So, this is loosely, loosely based on an actual event. I had originally meant to write it down in all purity to the actual events. But, then I got carried away. A lot. And so now it doesn't resemble what actually happened beyond the fact that there was a wedding that resulted in a road trip. I have no excuse. Oops.

Chapter One: Saturday

Present…

If anyone ever asked for Naruto's opinion, he would admit to them being a less than ideal couple. He had no idea how he didn't drive her nuts. He couldn't imagine them spending the rest of their lives together. And, while he was being honest, he wasn't entirely sure they were getting married for the right reasons. Granted, they had had ten years to rethink their decision. But, he supposed that tragedy tended to bond two individuals together. And Kiba and Sakura had both seen their fair share of tragedy.

Ten years ago, they had been juniors in high school. They had been naive, innocent in their thinking that they could conquer the world. Whenever Naruto thought of that night, he always had a strong desire to find the tallest building he could and swan dive off of it. The details were a bit hazy, alcohol tended to do that, but he remembered the highlights.

He remembered Sakura getting wasted and leading an equally drunk Kiba out of the room and down the hall. He also remembered walking in on his then boyfriend of almost three years only to see him cheating on him, but that was a different story all together. After that night, Naruto lost the love of his life, and Sakura ended up pregnant.

Her parents had been furious. They had demanded that Kiba make an honorable woman of their daughter. Kiba's parents hadn't been so much disappointed as resigned. Both sets of parents had signed for their children to marry. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on who you asked, Sakura had miscarried, and the wedding had then been cancelled. She was so young. But, to Naruto's surprise, both Sakura and Kiba had been devastated over the loss of their child. In the following weeks, months, years they had found comfort from each other.

Ten years later, Sakura was an OB/GYN, Kiba was a vet, and they were getting married. Naruto still doubted they were together because they loved each other, but when he had asked them if they were positive that they wanted to get married, they had shrugged and asked "Why not?" Regardless of how he felt, he was still driving all the way to South Carolina to be Kiba's best man.

Close friends and family were all staying together in the Bed and Breakfast lodge that had been rented out for the wedding. Sakura, ever the control freak, had demanded that the wedding party be there on Saturday, a week before the wedding. The only person that had gotten out of it had been the Maid of Honor, who couldn't get off from work, lucky girl. Naruto didn't know what he was going to do for a week. Sakura had sent out pamphlets on things that were tourist traps, but none of that sounded good. To make things worse, his ex-boyfriend was another of the Groom's men, so was going to be there as well.

But, Naruto had a plan. It was a good plan, a simple plan. He was planning on locking himself in his room, avoid his ex at all costs, and then stand by Kiba's side and smile. It was with that little pep talk, and a couple of deep breaths, that Naruto was finally able to get out of the car and into the scalding heat.

He opened and closed his jaw a couple of times, trying to get his ears to pop. The scene was beautiful, but he wasn't sold on the mountainside, outdoor wedding. But Sakura always did have a flair for the dramatic.

"Naruto!" Sakura squealed. She threw herself into Naruto's arms, and Naruto vaguely acknowledged his ears finally popping. Naruto smiled and obligingly caught her up and spun her around.

"Hey, Sakura! How's the Bride?" He didn't know what reaction he expected, but it wasn't the one he got. Sakura's face fell and she started to cry. "Sakura? What's…"

"Oh, ignore that. It'll pass in a couple minutes." Naruto turned from attempting to comfort Sakura to face Kiba. "I think it's the stress. How're you doing, man?" Kiba reached out to shake his hand. Slightly bewildered, Naruto reached back and shook his hand.

"I'm fine." Sakura was tugging at his arm, and when he turned back to face her, Sakura was beaming a bright smile at him.

"How was the drive down?" Naruto scrunched his face in confusion.

"Fine. Long." Sakura nodded in understanding, then took his elbow to lead him to the building.

"Well, you'll have to play Maid of Honor until she gets here, all right? We better get started; we've got lots to do."

Naruto resisted slightly, looking back at his car. "But, my stuff…"

"Will still be here when you get back. I need your help in figuring out seating arrangements, I'm not sure the caterer knows what he's doing, no one knows how to fold the napkins into little swans, and so you'll need to figure that out. Oh, and I want your honest opinion on my dress. It came with a sash, but I'm thinking about taking it off."

Kiba laughed and waved Naruto's desperate look for help off. "Good luck dude. May the force be with you."

Naruto sighed. It was going to be a long week.

He wasn't hiding. Sakura was trying on her dress and had shoved him out of her room. Naruto had meant to go unload his car while he was waiting, but he had lost his energy half way there and ended up collapsing on the outside steps. Several of his old high school friends had come while he was sitting there, and Naruto had enjoyed seeing them and catching up. Most everyone had already come and moved their things into the Bed and Breakfast, and so it was much quieter now. It was dusk now, and the stars were starting to appear in the sky. Naruto was amazed at how many stars he could see from here. Back home, the pollution and city lights blocked out most of the stars. It was peaceful here; Naruto could almost see himself moving here.

The silence was shattered by the low, rumbling growl of an old car pulling into the gravel parking lot. Naruto winced. He would recognize that sound from anywhere. At one time, that sound had been a source of comfort. It meant that he was coming. Ten years ago, it would have meant that Naruto had been beaten by his foster father and his boyfriend was answering his late night panicked phone call. Now, Naruto wasn't sure what he felt about it. Vaguely, Naruto could feel the excitement at the thought of seeing him again, but he stubbornly pushed that thought to the back of his mind. Then came the physical pain in his chest when he remembered why they weren't together any longer. Following that came the anger, humiliation, and depression that had become so familiar over the years. Apparently, ten yeas wasn't enough time to heal that wound.

He recognized the old beat up car that came to a stop only a few yards away. He wondered, briefly, if he should just get up and leave. But, he was stubborn, and he was here first. He wasn't about to be chased away from an otherwise relaxing evening by some ex. But, that didn't mean that it had to look like he had been waiting for him. Naruto returned his gaze to the sky and tried desperately to ignore everything else.

The engine finally grumbled into silence, followed by a car door opening and slamming shut. Naruto refused to give into temptation and turn to check if the occupant was who he thought it was. He knew who it was. He also didn't look when he heard a soft sigh, and then the crunching of gravel coming closer to where he was sitting.

"Naruto." Oh God, that voice. He hadn't heard it since graduation, and he had forgotten the effect that that voice had on him. He ignored the shivers on his spine and found the Big Dipper.

"Naruto." Let's see. If he traced the tip of the Big Dipper over, the North Star should be…

"Idiot." Naruto finally rolled his head to look at the ex love of his life.

"I'm not an idiot, bastard." A smirk was his answer.

"Hm. But it got your attention, didn't it?" Naruto huffed and got up to leave. The hand grasping his wrist stopped him, and Naruto threw a nasty glare at the man.

"What?" Secure in the knowledge he had Naruto's attention, he let go of his wrist.

"It's good to see you, Naruto." Naruto huffed and crossed his arms defensively across his chest. He looked away from the expecting eyes in front of him to look at the man's car.

"You know in high school…"

"Yes," the man interrupted. "I remember. Vividly." Naruto wrinkled his nose at the suggestion in his voice, but ignored it. For now.

"…and you said that you wouldn't buy a new car because you'd have to ask your dad for money and you didn't want to owe him?" He looked back at his car, before turning back to face Naruto.

"Yes."

"So, what's your excuse for keeping your piece of crap car now?"

The man leaned forward into Naruto's space. "Sentimental value. Some of the best moments of my life were in that car."

Naruto flushed at the comment, and just barely restrained himself from hitting the man. "I don't have time for you right now." He turned to leave, but that voice stopped him, even more effectively than his hand had.

"Naruto, I missed you." Naruto swallowed hard and kept his back to the man so he wouldn't be able to see the effect he had had on him.

"Sasuke…"

Ten Years Ago…

It had been a record heat that summer, not to be beaten for another ten years. The school year was due to end in a couple of weeks, and summer vacation couldn't come soon enough. Summer meant freedom. It meant that Naruto wouldn't have to go to school. It meant long hours in his boyfriend's pool. And, even better, it meant moving out of his foster home, if only temporarily, in the excuse he was going to a summer camp. That was a lie, but his foster parents didn't need to know that. In all actuality, it meant moving in with his boyfriend and his family for the summer.

But that was still a couple of weeks away. Naruto rested his chin on his knees and sighed. He could still hear his foster mother crying, but he knew that it wouldn't last much longer. She'd leave soon, like she always did, for the weekend at her sister's. Naruto sighed again and toyed with the frayed edges of his over-night bag. Any minute now…

There was a rumbling growl from down the street. Naruto could feel it in his chest, and the sound caused him to grin. As an old, '91 Nissan pulled in front of his house, he got up to meet the driver. Sasuke got out and walked around the car to meet Naruto half way. He had a dark frown on his face.

"Sasuke!" Naruto knew the scowl wasn't for him, so he didn't hesitate to reach out and wrap his arms around Sasuke. Sasuke briefly returned the embrace before he pushed Naruto gently back.

"Naruto. You have a black eye." Naruto reached up and winced as he touched said bruise. Sasuke grabbed his hand back and squeezed it gently. "Idiot," he reprimanded.

"It's fine," Naruto mumbled. Sasuke sighed.

"You always say that." The frustration was clear in his face and voice. Sasuke briefly flicked his eyes to Naruto's front door where, on schedule, Naruto's foster mother was slamming the door shut. "Where is he?" Naruto shrugged and watched as she wrestled a suitcase into the back of her car.

"Where he always goes." Sasuke nodded and needed no further explanation. They had been through this before, even before they were together. When they were younger, and before Sasuke had his driver's license, Sasuke used to pester his older brother into coming and picking Naruto up from one of his "encounters" with his foster father. After the beatings, the foster father would leave to get drunk. Naruto had learned from experience that it was probably better for him to not be there when he got back.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around his waist as the foster mother peeled out of the driveway and, without a glance back at her ward, drove down the street. Sasuke raked a hand through his hair in irritation before dropping it back down to rest and Naruto's hip. "You'll stay the night with me?" Naruto nodded.

"It's not a school night, so I can stay the weekend." Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and Naruto chuckled. School night or not, Naruto usually stayed several nights at Sasuke's. He went on before Sasuke could call him an idiot. "And tomorrow, we can go to Sakura's party together!" Sasuke's amused expression fell into a scowl, and he brushed a finger across the bruise around Naruto's eye.

"Are you sure that you still want to go?" He leaned forward to whisper low in Naruto's ear. "We can just stay in tomorrow night; have a party of our own." Naruto grinned at the suggestion, then tilted his head to kiss the underside of Sasuke's jaw.

"You're just trying to get out of being sociable." Sasuke huffed.

"No, I just want to spend time with you. Alone." Naruto grinned up at him.

"We'll have tonight. And the day after the party."

"Will we?" Naruto hummed a conformation and kissed the corner of Sasuke's mouth.

"Take me away from here?" Sasuke grinned at him and swung his bag over his shoulder.

"Of course. I am your knight in shinning armor, after all." Naruto stuck his tongue out at him and opened the car door.

"Jack ass." Sasuke seemed unfazed by the insult, and slammed the trunk closed. Naruto was fastening his seatbelt when Sasuke settled in the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition. The car roared to life and growled in protest. Naruto grinned and bounced in his seat. God, he loved this car! Sasuke let the growl dissolve into a purr before switching to 'Drive', but when he didn't immediately pull away, Naruto turned to face him. Sasuke was analyzing him, searching his face.

"What, Sasuke?" Sasuke shook himself out of his daze and reached out to run his finger under Naruto's eye.

"You're eighteen soon, yeah?" Naruto nodded.

"Yup. Next semester." Sasuke hummed before he leaned across the car to kiss Naruto's still growing bruise.

"My Birthday present to you will be to move you out of this house and into mine. I'll steal you away and never give you back. I promise."

"But, what about your parents?"

Sasuke shrugged and grinned at them. "You're already there enough; I don't think they'll mind. Besides, if they knew…" Naruto shook his head frantically.

"No, you can't tell!" Sasuke sighed and took Naruto's hand in his.

"My father's the chief of police, Naruto. He can help you." Naruto continued to shake his head.

"No. They'll take me away. And I can't leave you." Sasuke ran a thumb over his knuckles.

"When you're eighteen, then. Will you let my father know when you're eighteen? They can't put you anyplace else then, and he has to be punished for what he's doing." Naruto considered the option before he slowly nodded.

"Ok." Sasuke grinned at him before bringing his wrist to his mouth and placing a light kiss on the pulse point.

"Good. Let's go then. Mother's fixing Sloppy Joes tonight." Naruto winced and stuck out his tongue.

"Want to grab something on the way home?" Sasuke chuckled and shook his head.

"Love you, Naruto." Naruto's smile spread all the way across his face.

"Love you too, Sasuke. Always."

Present…

Sasuke climbed the three steps to the porch and walked around Naruto so he could face him. Stubbornly, Naruto kept his face down. Sasuke tilted his head to look at Naruto's expression.

"Naruto," he repeated, "I missed you."