The older ninja relaxed, letting out a sincere "Good," and rubbed the back of his neck, a habit of Naruto's that he'd recently picked up. "I'll get you something cool to drink before we get you off to bed." Naruto smiled modestly, accepting the boy's assistance in sitting up and watched dreamily as Sasuke raced off to the kitchen for the drinks. "Oh, and, Naruto?" The young boy looked up. "This doesn't change anything. I'll still be here for you, always," came the tender words from across the room, from the mouth of his dear Sasuke.

'If there's a God up there, I pray that I don't wake up from this dream…' Naruto thought, blissful and innocent.

Chapter 9:

Holiday

Lee shifted his weight onto his left leg, turning his upward facing palm in the direction of his pale-eyed opponent. Sweat trickled down his back and off his chin in the stifling heat, yet a satisfied grin lay riveted on his face, breath pooling out deeply.

This…was unquestionably elating. Sparring was by far the best follow-up to intense physical training, of which Lee had recently partaken in. He waited. One…two… His tangible form blurred and the sound that followed was instantaneous and strident. The shinobi's heel connected heavily with Neji's palm to be proceeded by a swift jab to the face that just barely missed the Hyuga's jaw.

Leaping back Lee dodged Neji's Gentle Fist accordingly and parried the rounded kick to his gut. The pale-eyed ninja activated his Byakugan. He released a kunai at Lee, seizing his chance when the other dodged and surged forward again with his Gentle Fist. But Lee had anticipated such; Neji failed to identify this until it was too late. He tensed as the outstretching foot grinded into his gut, expelling his breath with a grunt and sending him back several feet.

White teeth glinted in the sunlit bank. Lee was confident, but wary. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but smile. This was undoubtedly the most invigorating experience he'd had recently—that is, if you discount the day where he successfully climbed the hokage stone faces three times using just his hands; that was a sight.

"You guys have been at this for hours," Choji complained in between mouthfuls of chips, crumbs dotting his cheeks. "When are we going to eat?"

"Choji," Shikamaru chided, "it's only been an hour and a half and you're already eating." He indicated the wealth of snack remnants littered around the robust teen.

"This,"—he waved his arm—"is not proper food. I'm dying over here! I'm a growing boy and I need my nourishment," Choji retorted as he dropped the empty chip bag and patted his pocket; he pulled out a chocolate bar and all but inhaled it.

Shikamaru's lip contracted in slight distaste, but shook his head. What else could he expect?

A sudden shift caught the brooding teen's attention. His eyes laced on the brunette teen as he leaned forward, briskly shouting, "You know what? Choji's got a point…I think! Let's get some more action in this! How about…a free-for-all?!" Kiba stood, dripping with energy and punched his palm for emphasis; Akamaru rumbled in delight atop his head.

Lee peeked over for a split second, cracking an ample beam. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, my friend! Such extreme youth will only make us stronger!" He went for a head-blow; Neji parried and swung back. Lee tilted his head away, barely dodging.

"No! We're not turning this into some idiotic, testosterone-packed brawl. Strictly one-on-one. Not all of us are here to act like morons," Tenten huffed, hands locating her hips. Bewildered looks sought her from both Shikamaru and Neji.

"Pfft! What makes you think you're in charge?" tempted Kiba, scowling at her. His jaws snapped shut with a click when her face morphed; steadily retreating as she advanced malignly, armaments tersely in hand, eyes flashing in blatant threat. "I-I mean…um…no, of course not…" he amended, releasing a breath when she gradually lowered her weapons. Girls could be terrifying sometimes…

Lee ducked down to jab at his opponent's ribs. Neji palmed down his arm, feigning a right hook—Lee blocked—and the Hyuga used the opening, landing a successful kick on the other's breast. Lee's breath escaped him; he faced a heavy blow to his temple and yet another palm at his shoulder. The contact rooted the numbness that impaired his right arm. He skipped back several meters trying to reawaken his inert limb. It was Neji's turn to be self-assured.

"Sorry I'm late!"

The gathered eyeballed to spot a jaggy bob of pink locks emerge from the trees. Aquamarine eyes reflected in force of the smile that dominated the kunoichi's face. A diffident figure trailed in after the initial shinobi, hollow eyes downcast, self-conscious, though not at all forlorn.

"Sakura. Hinata," Tenten greeted with a smile, waving them over. "What took you?"

"Ah, gomen. The marketplace was jam-packed today," the cherry-head laughed, trotting over with her victuals in hand, Hinata stumbling behind. "Almost got into a brawl over the last of the pork. Some old hag tried to snatch it right out of my hands! Said she deserved it 'cause she's an adult or something." She set down the paper bags and joined Tenten in sorting the commodities. "I took care of her though," she added sweetly, never batting an eye.

The brunette found herself gaping, quite aghast, at the newcomer. 'Do I even want to know what happened to that lady…?' she wondered, shuddering at the scene she could very well imagine.

"Anyway," Sakura sustained, waving away the previous account as if trivial, "Hinata here really helped me out. It was tough lugging all this stuff over. Now we can really enjoy this party!"

Choji, Shikamaru observed, was, by now, looming eagerly over the fare the girls had brought forth, saliva peeking over his moistened lips as he eyed the food hungrily. A ridiculous smile was plastered across his face in his delight, much like a chunky youngster would retain at the offer of an extra helping. Nevertheless, Shikamaru felt a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh, Sakura! Thank you!" he all but whimpered, gawking at the gorgeous chow his stomach so craved.

Sharp eyes trained on him portentously. He lulled at their force. "Sorry, Choji, but this isn't just for you. Others need to eat you know. You're gonna have to wait and share…share. Understand?"

'She said it twice,' Tenten noticed abashedly. Sakura had made no mistake. She phrased it purposely to emphasize her point. God help the one who didn't get the hint.

Choji groaned haplessly, grudgingly retreating back to his messy vicinity.

Sakura looked around suddenly. Her eyes glazed over the group present. "Hmm…Hasn't Sasuke or Naruto shown up? Kiba said he'd invited them…" she asked, dispiritedly, when her eyes failed to perceive what she sought.

The brunette shook her head slowly, thoughtfully. "No. I haven't seen either of them." Ignorant to the kunoichi's worry, she worked to organize the firewood Hinata had collected. She paused, then as an afterthought added, "Ino can't make it for sure though. She's busy helping her parents at the shop. And Shino's out on a mission. I guess it's just us then."

"Oh," Sakura sighed, worry glazing her eyes for just a moment before she instantly obscured it, smile crinkling her face. "Well, let's get cooking! I'm sure we have some hungry teammates."

"You bet'cha!" Kiba barked with a grin, having worked up a sizable appetite from his earlier sparring session with Shikamaru. He was yet sour over his loss. How Shikamaru brought him to his knees with a kunai pressed against his throat, forcing him to surrender, was beyond him. 'I'll get him next time.' the mutt resolved, casting a side glance at the slack shinobi.

The afternoon sun was pungent; heat riddled through the gaps sprinkled in the canopy in the overall warm day. It'd been a while since Sasuke had attended that particular lake—the last time being one spent training with Kakashi. Not much had altered in route, a few new shrubs and undergrowth but nothing considerable, he noted, as the two boys trekked through the forest.

A twig snapped behind him followed by an exasperated whine.

"Sasuke…are we there yet?"

The elder sighed and tipped his head to the side, eyeing Naruto. Eight times this question had been uttered…eight.

"Do you want me to hurt you?" he asked, lips pulling down at the corners.

Naruto produced his tongue and the other scoffed. 'Butt-face, much?' He thought, trotting lightly over a root and falling back into pace behind the Uchiha.

He wasn't quite sure where he and Sasuke stood with each other. The past few days had been an upheaval of chaos that left the blonde emotionally drained. Had last night been a fluke? Sasuke was acting entirely out of character lately; Naruto was almost positive that at some point, the raven would spontaneously combust what with all the interacting and speaking he'd been doing… Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind and he gasped out loud, drawing the other boy's notice.

'What if it's the first time in Sasuke's entire life that he's talked so much?!'

His face burned as he reflected on the last night…how gentle Sasuke had been… Had he imagined it all? Was this really the heartless bastard he came to know?

The blonde shook his head quickly, trying to get his mind in order until yet another thought crossed his mind.

'What if showing emotion is somehow bad for his health?!'

By now Naruto was looking slightly panicked, staring at the older male with enormous eyes; his mind persisting to warp his assumptions into more radical notions as the seconds ticked by.

Seeing that something was obviously wrong, the Uchiha stopped to address his teammate.

"Oi, dobe. What—"

He was cut off as Naruto's hands swiftly and forcibly seized him by the shoulders.

"Sasuke!" the blonde virtually shrieked, seeming like the world was going to collapse.

"What?!" Sasuke shot back nastily, not comprehending what was going on and surely not appreciating the other's abruptness.

After a tense pause, the blonde's lips parted. "Are you feeling okay?!" he blurted stupidly.

"Of course I a—!"

"I mean, lately things have been…well, I know that talking is hard for you and you're not really the type to be all mushy-like so you gotta let me know if you're feeling warm or something because, well, I've never been a paper bomb, but I'm sure that going off like one has got to suck! Plus, being an Uchiha and all kinda puts you at risk for getting sick if you're too social, at least, that's what it seems like because you're really not too 'chatty-Kathy' most of the time and tend to act like a jerk, but you so can't blame that on the bloodline. …I'll never forgive you for taking the last towel that time, I mean, you left me in the nude! I couldn't leave the bath for hours until Sakura went to bed because she'd have killed me. Do you know what a human prune looks like, Sasuke?! Do you!? An—"

Without warning, a hand clapped down on his mouth, hushing the Jinchuriki. Sasuke had stared wide-eyed at Naruto throughout his fast-tongued rant, thoroughly disturbed, until he'd had enough.

Moments ticked by as the elder male tried to get his bearings. He was feeling some serious déjà vu.

"What the fuck? Naruto, what the hell are you talking about?!"

Beneath Sasuke's hand, Naruto made an exasperated sound, eyes scrunching before he ripped away the intruding appendage. "I'm just saying that it's weird!"

"What's weird?"

"US!" Naruto yelled, throwing his hands up for emphasis.

Sasuke paused, watching the other intently.

"…Everything is so messed up! I mean, you're not you…lately… Ugh! Why aren't you being your usual 'jerk-Uchiha' self?"

The raven's brow twitched slightly, irate. "I wasn't aware that I was acting any differently, idiot."

"See!" Naruto remarked, pointing at his teammate. "That's the Sasuke I know!" He eyed his friend, trying to understand why things became so different between them in so short a time. He wasn't even sure he was fully at ease with Sasuke knowing about the Nine-Tails inside him. "But you've been different lately…"

Sasuke tilted his head to the side, crossing his arms above his breast. "Because I've been 'too social' as you so put?" he asked, slightly amused at the turn in conversation.

"Exactly!" the blonde exclaimed. "You always used to be so quiet and cold to everyone. A real jerk actually, thinking you're all better and crap because you're an Uchiha. Particularly towards me… In any case, what happened?"

The elder scoffed. Choosing to not answer his question, he posed one of his own: "So you want me to ignore you?"

"No! Um…well, not really…" Naruto shifted on his feet, feeling lost. Sasuke was not making this any easier. How could he explain feelings he himself wasn't so sure he understood? Never mind the fact that the other's recent shift in character made Naruto question why, after all this time, he would change. Not that all of it was bad, mind you, but it was certainly out of the norm and a tad bizarre sometimes.

He sighed finally, shaking his head. It was surely a lost conversation. "Forget it," he grunted, trudging ahead in the direction they were previously going. "You're still a bastard…"

Sasuke smirked, knowing exactly what Naruto was trying to point out. His "change in personality" was essentially new to the blonde, but in all reality, Sasuke hadn't very much changed. Simply put, he'd opened up mildly. The reason for such, though, was not entirely clear to even the Uchiha himself; he could sum up a few explanations here and there, but the root as to why he'd felt at ease enough to let loose was unfamiliar.

Strangely enough, he wasn't perturbed by it; not caring enough at the moment and feeling comfort in the mild ignorance.

His feet followed the other as he calmly intoned, "Whatever you say, dobe," which elicited an irate string of curses from said other.

Kiba now lay on the floor, gasping for air. His head shifted slightly, looking over to see Akamaru whining at him from the sidelines.

"Are we done yet? Sparring with you is really a drag you know…"

Kiba scoffed at the remark, grimacing when the bruise on his ribcage was stirred—where Shikamaru had landed a well-aimed kick. "You bastard…" he muttered, slowly getting up to his feet. "I'm not…done with you yet!"

The strategist's brows arched as he watched the other struggle to stand. In all truth, Kiba had been a bit harder to put down the second time around. Despite his clear win in this sparring session, Shikamaru felt it unnecessary to continue expending more energy. Both teens were clearly winded.

"Alright then. If you want to have another go, I'm out," he replied offhandedly, tucking his hands into his pockets and trudging over towards where Choji sat.

"The hell?! Come back here!" Kiba growled, frustrated; the other teen simply ignored him.

"N-Naruto!" Hinata suddenly chirped, cheeks flushing.

All heads turned to observe the aforementioned blonde emerge from the tree line, followed soon after by none other than Sasuke.

Sakura whipped around from her cooking to see her two teammates and stood to greet them upon their approach. Her shoulders visibly dropped in relief, smile gracing her face as she perceived Naruto's vastly improved condition.

"Konichiwa!" aforementioned blonde shouted blissfully, waving energetically in reply to the slew of greetings sent his—and Sasuke's—way. He practically skipped over to Sakura, looking so small yet brimming with energy.

"It took you long enough," she chided, watching as Naruto flushed in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ah, sorry, Sakura-chan!" he apologized, smiling brightly at her.

The expression was infective; her lips stretch across her face similarly before turning the smile upon the elder male. "Hello, Sasuke." She hoped her greeting held a lilt as fetching as she'd attempted it to be. Simple, cute and with a hint of something else in the under layer of tone.

If it had made any impression, though, Sasuke failed to react to it. His reply was a simple nod in acknowledgement before moving past towards where the other's had been sparring.

The kunoichi's shoulders slumped; she tried not to feel discouraged, watching her crush's retreating back.

"N-Naruto!" Hinata squeaked, flushing when the boy turned to look at her and smiled.

"Hey, Hinata!" he chirped. "How've you bee—"

Naruto was cut short as a weight crashed into him from behind, sending him face first into the ground. The weight shifted up enough for Naruto to contort himself and look up into the watering eyes of none other than Lee.

"Naruto! I have missed you!" Lee cried, literally, and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy in a bone-crushing embrace.

The blonde flailed, tugging at Lee's clothes. "…breathe…c-n't breathe!" he gasped. The elder male released him quickly, apologizing, and Naruto wheezed several times, managing to smile back a little after a few deep breaths. "M-Missed you too, Bushy-Brows."

The group slowly congregated around the blonde. It always seemed to happen… Naruto had a charm to him, an aura that drew people to him. But the boy couldn't have known, joy radiating off him in waves as he looked around at his group of friends, joking around with them and catching up.

"Oi, chibi!" Kiba called, catching the blonde's irate attention.

Naruto instantly seethed. "What did you call me, dog-breath?!"

Kiba moved forward and placed his hands atop the blonde's shoulders, eyeing him. "Have you," he began, giving the boy a good once over, "…gotten shorter?"

Naruto's cheeks scorched red and Kiba broke out into a fit of laughter, clutching his own sides as the humor got the best of him.

"I have not!" the jinchuriki shrieked, mortified. He lunged forward, but Kiba anticipated it and ducked, pitching his shoulder to catch the boy's belly and bringing his arm around the slim waist; pushing upward quickly he stood with the younger male slung over his shoulder. "O-Oi! Wha-what are you doing?!"

Kiba was laughing as he trudged towards the lakeshore—Naruto in tow—and tugged off the boy's shoes with his free arm, tossing them aside before grabbing the hem of his shorts and pulling. "Cooling you off!" the brunette chuckled as Naruto flailed, practically screaming in mortification as he felt his pants come free of his hips.

Several from the group stood awkwardly watching as Kiba stripped Naruto to his boxers before unceremoniously tossing him into the lake.

"This seems somewhat inappropriate…" Shikamaru sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Those two don't know what that word even means…" Sakura grumbled beside him, shaking her head at the scene of Kiba and Naruto wrestling in the lake—Lee wasted no time joining in the fray.

:D

It's been 3 years...

...

I have many things I could say as an excuse...but really, three years is simply inexcusable. GOMENASAI!

I have to say, it was very hard getting this chapter done. I kept writing, then deleting, paragraphs and conversations because they simply didn't work well. The ending to this chapter is rather abrupt, I know and I apologize, but I had to stop it there or it would have never come out anytime soon! Overall though, I actually really like how this chapter turned out! :D

Let me know what you all think!
OH! And I'm open for suggestions/ideas on possible things that could happen on the two days (because the first is obviously encompassed by this chapter and some of the next) before the meeting with Jiraiya! I'm kinda in a creative slump for ideas there...so HELP!
ME LOVE REVIEWS! 3
Thanks for reading! I love you all!

-Kit