Fic Name- Tremble
Category- Tragedy/Angst
Rating- T
Summary- Kakshi's English class was given an assignment: Write about your worst nightmare, real or dreamt.
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“Come on. It’s not going to be that bad.”
Sasuke made a face, shaking his head.
“That’s what you said last time, and the time before that.”
“I’m serious this time.” I made the most pathetic face I could muster. “Come on. You know you want to.”
“No. I really don’t.”
“Yes you do. Please?”
Sasuke looked away, a nearly pained look on his face.
Almost there…
“Please?” I leaned closer, pouting full force.
I saw Sasuke’s eyes flicker toward my face and then he sighed.
“Fine.”
I launched myself at him and grabbed him in a hug. “Thank you!”
Sasuke grunted, patting my back. “You’re welcome?”
“We’ll have fun!”
“No drinking. Iruka would kill you if you came home drunk. Kakashi would…I think Kakashi would torture me to try and figure who gave me something to drink.”
“I can’t guarantee that I won’t try something. But I won’t get completely drunk. I promise.”
“Not even a little.”
“You’re no fun.” I pouted again.
“Maybe just a little. And when I say little, I mean little, do you follow m-”
I hugged him again. “Thank you!”
“I didn’t do anything!”
“Not yet. Come on, we’ve gotta get you moving. Let’s go.”
“I’m moving, I’m moving…” Sasuke pushed me off of himself and stood up from my bed. He rooted around in my closet, then held up a shirt with a questioning look on his face.
“No.” I stood up and looked through the closet. “Try this. No-don’t look at it. Just put it on.”
Sasuke rolled his eyes before pulling off his shirt.
If I didn’t have such superior self control, I would have jumped him. As it was, I turned away before I drooled.
“How’s-what the hell? Naruto?!”
I turned around, a large grin on my face. My eyes nearly popped out.
“Sexy.”
Sasuke pressed his palms against his eyes, making a small sound.
“Spring a leak?” I inquired.
“I’m not looking to be raped. I’m just going to be there to make sure you aren’t getting in trouble.”
“I won’t be getting in trouble if you’re with me.” I offered.
“I’m not wearing this.”
I blocked the closet. “Nothing else is available.”
“I’ll go shirtless.” To prove his point, the raven began to pull his shirt off.
“More rapeable!” I shouted, trying desperately not to watch or be caught watching when I failed.
Sasuke froze before quickly tugging the shirt back down. “Fine.”
“Don’t be like that.”
“I don’t want to go.”
“You won’t regret it. Come on, I promise.”
“If you promise…Naruto-get off! Stop hugging me, you’re scaring me!”
“But I can’t help it! You’re so cuuute!”
“Naruto…”
“Fine. You’re hot.”
“Naruto!”
0o0o0
It felt like so long ago. So much has happened in the last few days.
I looked up at the clock.
“We’d be in English, waiting for you to show up.” I said.
Kakashi glanced at me. “Naruto…”
“It’s my fault, Kakashi…I’m-I’m sorry…”
The silver haired man sighed, reaching out a hand and touching my shoulder lightly.
“You can’t predict the future.”
I didn’t respond. I was staring at the white plaster covering my arm. Red spots danced across it as my mind dragged me back to the night I forced Sasuke to go out to that party with me.
…
“C’m ‘n. I ‘m not that ba…bad.”
“Give me the keys! You can’t drive!”
“Says who?”
“Naruto!”
“Awww…c’m ‘n, Sas’ke…”
“No. Give them to me.”
“You can’t drive. You’ve n’er driven a thin’.” I grinned. “See? ‘m getting be’er.”
“No, you’re not. Give me the keys!”
“Said you’ve ne’er driven nothin’…I lied…”
Sasuke paused, a quizzical look on his face.
“You’ve driven me crazy since day one.”
The raven groaned. “Naruto…You’re drunk.”
“No ‘m not.”
“Yes. Yes you are. Give me the damn keys.”
“Ne’er.”
“b*****d!”
I grinned as Sasuke slapped my hands away.
“I hate you!”
“No you don’t.”
“Every single person in there was drunk and tried to touch me. Please don’t do that.”
“Who touched you?”
“Naruto…please. I just want to go home.”
“A’right.” I managed to get into the drivers seat with Sasuke’s help. Once I was seated, I looked back at him. He seemed a bit paler than usual.
“Let me drive.” He pleaded.
“’m already ‘ere, Sas’ke. Next time.”
“There isn’t going to be a next time!”
“Tha’s what you say now…”
Sasuke slammed the door in my face.
“Owww…” I called after him. He walked around the car and stood outside it on the passenger side. “Ge’ in!”
The door opened and Sasuke hesitantly climbed in.
“Fin’lly…” I stabbed the key at the ignition a few times. After the third try, it went in.
“You promised me you wouldn’t get drunk.”
“Good thin’ ‘m not.” It was quiet as I slowly backed the car up. I glanced toward Sasuke, then sighed. “Meybe ‘m a lil’ drunk.”
“You are.” Sasuke whispered.
“’m sorry.”
“You can’t change it. Let me drive.”
“Alre’dy started. Sorry.” I waited for Sasuke to say something. “’ll be carf’l. Promise.”
“Please.”
I glanced in Sasuke’s direction.
“Anyon’ tell you that you ‘ere pretty tonight?”
“Stop hitting on me.”
“’m not. Stop gettin mad a’ me. I jus’ wanna know who I nee’ to watch.”
“You did. Six times. If you don’t watch yourself, I might start to think you like me.”
I forced a laugh. “Tha’d be funny.”
“Stop talking. It’s making you drive crooked.”
“’m not drive’n crooked.”
“Arguing with you drunk is as annoying as arguing with you sober.”
“I re…resent tha’.”
“I bet you do.”
No matter how much I bothered him, Sasuke refused to talk after this. I sighed after fifteen minutes.
“’e’re almost there…”
“I know. Don’t stop being careful.”
“I ‘on’t.”
I glanced at the raven again. He was staring out his window, breath fogging the glass. I grinned once again.
Slowly, so he wouldn’t notice, I reached out a hand.
“Now or ne’er.” I said aloud.
“What?” Sasuke turned toward me and paled. “Naruto…stop that.”
I ignored him, letting my hand slowly move further up his thigh. I chuckled as he grew tense, pressing his back more firmly against his seat.
“Stop!” I wasn’t expecting Sasuke’s voice to creep up in pitch like that.
“You soun’ like a girl.”
“Don’t do that.”
“What?” My hand had crept a little higher.
“Stop-that!”
“But you like it.”
“No…stop. You can’t…not…”
I turned my face away from the road to grin at him. “Why not?”
Sasuke’s face drained of all color. “Naruto!” He raised a panicked hand, leaning further back. My head whipped around in time to see a tree. I jerked forward in my seat, before I was thrown to the side, my head crashing into the side window.
My eyes shut without my knowledge, and by the time they opened again, everything was still.
I was hanging upside-down, only kept in place by my seatbelt. I let out a groan and tried to move my arm to rub the side of my head. Pain shot up it, and when I looked at it, I saw that it was twisted into a position it really shouldn’t have been in.
I looked up suddenly. “Sasuke!”
The raven wasn’t in sight, and I was panicking.
I hauled my broken arm up to unbuckle my seatbelt and used my other arm to cling to…I can’t remember. But whatever I did, it allowed me to fall to the roof of the car without injuring myself further. Except my arm. It just hurt more.
I crawled awkwardly out the shattered window beside me.
“Sasuke!”
Someone whimpered off to my right, and my head swung in that direction. Relief flooded me, and I slowly made my way toward Sasuke. He was sitting with his back pressed firmly to a tree.
The closer I got, the more clearly I could see the twisted, pained expression on his face. I tried to move quicker.
“Are you alright?” I asked when I got to his side.
“You promised that…you wouldn’t get drunk.”
“I know.”
“You promised…I wouldn’t regret coming.”
I nodded.
“You promised you’d…be careful.” Sasuke finished in a near whisper. He turned unfocused eyes on me.
“I did.”
“You…lied.”
“But…but we’re both going to be fine, right?”
Sasuke stared at me, unblinking.
“Sasuke?” I gently touched his shoulder and he made a hissing sound, tightening his arms around his belly.
“The two…of us…aren’t fine…” He panted.
“What’s wrong? Sasuke, let me see.” The raven didn’t move, and I looked down at his arms. I froze at the sight of blood slowly creeping along the white fabric of the shirt I’d given him. “You’re bleeding. Move your arms…I need to see…”
“You lied…Naruto…you’re not…supposed…to lie to…me…”
“I won’t. I’ll never lie to you again. Just let me see-”
“Thank you…”
I started, looking up to meet his eyes. “Why? Why are you thanking me?”
Sasuke stared back.
“Sasuke? Why…why are you thanking me?”
Still, he didn’t answer.
“Sasuke?” I placed a hand against his chest.
It wasn’t rising anymore.
“Sasuke? Say something!” I moved my hand up to his lips, but I couldn’t feel any air hitting my fingers. “No…no, no…” I shook as I sat down and carefully pulled him closer, cradling him against my chest. “You have to say something…please…”
Sasuke’s arms slid away from his belly, and my stomach lurched. Several large pieces of glass were imbedded in his flesh.
“You can’t…please, Sasuke…I didn’t mean to lie…I didn’t mean to hurt you…wake up…” I leaned closer, pressing my lips to his cheek.
No matter how much I pleaded, no breath stirred the raven’s chest. He remained still, staring up at me with glazed, unblinking eyes…
0o0o0
Kakashi was looking at me, a soft look in his eye. He nodded, and I turned to face everyone.
“To keep it short,” I began, “My worst nightmare to date had something to do with breaking a promise to someone I love, and losing them forever, only to continue living with the thought that it was my fault.”
Silence and blank stares greeted me.
“You aren’t going to read your story to us?” Kakashi questioned.
“I…it’s kind of…No. Can you just read it by yourself?”
The silver haired man nodded. “Alright, go back to your seat.”
“Thank you.” I walked to the back of the room, where I sat down. Shikamaru and Hinata looked at me curiously.
“What’d you write about?” Shikamaru asked.
“Exactly what I said.”
“That’s kind of vague.”
“I know.” I smiled slightly as I reached under the table and sought a hand to hold onto. I gave it a squeeze. “I’m just glad that it was a nightmare, not reality.”
I glanced around the room. No one, save Shikamaru and Hinata, was looking at me. I leaned over and hugged the person to my left, who happened to be the person that hand belonged to.
“You didn’t even tell me what you wrote about, and now you’re hugging me. Did you…did you write about me?”
I held onto Sasuke for a moment longer.
“I couldn’t imagine living without you. I won’t ever break a promise to you.” Because I love you…
-End-
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