Disclaimer: "Naruto" and its characters are written by and creations of Masashi Kishimoto

Title: Moonflower

Chapters: 1

A/N: ALL NARUTO AND SASUKE SCENES OCCUR SOLELY IN NARUTO'S IMAGINATION.
This being said, and because of the nature of this story, Naruto will not always be in character. And Sasuke will often be out of character because he's doing what Naruto needs/wants him to do, not what he actually would do.
This story takes place some time after the time skip and probably after the Sasuke/Itachi battle, but it's not exactly set in stone. It just sort of happens at a time in the future while Naruto and Sasuke are apart.

He wasn't doing anything special when it happened.
Only resting after a long, hard day of training in a soft patch of grass and sunning himself in the last of the warm afternoon rays.
It started as a sort of tingle up the back of his spine, which quickly became a sharpness that shot straight through the center of his body. He scrambled to his feet and looked around, searching for something that simply wasn't there.
Then he thought he heard his name. Not in a cry of help or a yell of frustration. Just his name.
Then there was nothing.

Stillness, quiet, emptiness.

And Naruto knew that Sasuke was dead.

o o O o o

Naruto should have been angry, the bastard had had the nerve to die without giving him one last chance to see him, to talk to him, to work things out so he could rid himself of the constant ache that nearly suffocates him. Now that ache had solidified into a snarling, clawing, bloody beast that set up house in the pit of his stomach with no intention of leaving anytime soon.

And Naruto was angry. He was furious. But he was sad too and the sadness turned into a sorrow that bowled over everything in its way until the anger curled up in the corner of his mind and whimpered.

There were so many things he had missed, so many things he'd yet to experience. There were places allotted in his memory bank that would now remain forever unfilled.

He felt cheated.

The idea that he would never get the chance ate away at him like a dog at a bone. He. had. allotted. space. And instead of making things happen or forcing time to move faster, he had just sat back on his heels and waited. He had foolishly thought there would be time.

But it all just slipped right through his fingers.

The pain was like nothing he'd ever felt before. Sharp yet empty, a knife inside him twisting and twisting, tunneling until there was a gaping hole that pierced right through his chest. He wanted to fill that space. He needed to fill that space.

He needed Sasuke.

o o O o o

It felt almost sacrilegious when he began to wander through the old abandoned Uchiha sector of town. He was an uninvited guest into its sacred melancholy and the buildings looked down on him scornfully, deeming him unworthy. But Naruto felt empty, like a puppet, and such things cannot be intimidated. So he continued forward.

It took a while to find the right house; he'd spent a lot of time traipsing through broken down and cobwebbed buildings in his search. It was a waste of time. He knew the right place as soon as he saw it.

It had the unmistakable feel of Sasuke's childhood.

Naruto snuck into the home as a thief plotting to steal what information it contained in its old splintered boards. It was in slightly better condition than the other houses, which made Naruto wonder if maybe sometimes Sasuke had visited too.

Only, Naruto didn't know and that made the emptiness inside him grow hotter.

He swung his lantern around for some much-needed light. The house felt dark to him, despite its many holes that allowed the bright Konoha sun to leak in. Maybe the lantern was just a crutch.

It was a fairly ordinary family home, or so he guessed since he'd never had a family of his own with which to compare it. But it seemed plain, unostentatious. Beneath the layers of years of accumulated dust it looked as if it might have once been inviting, welcoming its members with warm open arms. The dark and vacant silence it now emitted seemed abnormally lonely.

Naruto greeted it with a weak smile. "I'm here now," he told the barren walls and empty corridors. "I'll take care of you."

It was probably his imagination, but he thought he felt the house pulse with the first breath of life in years.

o o O o o

He started with the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves and knotting a cloth over his head before diving in. It took a long time and more than a few encounters with mice and beetles and other pests, but he finally managed to get it to, if not sparkle, at least not exude filth. There were several unpleasant surprises like old rotten food that had languished for years and started up a thriving community all on its own. The smell of it had made Naruto retch, but at least he'd been able to find the bathroom first and with it, the next item on his list. Whatever Sasuke may have been doing here, it evidently wasn't cleaning.

Once he was certain that all the dirt and grime and airborne contaminants had been adequately eradicated, Naruto tried the stove. He was not exactly surprised to discover it no longer worked. He was, however, delighted to find that the water was still miraculously running. It was brown and spurting, but it flowed. He figured it would run clear if he let it go for a while.

He'd call about the electricity later.

The next task on his agenda was that bathroom and he'd have to start on it right away. If he were to stay, he'd need it. So it was a day of down on his hands and knees, scrubbing at tile black from mildew and home to more than a few unwelcome guests. He was glad he'd donned a mask but concerned it might not be up to the challenge. He tried not to think about it too hard.

When he was finally finished, he had two good rooms and a houseful of dirt and neither of the clean rooms provided a comfortable place to sleep. If necessary, he could use the tub, but he'd prefer something better. So he searched room to room, dismissing almost all of them immediately as unsuitable. But just as he instinctively knew the right house, he knew the right bedroom and it was with shaking hands and wobbly legs that he entered. As though embarrassed, he averted his eyes and waited until the very last moment to look. Then he pulled the curtains back from the window and was met by the bright orange sun of sunrise.

He blinked.

It had been late morning turning to noon when he arrived, which meant that he'd spent at least half a day and a full night without even noticing. He sighed at his lack of attention and turned around.

There was precious little to see. A bed, a nightstand, a bureau, and some forgotten scraps of clothing strewn carelessly across the floor. That was it. He quickly slid open the closet door, but there was nothing inside but the bare bones of broken hangers. He went to the bureau but it too was empty save for an abandoned nest likely left by some mouse that had long ago moved on. The same could be said of the nightstand. Naruto stood in the middle of the room and glanced around, frustrated tears creeping at the edges at his eyes.

There was nothing.

Nothing.

He turned on his heel and bent to pick up the old discarded clothes on the floor. They were stiff in spots and darker than they ought to have been. Trembling, Naruto hugged them tightly as realization slowly dawned. These must have been the clothes Sasuke was wearing when his parents were killed. That's why they remained when nothing else did.

Still holding them close, Naruto circled around the bed. It was crumpled, the sheet pulled halfway up as if in a half-hearted attempt to make it. He lifted the sheet and discovered to his amazement that the mattress below had stayed relatively clean. No evidence of insect or mice or any other unwelcome guest showed itself. It remained clear and unoccupied as if it had been waiting for him all these years. He picked up the pillow, beat it to get rid of some of the dust, coughed, and put it back down, other side up. He measured up the conditions of the bed. It was hardly an ideal situation, but it was the only option.

Carefully, he lay down, curled on one side and hugged the child's clothes to him like a security blanket. He could feel the shadow of Sasuke there with him. As a boy, he would have lain just as Naruto did and dreamed his innocent child dream of becoming a ninja and following in his family's footprints. Naruto curled up tighter and tried not to cry.

He breathed in deep, inhaling too much of the ancient dust floating in the air and coughed again. The bedroom would have to be next.

His stomach twisted with the growling of that untamable beast whose appetite could not be satiated.

He thought he might be sick.

After looking down at the crumpled, useless clothing in his arms, he placed them gingerly on the nightstand. Regarding them a moment more, he wondered about the child who wore them and resented the fact that he'd never know him.

With a sigh, Naruto turned all the way over on his side until he faced the other way.

And then, slowly, a small smile stole his way onto his lips.

"Hey," he said.

Sasuke lifted one thin eyebrow and looked at him with wry displeasure.

The weight of the brunette made a warm dip into the pillow, sheets and mattress and the fabric crinkled up to meet him. He was still dressed the way Naruto saw him last and the side of his robe had slipped forward to pool near his chin and chest. Naruto stared straight into his face.

"I love you," He said frankly.

"Oh?" Sasuke replied.

"Oh?" Naruto mimicked, offended. "Is that all you have to say? 'Oh'?"

Sasuke shrugged and blinked complacently.

Naruto pouted at him. "Don't you want to ask why?"

"Not really."

"C'mon," Naruto goaded, insistent and slightly mischievous. "Ask me why."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and sighed wearily. "All right. Why?"

Naruto grinned insanely wide. "I have no idea."

Snorting, Sasuke rolled onto his back, curling his lip into his trademark smirk. "Idiot."

But Naruto just continued to smile, his eyes sparkling with some secret delight. He was too happy to be bothered by any such typical Sasuke behavior. In fact it was just the opposite; he found it comforting.

"C'mere," he slurred to Sasuke in some kind of demand and waved his hand blithely.

Sasuke turned his face to him and scowled. "You come here," he countered.

So Naruto scooted over without fuss until the front of his body was in line with Sasuke's side. Then he threaded his hand beneath the far edge of Sasuke's robe and held him close, skin to skin. He could feel Sasuke's rib bones against his palm. It felt real.

"You're too thin," Naruto scolded lightly.

"Your opinion."

"Hm."

They lay together for a long while, Sasuke allowing Naruto to trace his callused fingers over his ribcage and look for a ticklish spot that Sasuke apparently didn't possess. Sasuke's skin was softer than Naruto would have thought, smoother, like fine china and pleasantly warm to the touch. Naruto let his fingers roam its breadth, coming to rest finally on the far side of Sasuke's waist. The more he felt of Sasuke, the more he could confirm that the brunette was solid and real and right here with him. And Sasuke seemed not to care at all. Naruto moved his hand again, over Sasuke's chest, trying to sense the gentle rise and fall of breath. He mapped him incessantly as if to engrave into memory every curve of muscle and every jut of bone through skin.

"Hold me," Naruto said suddenly as though it was a dire emergency.

Sasuke's eyebrows crushed into an inverted "v" over his eyes as he looked down questioningly.

Big blue eyes stared back in silent entreaty and with a resigned sigh, Sasuke rolled his head away and repositioned his arm to comply.

It was not how Naruto would have guessed. He thought that Sasuke would wrap his arm around his middle in a friendlier, more familial manner, but he didn't. Sasuke crooked his elbow around Naruto's head and began to ruffle his fingers methodically through the short blonde hair. Naruto hadn't known he would do that.

He felt like crying.

But he didn't.

Instead, Naruto continued to run his hand over the planes of Sasuke's body, down and across, and over the dip of his belly, minutely concave from his prone position, and comforted himself in the physicality that was Sasuke.

The brunette's hand stilled.

Naruto let his fingers wander up the hard center of the other teen's chest until he could press his palm flat against it and feel the thump of Sasuke's heart, exactly in time with his own.

"Do you love me at all?" Naruto asked abruptly. "Even a little?"

The long slender fingers at the back of Naruto's head shifted to knead the nape of his neck.

"I tried to kill you," was the flat reply.

Naruto levered himself up so he could look disapprovingly at Sasuke. "But you didn't. You could've, but you didn't."

"And you think that means something?"

"Yes?" The reply was tentative, pitched more like question than an answer.

Sasuke shrugged, making the remainder of his robe fall down into the pile of sheets beneath him. "If you'd like to think so."

Naruto frowned angrily at him. "Why are you such a jerk?"

The look he received was utterly unconcerned.

Naruto dragged his fingers up into a claw, carving five little red lines on Sasuke's chest and looked away, frowning. There was an exhalation of air like a laugh and then Sasuke's hands were on his face, guiding Naruto down until his head was tucked neatly beneath Sasuke's chin. Naruto licked his lips nervously and listened to the steady beat beneath his ear.

"Does this mean something?" He asked, his own heart beating irregularly.

The answer was a long time in coming.

"If you'd like to think so."

And Naruto would, so he does.

Because he can.

o o O o o

The only possible explanation he could come up with was that he was in shock the first time he'd seen this room and that's why he'd done nothing about it. But he was calmer now and Sasuke was in another part of the house and unlikely to be bothered by what went on here.

So Naruto knelt down, fully decked out in cleaning mode, and set to work. He scrubbed like Cinderella until his arms were sore and then he scrubbed until his back was sore. He continued until he could do no more and fell backward, letting his stiff legs stretch out wide in front of him. After taking a few long breaths and a few moments to let his muscles unclench, he sat back up and surveyed his work. He hadn't thought about there being this much blood. The stain seemed insurmountable, like too much for just two people to spill out. But maybe that was because he didn't know how much blood the human body contained. He'd never taken the time to get an accurate measure. The spot stubbornly remained, faded but clearly visible, the residue of a crime never forgotten. He rubbed his two fingers along it and felt himself scandalous. The blood had soaked in deep. At this rate it would have to be sanded at the least, and probably replaced, but he didn't mind.

Anything for Sasuke.

He wished in vain that he could have known the Sasuke of before, before the events that shaped him into the Sasuke of after. The desire for this knowledge was a needling pinch, constant at the back of his brain and heart.

Naruto threw the brown colored brush into the dirty wash-bucket and hefted both up at once, heading to the bathroom. It had been a lot of work and his whole body ached for not much result. But it wasn't a total loss, for now he knew the full extent of the damage. He swung open the bathroom door to dump the bucket down the drain and stopped dead in his tracks.

Sasuke was already in the bath, draped languidly across the edge, his arms almost as white as the tile they stretched over. His head arched back, exposing the length of his equally pale throat and the only color visible was the deep inky black of the hair that framed his face, partially obscured by steam.

Naruto swallowed hard.

Then he remembered the evidence of his sin and quickly dropped the bucket behind his back. The movement roused Sasuke, who cracked his eyes open to level a gaze directly at Naruto. The blond smiled dopily and used his foot to push the pail farther to the side so that it was hidden behind the wall.

"What were you doing?" Sasuke asked flatly.

"Um . . . sorry?" Naruto said, lamely trying to deflect supicion.

Sasuke's eyelids drooped in disgust. "Don't answer a question with a question," he chided. "Sorry for what?"

"Nothing," Naruto mumbled in lieu of explaining that he'd just violated Sasuke's privacy after violating his house. Sasuke didn't seem to mind the first and whatever else he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Sasuke graced him with a dry expression, groaned softly and leaned his head back against the tile. For a time Naruto watched him like a voyeur while a tingly sort of longing welled up within his gut. He couldn't quite place it, it was new and unnamed, and so he let it settle like so many missed opportunities and turned to leave.

"Naruto."

Sasuke's low voice effectively arrested Naruto's momentum. He turned back around and returned Sasuke's look warily. All-black eyes sized him up and down slowly, intently, almost like a caress and finally stopped at Naruto's face.

"You're filthy," Sasuke informed him tonelessly. Then he crooked his head and smirked, the one side of his mouth bending upward in a manner Naruto would have termed "playful" had it been anyone else in almost any other situation. "Care to join me?"

Naruto's throat closed up and when he tried to speak nothing came out, not even a squeak of air. So instead, he walked into the room and stared at Sasuke. The brunette just smirked and quirked an eyebrow.

It was not quite a challenge.

But it was close enough to one and that made Naruto frown. Gathering his courage and berating himself for having to do so, Naruto carefully discarded his dirty clothing and felt better to be free of them. He made a deliberate effort not to look at Sasuke as he soaped up. He would have asked Sasuke to wash his back under normal circumstances, but these circumstances were hardly normal. Besides, Sasuke's behavior was making him nervous; he could sense the weight of a gaze as the Uchiha watched him keenly, though the nature of the watching was unclear. Naruto was thankful that the water was cool when it hit him, rinsing off the soap and dropping his temperature to a more reasonable level. He took a deep breath to recollect himself and stood up.

Sasuke was still watching.

Now however, the brunette was leaning forward over the edge of the tub, his chin seton the folded cross of his forearms. Naruto observed this only from the corner of his eye, absolutely refusing to take a direct look. Yet in his peripheral vision, he could see the way Sasuke moved, the way he shifted his body in order to watch the blonde's entire boring progress. By the time he actually entered the bath, Naruto was completely overheated and his skin needed no help from the water to turn pink.

He sat down still and quiet, looking at his hands beneath the water and wondered if he would be able to see the exact moment they wrinkled into prunes. It was only the sound of liquid sloshing that made him lift his head. With a start, he realized that Sasuke was much closer than he had been moments before.

"Sasuke, what?" He asked, unable to put a coherent query to his thoughts.

But Sasuke just smiled - almost - mysteriously and tilted his head like a cat.

"Um . . ." was the clever thing Naruto thought of to say while wondering how a bath meant to relax would caus ehim so much distinct uneasiness.

Then Sasuke moved close enough so that when he sat beside him their bare shoulders touched. Naruto was in such shock that he just sat there, stiff as a board and unable to move. It wasn't much, nothing really. And yet . . .

And yet.

Sasuke closed his eyes and bent his head back, slightly inclined in Naruto's direction. Their arms touched shoulder to elbow and their knees were near enough to threaten something similar. Naruto shivered despite the steam that rose continuously off the water. His hands trembled and his heart beat way too fast until Sasuke sighed with satisfaction and Naruto let himself relax.

He wasn't sure, but he thought that Sasuke was as close to a smile as he would probably ever get. The brunette's knee edged over enough to knock Naruto's and stayed there, but it was too subtle a move for Naruto to make any definitive judgment. He could have just been adjusting his position.

Naruto stared at his feet, wavy beneath the water.

"Sasuke," he said and after a moment with no response, he went on. "Are you happy I'm here?"

Sasuke was quiet and so long in mulling this over that Naruto was certain he'd get no answer when he heard an emotionless "No."

The strings of Naruto's heart pulled a little tighter, rising up towards his throat, but he forcefully pushed them back down.

Sasuke shifted his position and his shoulder rubbed Naruto's with a quiet swish of water.

Naruto took this as encouragement.

"Are you angry that I'm here?"

"No." The answer this time came without delay and Naruto couldn't stop the grin that crept onto his lips.

He didn't want to.

He started to move his head around but was nudged aside by Sasuke's hand, which then dropped onto Naruto's. Naruto tried not to think about how he could feel Sasuke's skin and muscle and bone the full length of his side with no barrier between them and only slightly tempered by water. It was a losing battle and his mind grew dizzy with the steam and hot water.

Then Sasuke stroked his fingers slowly over Naruto's knuckles, which were clenched tight below the surface. Sasuke's fingers were hotter than the bath and Naruto's hand slowly uncurled.

And he thought about it again and decided that maybe this wasn't so bad.

o o O o o

Naruto hadn't known Sasuke had grown up with a garden. It seemed too splendid and delicate a place for him to have played in. Yet here it was - sort of - in all its decrepit glory. Naruto longed to know what it looked like when Sasuke was young, and what Sasuke would have looked like in it.

The blond could see the shadow of what it once had been, hidden behind overgrown weeds and half-dying vegetation. In one corner, an elegant but rampant vine that still looked healthy trailed over the fence. Of all the plants still here it looked the fittest, so Naruto went over to check it out.

It had broad, heart-shaped leaves of deepest green and a number of tightly closed buds that hadn't yet opened. It looked faintly familiar as something once seen in book or picture but he couldn't quite remember.

He almost jumped clear out of his skin when Sasuke spoke, the other teen having snuck up behind him like some sort of international spy.

"Moonflower," Sasuke identified into the sensitive shell of Naruto's ear.

Naruto jerked away and spun around as if stung and saw Sasuke staring at him with uncommon intensity. "Oh?" The blond said as blandly as he could.

The brunette nodded gravely. "They only bloom at night."

Naruto inclined his head. He vaguely recalled something like that, and kept a blurry image of the flowers in his mind. "Like morning glories, right?"

Sasuke quirked up one side of his mouth. Instinctively, Naruto's eyes were drawn to it and he realized belatedly that Sasuke was awfully close. He felt his heart speed up and his breath catch and wished desperately, illogically, that Sasuke would touch him. Naruto stared for a long time, thinking hard on this wish as though he could make it happen by will alone. His desire must have been evident in his half-lidded eyes and as if by design, Sasuke ran the fingers of his right hand through Naruto's hair and cradled the back of his head.

Involuntarily, Naruto's eyelids drooped lower as his head fell sluggishly back.

Sasuke's expression was cunning, like a wolf's and Naruto moistened his lips.

Then Sasuke smirked, leaned in, and kissed him.

And oh, how Naruto had wanted this. He has wanted it for so long he can't remember when it started and yet he didn't know he wanted it until just this moment.

The pressure at the base of his neck, the feel of warm, willing lips, and the weight of Sasuke's body as he leaned into him; Naruto had wanted it all.

The empty memory banks within his mind gradually began to fill.

When they separated, Naruto felt dizzy but grounded and the look Sasuke gave him was raw with hunger, as if he meant to devour him right there.

Naruto swallowed thickly knowing now that this was the reason Sasuke was here, and his hands began to tremble in anticipation.

o o O o o

Naruto had never seen Sasuke like this before; his eyes half-closed and clouded with desire. They were deep and black and full and threatened to drown him. It was a look Naruto doubted anyone else had ever seen and that made him feel both blessed and awestruck.

As if in prayer, Naruto tenderly slid his fingers over the tension in Sasuke's jaw and throat, running his thumb over the swollen edge of his lower lip.

Their hoarse, uneven breathing filled the room along with the erratic creak of the bed.

Sasuke's head rolled back, pulling taut the tendons and muscles of his neck, paler even than the moonlight it was bathed in. Naruto latched onto it and pulled blood to the surface so as to leave a mark indicating clearly that Sasuke was his. Sasuke let out a sound from deep in his throat that vibrated through Naruto's lips and tongue and down every nerve of his body.

The hands on Naruto's shoulder blades dug deep until the blond could clearly count each individual finger. He wished they'd drive in further; enough to leave marks too. Ones that told the world that Sasuke owned him.

He bit down gently on Sasuke's throat and got his wish.

o o O o o

In what could ostensibly be called the "library" – a thing that Naruto deemed awfully fancy but there it was – the two teens worked side-by-side, methodically sifting through the shelves. Naruto sat on the floor as he often did and riffled through page after page of damaged and unusable manuscript.

On the other side of the room stood Sasuke, searching through the volumes on the top shelf as if after years of living in the house with a body too short to reach them, he now had to examine each and every one. He stretched over, turning his head, and pulled down another book.

Naruto snuck a furtive glance at him as he often did and noticed the deep purple mark on Sasuke's throat. He grinned giddily.

As if he could sense the expression, Sasuke turned back and scowled down at him.

"What?" He snapped.

Naruto shook his head, though he couldn't wipe off the grin. "Nothing."

This was apparently some kind of signal because Sasuke immediately ducked his head, pulled up his collar and blushed prettily over the tops of his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.

This of course only made Naruto grin wider and giggle like an insane clown who'd had a few too many seltzer bottles sprayed down his pants.

Sasuke took offense at this and, seeming to recollect himself, he shook his head and apparently decided this was not the way a proper Uchiha ought to act. He certainly wouldn't care what people thought of him and least of all Naruto, whom he had wrapped around his little finger. So he yanked his collar back down to show off the purple mark and lifted his chin haughtily.

Naruto continued to smile, albeit with a little more restraint.

Sasuke curled his lip in a self-satisfied smirk and gave a jerk of his head. "Idiot," he said, tucked the book under his arm and exited the room.

But Naruto's mood was not to be undone. He remembered quite clearly how Sasuke looked and tasted and felt and his insides began to stir, eager for the next time. In fact, he was ready right now.

In the next second, he was on his feet and tackling Sasuke in the hallway.

o o O o o

The few intact books salvaged from the library had been unceremoniously cast into the huge pile in the living room that consisted of a wide variety of useful and not-so useful things collected from throughout the house.

Naruto had discovered quite a lot of random items and had slowly begun the laborious task of sorting them. He sat himself in the middle of the pile and examined each one to determine its value. He'd even managed to enlist Sasuke's help, an accomplishment in and of itself. Naruto couldn't understand but he'd learned not to question such miracles and merely to accept them.

Sasuke was seated on the floor as well, far distant from the large pile and was dividing things into two smaller piles designated "keep" and "throw away". Most of it was of the "throw away" variety, either too badly damaged or of not enough significance to bother retaining.

They were going at a pretty good clip, maybe about a third of the way done, when Naruto decided to end the silence.

"Hey Sasuke?"

"Hm?" Sasuke looked at a pen, flipping it over and over in his hands, and with a grave expression finally opted to put it in the "keep" pile.

Naruto wrinkled his forehead skeptically then shook his head. If Sasuke wanted to keep something, there was probably a good reason.

"What were you like as a kid?" He asked suddenly.

Without looking up, Sasuke responded with an evident lack of interest. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Naruto tried very hard to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"We were in the same class." Sasuke looked up and raised a single thin eyebrow. "You tell me."

"Well, I didn't like you much then so I don't really know," Naruto ducked his head to hide his blush. "Besides, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about before.

"Before what?"

"Before school," Naruto emphasized, no longer trying to disguise his annoyance. He had the feeling Sasuke was deliberately evading the question.

Sasuke shrugged indifferently, redirecting his attention to the piles. "I was a kid."

"And?"

"And all kids are the same."

Naruto stared hard at the top of Sasuke's head, the only thing he could see. "That's not true," he whispered.

Sasuke continued to sort, completely uninterested.

Naruto pursed his lips. "When I was a kid, I was really angry. Everyone hated me and treated me poorly and I had no idea why. I couldn't go anywhere without hearing a nasty remark or getting a mean look. I felt so isolated, empty, and the only thing I could fill myself with was anger. Even the people who took care of me only did so because they were "sufficiently compensated". They avoided me as much as possible as if I was diseased." He paused to gauge Sasuke's attention. At least the sorting had ceased. Naruto continued on. "Things finally began to change when I went to school and met Iruka-sensei and . . . everybody and then Sakura, Kakashi, . . .you. I found people who would treat me normally, even care about me and I slowly got to learn what it was not to hate." At last Sasuke lifted his head and Naruto looked him straight in the eye. "Not all kids are the same."

For the length of time it took for a blink and no more, Sasuke wore an expression of compassionate understanding. Then it vanished as if it never was.

Naruto coughed. "So what about you?"

Sasuke stared at him for a moment, then scanned the items at his knees and picked one up. He held out a shawl in front of him, beautifully embroidered but moth-eaten.

"What do you think," he asked flatly. "Keep or throw away?"

Naruto thinned his lips and glared.

Then, thinking that the shawl had probably belonged to Sasuke's mother, he told him to keep it.

o o O o o

Sasuke looked peaceful when he slept. This was not the first time Naruto had seen him like this. But he'd never really remarked the difference in appearance before. Even before Sasuke was fully awake, the familiar scowl would slowly creep into his features and mask everything else. But now, unguarded, there were no anxiety lines or signs of hate or despair. Carefully, Naruto traced his finger over the smooth edges of cheek and chin and brow, drawing the rarely seen openness into his mind's eye. He felt the morning beginnings of hair on Sasuke's chin right beneath the soft thinness of his lips.

In that instant, Naruto had the revelation that not only did he love Sasuke, a condition he had been aware of for years, but that he was also in love with Sasuke. He should have known, with everything that had passed between them in recent days, but it still came as a shock. A shock that didn't surprise him at all, as if in some sense he had always known. The only difference now is that he could voice it.

He gazed again at Sasuke, serene in the moonlight, and not knowing how acutely he was being watched.

Then the world and everything in it froze up, Naruto's long-aching heart right along with it.

He stayed looking at the sleeping face beside him, fondly stroking the smooth skin, and smiled tightly. He looked at Sasuke and thought he was perfect, that this moment was perfect too. He wanted a thousand more like it, enough to fill a lifetime. His finger stopped at the gentle curve at the corner of Sasuke's mouth and began to tremble.

And he wanted to throw his head back and howl his rage to the heavens.

o o O o o

People began coming by with concern about Naruto, telling him his grief was too much; it had lasted too long and was abnormal.

Naruto dismissed them all irritably.

He didn't believe in set times and proper ways when it came to grief.

Nobody understood anyway. No one had loved Sasuke like he did. Most hadn't even liked him.

Sakura was the worst.

She had stopped by several times with worried eyes and the constant refrain of "I loved him too." Only she hadn't.

She never even knew him.

She didn't understand anything because she had never even tried. She had put Sasuke on a pedestal of "Prince Charming" and decided that he was something other than he was. Despite what she claimed, she still kept the schoolgirl image of him firmly ensconced in her mind.

But Sasuke wasn't like that. He was selfish and strong and lonely and bitter and arrogant and smart and stubborn and sarcastic and Naruto loved him.

Sakura had never truly met him.

And as much as he loved her too, sometimes he hated her.

But he could be strong and hide behind a familiar smile and tell her he was fine.

And then he told her not to come back.

o o O o o

Later that day, in the first red rays of the setting sun, Naruto shared with Sasuke what people had been saying. He said it jokingly, nervously, with a forced smile and expected . . what? Understanding, support? Something.

But as he sat on the floor, quietly fingering the cloth he'd used to shine it, Sasuke said nothing. Naruto began twisting the cloth so tightly in his hands that the tips of his fingers were starting to turn blue. Finally, he let the cloth go and it twirled and twirled before landing soundlessly on the dark polished floor.

He couldn't take it anymore and finally lifted his head.

Sasuke only gazed back in that cold, emotionless way that made Naruto feel a sharp pull across his chest. The blond lowered his eyes and saw his face reflected in the deep sheen of the floor.

"They're not wrong."

Sasuke's voice, flat and nonjudgmental, cut like a kunai through Naruto's heart. When he looked up again, Sasuke was giving him that strange, tilted feline expression he had begun to use. It was devoid of any hint of anger or self-righteousness, or even mockery. Naruto would have been able to take any of those reactions much better than this quiet, impassive statement.

"But . . ," he protested weakly, cutting himself off in the middle. The muscles of his throat quivered and his eyes burned. The image of Sasuke in front of him began to blur so much that he had to look away or risk losing it altogether.

He snuffled noisily then he heard the dry scuff of cloth against floor. When he looked, Sasuke was making his way to him, crawling on all fours and staring intently. After blinking many times, Naruto was able to refocus enough so he could return that stare. He had to return it because when Sasuke looked at him, Naruto didn't want to look anywhere else. His mind went completely blank of everything but Sasuke. He shifted his position so he faced the brunette directly and watched as Sasuke took a path straight to him. Once Sasuke was near, he lifted his hands as one, held the sides of Naruto's head, and tipped it forward until their foreheads touched.

Naruto's vision filled with the deep blackness of eyes that held secrets, that held universes, and felt himself falling.

"They're not wrong," Sasuke repeated, feeding his breath into Naruto's parted lips.

Naruto took one long, shuddering breath that rattled down to his lungs. As he slowly released it, he let his eyes fall shut. He could taste the bitterness of salt on his lips.

"I know."

And a hiccup like an eruption fled through his body, the only warning he had. Then the tears came, quiet and calm, yet still managing to wrack his body, hurt his jaw, and make his stomach ache.

Sasuke rubbed his thumbs on Naruto's temples, a wordless, soothing motion.

Naruto raised his hands and took hold of Sasuke's wrists, and thus of Sasuke, the only thing he had left.

They stayed that way a long time, past sunset and through to moonrise. Past the time that Naruto had worn himself out and had no more tears to give.

It was the first time he'd ever truly cried with Sasuke.

And he'd wept.

But Sasuke was still there, his everlasting solace, rubbing little circles on his temple.

o o O o o

Despite what everyone seemed determined to believe, Naruto actually could cook, and quite well; he just usually chose not to. His specialty was of course ramen, but there were far more dishes than that kept in his culinary arsenal. It was a bit of a necessity when one is so often left to fend for oneself.

Still, he preferred Icharaku ramen or just about any other restaurant meal to his own. It tasted better when he didn't have to take the time cooking it.

However, since he was so loath to leave the house, he had to fall back on unpleasant habits and prepare his own meals. Having used the groceries that mysteriously appeared by the front door about once a week, he carefully picked up the steaming bowl of pork, noodles and vegetables and set it down. The table was now actually clean enough to eat off of, though he could still not say the same for the floor.

"Is that for me?" Sasuke asked as he sat perched lazily on one of the chairs.

"Of course not." Naruto clicked his chopsticks expectantly together. "It's for me."

"Where's mine?"

"You don't get any."

Sasuke snorted derisively. "Well that's selfish."

Naruto scrunched up his face and stuck out his tongue.

An evil little smirk made its way across Sasuke's mouth. "You keep doing that and I might have to bite it off."

Naruto's face went seven shades of red and he almost choked on food he hadn't yet eaten before shoveling the real stuff in like a starving man.

Sasuke regarded him, setting his chin in his hands and leaned over the table. "Do you want me to?" He asked suggestively.

Naruto shoved a big chopstick full of noodles into his mouth to avoid answering.

"Bite it off?" This unnecessary clarification was almost hummed.

Naruto choked on real food this time and almost died as he pounded his chest clear. Once he has finally regained control of his esophagus, he used it to yell.

"Sasuke!"

But Sasuke only smirked, the devil roaming his mind and planting ideas. "Do you?"

Naruto looked straight at Sasuke, into his deep black eyes so dark Naruto is sure he could get lost in them. He was also certain his face couldn't possibly get any redder.

"Maybe."

Without preamble, Sasuke planted his palms on the table and bent so close to Naruto that their breaths intertwined into one. In absolute seriousness, he stared at Naruto expectantly. And like a willing test subject, Naruto's tongue peeked out of his mouth.

A brief hint of a smirk lit up one side of Sasuke's face and was gone. Then he leaned in, bit by bit, and slowly opened his mouth. Naruto almost strangled with surprise. Sasuke's dark eyes bore into him and the blond found he couldn't look away, despite the looming danger. With his look alone, Sasuke made Naruto dig his nails deep into the table, cracking straight into the old wood. Then Sasuke breathed out, slow and warm, grabbed Naruto's bowl, and pulled it quickly to himself.

Naruto's chest jerked and he accidentally bit his tongue, causing it to bleed.

"Ow," he barked in surprise.

Sasuke snorted with amusement, sat back down, and picked up the chopsticks, looking far too pleased with himself for Naruto's taste.

Still, the blond found himself unable to move and sat silent, dumbfounded, flushed and thoroughly mortified. And he remained that way until far after the ramen had grown cold.

o o O o o

"Aha!" Naruto cried proudly. "Beat that!"

Sasuke glanced up from his book momentarily to show Naruto just how much he didn't care.

Naruto frowned and went to dislodge his kunai from the target he had set up in the newly freed-up space. The yard was well on its way to being clean and tidy if he did say so himself and all thanks to him. Sasuke hadn't helped at all. Not that Naruto had expected him to.

Idly tossing his collected kunai neatly between his hands, he turned and looked at Sasuke. The Uchiha had returned to reading, seemingly absorbed in the book he'd taken from the library as he sat on the edge of the wooden porch. He was leaning over, his elbows on his long legs, bent up high with his feet flat to the ground. Naruto remembered how those legs were wrapped around him not two nights ago and coughed to clear his throat.

Sasuke looked up again and gave a devious smirk that seemed to say he knew exactly what Naruto was thinking.

Flustered, Naruto went to comb his hand through his hair, and forgetting that he had kunai in them, accidentally poked himself in the head.

"Ow," he said and quickly dropped his hand.

Sasuke snorted and curled his lip. Naruto pocketed the kunai into his pouch and sauntered over to the porch as if that is what he intended to do all day. Unaffected, Sasuke returned to his book.

Taking a seat right beside the brunette, Naruto leaned over, not too discreetly, and tried to discover what it was that had monopolized all of Sasuke's attention as Sasuke peered at him suspiciously from the corner of his eye. The blond redirected his gaze to Sasuke's face and grinned foolishly. "What're you reading?"

At this, Sasuke closed his book and laid it on his far side, hiding it behind his hip.

"Well, you didn't have to do that," Naruto complained, a pout taking over his face.

The brunette ignored him, lifted his chin, and leaned back on his hands to bask in the warm sunlight. The movement temporarily distracted Naruto with the long stretch of Sasuke's throat and the creamy paleness of his skin.

Then he thought a moment.

"Won't you burn?" Naruto asked, honestly curious.

"I highly doubt it."

Naruto scrunched up his nose and looked hard at Sasuke's hand so white it almost glowed. "But you're so pale," he insisted.

"I've always been this color." Sasuke replied.

And Naruto knew from experience that every last centimeter of him was that same light hue. He shook his head, shaking off those thoughts. That wasn't the point. Experimentally, he sniffed near Sasuke's neck for the telltale scent of coconut oil. "Do you wear a lot of sunscreen?"

"Naruto," Sasuke warned. "Enough."

The blond pursed his lips, hurt and angered by the unnecessary rebuke, but let the subject drop. Instead, he looked up to the sky just like Sasuke, only Sasuke wasn't actually looking since his eyes were closed and relaxed. Seeing the sun rich and low on the horizon, Naruto realized that he'd spent an entire morning and most of the afternoon without even a break for lunch. As though the realization was a catalyst, he suddenly felt very tired and yawned hugely. He looked Sasuke up and down and it occurred to him how nice it would be to lay his head in Sasuke's lap. The blond bit his lip to combat another yawn.

Sasuke remained in his position, unmoving, almost welcoming.

Thus Naruto figured, "why not?" He was the one doing all the work and even if Sasuke decided to throw him out of the house then, . . . well, Sasuke had just better not do that, that's all. So Naruto took the plunge, pulled his feet onto the porch and lay down. He remained rigid and motionless for a moment, still prepared for the worst, but it didn't happen. Instead, Sasuke casually dropped his hand to Naruto's head and began to play idly with his hair. He rubbed the soft spot of skin just behind the blonde's ear and it felt so nice that Naruto wanted to purr like a contented kitten with a bowl full of cream.

Of course he wouldn't actually do such a thing; he'd never live it down.

But Sasuke's touch was warm in a way Naruto had never known before now, different even from the other times he'd touched him. It was a friendly, comfortable, unassuming gesture, not meant to be anything other than what it was. And with Sasuke's fingers in his hair, Naruto wasn't so tired anymore. Sleep was a luxury he couldn't afford; he didn't want to miss a single minute of Sasuke. So he accepted the attention and tilted his head back, humming happily under his breath.

Sasuke seemed content as well.

"So, what were you like as a kid?" Naruto ventured again, determined to get an answer this time.

Sasuke's hand immediately stilled and that made Naruto instantly regret bringing the subject up. "Not this again," Sasuke sighed.

Naruto opened his eyes and looked earnestly up into Sasuke's face. "Why won't you tell me?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I do."

Sasuke looked down at him, his face shaded from the sun by the fall of his hair. "What do you think I was like?"

Naruto frowned. "I don't know. Like you are now?"

With something very close to a smile, Sasuke leaned down and kissed him softly. "If you say so," he whispered across Naruto's mouth. He huffed gently, shook his head and went back to looking up at the sky.

For a while, Naruto scowled at him. What was the big deal in answering a simple question? Then Sasuke's hand increased its attention and hit a spot that made the blonde's eyes fall involuntarily shut. He turned his head in until Sasuke's hand cupped the side of his face, the fingers lingering close to his mouth as the thumb still caressed the sensitive spot behind his ear.

Naruto huddled his body closer, basking in the warmth of Sasuke's body and the pressure of his hand. He put his own hand on Sasuke's knee and stroked it like a favorite pet. Then for no reason at all, he snuck out his tongue and tasted the soft pad of Sasuke's finger in a modified sort of kiss and thought about how he could never get his fill of him.

Slowly, Sasuke pulled his hand away and Naruto lazily opened his eyes. He saw the brunette stare back at him with a clouded, unreadable expression. Then Sasuke leaned over until their lips met in another kiss, this one so soft and slow and deep that for a moment Naruto thought he might pass out. It was a kiss for the kiss's sake, with no ulterior motive, that both shouldn't and wouldn't lead to anything else. Sasuke released him regretfully and Naruto was briefly blinded by the white spots behind his eyes. And when he finally managed to clear them, he saw Sasuke looking at him with something so close to fondness that it made Naruto's heart stop.

He grinned back like a drunken idiot, turned his head more comfortably, and closed his eyes.

This time he really did fall asleep and with a feeling of such utter bliss that he didn't believe he'd ever need to wake up.

o o O o o

In the darkness of the night, Naruto awoke to find himself alone in the bed. Panic gripped him and in his desperation to get up he tripped over the sheets twined around his ankles and fell flat on his face.

He struggled to sit up on the hard, unforgiving floor and frantically looked around, but there was absolutely no sign of Sasuke.

He wanted to cry.

His fist rubbed roughly against his eyes as if he could force all thoughts of sorrow out of him in one fierce motion. The beast was still there in his stomach and was steadily moving up his throat.

He needed to shove it back down; he wasn't ready for it to be free yet. So pushing himself to his feet, he mustered his courage and took in an anguished breath that made his jaw ache.

Quietly, he padded to the kitchen for a drink of water to fill the vast growing emptiness inside and tried to convince himself it was only a bad dream.

And then he felt a relief so keen he thought he might die.

There, standing in the moonlight and staring out the back window into the garden and the blooming moonflowers, was Sasuke.

"What're you doing here?" Naruto asked through dry lips.

Sasuke did not answer.

There was something ominous in the silence and the way Sasuke stood frozen, staring out at those flowers, white and round like their namesake.

"Sasuke?" Naruto ventured again softly, feeling the fear prowl up like a predator through his belly.

It was a long time before Sasuke moved and even then it was only a subtle shift of his left foot as if he were readjusting his weight, but it was enough to know he was still there.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low and faint. "You can't keep me here forever," he stated bluntly.

Naruto released a long breath of pent up air and the pain of it scrabbled at the back of his eyes and throat.

"I know," he sighed out, despairingly. "But not now. Please not now."

Sasuke turned his head slightly - barely anything - just enough so that Naruto could see the edge of his profile bathed in the cool light of the moon.

"Please. Stay with me," Naruto begged, not caring how pathetic it sounded. "Just a little bit longer."

Sasuke faced him, his expression hidden within the safety of his own shadow and Naruto held out his hand in unashamed supplication, blinking rapidly to stave off the tears.

Then Sasuke nodded once and slowly moved forward until he was right in front of Naruto. The blond offered up a weak smile, sniffed up the escaping salt of his sorrow and took Sasuke's hand.

It was still warm but cooling off, less substantial than it was before.

There wasn't much time left.

Naruto looked up at Sasuke and smiled, squeezing his hand and transferring all his thanks and hopes and affection in that one gesture. Sasuke tilted his head and gave him his lopsided half smirk in return.

Then Naruto led him back to bed.

o o O o o

Working on the roof was grueling labor, by far the most taxing of all the work Naruto had done around the house thus far. Exhausted, he tossed himself onto the bed and reveled at the sheets that were crisp and freshly laundered. He quickly divested himself of his dirty clothes, both because he was sweltering hot and also so he wouldn't ruin the clean linens. He flicked on a table fan and let the breeze cool him off and dry his sweat. Sprawled across the bed, he lay naked and let the chill of the air and the dust motes within it be his lover.

And then Sasuke was there, trailing a line of kisses from his navel up the hollow of his chest and to the hard bone line of his jaw. And his kisses burned like fire, burned like acid; they rolled beneath Naruto's skin and straight to his blood, igniting him from the inside out.

Naruto took the sides of Sasuke's head in his hands as he lazily opened his eyes.

"Hello," he said whimsically.

Sasuke smirked at him with barely contained amusement.

Needing to feel all of him, Naruto snuck his hands beneath Sasuke's collar and started to slip him out of his clothes. Sasuke was happy to oblige and soon they were both bared, a ring of castoff clothing encircling the bed.

The even paleness of Sasuke's skin, the porcelain smooth feel of it, always fascinated Naruto but he didn't say anything. He simply ran his fingers over Sasuke's shoulder and let him suck gently on his collarbone.

So there they were, the two of them, once rivals, once friends, once enemies, and now lovers.

And Naruto should have felt odd, naked in all ways beneath Sasuke, doing things he wouldn't have thought possible, in a house that wasn't his own. But he didn't.

It felt like the most natural thing in the world.

o o O o o

Time passed and Naruto didn't see Sasuke as much as he did in the beginning. Although he didn't like it, he was slowly becoming accustomed to it. He didn't need to see him all the time and Sasuke always returned in the evenings like the moonflower.

Impatiently, Naruto would wait for him then curl around Sasuke as if he were a teddy bear who was plotting a getaway that the blond was determined to thwart. Indulgently, Sasuke would wrap an arm around him and kiss him on the forehead and sometimes more before Naruto could even contemplate closing his eyes.

Naruto absolutely insisted on being in physical contact with Sasuke or he simply couldn't fall asleep. He had to feel the warm body and the steady heartbeat and be assured that Sasuke would be there when he woke up.

And Sasuke always was, though he was an earlier riser than Naruto, and would give Naruto an encouraging smirk and a morning kiss and sometimes more, before going off to do whatever it was he did all day.

Sometimes, Naruto would spy him in the daylight hours but those times were growing fewer and farther between and as much as he feigned indifference, his heart ached with the fear that Sasuke would grow tired and leave him.

But then Sasuke would return in the evening like he always did, just like the moonflower, and Naruto was consoled with that one simple fact.

o o O o o

It was a Saturday when Naruto uncovered a treasure of inestimable worth. It was on that day that he decided he would finally tackle the one room in the house that he feared most: that of the Uchiha parents. He was shamelessly clearing out a dresser drawer when he found it, tucked behind what he assumed to be Sasuke's mother's things. At first, he couldn't believe it and stared, astonished, before quickly glancing in one direction and then the other, afraid that something would happen to suddenly make it disappear like the illusion he feared it to be. But nothing of the sort happened. It was solid and real and in his hands.

He sat down on the bed and reverently cracked it open. The binding creaked like a rusty hinge. On the first page was a picture of the four of them posed as if to say, "this is our family". Inside were pictures of the mother, always smiling or laughing, with a kind, sweet face. Others were of the father, who looked like he'd never cracked a smile a day in his life, as if he didn't even know what a smile was.

There were more and still more, a veritable trove of them.

The photos of Itachi confounded Naruto. The elder Uchiha brother was alternately sour or joyful, but always happy in the pictures taken with Sasuke, always smiling down on his little brother with immense fondness. He was an utterly different Itachi from the one Naruto had met.

And then there was Sasuke.

The younger Uchiha displayed such a wide variety of expressions, it was astonishing: adorable pouts or big grins or looks of intense concentration as though interrupted during training. But the way he looked at Itachi with such naked adoration nearly broke Naruto's heart. It almost made him a little jealous.

Naruto's favorite photo was of a small Sasuke wearing a reluctant smile as if embarrassed, standing up near the moonflowers and holding up a piece of paper whose contents Naruto couldn't quite make out. Naruto took out the photo as though mesmerized and slowly drew his fingers along the smooth, glossy surface. He stared at it a long while, smiled, and then pocketed it to the inside of his jacket.

He flipped through the remainder of the book with care, examining each picture like an archeological find and growing both happier and sadder with each successive one. Once finished, he brushed the cover affectionately, thinking for a surreal moment that it resembled the book Sasuke had been reading on the porch, and then placed it back where he'd found it. Somehow, it didn't feel right to move the album and anyway, now he knew where it was kept.

He gingerly closed the drawer, certain in the conviction that the house would keep it safe.

o o O o o

When Sasuke returned that night, he hushed up any questions Naruto may have had with a kiss and a hand that made Naruto forget he had any thoughts in his head at all. And when Naruto awoke in the morning, Sasuke was already gone, leaving only the indent of his body in the mattress, still warm to the touch.

And so it was for day after day and Naruto couldn't find a reason to complain. He was with Sasuke and Sasuke was with him, and the joy bubbled over in him like a fountain.

He could always ask about the album tomorrow.

o o O o o

Naruto was dressed in what he sometimes considered his new uniform: torn t-shirt, old pants and a bandana tied around his head. Feather duster in hand, he surveyed his handiwork in satisfaction and pride. It had taken him quite a while, but the task was complete at last.

The Uchiha house, sparkling and shining with renewed life, was in working order, ready to be inhabited any day.

Of course, it was the only house in the cordoned off sector to be people-ready and Naruto had no idea what to do with it, but that did nothing to deflate his feeling of elation one bit.

It had been a hard, long road, but he was finally at the end of it.

He couldn't wait to see Sasuke and show off all they'd accomplished. Well, it had mostly been Naruto, but that was all right. He smiled as he stretched and unwound the muscles in his back. Maybe now he could spend some truly leisure time with Sasuke and just laze about the house without a hundred chores looming over his head. How much better it would be to share a house that actually welcomed them for a change, he thought.

The sun shimmered in through the open doors, filling the whole house with light and warmth. Every now and again a cooling breeze would sweep through and even off the temperature. Every last corner felt bright and new and friendly. It was all, at last, perfect.

Still smiling, he ventured out onto the porch and arched up to the sky, drinking in the sun.

"Who are you?" A little belligerent voice challenged him instantly.

Startled, Naruto almost fell over backward before he scanned the yard and sighted a child huddled by the moonflowers. He was a miniature replica of Sasuke and glared at Naruto with big, round, accusing eyes.

Naruto's own eyes bugged out at the vision and his mouth gaped stupidly. "Hello," he finally managed.

Little Sasuke's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What're you doing here?"

Blinking a few times to confirm what he was seeing, Naruto attempted a smile. "Just cleaning." He waved the duster a few times for demonstration.

The boy pulled his little pink lips to one side and studied Naruto from top to toe. Very slowly he nodded his wary acceptance, not very convinced by the explanation.

A sweet pain welled up within Naruto and spread warmly to his fingers and toes.

Setting down the duster, Naruto sat down at the edge of the porch and offered his hand in greeting. "Hi. My name's Naruto," he said in his friendliest tone with the best grin he could muster.

Little Sasuke thought about this for a debating second then took a couple steps forward to place his hand within Naruto's "I'm Sasuke." He dragged it out as though he wanted to remain on guard. His hand was baby-soft and cool in Naruto's much rougher one and Naruto held on a little bit longer than he probably should have.

"It's good to meet you, Sasuke." He released the hand at last with reluctance.

Sasuke stared at him a minute more then returned to his previous task, lowering his eyes to watch the shuffle of shuriken in his hands.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked, refusing to waste the opportunity.

"Training," the voice squeaked seriously.

Naruto fought not to smile and therefore insult little Sasuke's pride. "Oh?" He managed at last with a mostly straight face. "Do you need help?"

"Nu-uh," the boy replied adamantly. "I'm waiting for big brother. He's the best at shuriken and he promised to teach me."

The smile slipped completely off Naruto's lips, but he hastily plastered it back on before Sasuke noticed.

"You brother?" Naruto prompted as neutrally as possible.

Sasuke immediately brightened up and his whole face transformed. "He's the best!" Sasuke cried gleefully. "I want to be just like him. He always tells me he'll train with me, but then he never does. But I know he cares, he's just busy." Naruto's heart wrenched, but he did his best to hide it. Oblivious, Sasuke crept up to him and held up his hand the way one does when sharing a secret. "He's an ANBU," Sasuke whispered loudly. "And only thirteen. Shh." He put his little finger to his lips. "You aren't supposed to know." After saying this, Sasuke seemed to consider Naruto critically as if it was his fault the secret got out. "I can trust you?"

"Of course," Naruto said, his feathers ruffled until he recalled that this was a Sasuke who didn't know him. "After all, I'm . ." And what was he going to say after that? "Your best friend"? "In love with you"? He settled instead on the much more safe, "Very trustworthy."

Sasuke regarded him with big innocent eyes and finally smiled, nodding again and apparently deciding that Naruto was telling the truth. He appeared to be growing more comfortable in Naruto's company, which gave the blond a feeling mixed of desperate longing and acute joy.

"And what about school?" Naruto urged "Do you like it?'

Sasuke nodded. "I always study hard," he offered. "So I can be first in my class, just like big brother. Father says I should be like brother, and that means I have to be the best."

"And your father?" Naruto couldn't help but feel a sting of anger at the man he'd never met who would plant such tremendous pressure on this little child.

"I want father to be proud of me." Sasuke lowered his eyes, played absentmindedly with the shuriken in his hands and smiled shyly.

The glass cage around Naruto's heart began to crack.

Sasuke's long dark lashes dusted the pink baby-roundness of his cheeks and Naruto was fairly certain it was the prettiest thing he'd ever seen.

The blond cleared his throat of wateriness. "And what about friends?"

"Well," Sasuke replied, unaware of Naruto's discomfort, "There's big brother and mother . . ." He trailed off.

There was a long pause and Naruto's chest lurched to think that this child had no friends; sharing the same fate Naruto had as a little boy.

They were such different people and yet so much the same.

A worried expression overtook Sasuke's face as he endeavored to think of another name.

Naruto came to his rescue. "Your mother, huh?"

This seemed to do the trick. Sasuke looked straight into Naruto's face and grinned. "Mother's the nicest person in the whole world," he stated with authority. "Except when she teases me about training." The pout on his face was so adorable it simply had to be illegal.

Struggling not to smile at Sasuke's earnestness, the next words to come out of Naruto's mouth were a surprise even to him.

"Do you know anyone in your class who looks like me?" He balked then pointed at himself helpfully.

His features were scrutinized for a moment after which Sasuke answered slowly as if the wheels in his mind were turning onto misgivings, "Naruto."

Naruto laughed nervously but felt a thrill of joy.

"Are you related to him?" Sasuke was once again into full suspicion mode.

"You could say that," The blond replied evasively.

"Well," Sasuke hedged before continuing, digging his toe into the ground. He shrugged, coming to some sort of conclusion within his mind. "He's not very good at school. He jokes around all the time." He giggled and it was a sweet sound, even if it was at Naruto's expense. "He's last in everything." Sasuke whined out the "everything" in exaggeration, the way kids sometimes do.

Naruto tried to smile and succeeded, though it was a trifle strained, because that probably was how little Sasuke would have seen him.

But then those black eyes fluttered up timidly to Naruto's face and Sasuke tilted his head thoughtfully. "But . . ." he droned and Naruto immediately perked his ears up. Sasuke chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip and leaned into Naruto, just slightly. "Sometimes I think it's just an act." He shrugged again and pulled away, looking shamefacedly to the side. "I don't think he's all that happy."

Naruto blinked and coughed awkwardly at the emotion that rose in his throat. Had Sasuke actually noticed him? The way he had noticed Sasuke, that day at the pier? Naruto couldn't put a name to what he was feeling: sadness, surprise, confusion, joy. Normally there would have been some anger too, but there was no room for it anymore, not with what he knew. And on that pier, he had done nothing for Sasuke but smile. Could he fault Sasuke for doing nothing for him?

But little Sasuke was ignorant to all this and Naruto couldn't fault him for that either.

He watched as the boy twirled the star weapons between his fingers deftly but without much purpose. Sasuke's lower lip grew fat and shrunk as he bit the inside and something began to change. The world gradually and inexplicably became quiet. The sun began to set, dousing everything in its blood red light and casting long, lonely shadows along the grass. The sound of the wind in the leaves was the only thing that could be heard as if nature herself was holding her breath. Sasuke's demeanor transformed slowly yet in an instant alongside the deepening quiet and the warm camaraderie the two had shared disappeared like an illusion that never was.

"What're you doing here?" Sasuke asked, quietly coming full circle to the conversation.

"Uh . . ," Naruto didn't know what to say.

The young brunette searched the yard with his big, black eyes and Naruto could feel it in his bones when Sasuke's nerves tightened.

"Where are mother and father?" The boy asked softly.

The breath Naruto took seemed to overfill his lungs, pressing them outward towards his ribcage. He just barely stopped them from exploding up his throat. He was at a loss, and Sasuke was waiting.

"They're gone," he said, unaware he was going to do so.

The metal shuriken scraped abrasively against one another while Sasuke studiously observed them. "Big brother too?"

The air grew so heavy that Naruto found it difficult to breathe. "Yes."

Sasuke finally looked up then and his eyes were wide and watering, imploring Naruto to make things all right. "Where'd they go?"

Naruto held out his hands to touch the child but he couldn't and they dropped feebly back into his lap. He shook his head and inhaled with a rattle. "Far away."

The little boy took a step closer. He waited and stared hard at Naruto. Naruto hoped and prayed that this would be the end of it, but it wasn't.

"Are they coming back?"

Oh, Sasuke, just stop asking, Naruto silently begged. Stop asking. "No."

Sasuke's eyes pinched in at the corners and his little voice broke. "Why not? Don't they love me anymore?"

"Of course they do." This time, Naruto couldn't stop himself from reaching out to Sasuke, but the child shrugged him pathetically off, looking down into the grass.

"Then why didn't they take me with them?" Big fat tears were cascading down little Sasuke's cheeks and Naruto thought he might break down and cry right there with him. He didn't have an answer; he could only shake his head helplessly and try to be strong.

Sasuke lifted his head and his eyes trembled with emotion. "Will I get to go too?" The shuriken slipped from his hands to the ground at his feet, forgotten.

Naruto's hands shook and he felt compelled to tell him the truth. "Yes," he croaked.

A fist closed in around his heart.

Finally taking another step forward, Sasuke placed his cold little hands on Naruto's knees and gazed up at him. His face was a mess, flushed splotchy from crying, wet with tears, his nose running unchecked.

"When?" He asked, the word cracking even in his high child's voice.

And the fist seized, shattering the glass of Naruto's heart and splintering painfully through his chest.

And the pain was too great, too sharp, too real to possibly be denied. Naruto took another breath that scorched and tore at the inside of his throat.

When he answered, his voice broke, same as the world that crumbled down on him.

"Soon, Sasuke, soon,"

Then little Sasuke crawled up into Naruto's lap seeking the only sort of comfort he could find, from the only person available. Naruto enfolded the boy within his arms like precious cargo. He was so small and slight; Naruto could hardly believe that he would grow into the Sasuke he knew.

The tiny body shook as he buried his face into Naruto's chest. "Why did they leave me?" He snuffled.

Naruto petted the small head and rubbed the curving back as if such meaningless gestures could save them.

Sasuke gasped between sobs. "I don't want to be alone."

Naruto wished he could squeeze all the sadness from Sasuke like the sour juice of a lemon, but all he could do was rock back and forth and make useless hushing noises.

"The house is too big," Sasuke wailed irrationally.

Naruto clenched his eyes shut and felt the hotness of tears slip down his face.

It was true. The house was too big for one small child; it was too big for Naruto alone and he was almost fully grown.

The emptiness of the house now seeped into him with the oozing of a thousand lost memories and threatened to fill him up. He held on just a little bit tighter and bent down his head as if he could keep Sasuke for himself by hiding him from the world. Sasuke just continued to cry. And Naruto couldn't let go of him; he wouldn't.

Not when Sasuke curled within Naruto's lap like a wounded animal, his body soft with the newness of childhood and the frailty of innocence. He was like a dandelion whose seeds would scatter with the lightest puff of wind. And Naruto didn't want him to disappear.

He cradled Sasuke carefully like the cherished thing he was, the little body shuddering from the tears yet still unnaturally cold. Naruto rubbed his cheek along the crown of the small head and felt the bristly hair there scratch him in stark contrast to the downy-soft child skin.

And although he is not the Sasuke Naruto knows, he is still the same Sasuke.

They have the same scent.

And that is such a ridiculous thing, and if anyone had asked him before what Sasuke smelled like, Naruto would have shrugged his shoulders and given them a bewildered "how the hell should I know" look.

But he did know. It was if Kyuubi had recognized Sasuke's scent and stored it away until the day Naruto unearthed it again.

Before, if pressed, Naruto might have said Sasuke "probably stunk and smelled of body odor and over-perfumed soap just like everyone else in the world", but that was wrong.

Sasuke smelled clean, like the powdery sweetness of kid sweat and like old wood and ashes, the last gasp of a fire ready to die out. Naruto turned his face into the wiry mess of black hair and breathed deep.

And then Sasuke was gone.

o o O o o

Naruto stepped back and admired his work, sloppily wiping the sweat from his brow.

"It's ready!" He called back over his shoulder and immediately three rambunctious urchins dashed out past him, screeching wildly.

Naruto shook his head with amusement. So much excitement over two stupid swings. He clambered back through the house, expertly maneuvering the tangle of little fingers and tiny toes and made his way into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of lemonade.

Of course the instant he did this, four more children accosted him and begged for glasses of their own. It was a demand he was more than happy to fulfill and he soon sent them back on their way.

Many people had balked when they'd first heard his proposal. But nothing could make him back down. He didn't want any more Sasukes or Nejis or Gaaras, or even Narutos and when it became obvious that he was serious, support began trickling in and from more corners than he would ever have imagined.

Sakura was his staunchest ally, even going so far as to provide regular check-ups for free. She was also the first to arrive whenever any kid caught sick, day or night, or whenever Naruto needed anything.

It made him ashamed of his earlier unflattering thoughts about her.

The project was far from complete. Only two buildings were ready and several more just beginning construction for the revitalization of the Uchiha sector. Each structure had its individual purpose but all were meant to improve the lives of Konoha and more often than not, its most innocent victims. It had a long way to go. It had barely begun.

But it was a start.

In the end, he knew it would be worth all the effort and obstacles and that everyone, even the project's most vocal detractors, would see its value.

He looked around with an air of satisfaction at the room of little faces all crowded together in earnest, finally having a place to call home.

Naruto smiled to himself.

Up over the fence, the moonflowers climbed determinedly, their big, heart-shaped leaves waving in the breeze. Through the window, Naruto looked at them and thought of Sasuke.

He didn't think that Sasuke would approve. Sasuke would not look kindly on strangers traipsing through his house or a bunch of dirty little orphans defiling his ancestral home.

No. Sasuke would not approve.

But Naruto did think he would understand.

And he was consoled with that one simple fact.