A/N: I realize that this story is taking me forever to update but I have an explanation for that... basically, I lost all motivation and inspiration for this fic a while back... BUT! I really will try to complete this fic! No promises but I will try!

Disclaimer: I don't own this obviously, Masashi Kishimoto owns the Naruto series and I have no affiliation with the Naruto series or whatsoever plus I don't make any money from this story.

To Transcend My Wings

: : Chapter 14: : Visual Kisses

Naruto awoke with a groan and found himself in the arms of Itachi Uchiha. The blonde was still disoriented from having expended an abnormally huge amount of chakra when he fought the three shinobi who had managed to survive the aftermath of his changes. Not merely by physical appearance due to the new markings on how stomach and the whisker like scars on his face as well… but the difference was that he felt more powerful, like he could take on the rest of world.

"You know, you're a lot cuter when you're not so serious… try not to frown too much… For the record, it'll take more than that to kill me you know," muttered Naruto as he stared at the other's contorted facial features.

"Stop staring," murmured Itachi in an almost silent whisper as he felt the other's presence through focused eyes.

"But apart from the rooftops we passed by, you're the only one to look at," said Naruto with an obvious amusement outlining his tone. Although underneath that amusement, an underlying sadness was present.

"Tell me." Itachi, so used to being straightforward just asked without easing his way into the topic.

"Itachi-san, I killed someone didn't I?" asked Naruto seriously. Itachi nodded meekly but didn't say anything. "I want to get out of here for a little bit; I'm taking Kimimaro with me if he's willing and maybe even Haku, Zabuza, or Sumaru, I know the others can't leave as freely… I just want to say goodbye for a while."

"No." Itachi looked at the blonde with frustration in his eyes and the blonde could see and feel it but he just didn't feel like catering to the other man's desires right now… he wanted to be selfish and just run away and be left alone.

"This isn't up for debate, I'm going… with or without your permission."

"Damn it, why are you so damn clueless," said Itachi. He was angry, VERY angry but he didn't let his voice turn up a notch though the venom was laced tightly in his tone of voice. Itachi gripped Naruto tighter and decidedly hauled off the blonde with him as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop heading towards the Hokage tower overlooking the mountain where the Hokage's faces are carved.

"Let go! You're hurting me!" Naruto yelled loudly this time and Itachi let go when he knew that no one would invade their privacy at this point, at least not without his knowledge. "What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Didn't you ever stop to think that maybe I wouldn't want to be apart from you?" Itachi could barely hold on to his emotions when he's near Naruto and the blonde telling him that he had to get away was the last straw.

"Am I just supposed to know that? I didn't want to just assume anything!"

"I hate this, I want to know now, what are we?" asked Itachi. Naruto, who was just previously confused as to where Itachi was coming from, finally realized that this wasn't about him leaving to go and calm down, but this was more about the fact that he would be leaving before he and Itachi could determine what they were in each other's lives.

"I… I don't know, is there even an 'us'?" Naruto couldn't look at Itachi at the moment so he opted to turn around and face the Kages of the past instead. "To tell you the truth, I've thought a lot about what you and I have and if it would be alright with you, I want-"

Naruto stopped midsentence as Itachi pulled him close to his body letting his actions speak from himself. Naruto didn't bother to speak any longer as an instant wave of heat washed over him but it soon dissipated when the other let go of him but still kept him at arm's length.

Itachi leaned forward and until his lips met the stunned blonde. The kiss did not deepen since Naruto pulled away a moment later. "You're too confident, what if I wanted to say that we shouldn't see each other like this?"

"If that was true, you'd have pushed me away by now."

"See, you're too confident. What if I just liked being in your arms like this, but I don't really feel the same way about you that you do for me?" Naruto had a slight smile lining his words and Itachi could tell. The older man just held the other tighter across his body before retorting an answer.

"Try and joke around and you'll find yourself in great pain." Itachi sounded so serious that anyone else would have probably cried or passed out in the midst of it all by now but Naruto knew better.

"So since you like me that much, how about we stay here like this for a while." Itachi nodded in agreement and held on a little bit tighter. Their warmth swept across each other, each could hear and feel the other's heart beating. Neither of the two stirred in each other's embrace.

"Let's go, you're shivering. We'll talk to Lady Tsunade in the morning," said Itachi. The elder Uchiha then made a few quick signs and they found themselves back in the Uchiha mansion in Itachi's room where he laid the blonde down. "Sleep here, I'll be in the guestroom instead."

Before Itachi could make a move to leave Naruto got a hold of his shirt stopping him from moving. "Stay with me?" Naruto looked longingly at Itachi and the other couldn't resist so he climbed on to the bed and slid right next to Naruto.

The blonde clung onto the other's arms and had been to the brink of slumber, but a sudden headache caught him off guard and had him crying out in pain. Itachi was immediately alerted and held the boy closer to him as he arranged them into a sitting position. The intense pain was like searing white heat that ran right through and around the blonde's system. For every breath Naruto took, the pain intensified.

All of a sudden, different scenarios flashed in his mind in varying intervals of degree. Some of those scenarios were rather pointless, like him sitting down on a patch of grass and looking up at the sky smiling like an idiot, and others seemed to be more ominous. He saw a battlefield littered with thousands of unidentified bodies.

Then others whizzed on right by as if he was watching a movie with random scenes plugged in to fill up the time. Naruto couldn't differentiate whether they were important or otherwise since they passed by so quickly that he barely had time to process any of it.

When the pain finally died down, naruto found himself lying down on his stomach on the bed where he previously occupied with Itachi. The only difference, this time, was that he found himself surrounded by the entire Uchiha household. He found himself looking up towards Itachi's questioning face followed by Sasuke's confused one. He also found himself within viewing range of Itachi's and Sasuke's parents.

If he felt pain not just too long ago, then now… he felt more embarrassed to the fact that he's in Itachi room and bed more than the ruckus he previously caused. Plus, to make things worse, what will Itachi's parents think of him sleeping in the same bed with their eldest son… and if Minato was an example of parental behavior then he might as well be the big bad wolf that the parents more than likely try and drive away.

"Are you alright now?" asked Sasuke, breaking the silence that had descended in the group. Naruto nodded in embarrassment, unable to answer in fear that his voice would break.

"Rest here, you are our guest," said Fugaku towards the young blonde then turned his attention to the younger Uchiha sibling, "take care of him for the time being Sasuke, we need to talk your brother for a moment." The three tailed it out of the room, leaving Naruto in Sasuke's company.

"Sorry, I'm causing trouble here aren't I," said Naruto sullenly.

"Naturally," retorted Sasuke.

"WELL SORRY! I didn't ask for visions to come to me you know!" Naruto was livid. He expected Sasuke to be much nicer than this, but what did he know, after all, he barely knew him.

"At least, you're acting more like yourself now," said Sasuke with a slight smirk painted on his face. It seemed like it was foreign territory for the raven, but it wasn't such a bad look on him either. Plus it endeared Naruto that the man simply wanted to cheer him up even if it meant using insults to make the blonde's normal self come out.

"Thanks." Naruto splayed a sheepish smile on his face as he beamed towards his fire guardian and continued, "Sasuke, can you do me a huge favor?"

"Depends, spill it." Sasuke waited in anticipation for the other guy to start speaking.

"I need you to sneak me out of here, and don't let Itachi know." Naruto looked resigned as if he knew something that the others did not, and it the blonde's case, it usually meant something ominous. Sasuke nodded in response and Naruto smiled a small smile.

"This has something to do with the vision just now right?" asked Sasuke.

"Yeah, some things became clear to me and if I went head on into this with Itachi I saw him meet his end, but if I do this without him then there may be a chance for me to save everyone." Naruto spoke in almost a silent whisper as if he spoke any louder then Itachi would hear it.

"Why do you need to do this alone?"

"I'd rather not, but if I alert more people then I know he'll try and take this into his hands."

"How long do you have until we meet this danger?" asked Sasuke seriously now.

"Not long, I'm guessing about two days," Naruto's voice seemed to trail off a little for a moment, "I need to leave now but tell Itachi, if he asks, that I'll be with Kimimaro and the others, I need to talk to them." Sasuke agreed and had used a transportation jutsu to teleport himself and Naruto to the house where the non Konoha shinobi guardians stayed. Sasuke wanted to saty during the debriefing, but Naruto mentioned that he should go back just in case Itachi starts asking questions… questions that he did not want to answer… at all.

"Hey! You're alright!" rejoiced Sumaru as he saw the blonde walk into the living room. Naruto gave him a half hearted smile and asked if everyone else was still awake. It turned out that Kimimaro, Haku, Kin, along with Zabuza were still out trying to gather herbs that Haku thought would be good for Naruto.

Since the subject of Kin came up, Naruto asked how the new guardians are taking the news and Sumaru said that at first, Neji and Kin were against the added 'responsibilities' but soon understood the situation. It was Neji who first accepted it as a part of his destiny, something that was born from him wanting to be free from the clutches of the main family. On the other hand, Kin was totally opposed with having to work with Konoha shinobis and it took the better part of the day for Kimimaro to sway her into joining the blonde's cause… whatever it may be. Kin resigned her fate and figured that if Kimimaro felt so strongly to leap into the fire with Naruto, then she'll be along his side as well. Plus with the added fact that they were pretty much abandoned by Orochimaru and the sound-nins, Kin really didn't have too many choices in the matter; she was just glad that she wasn't the only shinobi in the blonde's league of guardians that were previously in Orochimaru's clutches.

With that aside, Naruto relaxed with Sumaru in the living room playing shogi. And by relaxed, it's implied that it was Naruto who was frustrated from trying to remember all of the rules of shogi and it was Sumaru who was laughing at the blonde when the blonde started talking to his shogi pieces asking them to win for him even if at least once.

"Always the troublemaker!" bellowed out Zabuza as he came in to view from the living room doors followed by the other guardians.

"Hey guys!" said Naruto as he attached himself onto Haku whom ended up on the floor because of the added weight of the blonde.

"How are you doing?" asked Kimimaro.

"I'm alright! I'm a really fast healer!" said Naruto as he climbed off of Haku, letting the effeminate male get back up to his feet.

"What brings you here? I thought that the Uchiha was taking care of you if you know what I mean," said Zabuza with an obvious smirk on his face as if he could see right through the blonde, and this caused the blonde to blush an abnormally bright red.

"I told you not to tease Zabuza," motioned Haku by slightly swatting the older man's arm, "so what brought you here if you were supposed to be with the older Uchiha?" asked Haku.

Naruto looked serious for a moment and told them all to sit so he could tell them what he would be planning. He looked over to Kin and saw her sit down complacently. She didn't even bat her eye in the least as she sat right next to Kimimaro.

Naruto had first told them of the visions he had. He couldn't give any insight to the visions since he did not know what it meant either. Next he informed them that he needed to intercept this before it got to close to the village, whatever it may be. He couldn't ask them to risk their lives without knowing the consequences so Naruto gave them a choice to either come with him or stay.

Kimimaro was the first to pipe up and swear his undying allegiance which Kin also swore in turn. Sumaru wanted to be there for the blonde because they were now friends and friends just don't turn away from each in times of need. Haku also said yes and Zabuza agreed to come along since he just couldn't bear to leave Haku's side.

At that moment Kakashi teleported in, from out of nowhere, alongside Neji and they too wanted to come along for the ride. They mentioned that they were assigned by the Hokage to keep an eye out on Zabuza and the other missing-nins since the council was still against the fact that they were in the village and that they overheard everything.

Naruto seemed reluctant to receive their help at first since they might be deemed as traitors if they left all of a sudden. Naruto also figured that he couldn't really ask for the Hokage's permission due to the act that it will take time to approve something of this magnitude, but Kakashi countered that the safety of the village was his job as a Konoha shinobi and if disobeying ninja ranks is necessary in the pursuit of this safety then so be it.

Neji, on the other hand, cocked it up to the reasoning that he didn't really feel any ties with his clan and the village so he'd rather follow Naruto, who gave him a second chance in life when the seal was removed, rather than follow the path he had been in before his guardianship.

"But what about Sasuke? He is, after all, your guardian too," asked Neji.

"I don't want to tell him, if he goes then Itachi will know what's up and I'm sure he's already suspicious enough, especially after the vision incident at his place," said Naruto.

"We'll keep it a secret," said Neji as he and Kakashi turned to go out but stopped and asked, "so when do we leave?"

"At daybreak, we'll have to make do of the time we have since this danger might be closer than we think and we need to meet back here before we leave," explained Naruto. Kakashi and Neji left using the teleportation jutsu, and the others had wanted to get their weapons and items needed for the journey ahead. Naruto told them that he'd head back to the Uchiha compound and come back in the morning. This earned him a jeer and a lewd call from Zabuza, but Haku put a stop to that just as quickly.

Naruto used the teleportation jutsu and had ported back right back into Itachi's room where he was dropped on his ass.

"I kind of knew you'd be back," said Sasuke who sat at the nearest chair watching the blonde pick himself up from the ground quite ungracefully.

"Yeah, I didn't want to worry Itachi by leaving. So umm, where is Itachi? Is he still not back from the talk with his parent? That must be one long talk then," murmured Naruto towards Sasuke.

"You're just in time, I'm here," said Itachi who walked into the room. "Want to tell me where you ran off to?"

"Oh you know, just here and there," said Naruto.

"Yeah, here and there," scoffed Sasuke as he waved to the other two as he took his leave.

"Should I even ask?" asked Itachi. Naruto just smiled and shook his head in response.

"So, umm, what did your parents talk to you about?" asked Naruto.

Itachi took the couple of steps needed to close their distance before answering the blonde, 'you', in an almost silent whisper. A sudden rush of heat coursed through Naruto's veins when that sweet sliver of a breath wisped across his skin.

"Why me?" asked Naruto back breathlessly.

"They just wanted to know why you over here without having been introduced," stated Itachi.

"Is that really all? That was a pretty long talk for just that," countered Naruto.

"Well, that and the whole 'we need an heir' speech, but that's mostly dad, and I think mom is waiting on Sasuke for a grandson instead," said Itachi.

"You're not so perfect now, are you," taunted Naruto. Itachi let a small smile be displayed before tackling the smaller blonde onto his back. Thankfully, they both landed on the bed just right behind Naruto instead of the hard ground.

Naruto was still giggling as he found himself pinned down underneath Itachi, but the tension built up between them when he looked up at the other man. Itachi looked at him with those deep black eyes of his.

"Can I kiss you?" asked Itachi.

"Why are you asking? You're just supposed to go for it," breathed out Naruto.

Itachi did not let a second linger before his lips attacked those of the blonde's plump ones. Naruto received the kiss quite well and reciprocated back with enthusiasm. Itachi's free hands roamed across the plains of the blonde's clothed stomach until he reached the hem of the shirt the blonde was wearing and slid his hand beneath them to feel the warm muscles underneath.

Itachi could feel the blonde's stomach muscles quiver in his touch, so he let his touch linger for a while until a breathless moan was released from the blonde's open mouth.

Naruto's lips searched for Itachi's when the older male stopped, and the raven was only too willing to continue. Lips meshed in frenzy almost like a dance that was gaining speed and momentum. Each of Naruto's kisses were received and returned by the other male with glee. It was only a moment later that the kisses intensified leaving each of them a bit breathless, and in the midst of Naruto's pants Itachi slipped his tongue in.

Naruto let his tongue play with the invader in a silent play of tonsil hockey and the two only parted when the need to breathe became too much to bear.

"Itachi, I don't think I'm ready to go any further than this for now," explained Naruto when he backed off from Itachi's kiss once more.

"Alright, but just one more thing."

"What's that?" asked Naruto. When Naruto leaned over to ask once more, Itachi swooped down and met his lips in a swift exchange.

"Good night," said Itachi as he took his weight off of the blonde and settled on the bed. The blonde followed suit and laid down right next to the smirking raven.

"Yeah, 'night…"

TO BE CONTINUED!

A/N: I'll try and update in a more timely manner from now on... again, no promises! :D Please bear with me!