soul_logs | since time is so short, jump with confusion

Entry tags:

since time is so short, jump with confusion

Characters: Naruto & Sasuke
Location: some hole in the wall Restaurant around Death City
Rating: PG, language
Time: Nov 20, late evening
Description: returning to Death City has been something of a whirlwind, and Sasuke seeks out a place of familiarity.

This all still felt like a slap in the face to Sasuke, like he'd been thrown unbidden to the wolves without any intel or previous warning that anything like this would happen. It was much like the first time, though sometimes Sasuke had trouble recalling his first days in Death City. The only difference was that he remembered this place now, and all the bonds he'd made felt twisted and skewed by what he'd returned to in his own world. The path of revenge he'd studiously decided upon. For a while, the only way he'd been able to cope was thinking all of this had been a dream. The people he'd met. The reforged relationship he'd made with Naruto and Itachi.

And yet still he bandaged his left shoulder to hide the memory scarred there from Orochimaru, whether it had really been there or not. Coming back to familiar faces, warmth and forgiveness for disappearing when it was hardly something he deserved- Sasuke was unsettled. That, and he hadn't been around so many people for years. His home had been a moving hole in the ground and hard faces. Everything now- was so normal.

Staying in the apartment with Saralegui wasn't an option tonight. Instead, Sasuke took to the streets. Perhaps to reacquaint himself with the place, perhaps seeking solitude. Either way, he found himself on the street of that restaurant anyone with sense would pass right by. He recalled Naruto raving about it, years ago, and before he'd fully decided on it he walked through the propped door into the badly-lit single room.

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Sasuke doesn't grace the server with a glance, which is a little bizarre, as rude as he was as a kid he still had some manners. His gaze, instead, remains on Naruto when he adds something to the order, voice a confident drawl.

"And a bottle of sake." Only then does he glance at the server, who nods, jots it down and leaves the table without IDing either of them. Be it because they look older than they are, or the carelessness with which Sasuke ordered, is impossible to tell, but it's a mild relief when his request isn't turned down.

It's a handful of moments after he leaves that Naruto speaks again, chopsticks still resting idly beside his untouched bowl. Morose as he appears, and heavy as his tone is, there's the unmistakable hint of a wan smile in his words. This, really was a little nostalgic.

"You drink sake now, huh?"

For his part, Sasuke only arched an eyebrow without answering. His reasoning for getting it was less out of some desire to have the taste with his food, and sheerly out of a desire to dull his senses. Normally something he wouldn't do, but here with Naruto, there was no threat, and it had been long years since he'd let his guard down for only a moment. Sasuke reached onto the table and picked up his own pair of chopsticks, snapping them open.

"Are you on a diet?" He changed the topic, gaze turning from the whiskered boy to the task at hand. Inspecting the chopsticks, laying them on a makeshift holder he'd folded out of a napkin.

Edited 2011-06-14 18:47 (UTC)

"What're you trying to say'ttebayo." The words lack the boisterous laugh necessary for a true tease, and they're an obvious, deliberate misinterpretation- but it's effective, in the end. Naruto's hands move to the table, fingers landing on his own chopsticks, a quiet snap meeting the air.

"There's never a time you aren't stuffing your face," He responds coolly, but the jibe has done it's work, judging by the way Naruto seems to gain an interest in his own chopsticks. Sasuke can only wonder how long he's been sitting there, with a only a whisper of steam rising from his bowl.

Whether he was about to fuss with something else on the table, look at a menu or something similar, their server returns with a warmed flask of sake and two small cups. Sasuke doesn't thank them, leaving the task to Naruto should he wish it, and instead pulls both ceramics towards himself- tipping the vessel to fill them both graciously.

Pointedly, he pushes the first one he fills toward Naruto, staring him down as though challenging him to turn the drink down.

It's definitely not the first time he's been around the beverage- not with the way Tsunade no baa-chan drank it like it was water- but Naruto had never tried the stuff for himself. Chopsticks sit idly in one hand, and his attention remains on the cup for a long moment- as if though staring alone he might understand the mystery of it. Only after the lapse of silence does he speak, gaze still heavy on the sake, the attention one would give to something they didn't quite trust.

"What's it taste like?"

"Just drink it," Less a statement and more an order. Sasuke didn't know his own tolerance, yet, and like hell he was going to drink the whole bottle and make a fool out of himself (even if just on accident) all by himself.

As if to prove he hadn't poisoned the other boy, which was a precaution Sasuke had begun taking on his own and one he expected Naruto had learned, he lifted his own steaming cup and took a modest drink. Definitely not the complete tip back the Hokage did.

Never one to heed age old advice, like everything in moderation, and unfamiliar with the almost timid sip Sasuke had adopted for necessity's sake- Naruto did exactly what he'd witnessed previously. How else was one supposed to drink this stuff anyway? His chin lifts and in one smooth motion the sake is downed in it's entirety, empty cup clanking audibly on the table. "There!"

This is not a surprise. Sasuke had expected no less, regardless of his demonstration on how sake was meant to he consumed. He gave it a moment, waited for the shot to catch up with Naruto--

before he decided, he wasn't about to let Naruto best him at this either. Sasuke tipped back his own sake, and was in the process of pouring them both new cups when his hot bowl of noodles joined them at the table. Once more, Sasuke didn't spare the server a glance, though this time he did give a distracted sort of nod. It was as good a thanks as the person was going to get. He picked up his chopsticks, only now realizing that he felt hungry, and dipped into the dish.

"Hah hah- that wasn't so-" the aftertaste sneaks up on him, and after his triumphant smirk, free hand pumping up into the air for no reason other than to look especially victorious- he cringes. The dry flavor catching up with him just in time for heat to sear his otherwise empty stomach, and his frame quivers. A visible, exaggerated full body shiver. "Ehngh."

Were he younger, he would have smirked at the reaction. Instead, Sasuke just regards him blankly as he leans over his bowl of noodles and takes the first bite. Truth be told, the heat seared down into Sasuke's own stomach and lodged hard in his stomach- warming him from the inside out and crawling up his spine. When was the last time he ate, anyway? Often, these days, he had a tendency to forgo meals in place of training.

Either way he sat back to swallow half of what he'd poured for himself. "Idiot."

Chopsticks in hand, Naruto pounds his fist against the table with enough force to startle their little cups into a rattle- and blue eyes narrow on Sasuke's face. He leans in across the table, face over the vaguely steaming bowl and the challenge hangs easily, comfortably between them. Bastard "Gimme another one'ttebayo."

One eyebrow creeps into the long dark of his bangs, and Sasuke pushes the refilled cup back across to Naruto without breaking his gaze. An unstoppable force meeting an unmovable object. Challenge obviously accepted, as Sasuke finishes his second cup and begins to refill.

The second drink is thrown back with just as much enthusiasm as the last, and though the same shiver chases down his spine, and the same uncomfortable twist lurches in his stomach, Naruto's cup returns to Sasuke's side of the table regardless. "Another one!"

This back and forth continues, through a good two bottles of sake. Naruto only getting increasingly rambunctious, Sasuke doing nothing to dissuade the attitude. Be it the fact that they are always neck in neck, or that old habits die hard, Sasuke has never been one to quit while he was ahead in terms of Naruto. And the other shinobi only acted in the same manner.

It's only when the flush has climbed into Sasuke's cheeks, four empty bowls of noodles stacked on the counter with a third bottle of sake on it's way- that they half seem to forget the previous competition. "- it's functional." Sasuke was arguing, a crease in his brow and a frown tugging on his mouth, drunkenly pointing his chopsticks across the table. "It doesn't- isn't the big deal he's, you two were saying."

"I never said it was a big deal'ttebayo!" Naruto has always been quick to interrupt, but two bottles in and one empty cup swinging wildly in the air- he's even quicker. Louder than before, and full of righteous indignation. His own flush is noticeable, and the sleeves of his jacket have long since been pushed up to his elbows. "He was the one saying you were- were all-" The cup waves dismissively this time, an elaboration on the sentence he's rapidly losing track of.

"Tch!" Sasuke knew what they'd been talking about, but it isn't something he intended to broach the topic of. "You agreed," Sasuke wheedled indignantly as he reached for the half forgotten sake bottle, pouring himself another cup just to focus on something other than Naruto and his rolled ups sleeves wildly flailing across the table. He doidn't drink it, just held it and thrust the bottle across at Naruto. He'd long since stopped pouring for both of them.

"That's because it looks like you got dressed by a pervert'ttebayo!" Sake securely in hand, and cup almost entirely forgotten, he simply lifted the bottle to his mouth, took what was meant to look like a manly swallow and instead just made him look like a puffer fish.

"And you still look like a neon sign," Which wasn't really the best come back, but the creased look on Sasuke's face looks suspiciously like the sulking pout he once used as a child. But his point having been made- somehow- Sasuke leaned back on his chair and turned his cup upside down to catch the last drops of sake from the bottom of the empty glass.

"Yeah well I-" whatever thought that comment had been intended to elaborate on ends abruptly- with a slightly puzzled look, and Naruto's sudden, close examination of the bottle in his hand. All of which slows with the slack in his shoulders, and a chin he lowers to the table. "I'm getting really sleepy'ttebayo."

It's then that Sasuke realizes, he, too, is much far gone then he had initially intended, and with Naruto looking like he's going to pass out on the table- Sasuke flags the server over. One who arrives too quickly, and is obviously ready to get rid of them. Whether it's because they were noisy or because it's late, Sasuke isn't sure, but he throws down some money and stands from the table-- doing a spectacular job of attempting not to fall over in the process. His equilibrium wasn't the greatest.

"Let's go."

Naruto's grace, though really his complete lack thereof isn't any better. Especially since he knocks into his chair once he reaches his feet, and still, for whatever reason, has both the bottle and cup in hand. Neither of which he's paying any really attention to. Instead, the entirety of Naruto's narrow ability to focus is now directed at leaving the restaurant, and he stops, sways cheerfully on his feet only when the cool air hits his face.

For one disoriented moment, when they leave, Sasuke isn't sure which way to go. It's been years since he's been here, and though his feet carried him well enough to his apartment when he arrived this time around- he'd been walking aimlessly for a while.

But he isn't about to show this weakness in front of Naruto, and so narrowing his eyes- an attempt to stop the awkward tilt of the world. "Come on," He reaches out and grabs the rolled up sleeve of Naruto's jacket, tugs him in the direction he thinks is right.

As easily as he'd been to goad into eating, Naruto's weight tips forward into a stumbled step- one in which he definitely trips over his own foot, dramatically over corrects it, and then pretends it didn't happen. Needless to say, whether they're headed the right direction or not, the blond certainly hasn't noticed, busy instead, with finding proper footing. Arms stretching high over his head and smile wide, easy. "Ahhhh Sasuke, we're really back."

"You're always a step behind," Sasuke informs him in a tone of great seriousness, that doesn't actually come off that way, because as much as he teases Naruto about being dead last, the fact that he wasn't became Sasuke's driving force for leaving. Jealousy. A desire to be better. Things that he can't shake to this day, but consciously makes an effort to avoid. Either way, he too carefully walks and stays relatively in step with the other boy.

"You know wh-" The thought derails as he side steps a stop sign, only to half circle it once before he's able to right himself again. Sort out directionality. Mostly, he just half skips the few steps to fall back into step with Sasuke. This companionship is from a lifetime ago, and though his mind is too warm and far too addled to grapple with something so complex, he's acutely aware of the uncertainty that hangs over them both. "Eh. Well I guess we didn't miss anything'ttebayo. Since they're still here- Sara and 'tachi."

"It's only been four days," Or something to that effect, he can't recall the exact number. Something he'd be more worried about if he wasn't enjoying the numbness the sake had given him. Still, a frown tugged the edge of Sasuke's mouth, something that looked like it bordered on the disgruntled pout he used to make. "What about them?"

"I DECIDED!" The words are a shout, coupled with the lifting of one hand- finger pointed skyward with enough drama that his balance teeters again. Is he even listening to you Sasuke? He's probably trying. Maybe. And just gets caught up in the moment. No sooner does he regain his balance however, than his attention refocuses and his gaze narrows on the shinobi at his side.

"YOU SHOULD BE MY WEAPON'TTEBAYO."

That draws Sasuke's attention, and he looks at Naruto. Not because of the outburst, he was accustomed to that even with the years they spent apart, but because of what he'd suggested.

There was a long silence, before, "What the hell are you talking about?" He didn't really think they should pair up, did he? Naruto was already with his brother. And though Sasuke could see the merit in himself, a Meister who could fight the way he knew how, the fact that they used to work seamlessly-- after everything, Naruto had to be crazy.

"Hey, Sasuke. We've been partners forever."

No sooner than the declaration hits the air, Naruto's stance softens into a lazy gait. The easy sort of confidence that has always come with his readiness to speak his mind. Though the smile doesn't leave his mouth when he replies, his tone is softer- and though it wasn't clear before, it's obvious by the way he speaks that this is something he's been considering for awhile.

"We trained together when we were just kids, and even after everything, we still train together now. I can resonate with you for sure, and I know you've gotten a lot stronger'ttebayo. But, with serious missions like this..."

The severity of Roy's expression comes to mind immediately. "I have things I wanna protect here. And I wanna be more than what Brew brought us here for."

It's an interesting speech. Not the first one he's heard from Naruto, and certainly not with that tone of voice. It was the one that meant Naruto had made up his mind about something. And somehow, even though he'd never said it, Sasuke expected now Naruto would still break his arms and legs to bring him back to Konoha. He closed his eyes, huffed, but had to open them as he almost lost his footing.

He was too drunk for this.

"And what's that, exactly, Naruto?"

It's loud enough to scare away a few errant lizards, and announced with, as usual, zero hesitation, and Naruto takes the following moment to stagger over his own feet, nearly fall off the curb, and laugh himself into colliding with a trashcan.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, but it's hard to fight the uncontrollable urge to laugh at Naruto's idiocy. He doesn't give in, but he does crack a smirk and shake his head. "Sure," He agrees with a touch of sarcasm, though the comment sounds more like he's making fun of the other shinobi than anything. And maybe he is, but of all people, Sasuke has learned not to underestimate Naruto. Even if he was stronger than the Uzumaki.

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since time is so short, jump with confusion

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typos like a boss

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