I have had this idea in my mind for so long now…and it just kept changing and evolving.

Forgive my lack of updates. Working on that now.

I wouldn't say that I've had writers block but things have been pretty intense in RL and the only thing that honestly kept me distracted and sane was binge reading lots of fanfiction! There are two authors in particular, fangirlandiknowit and UchihanoChidori and even though I've never met either of them, this story is dedicated to them and their wonderful portrayals of Naruto and Sasuke and the bond that these two have created (that we all then turn into yaoi).

Yaoi, SasuNaru, you have been warned. As if flamers still exist. Don't like, don't read, don't comment. (I mean really, who tells someone to go kill themselves for what they wrote...sheesh)

Disclaimer: Nothing.

-=The path they take=-

There he was finally, at the edge of the forest, stepping out into the newfound clearing. Uzumaki Naruto knew that he would find a cabin nearby and lo and behold, there it was, faintly illuminated by the morning sun. This was his destination. This is where he wanted to be more than anywhere else in the world.

A familiar presence enveloped his senses and from within the wooden home emerged one Uchiha Sasuke.

Even though they could clearly see each other from a distance, either man moved further than those first few steps, as they acknowledged one another through their chakra. The birds had begun to chirp and the sound of the creek's water running near the cabin became all the more evident in the silence of the early morning.

Naruto waved frantically and even that far away, Sasuke saw that familiar face smiling brightly at him. Then, Naruto disappeared in a flurry of fast steps, so fast that only the sharingan could see, only to reappear directly in front of his comrade, still sporting his goofy grin but up close now.

"Sasuke, I..." Naruto was out of breath, his chest heaving as he greedily sucked in more air.

This made the Uchiha shake his head and smirk. His old friend was eager to over exert himself, it seemed. Some things would never change, regardless of their age.

Sasuke was expecting Naruto to say something, or explain why they were suddenly face to face, considering that his appearance was unannounced and out of the blue. However, before the Uchiha could sense something was amiss, which he would, Naruto knew for a fact - in less than a minute now to be precise - the blonde stared straight into Sasuke's dark eyes and leaned forward to kiss him.

Sasuke was stunned initially by the invasion and yet it only took a second for him to remember how soft Naruto's kisses were. That made him blush a crimson shade across the bridge of his nose. Even after so many years had passed, that sensation coursing through his body again was the exact same; he recognized the warmth and raw emotion that were instantly overwhelming. Despite the nostalgia that flooded his senses and made him want more, Sasuke acknowledged the soft kiss, with a brief response but ended it a moment later with hasty and confused words.

"You can't just randomly go around kissing people, Naruto. What are you-"

"Shut up, Teme." The blonde said breathlessly and even though Sasuke had stumbled back a step to gain space and stare intently at the blonde, Naruto once again connected their bodies, chests first, and kissed his best friend passionately.

This time Naruto was bolder and dared to cup his cheek, which made Sasuke instantly blush more and lean into the touch. In spite of himself, this time the Uchiha responded more to the alluring meshing and pressed back. He knew that he should not but resisting that desire was impossible after the first one. It took all his will power to pull away and protest, "Dobe." His face was evidently uneasy and very embarrassed but the blonde in front of him was pouting goofily from his actions.

Naruto had been thoroughly enjoying those last private seconds. He went to speak this time for real but was taken back when Sasuke silenced him with a kiss to his forehead. The gesture practically made him forget what he was going to say. His mouth ran dry. It had been so long since Sasuke had done that to him. Naruto's mind could only think of that sensation now and how much he had once loved it.

The Uchiha then answered, as he locked eyes with the blue pair staring intently at him instead. Naruto was the one that needed to explain and yet that forehead kiss...it was as if Sasuke somehow knew something was wrong.

"I knew you would come and find me,"

"Of course," Naruto smiled, as he always did and always would, Sasuke realized then. He still had such a handsome face. "I never break a promise, especially not to you." There was a tinge of sadness and pain behind his smile, Sasuke saw but said nothing.

As much as Naruto had wanted to discuss his actions more thoroughly, they were out of time already, he realized.

"Naruto, I..." Sasuke began but trailed off as his senses identified that they were no longer alone.

"Seriously, what is going on here..." The brief moment of reconnecting ended as both men moved to see the exhausted teenager behind them, who looked completely shocked with his jaw hanging open in sheer disbelief.

There was Uzumaki Boruto. Sasuke had sensed it when Naruto first arrived that there was someone else nearby, someone familiar to him but Naruto had dulled his perception with his erratic behavior and the world fell away from under his feet as they kissed. They both knew what Boruto had seen; a glimpse of them parting after the kiss and ended Naruto's hand falling from Sasuke's face. Enough for him to react.

"Sensei...Dad..." Boruto stammered.

After two full days of running and pushing his legs, patience, and stamina to the very limits...after so many fights and attempted ambushes...after so many damn clones that he lost count of them...

"You did that on purpose, didn't you Naruto." Sasuke said immediately and the rush of emotions that ran through his eyes dark orbs was replaced by a scornful and annoyed glare.

Boruto's energy signal was completely erratic, borderline frantic. He knew his former pupil must be storming inside, just by looking at him.

What was going on?

"I'm sorry Sasuke that was stupid of me to do... I didn't do it for him to see. But you're right, this meeting today is on purpose. I need to speak with both of you." Naruto replied but his gaze was focused solely on his son, the spitting image of himself from so many years ago. "Why are you still so angry with me, Boruto? You knew we were separated...you're disappointed by the choices I've made, I know. I can understand why you are mad at me son but you are old enough to understand that I have every right to be just as mad at you. You refused to see things from my perspective then or to even acknowledge how I feel now, no matter how many times I repeat myself. And here you are now, following me all the way from Konoha." The former Hokage said, his voice laced with sadness and sorrow.

There was no anger present in his words, even if he spoke vehemently and his intonation behind them was harsh and direct sounding. If Boruto needed him to justify himself and explain everything elaborately, then Naruto wished for Sasuke to hear what he had to say to his son as well. This time, he would bare all of his emotions; there was no holding back as he had done in the past with Boruto. It would be undoubtedly painful and nerve-wracking but Naruto knew that he would have to do this for both Boruto and Sasuke to truly grasp the ache in his heart and chaos in his mind.

Two days of fighting his son non-stop with clones was utterly exhausting for Naruto. In order to progress forward instead of being held back, Naruto relied on every trick he remembered to outwit his son but he was older now and could definitely feel it in his muscles and joints. At the same time though, he found it incredibly liberating to once again to run for a whole day straight. Had he not possessed such abundant chakra, Boruto could have easily surpassed and confronted him far before the present situation. That boy was stubborn though, just like his father and continued to chase, knowing full well that he may not catch up in the end.

Sasuke had no idea what really happened and did not want to assume anything either. He watched silently as his best friend and son squared off before him. Boruto chose his fists over his words, despite his father's pleas and went to attack with brute strength, a poorly timed punch that Naruto easily dodged. "I don't want to do this here." He said desperately but his son did not listen; those dexterous fingers were already weaving the signs for a familiar jutsu.

The Uchiha had retreated to his doorstep, where he breathed a deep sigh and rubbed his temple. This was definitely an unexpected morning. He had received a letter from Naruto almost a year ago, if he remembered correctly, explaining that he had stepped down from his position of Hokage and would be traveling soon to discover the different great nations. That was it. He had been happy for his old friend and expected a visit sometime in the future. Although Sasuke had been tempted to visit and witness the ceremony in person, he had only just returned from Konoha after visiting his daughter for her birthday and stopping at Sakura's grave with flowers for her. There was nothing mentioned about Naruto's wife or children in the letter and everyone seemed well enough when he saw them last. He was slightly worried and even more pensive now.

What had happened...his lips were still tingling and that thought was consuming him. If Naruto had kissed him then it could only mean that he and the Hyuga woman were no longer together because he knew with absolute certainty that Naruto would never betray her trust. That would explain his son's outburst of anger towards his father. Did the young Uzumaki actually know what his father's intentions truly were? Even he did not...

Boruto had not spoken yet; he was still obstinately fighting but in his fatigued state, his jutsus and energy reserves were fading fast. Both blondes were panting heavily but Sasuke knew that his disciple would never beat his father one on one. Even he could not do so without giving his own life for it. Naruto, the Uchiha sensed, had a last clone gathering nature energy in the forest, just in case Boruto got out of hand suddenly.

As they stood there, face to face, it was eerie to Sasuke how much they looked alike. It was uncanny, like he and Itachi at birth, according to his late brother. Both of them had finally resorted to words, he heard, bitter and hurt sounding, painful and accusing ones.

"Nothing has changed since the real you left me back there two days ago. I want to know why. Why you couldn't stay in the village and work things out with mom? Why you keep telling me you won't try anymore? Our family has fallen apart because of you and none of it makes any sense to me still. You waited until I was gone on a mission...then I come home and find mom completely devastated and you who had just left."

"Boruto, we will always be a family, no matter what happens...but why am I solely to blame for this? I can't stay married to a woman who doesn't nurture my interests in the slightest. We've grown apart Boruto, she and I. She doesn't understand me anymore, or the person I have become over the years and vice versa it seems."

"Apparently no one does." The teenager said sarcastically. He had heard this all before already.

Naruto growled in anger because he knew that Boruto was antagonizing him instead of being mindful and attentive. It was hard, almost impossible for him to explain to his eldest how his marriage had fallen apart. Boruto loved his mother and would defend her until his very last breath. Naruto did not expect him to simply accept what had happened between his parents. The end of their marriage was not straightforward or self-explanatory. It was a long story about how his job was all consuming for over a decade and that because of that, he struggled to be emotionally available for his wife. Or how she always wore a mask of happiness around him all the time instead of confining in him when something bothered her. She chose silence and denial until the end, when she finally confessed her inner turmoil; he had been right about her. She was bottling it up inside. But he could accept fault for her doing that because he was not able to balance his work and home life. Should he also tell his son about how in his retirement, she refuses to let him do anything except spend time with her, and only her, to catch up on their lost years?

There were so many little things, things that only lovers or partners could do to hurt each other and they were both guilty of committing these acts knowing or even unknowingly. She refused to have sex, or would not reciprocate his advances certain times. But then again, he forgot their anniversary and her birthday several times, only for his children to remind him. He would also miss lunch dates with her for meetings or fall asleep at his desk late at night, not returning home to bed and to her. Moments like these had occurred over the years of their marriage and did build up but never to such an extent like it did near the very end.

"Boruto, be respectful of your father. Give him the chance to explain himself thoroughly and reserve your judgement for then." Sasuke interjected, dropping a hand on Naruto's shoulder, as if to reassure him. "Come here and sit," Sasuke gestured to Boruto, before insisting the same of Naruto. "Now both of you take a deep breath and collect your thoughts."

"I just want to know why. Why did you do this to your family?" Clearly, Boruto ignored his father's anger and master's stern warning, as he continued to blame the man before him of ruining their family. He remained standing, with his arms crossed over his chest obstinately.

"Boruto, sit." The Uchiha demanded in a hiss and as he glared at his stubborn disciple, there was a dangerous flash of red in his dark eyes.

Boruto reluctantly agreed and dropped down unceremoniously onto a log near the fire pit. Naruto had turned to smile weakly at Sasuke in appreciation but his son threw in yet another spiteful sounding accusation, which drew his attention back, "you also have some explaining to do, sensei."

"I'll explain that too..." Naruto mumbled, only slightly embarrassed by the statement. He then sighed deeply before composing himself.

There would be a lot to say and he hoped that Boruto would truly listen.

As a young adult, their oldest Boruto had moved into his own place and lived independently from his parents for a few years. In the beginning, he thought that this would give his parents their own space once his father retired but that was not the case. Yet, as an active Shinobi, Boruto was always being deployed on a new mission and rarely was he present during most of their last year together. He did have his own life.

"Boruto, you're an adult now and I've always treated you with respect. Well, when I was your age...and I fell in love for the first time, it wasn't with your mom, it was with Sasuke. After the war, we were together for a bit and well...we...but obviously it didn't work out and we both moved on, got married, and we'll, you're here and so is your little sister." Naruto paused to chuckle awkwardly before the conversation became more intense. He kept shifting uneasily and fidgeting.

"Anyways...you don't need to know everything about my love life or my marriage to your mother but essentially, before we got married and were writing our vows, Hinata asked if they could be promises to our future selves so that our marriage would be a long and happy one. When she asked what I wanted in my future I told her that after I married her, we had children and that I became Hokage, I wanted to travel the world. And all I ever wanted from her was for her to be my travel companion."

"You already told me that you wanted to travel but when I spoke to mom last, she had expressed an interest in traveling with you but not right away."

"Are you going to defend everything I say that goes against your mother? Did you come all the way here to do that? Or will you listen to me? We all make mistakes Boruto, even her. I promised to give her a family and love her unconditionally, that's exactly what she wanted and what I said to her in our vows. I have done and continue to do that to the best of my ability. Even now, divorced, I still love her but I am no longer -in love- with her. We created a family together, she will always carry a piece of my heart. I will be there when she or any of you need me. I will continue to be her friend and visit. I just can't be in a relationship with her anymore, if we don't see eye to eye on anything in our old life together."

"That's convenient for you to say. You hold up your end, or so you say, and she doesn't so you just leave her? How could you? I don't think you've held up your end." Boruto replied, seething through every word. His mood was still visible sour.

"Your mother's idea for a promise in our vows was a great idea because as I grew older, I became more restless to leave. Instead of just reading letters delivered to me from those far off places, I wanted to go to them so badly. All of these villages so far away...I had to visit them. It wasn't like I never spoke of traveling. Every anniversary I would tell her how excited I was to retire and spend more time with her, going to all the old places and new ones too. She never once said that this displeased her. I never knew. Hinata never told me what she wanted, other than me and my attention. So I did retire. Konohamaru took over and I spent the next seven months at home, every day, by her side, trying to be a good husband. I waited for four months before even mentioning the word travel to her. You were there and you cannot deny that I tried hard to reconnect with your mother and-"

"Did you even consider how she would feel, you asking her to uproot her life and just go off on an adventure suddenly?" Boruto interrupted, gritting through his clenched teeth.

"I did Boruto. After she said no, we talked about it again, at lenghts and in great detail. I offered to go in a year but she said no to even that; your sister had to graduate, before she would even consider my idea. No matter what I said, she did not want to meet me half way or find a workable solution though. She wanted to wait three, if not five years and when I disagreed with that...well, we just ended up arguing and arguing about it and after that last fight, nothing seemed to satisfy your mother anymore."

Naruto went quiet for a moment, refusing to look at either his son or best friend. His eyes were downcast as he continued. It was becoming harder to express himself, as a lump was forming in his throat.

"Without a job or sense of responsibility...you were away on missions, your sister is in the academy and has her team missions...I had nothing to do with myself. I would go to tea with her and the Hyuga family every day. I tried to reconnect with all my friends and their families, with her at my side... I wanted to know how to be a better family man and make up for all those years I was busy... I asked her what I could do, so everything she did for years, like groceries, house cleaning, errands...I was doing them. I did them all for her, no questions asked. I thought everything was working and that we were happy...but for me to be truly happy, I had to travel. That's when things went downhill. I did anything to appease her but if I even mentioned taking a vacation or even leaving the village to visit friends in Suna, instead of traveling for long periods, she would refuse. So, I could see it then that no matter what I did, she didn't want to try. No matter what she told you, I waited almost four months after we were separated before I chose to leave two days ago."

For the first time, Boruto remained silent. Sasuke could see that Boruto was no longer as tense as he was. When he looked upon Naruto though, he could see the fatigue set into his friends features, alongside his deep sadness. He looked so utterly miserable, recounting those intimate details to both of them.

"I have kept all my promises to her, including my vow. I believe that I have. I don't promise anyone anything unless I can keep it... and she broke my heart. I don't think you understand how much that hurts. It broke all of me." Naruto's voice quaked with emotion, threatening to crack with each syllable.

"Even now, I'm hurting from all this turmoil. But I know for sure that I want to be here, I want to travel. I'm healing. I can feel it, every day, my heart hurts less. We had drifted apart but I guess being the Hokage kept me from all of you for too long because we suddenly started feeling like strangers to one another...She told me that the only way I could make it up to her was to stay by her side and give her the things I had failed to over the years. I thought I was doing that all along...She told me that because she sacrificed so much for me that I should do it for her just as readily. But I just couldn't bare it when she blamed me being Hokage for the lack of happiness in our marriage. She told me I was selfish all along and neglected her. But was it really selfish of me to live out my dreams? Hinata knew and encouraged me to be Hokage and I knew it would hurt her and it would be a heavy burden for us both...she said she could carry that weight on her shoulders and I believed her. But my dreams aren't done yet... so if she's throwing it in my face now, I can't help but feel like yes, I didn't do enough for her but that still didn't give her the right to suddenly become so selfish with me and how I want to live my life...I can't tell you how many times I tried to fix things and just talk to her...but nothing was working anymore. She couldn't even look at me anymore. I was always hurting her and I couldn't live like that. I think we're both at fault for our downfall and I've accepted yours and her blame for what I've done..."

That was when it happened. Naruto began to cry. The warm flood of tears that escaped his eyes was strong enough to drown them. They looked like oceans in the middle of a storm. He sobbed until his whole body shook. Sasuke was by his side then, his arm wrapped around Naruto's shoulder, drawing him close, until the blonde was crying into his shoulder.

"Dad..." Boruto started uneasily, as he moved closer to crouch in front of his father. He was frowning deeply, as he nervously chewed on his bottom lip. Only once before had he seen his father so devastated; it was hard to witness it again. He wanted to accept his words and hug him but his own heart still ached from the sight of his mother, completely destroyed, burned into his mind. Both his parents, he saw, we're extremely hurt over what had occurred.

Even though it was strange to see his father, half leaning on his master, he could see that Sasuke cared about Naruto. Yet, it bothered him, not to see two men together but that his father was here now, moving on from his mother and was resolute in his decision to leave them all and travel.

He found it incredibly hard then to truly empathize with his father. His mother had known...she told him where his father was going when he finally made arrangements and left the village. Boruto knew his father was going to find his best friend because she had told him this before he ran off.

"Isn't this...soon? I mean, I still think that if you and mom sat down, even with someone and talked about it...is she not worth fighting for to you? I know she said yes to the divorce and signed the papers but she regrets it. She told me. I see her now, still so upset and dejected...you can be mad at me all you want for defending her but aren't you moving on too soon? I think that if you and mom tried again-"

"Boruto," Naruto cut off his son, "I appreciate and admire how much you love your mother. I love this about you son. But I can't change who I am. She can't either. So now all we do is conflict with one another. We don't make each other happy anymore. We did before, thanks to the routine of our lives but now that that structure is gone and we have freedom, she doesn't want it. I do. I never wanted it to be from her though...it hurts so much that she didn't want this...I wanted to do this with her. Now, all of a sudden, she wants to try again and I know why - she's afraid she'll loose me forever. But I am already lost to her. I know that she regrets a lot of the things she has said but that doesn't mean that they weren't said and that she didn't mean them. I know she did and still forgave her. We tried again and again and still nothing. She blames me for the divorce and for everything that went wrong. If I had given more, she told me, maybe she would too but according to her, I never did. So why is it now...now that I'm gone that she wants me, when she knew I would go." Naruto said, sobbing through each sentence. "Why, Boruto? Can you tell me? I asked her that when I left our house that day and she couldn't answer me then..."

Yet again, there was no answer for Naruto. Boruto knew that he could not speak for his mother; if she wanted her husband back with her, then she could travel to his side. He realized this now. It was not his place to mend their broken relationship. He had gotten what he wanted - answers - even if he did not want to hear them. He had overstepped. Even though Boruto knew why he did, he would do it again in a heartbeat. At the same time though, he also understood that he should stop prodding now.

The younger set of blue eyes, clear and bright as the sky, finally saw how defeated his father truly was. They were both completely broken down. Although he did not completely agree with his father, he accepted that his opinion had been heard and acknowledged but it was still not enough to change his mind. The rage behind his resolve was quelled by his father's sadness.

"Dad..." Boruto tried again and after his father wiped his face and sniffles, their blue eyes were locked. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, son."

Boruto reached out to his father and hugged him. Sasuke slid away from the duo and the younger Uzumaki supported his father in his dark moment of overwhelming misery. Naruto dried his tears, thankful that his son had felt the resonations of his painful emotions. Even if it took more conversations and more tears, Naruto was relieved that Boruto was embracing him, repeating very softly again and again that he was sorry.

The Uchiha left his guests alone for a moment; he had been making tea before his senses registered Naruto's sudden presence and disrupted his routine. Sasuke found the water tepid but made tea nonetheless. They were appreciative of his gesture, as he returned with a tray and set it before them. Boruto drank his greedily and had seconds, then thirds; he looked shattered beside his father. It was hard to tell who leaning more, Naruto or Boruto but they were leaning on each other, lost in the silence of the morning.

"There are beds inside, you should both rest," Sasuke said and neither of them protested. "I will wake you both for lunch."

Boruto rose to his feet first and instantly he could feel a dull ache in his shins. A nap sounded perfect to calm his mind and ease away the numbness that he felt. He knew that his father lingered, as did Sasuke, and before he felt too awkward, the teenager hurried away from the best friends and towards his master's domain.

"Sasuke, I'm sorry. I hope that we can talk soon... I know I always do this to you, just show up and say and do crazy things but..." Naruto began without looking at Sasuke and as he lifted his reddened eyes to the Uchiha, he was surprised to find him smiling. It was also relieving, in the wake of what had just taken place.

"Naruto, just go get some rest. You've said more than enough. I'll be here when you get up and you can say what you want to me then."

His smile was contagious, as the blonde found himself grinning sheepishly. He appreciated the Uchiha's understanding words. "Okay then. Thank you, Teme."

Sasuke watched as Naruto slowly rose and stretched. His sharingan was recording everything about Naruto once again. Although nothing appeared to be changed about him physically, it seemed as if almost everything had at the same time. There they were, much older now, retired, and left to their own devices. He stared, mesmerized as he memorized that familiar face. Each second spent gazing made his heart beat faster. After everything that had happened, even if it still took longer to discuss...Naruto would be his again…

"Sleep well, Dobe."

-=Ende=-