of a jam.
"Look, Sai, you want something? I get it, I get it, you're a shinobi too, but I'm telling the truth when I say I don't know you. Really. Honest. Never met you before. And I'm pretty sure I'm not crazy or anything like that, so you'll just have to take my word for it. Ne? And yeah, thanks for the help, but... you know, let's talk later or something. I'm kinda busy right now."
He was also pretty sure that if he had known the guy, he'd probably want to punch him. Sai wasn't like Sasuke at all, and to think that this guy had 'replaced' Sasuke... it was hard to think about. Sai, to his credit, didn't smile this time. He didn't do much of anything, actually. But then he said:
"Naruto-kun... We're friends."
And that made Naruto pause, because he couldn't help but think Sai was being serious about it. Just the way he put it. Talk about kicking someone's dog. Awkwardly, the blonde rubbed his neck, brow furrowing. With a little frustration and not a small amount of discomfort, he tried to think of something to say to that...
... and whether unfortunately or not, nothing came.
Clearing his throat a little, Naruto settled for spouting off the first thing he could think of: "Well, friends normally do stuff together, right? So if we were friends, or are friends, or - " Naruto passed an exasperated hand through his hair. He didn't understand the first thing about crappy time warps or whatever. "You know what I mean. Anyway, I meant we must have done stuff too. Friend stuff."
Although it was hard for Naruto to picture what he and Sai could possibly do together, aside from royally piss Naruto off. Shikamaru was the new Sasuke in comparison to Sai.
They resumed walking, and perhaps Naruto imagined it, but it seemed like the slightest shadow of thought creeped across Sai's face. Eh... probably his imagination. Couldn't see a damn thing anyway, and constipation could look like just about anything. Naruto knew that from personal experience. But after a few long moments of silence, Sai nodded. "Yes, we did... 'stuff' together."
"Uh, okay, what kind of stuff?"
"We had a few brief sparring sessions. You lost each time."
"... Next. What else?"
"I... enjoy reading. I once tried to invite you to the library with me, as I've read that's what friends do - participate in one's interests. You refused, though."
"Sounds about right, yeah. Come on, is that it? Didn't we, like... talk about stuff?"
"Oh, well, yes. I typically make comments about your ridiculously small penis, and it's a mutual conversation we have. Is that what you mean?"
For the second time that night, Naruto made an abrupt stop. Turned. Made a fist and raised it, threatening immediate violence. "What was that, Sai!?"
"I said your ridicu - "
"I heard what you said, you bastard! That's not friendly!" Naruto, thoroughly pissed off, pointed wildly at the storage room door just down the hall. "You're lucky I don't break that door down with your face!"
Sai, for his part, made a curt sweep of the area with his flashlight. "There's no need. It seems the lock is already broken."
"That's not the - "
A sound from above, like air being rhythmically beaten, made Naruto cut himself off - nope, he'd definitely heard that. He didn't need Sai to tell him all that yelling carried pretty well in a goddamn creepy, echoing hall.
Gods, he hated bats. Especially the two foot long, zombie, man-eating kind.
Naruto moved, slipping into his accustomed offense -
- just as Sai stepped up to his right, a loose but confident gesture, conforming to Naruto's style of attack, as though he knew exactly how Naruto was going to move and how best to support his back. It was weird, really weird, and Naruto couldn't help but ask, "You've done this before?" You've practiced with me before, haven't you?
"Yes, but we've established that already. Not that you do usually, but try to stay focussed."
There it was again!
Naruto brought two scalpels into his right hand, grunting out, "I know that! Like hell an asshole like you's replaced Sasuke!"
And Naruto stepped forward and Sai stepped with him, and it was a goddamn weird sensation of a stranger knowing Naruto better than he should.
Author: shira (
blind_nights)Beta: NONE. BECAUSE I AM TOO MUCH OF A LOSER.
Word Count: 3139
Rating: T? For Naruto swearing, and monster killin'. Yee haw.
Character(s): Naruto, Sai, and mentions of Sasuke. Gaara, too, briefly.
Pairing(s): A little Sai/Naruto if you squint? (Totally support that pairing, yes. :O)
Summary: After Naruto is saved like a true damsel in distress, which his savior Sai faithfully points out, a pseudo-bonding experience occurs. Where Naruto yells, Sai deadpans, and the question of 'What's friendship if you don't even remember the person?' is never really answered.
Notes: I SWORE I'D WRITTEN MY LAST NARUTO FIC, but what am I doing? But really. This isn't fic. This is badfic. Written really quickly, and with no interest in coherency or good writing or Landel's timelines in regards to Naruto or Sai. Rini had to listen to me bitch, though, so I bet she's happy it's over. :O KLFJKFJDGFLJF BADFIC WITH AN ABRUPT ENDING LOLZ.
I apologize for taking another dump on Naruto fandom.
---
Memories of a Stranger
---
It was one thing to wake up in a strange, dangerous place with no memory of how he'd gotten there - that sometimes happened when missions went bad, or when Kiba convinced him to hang out and bought him non-alcoholic sake, only without the 'non-alcoholic' part - but it was quite another to wake up in a strange, dangerous place and wander around night after night, fighting giant cats and crazy nurses with stapler-hands and monsters that took on people's appearances. Wearing a smiley face at that.
Actually, Naruto didn't really mind the smiley face, but that wasn't the point.
So it was that Uzumaki Naruto found himself carefully skulking another corner, hardly able to see past his own goddamn nose, only to run straight into -
Sasuke, of all people.
"Naruto," the other boy said in bland acknowledgement. He didn't even look surprised. "Where are you headed?"
That was another thing about Landel's Institute that really pissed Naruto off: it snatched people up like it was nothing, and plopped them all together as though Naruto hadn't just spent years trying to track the prick down. And Sasuke had been acting like it was nothing the entire time - just a conveniently familiar face in a place full of prisoners. At least Sasuke had to wear a smiley face too. That was something.
"Yo, Sasuke-bastard. Heading over to the pharmacy to check things out. Why the hell are you stalking me?" Two could play at that game, damn it!
Sasuke gave a curt headshake, like he was negating Naruto's entire statement. Whether he'd known Naruto was coming from the opposite direction or not, he gave no sign. Neither of them had their flashlights turned on at the moment. "Don't be stupid. I have no reason to follow you around. But we're both alone, and I was already heading in that direction. It'd be more productive to travel together."
There it was again, that whole 'conveniency' bullshit. But the night was getting on, and Naruto had already gotten a late start. If he went one more night not getting anything done and had to listen to his hag nurse natter away tomorrow... something or someone was getting punched. Who cared about sedation? Made him a little sick, but it wore off, and sure put him to sleep fast - if he could get out of 'therapy', it was worth it.
Sighing, Naruto fingered a scalpel idly, where it was tucked into the back of his pants. "Yeah, yeah, okay. You can just get in behind me, and we'll go." Like hell Sasuke was getting point - just because coming across another shinobi was kind of a good thing didn't mean that Sasuke was going to run the show. He'd come up on Naruto first!
There a sharp scoff, but other than that, no real argument. Naruto just went back to focussing on his footfalls, knowing Sasuke well enough that he didn't have to worry about enemies creeping up on them from behind. Technically, the pharmacy wasn't all that far away if Naruto'd been keeping track of the halls right (and if Sasuke wasn't complaining, he probably was), but it just came down to taking it slow or running the risk of attracting man-eating rats or roaches or something like that. It was a huge-ass waste of time to go slow... though even Naruto knew better then to rush around in this place, where he had no weapons, hardly any chakra, and a lot of super strong enemies around.
The only time he turned on his flashlight was to check to see if he'd gotten the right door - couldn't fucking tell a damn thing even with the moonlight coming in through the windows - and was pleased to see he'd nailed it. Whoever had said he couldn't read maps worth a damn was so wrong.
"Tada," said Naruto, nudging the door open with his foot. Looked like someone had already ransacked the place tonight. "Mission accomplished! See how much easier it is when you're with me?" He shot a grin over his shoulder, but didn't stick around to catch the reply; picking a shelf, Naruto began to direct the beam of the flashlight at the names of bottles. He was going to grab what he wanted first, if Sasuke was planning on stealing some stuff too. And it wasn't like there was a lot of time to stand around chatting anyway - Naruto still had a shitload to do tonight. Like kick some ass and escape.
Somewhere behind him, Sasuke closed the door, and when Naruto turned around to look, Sasuke was coming up on him. Now that he looked, it didn't seem like Sasuke was carrying a flashlight at all.
"I've been thinking," Sasuke started. Reaching up, he tugged a little at the collar of his shirt, pulling it away from his neck. From what Naruto could see of his expression, he looked perfectly neutral. "I'd like to ask for a favor, if you think you're up to it. It's been feeling unusual. I didn't get a chance to ask during the day, but I want you to take a look at it."
No reason to explain what 'it' was. Naruto knew what he meant immediately: the curse seal. Orochimaru's curse seal. Rather than even wonder where this was coming from, why now of all times, and especially why Sasuke was asking him to do it, Naruto just frowned and set his flashlight up on a shelf so it would illuminate the room for them. He didn't stop to think, he just followed Sasuke's lead and stepped closer. He didn't know a damn thing about curse seals, and it wasn't like Sasuke had ever let him even talk about it before...
"Uhm." A bit tentatively, he looked over Sasuke's shoulder to get a look at the tattoo; didn't seem like Sasuke was willing to turn his torso any farther to make it easier on Naruto. He just wished Sakura-chan were here - she was the talented one with all the chakra stuff! "What do you want me to do?"
This was fucking weird, was what it was. Made even weirder by Sasuke's next words:
"You're the same as always, Naruto," came the whisper. A near chuckle. "Still think you can save me?"
He would've asked what the hell Sasuke was playing at if he'd had the time, but then - holy shit and the teeth -
Naruto just barely got a hand under the mimic's jaw before its teeth sank into the juncture of his neck and shoulder - fuck, did he ever feel like an idiot now - and the damn thing was hissing and spitting at him, animalistic and unnatural, scrabbling at his clothes and trying to keep a handhold. Grunting with the effort of trying to knock the thing off - it was a hell of an awkward position - Naruto didn't even see the scalpel being thrown until the Sasuke-mimic's head jerked, and Naruto saw the quicksilver flash of a handle sticking out of the back of its neck.
Perfect shot. Wait, who was throwing those - when had the door opened again?
Feet unable to find purchase, Naruto was bowled over by his opponent who was definitely still alive and kicking, scalpel lodged in nerve clusters or no. He hit the floor right on his tailbone, and if that didn't hurt enough, a blow to the face knocked his head against the ground. His vision exploded into white bursts of light. Damn it. His braced arms weakened, and shit, he was going to get bit!
It was hard to misplace the sound of someone getting kicked in the head - Sakura-chan did it enough to him, he knew the feeling - and it seemed his intuition was dead on when the thing's head snapped to the side, and it was knocked straight off Naruto. He knew, because the weight was gone, and there came the distinctive sound of bone cracking somewhere to his right. Another blow. And Sasuke's voice screaming.
"What do you think you're - !? You're just my replacement! This is none of your - "
"Please don't continue to use Sasuke-kun's voice. It really is unsightly."
It was about as quick as it could be, Naruto figured, when he glanced around frantically only to see the shadowed outline of someone about to break the mimic's neck and ensure it was a final blow.
It wasn't Sasuke, but he just couldn't watch, not even when it was over. Naruto just dropped his head back on the floor, panting softly. Shit, that had really been Sasuke hadn't it? No, but... it had been Sasuke, but not Sasuke, it'd been just like that thing mentioned on the bulletin board... With the teeth and the growling... Meeting one for himself just wasn't the same as hearing about it. That had been messed up.
“Naruto-kun, are you all right?” The stranger's voice again, closer. “You don’t appear to be injured.”
No, not a stranger. Not completely foreign. Where - ? Oh, wait, right. The monotonous voice, the unknown shinobi who apparently knew Naruto personally... Sai... right? The person in question merely pulled an arm over his face and groaned. Some people might have caught the mumbled curse in there, too soft and incoherent to be made out. What he wouldn't give for one single normal night where he could sleep in his own bed with his own pyjamas, and...
Again, Sai’s voice: “You should get up, Naruto-kun. The corpse will no doubt draw attention. I suggest we leave."
Yeah, and getting attacked by a bunch of hungry monsters nibbling on what looked like Sasuke's body was just the perfect way to end the night. No way was he sticking around for that shit. Heaving himself to a sitting position, he opened his eyes only to see Sai's face goddamn looming right above him. He just barely contained a wince, or maybe a yelp, or a combination of both. "What the hell, man. Back off! I'm fine!" He would just not look at the body, nope, not going to look.
The weirdo shinobi calling himself Sai didn't seem to have any notable reaction, other than a blink. Shifting slightly, it seemed the decision was made to follow Naruto's suggestion and pull back a little. Sheesh, what a guy. Naruto hadn't been in that much trouble - he would've handled things himself, that's why he was travelling alone. Not that he had a problem with teams or anything, but the only other shinobi he knew around here were Sasuke and Gaara and who knew where they were, and.
And!
"How'd you even know I was here?" Naruto finally got out, pushing himself to his feet and moving to collect his stuff. Hey, maybe it'd be better if he just nabbed his flashlight and went to the storage room first, then he could do the rest later. Right? Right.
Sai just watched him, having put his spare scalpels away - damn it, if Naruto had just gotten one hand behind, he could've used his own - and was just... watching. "I saw Sasuke-kun on the lower level not long ago. He wasn't planning on venturing up here, and would have had no time to do so. I inferred it was an enemy and saved you."
"That doesn't answer my question! Are you stalking me too? How do I know you're not one of those things?"
He didn't even know this guy called Sai, only having met him maybe once while at Landel's, but during that time two things had become clear: that first off, Sai seemed to think he and Naruto were best friends or something weird like that, and secondly, his smile was totally fake.
And there it was, that fake shit-eating smile.
"Obviously I'm not a monster, Naruto-kun," said Sai. "If I were, I probably would have aided your original attacker. If you couldn't even fend off that weakling, it's safe to say you'd be dead right now if I weren't who I appear to be. Maybe it's more than your memory that's been affected - have you lost all ability to fight too?"
What. The. Hell. That was about the only thing going through Naruto's head as he stared at Sai, hand paused above the handle of his flashlight. What. The. Hell. What the hell!
"What's your problem, asshole!? I thought that was Sasuke! It was Sasuke until... until it goddamn well wasn't!"
Sai had the sense to step to the side when Naruto, newly reanimated in annoyance and frustration, stormed past. "Do you honestly think Sasuke-kun would behave like that? It was a poor, easily discernible tactic to get you close. But I can see you were convinced... I never knew you felt that way about Sasuke-kun."
That stopped Naruto dead. What... was that supposed to mean?
For a moment, he didn't know what to say... but that only ever lasted a moment with Naruto.
Spinning on his heel, he jabbed a finger at Sai, and fairly yelled, "Hey, quit making things up! Just shut the hell up! You don't know anything about Sasuke or me or about me and Sasuke! And just giving me that damn smile, it's really pissing me off!" Who really cared what Sai had to say about that!?
Whirling back around, Naruto stormed out of the pharmacy, not looking back or even really paying attention to where he was going - not the best of contingency plans when it came to nightshifts at Landel's. Who did that Sai think he was? Naruto knew perfectly well he'd never met the guy in his entire life, but yet he had the nerve to say all that crap about... him and Sasuke! And Naruto wasn't even sure what Sai had been getting at, but it hadn't sounded good, and like Naruto would stick around to get ragged on by some weird robot shinobi who claimed to have replaced Sasuke on their own damn team.
But it became apparent that Naruto wasn't going to be rid of Sai very easily. Finally, finally, Naruto came to a stop and turned around on the dark-haired shadow that was following him down the hallway. He didn't quite shine the beam of his flashlight directly into Sai's face, but that was just a thank you for having technically helped him out of a jam.
"Look, Sai, you want something? I get it, I get it, you're a shinobi too, but I'm telling the truth when I say I don't know you. Really. Honest. Never met you before. And I'm pretty sure I'm not crazy or anything like that, so you'll just have to take my word for it. Ne? And yeah, thanks for the help, but... you know, let's talk later or something. I'm kinda busy right now."
He was also pretty sure that if he had known the guy, he'd probably want to punch him. Sai wasn't like Sasuke at all, and to think that this guy had 'replaced' Sasuke... it was hard to think about. Sai, to his credit, didn't smile this time. He didn't do much of anything, actually. But then he said:
"Naruto-kun... We're friends."
And that made Naruto pause, because he couldn't help but think Sai was being serious about it. Just the way he put it. Talk about kicking someone's dog. Awkwardly, the blonde rubbed his neck, brow furrowing. With a little frustration and not a small amount of discomfort, he tried to think of something to say to that...
... and whether unfortunately or not, nothing came.
Clearing his throat a little, Naruto settled for spouting off the first thing he could think of: "Well, friends normally do stuff together, right? So if we were friends, or are friends, or - " Naruto passed an exasperated hand through his hair. He didn't understand the first thing about crappy time warps or whatever. "You know what I mean. Anyway, I meant we must have done stuff too. Friend stuff."
Although it was hard for Naruto to picture what he and Sai could possibly do together, aside from royally piss Naruto off. Shikamaru was the new Sasuke in comparison to Sai.
They resumed walking, and perhaps Naruto imagined it, but it seemed like the slightest shadow of thought creeped across Sai's face. Eh... probably his imagination. Couldn't see a damn thing anyway, and constipation could look like just about anything. Naruto knew that from personal experience. But after a few long moments of silence, Sai nodded. "Yes, we did... 'stuff' together."
"Uh, okay, what kind of stuff?"
"We had a few brief sparring sessions. You lost each time."
"... Next. What else?"
"I... enjoy reading. I once tried to invite you to the library with me, as I've read that's what friends do - participate in one's interests. You refused, though."
"Sounds about right, yeah. Come on, is that it? Didn't we, like... talk about stuff?"
"Oh, well, yes. I typically make comments about your ridiculously small penis, and it's a mutual conversation we have. Is that what you mean?"
For the second time that night, Naruto made an abrupt stop. Turned. Made a fist and raised it, threatening immediate violence. "What was that, Sai!?"
"I said your ridicu - "
"I heard what you said, you bastard! That's not friendly!" Naruto, thoroughly pissed off, pointed wildly at the storage room door just down the hall. "You're lucky I don't break that door down with your face!"
Sai, for his part, made a curt sweep of the area with his flashlight. "There's no need. It seems the lock is already broken."
"That's not the - "
A sound from above, like air being rhythmically beaten, made Naruto cut himself off - nope, he'd definitely heard that. He didn't need Sai to tell him all that yelling carried pretty well in a goddamn creepy, echoing hall.
Gods, he hated bats. Especially the two foot long, zombie, man-eating kind.
Naruto moved, slipping into his accustomed offense -
- just as Sai stepped up to his right, a loose but confident gesture, conforming to Naruto's style of attack, as though he knew exactly how Naruto was going to move and how best to support his back. It was weird, really weird, and Naruto couldn't help but ask, "You've done this before?" You've practiced with me before, haven't you?
"Yes, but we've established that already. Not that you do usually, but try to stay focussed."
There it was again!
Naruto brought two scalpels into his right hand, grunting out, "I know that! Like hell an asshole like you's replaced Sasuke!"
And Naruto stepped forward and Sai stepped with him, and it was a goddamn weird sensation of a stranger knowing Naruto better than he should.
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Well, I enjoyed this. As I ninja in again to catch fics. >.> So none of this "badfic" crap.
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But we enjoy ninjaing!
And when I say crap, I mean crap. LSDFJDS.no subject
I - I have to make you the same offer though of handing over Naruto to obviously more capable hands. GOD THIS WAS GREAT. Thank you so so much for writing it. *______* Badfic my nonexistent left nut, man. must reread. In class without being noticed. Like a ninja.
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...
WHAT. WHY AM I BEING GIVEN ALREADY AWESOME LANDEL'S CHARACTERS. I CANNOT PLAY BOTH SAI AND NARUTO SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE UNIVERSE WOULD EXPLODE. XD
Yur nutz, dude. Naruto was way more OOC than Sai was dslkjfdlkgjgdfh.