Another Accidental Kiss

Cold Wrists

"It's too bad Gaara didn't have any information." Naruto mulled around the market, following Sasuke, who was grabbing food for them to eat for the rest of their journey.

"It makes sense, though. Why would ninja who were initially after you lounge around here?" Sasuke reasoned, picking up pre-packaged bento boxes. Naruto shrugged, but he understood where Sasuke was coming from.

"It'll just be hard to know where to go from here, ya' know?" Naruto rested his head on a browsing Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke found it endearing yet embarrassing, especially in front of all the sand villagers. Sasuke nodded.

"I know." He quietly spoke.

After purchasing their rations for the next few days, they pondered if they should leave right away or rest and gather as much information as they could. There were pros and cons to both options.

"I want to be able to find them as quickly as I can, but..." Naruto trailed off. It was hard to think of Shikamaru or Sakura in any kind of pain. "It would put them at more risk if we both wandered around the desert aimlessly." Naruto took a bite of a piece of karaage chicken. Sasuke was stumped, too.

"Maybe we should split up." Sasuke bit his lip. He didn't like the thought, but he figured he should set aside his newly found attachment and put Shikamaru and Sakura's safety first. Naruto jerked his head towards Sasuke. His expression was a discouraged one.

"But, b-but-"

"Think about it, Naruto. You could gather information and I could search for any signs of them in the desert. It would be faster." Sasuke interrupted Naruto's stuttering. Naruto let out a deep breath and furrowed his brow.

I mean... he is right, but I'd just about die if anything happened to him while he was away. Naruto thought. No, no. Sasuke is a really strong shinobi, and he's already saved me from them once. He scooted closer to Sasuke.

"Okay. But how will we tell each other anything?" Naruto took another bite of his lunch. Sasuke thought for a moment.

"I can leave tonight when it's cool. If I don't come back tomorrow by noon, come look for me." Sasuke took a bite of his lunch as well. Naruto paused, but nodded his head.

"Okay. I swear, though, if they lay a finger on you-"

"Only you can do that." Sasuke muttered, his eyes turned away. Naruto raised his eyebrows. His concerned face faded and was replaced by happy smiles. He put his arm around Sasuke and kissed his cheek.

"Damn right." He added.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sasuke took a deep breath in. He was hydrated, he had food in his stomach, and he was focused. It's time to reuse his tracking abilities that he brushed up on days ago. Though, tracking in a sandy desert could prove to be quite the challenge.

He looked at himself in the inn room bathroom mirror. Gaara offered them a free room while they were staying, and Naruto thought it would be a good place to dump their things in, for now.

I can do this. I can find them. Sasuke tried to hype himself up. He could faintly hear Naruto humming outside of the bathroom. He had a nice voice, which was surprising to Sasuke. He thought Naruto's singing voice would sound scratchy, but it wasn't.

Do it for him. Sasuke closed his eyes and went outside of the bathroom. He saw Naruto happily sorting through his bag. He was also taking a peak through Sasuke's before he left.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke narrowed his brow at his partner. Naruto froze. He knew he was doing something he shouldn't.

"A-Ah- well, I was making sure you had, uh, water... and stuff." He retreated his hands from Sasuke's backpack. Sasuke furrowed his brow in suspicion, but he knew that Naruto wouldn't put anything nasty in his bag. He shrugged and took his backpack, putting it on.