When Love Fades

Chapter 21 - Just a Towel III

Naruto looked down at the set of documents that Jiraiya handed him, his mind barely unable to process how much his life was changing in the course of twenty-four hours. His long-term relationship was over, and his career was taking off beyond his wildest expectations. He felt like his whole existence had been abruptly upended and he didn't even know which way was up anymore.

"These are the visa applications that you'll need. I know the ambassadors personally, so you should be able to get most of these cleared within a day. I've already put in the calls. You're on the next train to Tokyo. Hope you've got enough space in your passport, kid. You're gonna need it. Get these done, then pack your bags. Your flight leaves in two days."

Naruto looked at the list of countries that he would be seeing. Belize. Nepal. Samoa. Bhutan. Syria. Chile. Angola.

Holy shit.

Naruto felt a spike of adrenaline spear through him, followed almost immediately by a flood of anxiety. This trip must be costing Jiraiya a small fortune. Why was he taking a risk on a relatively unknown photographer? What if Naruto didn't deliver what the man needed?

Stop worrying. Just don't fuck up. Sasuke's voice echoed through Naruto's head. It steadied him, even though it saddened him, too. Sasuke was one of the most driven, brutally honest people Naruto had ever met. And Sasuke had never once thought Naruto would fail at what he did. If anything, Sasuke had been annoyed that Naruto hadn't pushed harder. Naruto was finally living up to Sasuke's expectations. Maybe he was doing so too late, but the thought still gave him confidence.

Jiraiya seemed to have sensed Naruto's anxiety over the scale of the project.

"The trip was already set up. The other photographer who was supposed to do it broke his leg and we can't delay to wait for it to heal. You have a good eye. You ready for the big time?"

Naruto took a deep breath, then grinned. "Yeah. I'm ready."

"Then get your ass moving. And send me back some killer photos that I can use. I don't want to pay for any re-shoots if you choke."

Naruto nodded and folded the paper with the list of embassies he had to go to, putting it in his jacket pocket along with the visa application forms and his passport. He had to get a visa for Angola, Bhutan, and Syria, but the rest he either didn't need a visa or could get one on arrival.

He jogged down the steps from Jiraiya's house and got in his car. He could make the next bullet train to Tokyo if he hurried.

As he drove, he thought about how he'd left things with Sasuke. He had hoped that they'd be able to end things amicably enough to be able to be friends again someday but... that didn't seem likely now. He sighed, torn about the fact that he still had stuff in their old apartment.

There really wasn't much to pack. They'd moved out of the dorms when they'd gotten the apartment together, so they hadn't had time to really accumulate much stuff. The furniture was minimal, much of it purchased as a housewarming/graduation gift from Itachi. Sasuke's brother had tried to make up for the fact that Sasuke's parents had bought Itachi a car when he'd graduated college, but had only showed up briefly for the ceremony for Sasuke. Naruto would never take any of those items. They were Sasuke's. Most of what Naruto had left were his own clothes and a few dishes. The majority of his money had always gone to his camera equipment, which he'd already moved out.

Part of him wanted to keep his things there... an irrational desire to have at least one small thread left to Sasuke. But that wasn't fair to either of them. Kiba had been right. They needed a clean break. Naruto would never be able to fully wish Sasuke well in a new relationship, because he knew that he would never really get over Sasuke. He doubted very much that the feeling was mutual, but he wasn't willing to be a shitty 'dog-in-the-manger' kind of friend, either. Sasuke deserved better than that. And so did Naruto.