Chapter 244 : moth to flame
Early in the morning, just as dawn broke, Naraku had a sumptuous breakfast ready.
Fugaku initially thought the portion was a bit too much; even considering sending some to Tsunade, there would still be enough for three or four people left.
Just as he was wondering what was going on, he saw Naraku bring out three bento boxes, deftly pack the food, and take them away.
In the blink of an eye, the table was mostly empty, with only Fugaku's portion remaining, slightly steaming.
Fugaku: ?
Naraku first delivered a breakfast to Tsunade, then went to Rin's place, handing the second portion through the curtain, and finally, carrying the largest bento box, he jogged all the way to Kakashi's tent.
Perhaps it was Aunt Mikoto teasing him about this a few days ago, which threw him into disarray, or perhaps it was the long distance separating them, and not being able to meet for too long… In any case, the closer he got, the more Naraku felt a nervous 'homesickness' type of panic, eventually stopping outside Kakashi's tent, unable to move.
It was the same yesterday afternoon; he waited until Kakashi had been asleep for a while before quietly going in to take care of him.
—What is wrong with me…—Why am I afraid to see Kakashi?
Naraku's fingers, holding the bento box, turned slightly white from the force; he truly couldn't understand what was wrong with him.
Before he could figure everything out, he saw Kakashi run out of the tent barefoot and in a hurry, looking around as if urgently searching for something.
That slightly disheveled and anxious look made his heart ache, and the name he had called countless times slipped out.
When Kakashi turned around, Naraku managed to compose himself and greeted him as usual.
He had thought that after saying those few short words, he would be able to regain his composure.
But when Kakashi looked over, those eyes, filled with the morning light, were like two torches, awakening the wild grass that had grown from his chest and entwined his entire body.
Every blade of grass cheered, wanting to go over, wanting to touch the light source it depended on for survival.
Just as a moth cannot resist the warm candlelight, he, at this moment, could not control himself from approaching Kakashi.
At the same moment, as if by telepathy, Kakashi felt a faint current flow from his fingertips into his chest, circling his heart and urging him to move towards where the light was.
"Naraku?" Kakashi unconsciously took a few steps forward, "You, you're here—"
His voice still trembled on his lips when Naraku, carried by the breeze, ran from the morning light and threw himself into his arms with open hands.
"Kakashi…"
"Eh?"
Kakashi's eyes widened slightly; before his brain could understand what was happening, his body reacted first, his arms tightly embracing the other's waist, and he lowered his head, burying his face in the scarf he had given him.
A familiar light fragrance lingered at his nose, and his keen sense of smell, inherited from his father, was enough for him to confirm the truth.
—It was the scent of the sun, which he had felt yesterday.
The boys' body temperatures mingled, and all fatigue, loss, and pain quickly dissipated in this embrace, leaving only a soul-healing warmth coalescing around them.
After a few breaths, as reason slowly returned, Kakashi couldn't help but feel his ears turn red.
Even though he and Naraku had grown up together, and despite all these years, they had never expressed their longing for each other so directly and passionately as they did now.
Not far away, there was a thud as something hard hit the ground; Kakashi looked up and saw Rin standing in the shade of a tree, the bento box having fallen at her feet, her hands covering her small mouth, looking over with an astonished expression.
Her eyes also held a strange emotion he couldn't quite pinpoint, a mix ofmove (moved) and Relieved (relieved).
Then, she suddenly jolted, mouthed "Sorry to interrupt," picked up the bento box, and hurried away.
Kakashi instantly felt as if his entire body had been roasted by fire, his skin immediately flushing with a burning heat.
He hastily let go of his arms, turned his head, and with the speed of a Ninja forming hand signs, pulled up his mask, wanting to hide his undoubtedly crimson face.
This series of movements was almost a blur, but he forgot that he still had a pair of ears exposed.
At this moment, those two thin red patches pulsed with his heartbeat, like a lie detector installed on Konoha's genius.
Naraku was also startled by the sound; when he glanced back and saw Rin's hurried retreating figure, he knew that his intimate behavior with Kakashi had been unintentionally witnessed, and he, too, felt a bit flustered with embarrassment.
But upon noticing that Kakashi's reaction was so extreme, almost turning into a cooked shrimp from head to toe, he couldn't help but chuckle, a hint of a smile curving his brows and eyes.
"Kakashi, your ears are so red."
"Wha—what are you talking about!" Kakashi bristled, explaining impulsively, "I'm hot!"
"But isn't it autumn now?"
"It's hot even in autumn!"
To end the topic, Kakashi turned and walked to where Naraku had been standing, bent down to pick up the bento box, and wiped off the dust clinging to its edges.
He was wiping so hard, it looked like he was about to rub sparks from the wooden box.
"Alright, alright," Naraku came over, grabbed his hand, and coaxed, "It's hot outside, let's go inside to eat."
"…Mm."
The two walked into the tent side by side; Naraku took the bento box from Kakashi, opened the lid, arranged the contents on the table, and handed one pair of chopsticks to each of them.
Kakashi, recovering from the chaos, suddenly remembered that Naraku's health was not good. How could Aunt Mikoto possibly allow him to do something as dangerous as leaving Konoha to come to the front lines?
Could he have snuck out?
That's too reckless! What if he encountered danger?
Kakashi was so anxious that he swallowed the food in his mouth with a "gulp"; just as he was about to ask, Naraku's explanation reached his ears.
"Don't worry about me, Kakashi, Lord Orochimaru has already cured my bloodline limit sickness."
"Really?!"
He stood up excitedly, grabbing Naraku's shoulders with both hands, not even noticing when his thigh hit the table during his movements. His eyes were filled with joy and excitement, mixed with a hint of disbelief.
"Really." Naraku looked up, meeting Kakashi's gaze, and patted his hand, "I came with Uncle Fugaku; you can ask him."
"Mmm…" Finally receiving the answer he had dreamed of day and night, Kakashi drooped his head weakly, his forehead resting in Naraku's neck, and a choked sob, the first in over a year, escaped his throat, "This is truly wonderful…"
Every time he thought of Naraku's progressively worsening condition, he would panic uncontrollably, fearing that he would leave him at some unknown time.
He had never been prepared for farewells; he always hoped that Naraku would live on and on, staying with him forever until the end of time.
Therefore, the young genius, who had never believed in gods since childhood, would sometimes, in the dead of night, face the starry sky and sincerely pray to unknown deities, begging that the person he cared about most would not abandon him.
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