So, here it is. Part Deux. Hope you'll enjoy it. Thanks to everyone for their reviews. I'll try to answer them when I can in between chaotic moments of my life. Again, this story was originally a songfic. So, this chapter is based on the song Everything by Lifehouse. As for time frame...hmm, lets just say a year or two later than Part 1, shall we...

Summary: Sasuke thought he had severed his bonds with Naruto. So why was he still sneaking around Konoha just to get a glimpse of him?

Disclaimer: I haven't, don't, and won't ever own Naruto.

Not So Broken Bonds

Part 2 – Bonds Are Never Broken

Naruto walked around the Uchiha grounds with a purpose. He was looking for Sasuke. He had just come back from a long term mission, only to find out that his wayward ex-teammate had returned. He had left the hokage's office in a daze, not even stopping by Ichiraku's for ramen like he originally planned, so shocked he was to hear that Sasuke had finally come back on his own. But the shock wore off soon after he got home and stepped into the shower. He finished and dried off in a hurry, threw on the first clean clothes he could find, and ran out the door towards the Uchiha District.

He knew that part of Sasuke's sentence involved staying on the cursed property under house arrest. Naruto shivered at the thought. Even after all these years, the place was still creepy. Sure, he had grown beyond his childish fear of ghosts. But still.... It was like this part of the village was frozen in time as a silent testament to the damage one person can cause, a place full of ghosts of the past. He couldn't imagine having to live here. In fact, he was beginning to wonder if staying here in the first place was part of the reason Sasuke could never let go of his hatred and move on.

He checked the house first, but the teme wasn't there. The anbu presence was heavy around the compound so he knew that his ex-teammate wouldn't be going too far.

It took a while, but he finally found him sitting against a tree in an elegant pose so typical of the graceful Uchiha. One long leg was stretched out beneath him, while the other was bent with an arm carelessly propped up against it. His head was leaning back against the bark of the tree, just at the right angle to expose the graceful long line of his throat. Naruto's breath caught in his throat and tears came unbidden to his eyes. The person he had wanted back so badly, the person he had trained beyond exhaustion for, had finally come home.

He slowly walked closer. It was strange to see someone as alert as Sasuke not be able to hear him coming. Usually, he could sense his chakra a mile away. Those chakra binds were obviously doing their job well.

Sasuke tensed and looked up after hearing a twig snap. He saw a strikingly familiar blond head coming closer and his heart flipped strangely in his chest. It had been quite some time ago that he decided to give up on pretending not to know the reason for it. He felt a happiness he never thought he'd feel again upon seeing the dobe. In the three months he had been here he hadn't seen him once and it had scared him more than he wanted to admit. Did Naruto hate him now? Kami, he hoped not...not after what he'd finally revealed to him that one early morning. Did Naruto even remember that?

Naruto silently stood over his friend, not sure what he wanted to do or say. Sasuke glanced up at him through his dark lashes. Neither of them spoke and the silence was deafening.

"Sit dobe. Or are you going to stand there all day blocking the light?"

That broke the spell and with a roll of his eyes, Naruto scowled and sat down next to the brunet.

"Teme." He grumbled half heartedly.

For the first time in a long time, Sasuke felt the urge to laugh.

For a while things were quiet. But it was not an uncomfortable silence. Sasuke took advantage of it and observed the boy that had been his rival. He had grown a bit taller since the last time he saw him. He'd also filled out quite a bit and he didn't need to see under the clothes to know it was all muscle. The blond locks were longer, still spiky, but a bit more tamed. And he had finally gotten a clue and ditched the orange for normal shinobi colors. Although, he would bet money there was some orange somewhere on that black t-shirt under the jounin vest.

The wind blew through the trees and made the sun peek intermittently. The beams seemed to always land on that sunny blond head. It made perfect sense to him though...Naruto always seemed to attract the light. Whereas he would be forever shrouded in darkness.

He wondered if light and dark could really exist together.

"What took you so long?" he asked blankly, trying to keep the worry and apprehension he felt out of his voice.

"Huh?" Naruto oh so intelligently asked. He had been too busy trying to think of something to say and had gotten caught not paying attention to the question. He thought back to the words he heard and finally understood what the male beside him was asking. "Oh...a mission. I just got back today. I've been gone for almost a year."

"Ah." Sasuke nodded. That explained a lot. Of course the dobe hadn't known. Knowing him, if word was sent to him, the idiot probably would have dropped everything and come home.

Naruto looked over at him then, those blue eyes strangely emotionless. Sasuke was used to seeing so much life and emotion in those eyes that the sight took him by surprise. He wondered if he was the one who caused it. Or was it that ninja life was jading him?

"So, you came back."

"Hn."

"I just found out an hour ago." Sasuke nodded in understanding.

Silence ensued once again. This time it was strained and neither of them was really show what to say to break it. Naruto looked down. His fingers fidgeted...it was the only sign of his nervousness. Sasuke silently watched him. He could tell the blond was struggling with his thoughts so Sasuke decided to wait it out until he was ready. Naruto still didn't look up when he at last asked the pressing question.

"Why?"

Sasuke looked down for a moment. He figured it was inevitable. It was a question that he should've expected...why he returned. He still wasn't sure how to explain it though. Finally, he decided on the only answer he could give. The truth.

"For you."

Naruto couldn't help but smile slightly at the cryptic answer. It was very Sasuke-like. He always was direct and to the point. But the smile quickly morphed into a frown. He was confused and a bit annoyed at the vague response. It was something the teme always did when he wanted to be evasive. And Naruto wasn't in the mood for it. Sasuke was the one who left him behind. He was the one who decided he didn't need him, or Sakura, or anyone else for that matter.

"Me?" A hollow chuckle came from the blonde. "I thought you didn't need anyone. You were the one to cut our bonds. I was just in your way, remember?" The words were bitter and Sasuke held back a grimace at the tone. He hated hearing such a tone from the blond.

"I was wrong." Sasuke could admit that. He refused to listen to anyone. He was too hell bent on gaining power. But really, he had no clue what he had been in for. Sure, he had gotten what he wanted. But were the consequences worth it? He lost so much. He went through too much. He saw more than he ever wanted to. Deep down he was an emotional mess and he knew it. And only one person might be able to heal him.

Naruto wasn't sure what to say. Of course the teme was wrong! He had a feeling, though, that there was some veiled meaning to the few words. But he didn't know what it was. Sasuke was still such a closed-mouthed bastard.

Sasuke saw the confusion in the blue eyes and sighed. He shifted over a bit more so their shoulders just barely touched before attempting to explain.

"I need you. Without you...I can't be me." Naruto raised a brow.

"What do you mean?"

Sasuke looked down as he struggled with speaking openly. It was something he just didn't do. "It took a long time for me to figure it out, but you're the one who makes me strong." He swallowed thickly as the dam on his emotions weakened a bit more with each word he spoke. "Once I killed Itachi, I thought I would feel better...stronger. Instead I was lost. And once I learned the truth about that night, I felt so much hatred. It was much more than I ever felt toward my brother. I was ready to destroy this place. The one thing that stopped me was you. The only thing that kept me from falling apart was you. My life has been full of darkness. But you...you're my light. And I think that, maybe, if I stay with you, I'll remember how to be me."

Naruto watched him silently. Sasuke raised his head and his dark eyes, full of determination, met blue ones.

"I need my rival back."

Sasuke waited, hardly breathing, hoping Naruto wouldn't refuse him. Finally, Naruto chuckled and stood up. Sasuke looked up, afraid the man would leave and never return.

"Teme, that makes absolutely no sense. And yet, it makes perfect sense." And then he smiled in the way Sasuke hadn't seen since that early morning in Naruto's apartment. Sasuke immediately felt lighter. That was what he had been missing.

"So teme, will the anbu let you spar?" Naruto grinned and held out his hand.

Sasuke's eyes widened just a bit and his mouth twitched just slightly into a smile as he wrapped his fingers around the tanned hand and allowed Naruto to pull him up.

"Good, because I didn't get to drag you back to Konoha like I promised. So I guess I'll just have to be content with kicking your ass on your own property."

Sasuke just smirked. It was as good a welcome home as he figured he would get from the brash blond.

"As if you could..."

- - - - - - - - - - -

A few weeks later, Naruto, from his dry apartment, watched the lightning that accompanied the pouring rain outside. A loud crack of thunder shook the thin walls and floor, but he didn't move. He didn't mind the storms. They made him feel alive. He smiled at the exhilarating feeling. But it faded a moment later as he remembered who didn't like storms.

"Sasuke..." he whispered. He left his couch behind and pulled on a jacket, then jumped off his balcony and ran toward the Uchiha district.

It had been during one of his few moments of weakness that Sasuke willingly opened up slightly to Naruto and told him of his fear. Of course, he threatened death if Naruto ever let it slip to anyone. In turn, Naruto told him one of his own fears. He was sure Sasuke had forgotten all about it the next day, considering Naruto's fears insignificant. But for him, while he never told anyone, he hadn't forgotten about it either.

Naruto arrived to find Sasuke sitting up in bed, paler than usual. He looked so small curled up into a ball in the middle of the bed with his arms wrapped tightly around his knees. He flinched slightly with every lightning bolt and clap of thunder. Naruto knew he would never show such vulnerability out in the open.

He slowly walked to the bed, not wanting to startle his friend, whose eyes were unseeing at the moment. He raised his hand and gently placed it on the pale cheek...it was freezing. "Sasuke?"

Sasuke flinched at the touch and blinked at the sound of his name. "N-Naruto?"

"Yeah, it's me teme."

"What are you doing here?" The fact that Sasuke wasn't pissed at him for catching him in a weak moment was a testament to how rattled he was.

"I wanted some company. I hate being in my crummy apartment alone when it's like this." Naruto played the part. He knew Sasuke would hate himself later for allowing anyone to see him while he was weak. But as long as it was Naruto who seemed to be the weak one running for company, Sasuke wouldn't feel uncomfortable. It was worth the blow to his pride if Sasuke didn't mentally beat himself up later.

"Hn...dobe." Naruto grinned. That was the Sasuke he knew.

"Shut up and move over teme." Sasuke uncurled and slid over to make room on his small bed for the blond. Naruto stripped to his t-shirt and boxers and slipped into bed. He tentatively wrapped an arm around the slightly shaking Uchiha and pulled him closer. Sasuke almost smiled before another clap of thunder had him burying his face in his friend's chest. Naruto's fingers ran through the dark hair slowly and gently, trying to soothe him. Sasuke raised his head and was surprised to see Naruto's face so close to his. A pleasant sort of thrill ran through him every time he felt fingers running through his scalp. The blond smiled and his hand shifted down and lightly stroked the pale face, memorizing every part of it as if he'd never seen it before. His thumb brushed lightly over the soft lips before he finally captured them with his own.

Soon Sasuke had forgotten about the storm. Instead there was only the taste of Naruto's lips. The feel of Naruto's skin against his own. Naruto's calloused fingers setting him on fire....the two of them bonding in ways neither of them had ever imagined would be possible.

An hour later, the storm had passed and the two were still awake.

"Ne, Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"I've been meaning to ask you. It's been bugging me for a long time and..."

"What?"

"Well...uh...ok, this is going to sound weird, and I'm probably wrong and..." Sasuke rolled his eyes behind his closed eyelids.

"Spit it out dobe." Naruto worried on his lip for a moment more.

"I...I was wondering if you ever came to see me...you know...while you were gone."

Sasuke opened his eyes and stared at Naruto with a raised a brow, not committing to an answer just yet. Naruto immediately took the silence as a negative. He looked away.

"Well I mean...you know what? Forget it. It was a stupid question."

Sasuke placed a finger against the slightly pouting lips.

"Yes."

Naruto's lips parted slightly. And his heart beat a fast staccato once again. He was almost afraid to ask. But he needed to know.... He remembered the dream so clearly and the words came tumbling out with an almost a dreamlike quality.

"You were sitting against my window. And you were about to leave. I asked you to stay. I told you...how I felt...and you got in bed with me. And then...then...y-you..." He stopped, afraid he was wrong, especially with the intense stare Sasuke was giving him.

Sasuke raised a hand and placed it against the whiskered cheek and forced Naruto to look at him. "And then I wrapped my arms around you and said that I loved you too."

Naruto's eyes widened. Sasuke smirked.

"So...it wasn't a dream?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"Did you mean it?"

Sasuke glared this time. "Usuratonkachi. Do you think we'd be here like this if I didn't?"

At that point, Naruto's smile could've rivaled the sun.

They both slept peacefully that night.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Many months of house arrest later...

Sasuke stood before the hokage, waiting to find out what his future would be. In a show of support, Naruto came with him, but he was literally kicked out of the room.

The Godaime gave him such a stern look that, for just a moment, he wondered if his life was about to end. But then she spoke and he was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Naruto would never stop bothering me if I didn't allow you to begin anew." After releasing him from his chakra binds and giving him a few more threats and directions, she kicked him out too.

It was hard not to smile.

And when Naruto ran up to him and annoyingly asked about what happened ten straight times, he smirked in answer, did a couple of handsigns quickly, and disappeared.

"Dammit teme!" Naruto yelled. He stalked off to look for him, grumbling about how he was a bastard for not telling him anything before he stopped mid rant. And then the biggest smile overtook his face as he suddenly realized that Sasuke just performed a jutsu for the first time in two years.

Sasuke waited just outside the hokage tower with a small smile on his face, though it was hidden by his hair. He knew the blond was a bit slow on the uptake, it would take him a minute to get it, but he knew he would. It only took another couple of minutes before he heard the familiar footsteps.

"You're a bastard, you know that? You could've just told me."

He smirked at Naruto and pulled him close to plant a kiss on his lips before tying his new headband around his head.

"What would be the fun in that?" He turned and started walking away. Naruto growled and followed him.

"ARGH! I hate you! I swear, if I didn't love you..."

"You're contradicting yourself dobe."

"Teme!" Naruto growled. Sasuke chuckled and carelessly wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him along. Naruto was now babbling about celebrating with ramen and Sasuke was doing his best to ignore the suggestion. But he knew, in the end, he'd let Naruto have his way. Just because...

Sure it had taken him far too much time to figure it out. But now he understood that some bonds just couldn't be broken.