Obsidian Love

Chapter 17: Cold Hands, Warm Heart

"I love you."

In life, there are three phrases that Naruto often hear and two he usually says. 'Thank you.' every time someone do kind and nice things to him and what he says to others with the same reason. 'I'm sorry.' every time he did something wrong or commit mistakes that hurts or offended others. Which barely happens. Those two phrases were often said by him to a lot of people and by his parents to him, for some reasons. And the last one, that he only heard from his parents since then.

'I love you.'

He grows up hearing those words from them. Before going to school, when he got home from somewhere, or sometimes random. Whenever his parents feels like it and he knows how heavy the meaning that lies beyond those words.

And now as he stares at the raven in front of him, in his eyes, he can't say anything.

Do you know how heavy the feelings you're offering me right now?

He wanted to ask.

Are you sure?

But he lost his voice.

He is not blind to not see how Sasuke cares for him. He can be dense but with such intensity of feelings, his denseness becomes a laughing stock.

Uchiha Sasuke loves him.

But does he feel the same way?

He do.

"It is not something you need to answer." The raven speak, giving him a small smile. "I just simply said how I feel towards you and you need to know it. So I hope you'll stop questioning whatever I do for you."

Whenever his parents told him they love him, he will always say it back. Because he believes, people need to know if you love them. And actions without words can be confusing.

So why does Sasuke doesn't want any answer?

"Why?" He finally find his voice.

"Loving you doesn't need returns. It doesn't have conditions. Don't let this make you feel pressured to reciprocate my feelings. For the sake of respecting it."

He moves and wraps his arms into his neck and buries his face in it. The raven then hugs him back tightly.

One day, Sasuke. I'll be able to say it.

| Uzumaki Naruto

"I'm going!" I yell while walking down the stairs in rush. Sasuke peeks from the kitchen and waves a little.

"Be careful. Call me if anything comes up." he answered and I smiled widely.

"I will!"

I know what he meant. Outside this house, countless of dangers awaits us and going anywhere includes the risk of our life but it also doesn't mean we need to cut our freedom. I still don't know a lot, aside from trying to kidnap me 2 days ago, the childhood I had with Sasuke that I no longer remember, the conflict between the abductors and our company, there's nothing more.

I stopped in my track and furrows my brows.

They mentioned about being the top company of our families. So when Shikamaru mentioned the Uchiha being the other top company.. the other one is the company of my parents?

Wow. How can I be so dumb?

I look back to our house and sigh. How does it happened that we live differently? As much as Sasuke is exposed in business field, the more I am out of it. I only realized now that he's been living with dangers his whole life. And now that I'm here, he have another one to take care of - another one he needs to get worried to.