That Damned Raven Haired Boy (SasuNaru)

Part 10

Naruto stood back and watched through half-lidded eyes as Sakura and Sasuke checked into the hotel they would be staying at during their stint in the small town. According to the mission outline, they would be uncovering the cause for the growing number of homicides taking place in the normally quiet settlement.

The small space of the lobby was cramped with an excess of furniture, Naruto thought as his eyes sluggishly roamed over the room. There was an undersized burgundy sofa against the wall adjacent the door – across from the counter where Sakura and Sasuke were taking their sweet time checking in - and a square table the colour of dog crap before that. Naruto yawned behind his hand as he glanced slowly at the potted plant beside him. It was nearly dead. A real pick-me-up in an otherwise dull room...

All right, Naruto couldn't deny that the screen placed pretty much in the middle of the floor was aesthetically pleasing. The phoenix portrayed in a worn gold paint in front of a striking red sun added a flair of culture to the otherwise stale room. Not that Naruto knew anything about home décor. Anyone that had ever stepped foot inside his apartment could attest to that.

"Ready?" Sasuke asked, drawing Naruto's attention. Shaking his head and focusing his weary gaze on Sasuke, the blonde nodded and pushed himself away from the wall with a heavy exhale of breath.

"Yeah," he replied around a yawn, his voice thick and weighted, even to his own ears.

His limbs felt heavy and he stumbled frequently during the walk to their room as they travelled the perimeter of the building. He refused any assistance from Sasuke.

His pride was already wounded enough as it was.

When they reached the room, Naruto dropped his pack onto the nearest bed unceremoniously before following it with a weary flop. Sasuke didn't say a word and simply watched the display with a calculating gaze.

Somehow sensing that he was the object of the other boy's attention, Naruto lifted his head to glance at Sasuke, muttering, "What?"

Sasuke's eyes widened minutely and his lips parted, as if he were about to say something, but he stopped himself short with a noncommittal shrug. "I'm going to go check out the area. Just stay here and rest."

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed, sitting up suddenly, though the movement sent his vision into a sudden disorienting twirl. Grabbing his head, the boy ground out, "I can come too, Sasuke-teme." His voice was clipped and defensive.

If Sasuke was aggravated by Naruto's tone and word choice, he didn't let on. Opening the door and moving to leave, he glanced over his shoulder, saying, "Sakura's going to stop by and see if your condition is doing any better."

And before Naruto could go off into a mindless rant about how there was no condition, the door was closed - effectively stopping the words on the boy's tongue.

"Fine, then asshole," Naruto snapped at the door, as if by some chance Sasuke would be able to hear him griping. Flopping back into the bed's thick sheets, Naruto let out an exhausted groan.

He had to admit, he was surprised Sasuke hadn't drilled him yet on his 'disappearing act' the other day. It was obvious that the Uchiha had been mulling over it, if his extensive silence – which pretty much equated to muteness – was any indication.

Not that Naruto minded, of course. The longer it took Sasuke to confront him, the longer he would have to come up with an excuse more fitting than, 'I've been learning magic tricks from Ero-sennin'.

The boy chuckled slightly at this, his eyes crinkling in mirth at the idea of Ero-sennin knowing how to become invisible. The lecher would probably exploit the talent and find uses for it even Naruto's mind couldn't dream up.