A/N: I'm not sure why so many of you thought I'd go into the whole Madara thing, and his capture here. This story isn't about that at all. Right now, the boys are faced with some time before the Jounin exam. This chap basically covers how they each adjust to village life. I'm quite satisfied with how this turned out, 40 pages and all. Didn't think I'd get through it, but I did. And another fic is complete! *feels happyful* (Yes, Vladexx, I used your word there. I thought it apropos)

Thanks for reading this and sharing your thoughts!

* Theme music for the end of this chapter is Adam Lambert's Better Than I Know Myself

Chapter 15

Sasuke and Naruto, the center of a knot of hollering classmates and exuberant villagers, had no idea what was supposed to happen next. Sakura was abruptly in their faces, all her anxiety and nerves forgotten. "You guys can stay with me," she was saying breathlessly, just as Kiba shoved her aside and made the same offer. Kakashi, however, stepped in and put a hand on both boys' necks. He firmly steered them out of the cluster of well-meant back-pounding and congratulations.

"The Hokage would like to see you in her office," he said.

-oOo-

It was like a parade. Their well-wishers followed them out of the council building, all the way to the Hokage building, where they were barred entry. Shizune led the way to Tsunade's office once Kakashi got the boys inside, but Sasuke stopped at seeing the other Kage. They were standing outside Tsunade's door. All of them were given permission to enter, at which point Naruto wondered how Granny had gotten there ahead of them.

Before anything else was said, Sasuke separated himself from the others and walked up to the Raikage, who glared down at him from his superior height. After a moment of hesitation, Sasuke bowed low.

"I didn't save your brother," he said from this position. "I could have and I didn't. I…" Sasuke wet his lips, but if he was serious about walking straight from now on, he had to start somewhere. He clenched his jaw. "I apologize."

Stunned eyes met each other around the room, as everyone glanced at everyone else. Only the Raikage remained still, and Sasuke, who held his position. After a long time, the Raikage grunted. His head dipped in a tiny acknowledging bow, which Sasuke sensed. He straightened up.

"You're not forgiven, since you helped kill him," the Raikage rumbled. "But what's done is done. I'm old, and I have other responsibilities. Suffice it to say that you aren't welcome in my village. Not unless that dog Madara happens to be hiding there."

Sasuke accepted this with another bow, then turned to Tsunade, who gave him a small nod of approval.

"I'll get right to the point," Tsunade said briskly. "The team you mentioned. Have you given any thought as to who?"

"Yes," Sasuke nodded. "My old team, Team 7. I know their abilities, and Naruto is a must."

If Tsunade was surprised, she hid it well. "Agreed. Kakashi will lead. Second order of business then. Your escort until you leave for the mission will be Kakashi. You might not necessarily see him, but know that he'll be aware of your whereabouts at all times. Understood?"

"Yes."

"The Jounin exam will be held at the end of January. That gives you a little over a month to train. I suggest you train with your teammates to reacquaint yourselves with working as a unit in preparation for your mission. Naruto, you will be entering as well. I expect both of you to pass."

"Right on, Granny."

"As for Madara's capture, I or one of the other Kage must confirm his identity when you bring him in before you can be completely cleared of all charges. Dead or alive, brought here, or to whichever country you're nearest to at the time of his capture, he must be identified. Clear?"

"Yes," Sasuke said again.

Tsunade took up a sheet of paper on her desk. "Last is this. I have here a list of people offering their homes to you until you have places of your own, or until you begin your mission. Sadly, accommodations are scarce still, with priority going to those families with small children and the elderly." She pushed the paper across her desk. Sasuke picked it up. "As you have no place to stay, I would suggest you pick someone immediately."

Sasuke and Naruto were then allowed to leave. Kakashi vanished in a cloud of smoke.

-oOo-

The boys found themselves on the ground floor of the Hokage building, alone, with night showing at the glass windows, and the Chuunin on guard studiously trying not to look at them. A sense of unreality washed over them.

Naruto looked around in wonder. "Dude…did we actually do it, for real?"

Sasuke looked over his shoulder. Kakashi's presence was faint, but there. He turned to Naruto. "Seems like. I can't believe we won't be sleeping in the cell tonight. Or that I'm back at all." He was still pretty dazed, actually. He waved the sheet of paper. "Who should we stay with?" The fact that they had to stay with anyone, after months of being on their own, left a sour taste in Sasuke's mouth.

Naruto bounced over and studied the paper. "Hmm. Kiba? He offered at the courtroom too."

Sasuke remembered the way Kiba had laughed at getting a whiff of them and grimaced. "No. I think he can smell the fact that we've been having sex."

"Shit!"

"Sakura?" Sasuke suggested looking at the name at the top of the list. It would give him a chance to set her ass straight where Naruto was concerned.

But Naruto remembered her reaction to Konohamaru's Girl on Girl Jutsu. "Nah, man. She's a closet yaoi freak. What about Neji?"

"He can see through walls. Might look at us naked. Shino?"

"Too creepy. Fuzzy Brows?"

"Insane. Who's this Sai person?"

"Insane and creepy." Naruto looked at the last name on the list. "Chouji…"

Food, no weird abilities or perversions, friendly. Food.

Sasuke and Naruto looked up at each other. "Perfect," they chorused.

They exited the Hokage building into a snowy night and felt…liberated. They had the exam ahead of them, and the mission, but right then, with the star-studded sky above, and pristine snow all around, they felt completely reborn.

"CONGRATULATIONS!"

This shriek, issued from all their friends who'd waited for them, gave them a bad start. Naruto looked around to see them standing across the street. They ran over now, and Naruto was treated to the courtroom scene times ten. He was thrown in the air and caught, by which time dozens of villagers materialized from everywhere at once.

Sasuke was shunted aside. He listened as Naruto was praised time and again for how he'd turned the war in their favor, and for completing his years-long quest to bring his teammate home. To be fair, many of these villagers looked at Sasuke with inviting smiles, silently offering friendship. A few even approached him. It was in this way that he learned how the details of the council's actions against his clan had been leaked beyond the trial. Expressions of support were sent his way, hesitant bows. Sasuke didn't think he'd ever grow to be as loved as Naruto was, but this was a lot more than he'd ever expected. He returned the bows with cautious ones of his own.

"So who ya staying with?" Kiba demanded of both boys. His eyes moved back and forth between Sasuke and Naruto in a knowing way that confirmed Sasuke's words of a few minutes ago. Kiba definitely knew something was up with them if his wolfish grin was any indication.

"If it's not too much trouble," Naruto said, looking at Chouji. "We've decided to take you up on your offer." He held up the sheet of paper.

Chouji grinned broadly, stepping behind his new houseguests. He clapped them each on the back hard enough to send them staggering. "Excellent!" he boomed. "My mom will be pleased as hell, she loves cooking extra." And here Chouji rubbed his belly appreciatively.

The group of young men and women were unwilling to relinquish their returning hero so soon, though. Somehow a great procession snaked down the street, with Sasuke and Naruto at its center, until it led to the new and improved Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto gawped. "What the…it's huge!" he gasped, staring at the spacious restaurant.

Iruka happened to be standing right beside Naruto. "Ah, well. The owner was one of the few people to be able to provide food after Pain's destruction. We all pitched in to help rebuild his place as one of the first eateries, and he's been making money hand over fist. They sell a wide assortment of things now besides ramen, but that's still their bestseller. Come on, I'll treat you."

Needless to say, the restaurant did a roaring business that evening, with every table packed, and a few customers even sitting on the floor.

-oOo-

Hours later, after everyone else had gradually peeled off from the group in search of their own homes and beds, Chouji led Sasuke and Naruto through the village toward his house. They walked slowly, too full to leap across rooftops.

"Each clan was more or less left to rebuild their own property," Chouji explained on the way. "Ours was finished a couple of months after the war ended. My parents let me have the basement for myself, so it's got a bathroom and everything. I have a huge king size bed, but you guys will naturally want to sleep separately, right? No worries there. One of you can stay in the guest bedroom."

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, who cleared his throat and said, "We don't want to take up anymore space than necessary. Naruto and I are accustomed to using the same blanket. We had to, living out in the wild as we were. The basement and single bed will be fine."

Chouji looked over at them. "Sounds like you two became friends."

"Best friends," Naruto was quick to add.

Chouji smiled. "Oh, well if that's the case, sure. I just didn't want there to be any awkwardness about sharing a room, but if you guys are okay with it… So what was it like living out there? What'd you eat?"

Naruto told of hunting, of sometimes going hungry for a few days, the weeks of rabbit meat when Sasuke had been too ill for Naruto to leave his side. "I think tonight was the first time I've had cake in a year," he finished. "Manna from heaven, I tell you. That and all the different kinds of ramen the old man kept heaping on me."

"Cool the way he gave you free ramen for the rest of your life," Chouji chuckled. "Lucky swine. Wish the barbecue place would give me free barbecue pork the rest of mine. Well, here we are. Ah, there's my mom."

They stopped in front of a pretty compound of modest dimensions that was surrounded by a red-painted wall. . The centerpiece to the assorted clan buildings within the wall seemed to be a three-story home. A portly woman with short hair was waddling down the steps leading from the porch of this abode, and running toward them. "Dear, you're so late!" she fretted when she reached them. Chouji was hugged around his middle. "Your father was back from the trial hours ago."

"Had to celebrate with Naruto and Sasuke, didn't I?" Chouji protested. "They accepted our hospitality."

"Oh!" Chouji's mother pulled back to look at her son's companions. "The honor!" She rushed to envelope them in a great hug.

Sasuke felt smothered, but was too annoyed at the effrontery of being handled in such a proprietary manner to do more than grunt. Naruto, he saw, was hugging back with a blissful expression on his face. Idiot.

-oOo-

The basement turned out to be quite roomy. The walls were paneled in wood, and there was a shaggy red wall-to-wall carpet on the floor. A folding screen separated the corner of the room that held the bed from the rest of the room. There was a television set, a mini-fridge, and a long, wide sofa. The ceiling was a bit low; Chouji's spiky hair grazed it as he bustled around gathering his things. "I moved most of my stuff out in case you accepted," he said apologetically. "Just let me get the rest of this junk here and I'll be out of your way." He stood up straight and looked at them when his arms were full. "Really glad you guys are back," he said sheepishly. He turned and pounded up the stairs.

Naruto and Sasuke listened to the basement door close at the top of the stairs, then looked at each other.

Sasuke caught Naruto as the blond flew into his arms. They were stumbling and kissing, blinded by their hair and the shirts they tried to remove as they fell onto the large, low bed. Naruto quickly rolled Sasuke to his back, only to have the position reversed and Sasuke's knee settle urgently between his thighs. Naruto's hands were held down near his head as Sasuke went for his throat. Naruto gnashed his teeth, bucking to be free, twisting, turning, finally getting one hand free so he could shove it down the front of Sasuke's pants-

The door to the basement creaked open. "You guys need anything before I turn in?" Chouji shouted down to them.

"Fuck," Naruto whispered. Sasuke rolled off of him, and he raised his voice in an answering shout. "Nah, we're good! Thanks, man!" He heard the door close. As soon as Chouji's footsteps died away, he rolled back to Sasuke.

"Maybe we shouldn't," Sasuke said. "There's no lock on that door, and I don't know that I feel too comfortable doing it so close to other people." He said this even as he turned his head aside for Naruto to lick his neck.

"What…so we have to go without even now that we're out of the cell?" Naruto whined. "The fuck, Sasuke, we got that mission coming up. We won't be able to fuck then either with Kakashi and Sakura around. Now's our only shot."

Sasuke sat bolt upright at mention of Kakashi. "Shit, I forgot about him. He's tailing me, remember? Probably watching us as we speak."

Naruto looked around dubiously. "From where?"

"I don't know, but I can sense him."

They wilted in disappointment, their bodies screaming with the need for release, to be with each other. They sorely needed the comfort after the stress of the trial. Even cuddling would be better than nothing, but Naruto had to agree that Sasuke was right. They couldn't just do it with so many eyes around. After awhile they made themselves as comfortable as possible and tried to sleep.

After awhile, Naruto said, "Neh, Sasuke?"

"Hn."

"Is it enough? What Granny did to the council? Is it finished for you?"

Sasuke was quiet for a long time. What Tsunade had done was actually worse than death. The council's shame would live on forever, passed down from generation to generation as their guilt was retold. "Yes. It's enough. It's over."

Sleep came, and they were at peace.

They next day they were woken from a sound sleep by Chouji pounding on the basement door. "My mom let you guys sleep through breakfast since she figured you guys were tired," he yelled from upstairs. "She wants to know if you guys are eating lunch with us. You guys up yet?"

"As if anyone could sleep through that," Sasuke growled. He crawled over a groaning Naruto, who apparently could sleep through the racket Chouji was making, and kicked him fully awake. "We'll be up in a minute," he called toward the ceiling.

That mission couldn't come soon enough, as far as Sasuke was concerned. He hated being around all these people and their well-meant invasion of his privacy.

-oOo-

A groggy Naruto joined them at the table an hour later, where what looked to be a ten-course spread was halfway done. Sasuke had long since eaten his fill. He was now listening a Kakashi outlined a training schedule he'd drawn up for Team 7. "You boys will need to find something to wear besides prison garb," he finished, looking over their rumpled clothes.

Chouji, still eating along with Naruto, looked up and caught the blond's eye. "Before I forget. The Society sent a rep over this morning while you guys were still sleeping. Said she wanted to drop some things off for you and Sasuke, and wanted to know when would be a good time. Told her I'd ask you. I think she mentioned clothes."

Naruto blinked. "The Society? The hell's that?"

The entire room went silent. Chouji, his parents, and Kakashi turned to look at Naruto, who was now looking at Sasuke to see that he had no idea what The Society was either.

"Of course," Kakashi said uneasily after a moment. "You haven't had time to find out about them. Would you look at the time, I need to…see to something." He was gone an instant later.

Chouza said he had business elsewhere, and Chouji's mother busied herself clearing up the lunch things. Naruto pinned Chouji with a blue stare as the big teen tried to get up. "What's The Society?"

Chouji sat back down heavily. "Look, it's none of my business. No one seemed able to stop them when they formed, and they have the support of a lot of people. Scary people, like Sakura and… It seemed best to just let them do their thing, since it appeared harmless enough. At first."

Sasuke sauntered over, noting the way Chouji fidgeted. "So what is it?"

"The Society," Chouji muttered, "Is really 'The Girls Only Society for the Election of Uzumaki Naruto's Amazing, Gorgeous, Brave, Sexy, Pure, and Awesome Self To The Position of Sixth Hokage, and The Betterment of His Life In Anyway By The Girls Who Love, Adore, Worship, and Cherish His Perfect Person'. It got shortened to The Society when the name couldn't fit on their door, I think."

A smile of confusion and disbelief played around Naruto's lips. It was there and gone, then back again, only to falter once more as his brows slowly drew together. Confusion won out. "The…what? There are some girls somewhere who think…I'm sexy?"

"Not some," Chouji said. He seemed more relaxed now that it was clear Naruto wasn't going to throw a fit. "Last I heard, nearly every girl in the village of Genin rank and below are in that club. We're talking over a hundred members. They all dress like you, so they're easy to spot. Formed up after the war, once it became known how you'd turned the thing in our favor and all. You're really not mad?"

Sasuke remembered seeing a bunch of girls wearing orange when they'd entered the village. "Why does everyone seem so uncomfortable about mentioning them?"

Chouji shifted where he sat. "Don't get me wrong, we all love Naruto, okay? But those girls are scary. They're forever hounding the rest of the villagers for contributions to their cause, or else petitioning people for more recruits, or thinking up shit that... well. They hit us up regularly for food. No one can say a word against them or…shit happens. Besides, the Hokage said she'd leave them for Naruto to handle, and we're sort of following her lead. We just try and ignore them otherwise and stay out of their way. Now that you're back, though, they'll probably be a million times worse."

Naruto laughed. "Sounds cool! My own little fan club, neh Sasuke? Who'da thunk?"

Who indeed. Sasuke could think of few things worse. As if Sakura and Hinata weren't bad enough, now there was an entire infestation of maggot-brained females lusting after what was his.

-oOo-

Later on, they met Kakashi and Sakura some ways north of the village, on land that was set aside as the new training grounds. Sakura jogged over, cloak billowing, and threw her arms around Naruto. "Easy, there," Naruto giggled. "You saw me just last night."

Sakura gave him a playful punch, before squaring her shoulders and walking up to Sasuke. She held out her hand, nervously biting her lip and blushing. "Shisou told me today that you chose your old team for the mission. I can't believe we're finally all going to be together again! Guess that means you forgive me for trying to kill you?" She smiled prettily through her blush.

Naruto looked back and forth between them, feeling something unpleasantly familiar settle into his guts.

Sasuke had actually forgotten about that attempt. Sakura was so far below his combat level that she scarcely even registered as a threat. All he'd been aware of at the time she spoke of was the fact that someone else was in his way, and he meant to go right through them. Instead of addressing her question, or touching the hand she offered, he looked her in the eye. "I chose the old team because we need a tracker and a medic-nin. You and Kakashi fit the requirements." He walked around her and went to Kakashi, uncaring of the hurt look on her face.

Naruto breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Since Sakura's skills were medic-based, Kakashi informed them that her participation in the training would be minimal. Only enough to get her ready for the Jounin exam, which Sakura said she was ready for anyway. Today she was just along to familiarize herself with any new jutsu the boys displayed.

-oOo-

It was a long, grueling few hours, during which Sasuke developed a grudging respect for his old sensei, and an awareness of the fact that he'd never seen the man's true strength. Kakashi was just so damn tricky, always thinking ahead, with layers hidden inside his attacks. Sasuke was definitely no slouch in this area, but he had to admit that he hadn't been so mentally challenged in ages.

Naruto was simply tireless. Being reunited as a team seemed to give his inexhaustible stores of energy an added kick. And now that he was rested and fed, he was ready to go on long after Kakashi called a halt that night. Kakashi told them they'd meet every morning at nine unless otherwise instructed before he left.

The three of them stood around for a few minutes, panting from that last set of moves he'd put them through. Their breath smoked out of them in clouds of vapor in the wintry night. Sasuke rubbed the faint ache between his eyes; he'd had to use his Sharingan a lot. Naruto stared at Sasuke's sweat-dampened shirt, and Sakura looked back and forth between both boys.

"Hey, you hear of this Society thing, bunch of girls?" Naruto asked Sakura abruptly.

"The Society!" Sakura's face lit up. "Sure have. Who hasn't? Have you been by there yet?"

"Not yet. So you approve?"

"Of course I do. It's about time you got the acknowledgment that's your due." Sakura began walking, and beckoned them to follow. "Come on, I'll take you over before I head back to Tsunade-sama."

"Naruto has the acknowledgment and gratitude of the entire village," Sasuke felt it necessary to point out. "He doesn't need the obsessions of a bunch of girls…or anyone."

"They're harmless," Sakura countered. "You'll love them when you see them, just wait."

Sasuke, bounding along behind Sakura and Naruto as she led them steadily south, grit his teeth. "It's late. Wouldn't they be home by now anyway?" He didn't relish the idea of fighting some mob of screaming girls off Naruto.

"The Society headquarters is their home," Sakura answered.

She eventually led them to the extremely southern edge of Konoha's wall, where a dirty strip of land held a bunch of dumpsters, a few rats, several hunting cats…and a very large, dilapidated tent that looked ready to topple in the first gust of wind. Scrawled in orange paint on the door flap were several attempts to fit the entire name of the club, each one crossed out. At the bottom of this confusion of words was simply: The Society.

There was light showing around the edges of the tent. Sakura rapped smartly on the flap.

"Who?" A high voice inquired.

"Sakura. And guess who I brought with me." She turned and winked at the boys. "They'll flip when they see you."

A small face that was vaguely familiar to Naruto peered around the edge of the flap, then disappeared on a shriek. There was frantic whispering, a flurry of sudden movement in the tent, and then the flap was ripped back to bathe Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura in warm light.

Naruto recognized the girl who stood at the head of a small army of orange-clad figures as Moegi, and realized she was the one who'd peeked out at them. "Hey!" He waved.

While Moegi gushed out an enthusiastic answering greeting, Sakura turned to Sasuke and said that she had to run. She left him and Naruto to be ushered inside by a host of silent, awe-struck girls.

-oOo-

Sasuke and Naruto paused, taking in their first glimpse of The Society's members. The girls weren't just wearing orange…they were wearing variations of the tracksuit Naruto was known for. Some had on pants, but many were also wearing orange skirts. Quite a few had their hair styled like Naruto's, either naturally spiky, or gelled into spikes. Goggles sat on every head. And, leaning forward to squint, Naruto was able to see whiskers inked onto many cheeks. Only Moegi was dressed normally.

"So, uh…" Naruto looked around at all the faces staring at him. There was a steady, unblinking fervor to their gazes that made him nervous. "What…no, uh…who. Who's the leader here?"

Moegi raised her hand. "That would pretty much be me. I'm also founder and coordinator of events, though we have volunteers who aren't members. They help us out."

Two rickety folding chairs materialized behind Sasuke and Naruto, and they were gently but firmly pressed into them. They soon had their hands full as someone produced two cookies. Naruto took both, seeing as Sasuke declined his. " Thanks. What do you guys do here?" he asked.

"Oh, lots of things!" Moegi zipped around the tent and picked up a clipboard sitting on a desk he hadn't noticed. It was hard to see anything between the scores of pallets, bunk beds and hammocks strung up to the walls. She came back and thrust the clipboard at Naruto. "Our name pretty much says it all, but see? This week we're trying to get the day you came back to the village with Sasuke declared as a national holiday. We've sent petitions to the Hokage, but we haven't had a reply yet."

Naruto glanced down the list. "Says here you're already trying to declare my birthday as a national holiday."

"No, we're pushing for that one to be named a global holiday," she corrected. "Happy belated seventeenth, by the way!" She clapped along with the rest of the girls, nearly deafening him and Sasuke with the impromptu applause.

Frowning at some of the other things on the list, Naruto looked up to thank them and was in time to see a smallish girl with Inuzuka tatts bustle over with a pet carrier. "We have you and Sasuke's son here," she said breathlessly, and dumped the carrier in Naruto's lap.

Sasuke saw Moose inside, but stared hard at the girl who'd brought him. "Our what?"

"Your son," she repeatedly happily. "Got him from my Auntie Hana, who works over at the animal hospital. She said she was too busy to bring him herself. I told her I'd deliver him." Her grin showed her two front teeth to be missing.

Naruto waited for some glimmer of understanding or an explanation, but none came to him. "Moose here-"

"Moose," the girls repeated in unison, as if committing this name to memory.

"-isn't our son," Naruto finished after a pause. "He's our pet."

Moegi, as den mother or whatever she was, took it upon herself to gently correct Naruto again. "Oh no. We understand that it's a secret, as well it should be, but the shining and forbidden love you and Sasuke share is known by all of us. Just as we all know that Moose here is the symbolic fruit of that love, the son you two can't have of your own bodies." Here, Moegi pointed proudly to the section of the tent directly above Naruto's head.

Naruto was too dazed and horrified to look, but Sasuke twisted around and nearly choked. He got to his feet, face scarlet, and stared at the wall behind them, right over the door flap.

Hung in a wooden frame was a painting of him and Naruto, naked, and engaged in a hot and steamy embrace. Eyes burning, seconds away from a stroke or murder, Sasuke tried to decide what was worse: the fact that Naruto's cock was immortalized as a tribute to manhood no human could possibly possess, or that he, Sasuke, appeared to be taking it with such relish. Maybe the worst thing was Moose, circled in a halo of light, and perched between their writhing bodies. Or maybe it was the fact that he and Naruto seemed to be wearing crowns of roses, their faces enhanced with impossibly long lashes, pink cheeks, and reddened lips.

He tore his eyes away to glare around at the girls. "What the fuck!" he exploded violently. "Who the fuck told you anything about us? Who in hell even knows?" God, some of the girls looked no older than five, and they had such a picture hanging right there for all of them to see! That is completely beside the point, Sasuke raged inwardly.

The Inuzuka girl piped up proudly. "I learned from my Auntie Hana, who heard it from her brother Kiba. 'Course she's not my real auntie, just my third cousin, but Uncle Kiba told her that he could smell that you and Naruto had been rutting like stags out in the forest or wherever you two had been. Said the stench of marked territory was all over the both of you. And then when we went to Chouji's today to see if we could leave stuff for you, including your son, Chouji told us you two were sharing the basement. Together."

Naruto wondered if the girl knew what rutting stags were. He closed his eyes, cheeks stinging. Maybe he was dreaming.

Sasuke thought that if he didn't get out of there, he'd end up killing them all where they stood. The girls watched him storm out of the tent, Moose's pet carrier swinging in one fist, then gave a collective shrug. They turned their attention to Naruto, who was now slowly getting to his feet.

Naruto turned and saw the picture. He very nearly threw up, so mortified was he. "Who else has seen that?" he said hoarsely.

"I don't think anyone but you and Sasuke," Moegi answered thoughtfully. "Maya's the artist among us. She only finished it yesterday, after Kimi there got Moose from her aunt and told us. No one's been by to see us since then."

Maya, Naruto saw, was one of the older girls in the place. She looked to be Naruto's age, with a sultry attractiveness about her that spoke volumes. Shaking his head, he stood on the wobbly chair and snatched the picture down. "I'm sorry, but you're right, me and Sasuke are a secret. We can't have something like this lying around. Besides…this is, uh…really inappropriate for some of you to be looking at."

As one, the girls' faces drooped.

Naruto wracked his brain for something positive to say before he got the hell out of there. He could now see why everyone steered clear of The Society. He stared around at the interior of the tent, thinking.

"Guys, look," he said at length. "I'm really touched The Society even exists, but for now…uh, I think you should let me lead things. If that's okay? I know you don't allow boys for whatever reason-"

"Of course you can lead us!" Moegi shouted. She was jumping and clapping her hands with the rest of them, and Naruto feared the shaking tent would collapse. "We've been hoping you would take over for us."

"Yeah? Great." Naruto smiled in relief and held up the clipboard. "'Cause I have to be honest, the ideas here…" He'd been about to tell them what he really thought of them, but the hopeful looks on their faces were enough to make him change his mind. No matter how misguided, these girls meant well. "…Let's just say the village isn't ready for this level of awesomeness. We'll have to start small. You know, little things, and work our way up from there."

The girls beamed in pride that he thought their ideas were awesome, while nodding at Naruto's superior knowledge. "What will we do then?" Moegi wanted to know.

"Let me think on it. You can be my second in command, if you want. I'm going to be relying heavily on you, actually."

"You can count on me," she smiled.

Naruto spent another hour there, questioning them in depth about the goings on of The Society. By the time he left, the roads were deserted. He got lost in the maze of new streets while looking for Chouji's house, and only found it by asking a Chuunin on patrol.

Chouji let him in. When he made it down to the basement, he found Sasuke awake and pacing back and forth. His movements were tightly controlled, speaking of a towering rage. Naruto approached wearily and held up the painting Moegi had been kind enough to let him wrap in a tattered sheet. "Burn this please."

Sasuke did so in a matter of seconds, setting it in the shower stall and reducing it to ash. When he came back into the main room, he stood looking at where Naruto was setting a large box down at the foot of the bed. "Well?" Sasuke barked furiously.

"Well what?"

"Don't give me that shit," Sasuke yelled. "What are you going to do about that fucking place and those girls?"

Naruto slowly sat on the bed and leaned on his hands. "Probably try and get them to understand that having the color orange copyrighted to my name, and making the color of my eyes Fire Country's national color is pointless. Look at this," he said, and reached for the clipboard sitting on top of the box. "They actually want to have the Hokage monument taken down and replaced with my face alone. Can you believe it? And here they want to make naruto the food of choice in Fire Country, and-"

"I don't give a flying fuck about their intentions," Sasuke bit out. "I want to know how soon you're going to have the club disbanded and the bitches inside it scattered to the four winds, or wherever the fuck they came from."

"Okay first of all, calling them bitches is a bit harsh, don't you think? Second of all, they don't have anywhere else to go. They're orphans. Some of them were orphans before the war, like Moegi, but some of them lost their parents in the war itself. A war that was partially fought because of me, I don't need to remind you. Many of them aren't even from Konoha. Some have come from as far away as Suna. The Society gives them a purpose and sense of unity, and Moegi is doing a pretty good job, I think. They just need something worthwhile to do, is all." Naruto looked down at the clipboard, tugging on one lip. "I don't know…there's a list of the volunteers here, maybe I can hit them up for some advice. Sakura, Hinata, and Ino are the top volunteers-"

Sasuke ground his teeth together so hard his jaw ached. He stepped forward, took the clipboard, and flung it against the far wall, where it cracked in two. "I've had it," he said to Naruto's surprised face. "You and I are going to get a few things straight right here and now."

Naruto tried to stand, but Sasuke shoved him back down on the bed. "What the hell, Sasuke-"

"First, you and I are going to have a talk with Hinata and Sakura. You take Hinata. You will tell her in no uncertain terms that she is to forget her feelings for you. God, I can just see her coaching those girls in their obsession over you. I'll handle Sakura.

"Second, you are to handle that Society in a quick and final manner, or I will do it myself. I'm not going to have them meddling in our lives, handing out posters of us, or doing whatever in fuck it is they do. Not for one second, do you think you're going to participate in their madness in any way, do you hear me? That place is a fucking cult. You make sure its doors are closed by this time next week. I don't care where the girls end up."

Sasuke waited for some kind of agreement from Naruto.

"Yeah…I'm not doing that," Naruto shocked him by saying. "The girls mean well, they just need some help, like I said. I'm not going to crush their spirits and turn them out on their asses just because you…what? Are jealous? Come on, they know about us, so you can't think any of them want me or…or anything like that. I'll handle them, but not like you said. Oh, and I'm not saying anything to Hinata, not now, not ever. Don't even bring that up. And in case you haven't noticed, Sakura's still got the hots for you. What are you, blind?" Then, seeing the way Sasuke seemed to be strangling on his tongue, he added, "What is wrong with you, anyway? It's like you're looking for a fight. Look what they gave us."

Sasuke watched as Naruto pulled items one by one out of the box, trying to distract him. Chief among the things were clothes. Naruto handed him a heavy white tunic with his clan symbol embroidered perfectly between the shoulder blades. He actually did forget some of his anger as he fingered the quality of the material. He had to admit that the garment was very well done. There was a new orange tracksuit for Naruto, more shirts and pants for Sasuke, and footwear for both of them. He and Naruto had been swimming in Chouji's spare clothing; these things came as a welcome alternative.

He wished he could pinpoint the source of his bad mood. He should be elated now that the trial was over and he'd more or less won his freedom, but all he could seem to think about was how many people demanded so much of Naruto's time. Everywhere they went, they'd been stopped by villagers wanting to welcome Naruto home, right up until they'd trained. Sakura had chatted animatedly with Naruto all during training, and now this Society…no. Just no.

As for Hinata…he'd seen her today. Hanging back, watching Naruto from afar, and it had been like Sasuke had never left the village. There she was, still mooning after Naruto like some lost puppy in need of a swift and savage kick. He hated being back, had known he would hate it, and Naruto just seemed to fit right in here.

Plus, he seriously needed to get laid. He'd never been hornier in his life.

The days passed fairly quickly. Naruto hit Granny up a day after discovering The Society, and asked if he could have leave to take over their operations. Tsunade expressed such heartfelt gratitude at him taking that nuisance off her hands that she almost kissed Naruto. Naruto pushed a new clipboard at her, one that outlined his own plans for The Society. Tsunade gave it a cursory glance, then a more in-depth perusal before raising her eyes to study him. "These are good ideas," she said. "I'm impressed. You have my permission for all of it. I'll expect reports on your progress, of course."

"Of course."

-oOo-

Training continued as usual, with Sakura showing up if she could get away from the hospital. Sometimes there were others at the training grounds. Naruto discovered that with the exception of Neji, all his classmates would be taking the exam. Once he did, it became a simple matter of coordinating their training sessions so that they all ended up practicing together for a good portion of each afternoon, after he and Sasuke trained with Kakashi.

Many were eager to go up against Sasuke, who was all too happy to oblige, surly as he was most of the time. It was entertaining, to say the least. Sometimes people made bets to see how long they'd last against Sasuke. So far Naruto and Kakashi were the only ones to hold their own, and Kakashi only did so by dint of outsmarting Sasuke.

A few times, Naruto found himself sparring with Hinata. He felt uncomfortable around her, but tried not to show it. She fought him earnestly, honestly seeking to get stronger, but never indicated, at least to Naruto, that she even remembered her declaration. She was still shy as hell, but then that was Hinata for you.

One time Neji did show up. He said he wanted to go up against Sasuke. That fast, everyone stopped what they were doing to form a wide ring around the two elite ninja. Neji looked across the grass at where Sasuke stood with his arms folded, and gave a tiny, frosty smirk. Sasuke returned it with a haughty look of his own. Seeing this unexplained animosity between them, the others abruptly increased their bets.

Something about Neji made Sasuke's skin crawl. He'd felt it every time the Hyuuga had come to close his Tenketsu, and now, while Neji stared at him unblinkingly.

Thirty minutes later, the bets were furiously being adjusted as the outcome of the match became uncertain. Sasuke would not have believed the fight could last this long. There were few who could combat the sheer number of jutsu he had under his belt, but Neji fought with a fury that effectively canceled them out. He was a close-range fighter, so naturally Sasuke countered with long-range attacks, the better to stay out of the way of those deadly hands…and still the fight dragged on. Neji seemed able to put himself within range time and time again. He hounded Sasuke, practically hunting him, as if the fight were personal. He and Neji were locked in an unbreakable hold now, and Sasuke thought in rage, The fuck's his problem?

Just before he broke out of Neji's grip, he got his answer. The taller teen leaned in and hissed in his ear, "If you ever hurt Naruto again by leaving, or in any other way, I'll be coming for you. Remember that, Uchiha."

So caught by surprise was he by this threat, that Neji was able to shove his palm at Sasuke's back and have him blasted high into the air, where he then fell into a boneless heap, unable to breathe.

A second of shocked staring, before the few who'd put their money on Neji went wild at their winnings. Sakura landed with Naruto near Sasuke and helped him to a sitting position, but Sasuke ignored their concern. He was looking at where Neji stood amidst his circle of supporters, staring right back at him. Sasuke didn't know if the warning stemmed from Neji's own friendship with Naruto, concern for his cousin's love interest, or if Neji himself wanted Naruto. Whatever the reason, it was the final straw. Sasuke launched himself at Neji, who'd seen him coming and quickly shoved his congratulators out of the way.

Tsunade clicked down the hospital corridor and shoved the door to the examining room open hard enough to have it hitting the wall. Sasuke and Neji were sitting on separate beds, bloody and mutinous, as she stood glaring at them. "What the hell is this?" she said sharply. "Training or attempted murder? Well?"

They hung their heads.

Tsunade sucked her teeth. She wasn't gentle while she checked them over. Neji flinched. "Broken collarbone, concussion, and two ribs fractured." She moved to Sasuke, who had to support himself in an upright position with his hands. "And you obviously fought after having most of your Tenketsu sealed shut," she tsked. "Not a shred of sense between the pair of you. You'll both remain here overnight. I suggest you resolve whatever beef you have with each other before I come back in the morning."

She finished patching them up and left. Neji stared at one wall, while Sasuke stared at the other. Neither intended to say anything.

Naruto came to see them both that night. He tried to talk to Sasuke, but was ignored. Figuring that he didn't want to talk in front of Neji, Naruto eventually left him alone. He started to chat with Neji, who seemed pleased to see him, but the look of hate and betrayal on Sasuke's face made him falter. And then Hinata and the others showed up, and Sasuke angrily turned from them all to face the wall.

Naruto frowned at his back, wondering why Sasuke seemed to be angry all the time these days. I hardly know him anymore.

During the winter holidays, Naruto's friends surprised him by showing up en masse at Chouji's house one morning and saying they had a present for him. Laughing and overflowing with high spirits, they pulled him away from his breakfast. Chouji looked back as he was following them out of the house and Sasuke saw still sitting at the table, picking at his food. "Aren't you coming?" he asked.

Sasuke excused himself and disappeared into the basement.

-oOo-

Naruto was dragged halfway across the village, in the snow, with Ino's hands over his eyes. He half-heartedly tried to pry her hands free several times, nearly toppling them both in the snow, and giggling like crazy each time he did. They were all giddy; they'd had a week off from training for the holidays and were feeling young and fine. Naruto loved being back and having his friends around him. He'd missed this so much when he'd been out in the forest.

The surprise turned out to be a handsome little one-story house in a brand new block of similar houses. "This was one request The Society managed to get Tsunade-sama to agree to," Sakura chirped. She pointed at the street sign at the end of the block. "Uzumaki Street. You're at number 1 Uzumaki, isn't that neat?" She gave Naruto a little hug.

Naruto was both shocked and touched. He ran his eyes over the house again, mouth open. "This is mine?" he breathed. "You serious?"

"This row of houses and the one a block over were just finished two days ago," Kiba said. "We got the Hokage to allot one to you. We painted it, put a few things inside, that sort of thing, but yup! All yours. Bet you'll be having a roommate in there with you, huh? One particular Uchiha?" he winked, elbowing Naruto in the ribs.

Naruto walked forward, inspecting the tiny porch, before entering the house and seeing the cozy living room. There was a little dining room/sun room opposite the living room, with the front hall set between them. He continued down this hall, noting the polished wood floors and the smell of fresh paint, until he came to a bathroom, an airy kitchen, and a bedroom situated near the back. He saw a large bed in there, but no other furniture other than a loveseat in the living room. Behind the kitchen was a small garden surrounded by a wall, with a tree standing in the corner. The tree was currently bare of leaves, but he could tell it would shade the entire house once it bloomed in the spring. He turned around and found his friends standing at the kitchen door, waiting for his response.

"I don't know what to say," he stammered. "My old place could have fit in the living room alone. This…this is too much."

"I hope you're not refusing," Shino said. "That would be impolite, especially given the trouble we went to."

Naruto gave a nervous little hiccup of a laugh. "Of course I accept it…I just don't know how to thank you guys."

"Oh, we got that covered," Kiba drawled. He turned to face the rest of them. "Party at Naruto's tonight, what! Bring shit to eat!"

Naruto, brimming with love for his friends just then, whooped with the rest of them.

"A house?" Sasuke said when Naruto returned and told him about it. "For you? How big?"

"You're living there too," Naruto said as he packed the things The Society kept sending over for them. Moose now had a spacious rabbit hutch shaped like his own little house, and each of them had three changes of clothes, as well as a handsome leather sheath for whenever Sasuke's sword was returned to him. "Just because it's my house doesn't mean you're not welcome. I thought we agreed on living together once we were back?"

"Nothing seems to be the way I thought it would be now that we're back." He flopped into the huge papasan chair that stood opposite the bed.

Naruto set their box of belongings aside. "So we're finally going to talk about what's eating you?" He sat down too, on the foot of the bed, so that he was facing Sasuke.

"Surprised you noticed. I barely even see you anymore."

Naruto had been busy, but then so was everyone, Sasuke included. The village needed every spare pair of hands it could get, and they still trained everyday on top of that. "Well, I'm here now. Talk to me."

A few seconds ticked by wherein Sasuke debated if he should answer. He and Naruto had become adept at ignoring the growing distance between them in a surprisingly short time. He missed Naruto so much, though, and was so fucking unhappy. Maybe it was time they talked. "I don't like being here," he said. "I don't know if I can stay here once the mission is done."

That much Naruto had known. He hadn't known about the not staying part. "I see. Does that mean you want to be away from me, or-?"

"No. I don't know what it means." Sasuke ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what anything means. For the first time in my life I actually don't know shit."

Naruto released the breath he'd held, and tried to think of what to say. He'd hoped Sasuke would just get over whatever was wrong in time, or else come clean and tell him, but things just seemed to be getting worse. Sasuke grew more moody and withdrawn with each passing day, until Naruto reflected that Sasuke was exactly the way he'd been before leaving the village in the first place. It sucked. Especially since he himself was so happy to be back. He'd found something beautiful out there in the forest, but he'd been starved for the company of other people too. Being back was the best…and that just made him feel guilty for being happy. He'd started leaving Sasuke alone, the same as everyone else did once they saw how irritable he was, and that made him feel worse. They'd begun drifting apart.

During the nine months they'd been on their own, they'd had a few differences, but they'd always managed to work them out. They'd been incredibly close, yet they were now so far from that intimacy that Naruto found it hard to believe they'd ever said the things that they had to each other. Sex was fast becoming a distant memory. He couldn't recall the heat of Sasuke, or the taste of him, and this frightened him badly. He'd approached the village knowing he'd go mad if he was ever parted from Sasuke, yet now he found being around him painful and uncomfortable. And Sasuke wasn't helping, was in fact pushing him away.

Naruto was privately afraid that he was losing Sasuke. He'd been able to bury this fear in work and training, but at night the bed was so cold, even with them in it, and the growing silences between them were even colder. "Just tell me what's wrong," he begged now. "Please. I can't take the way things are between us."

Sasuke slowly shook his head from side to side, staring at his knee.

For a moment it looked as if Naruto would let the matter drop, and they would just continue to ignore the issue as they had been doing. But as Sasuke sat there looking so dejected, Naruto abruptly felt the desperate love he'd felt when they'd been in the forest. It had been subdued and suppressed by his return to the village and all that was taking place here, nudged persistently aside by how different Sasuke was. It rose up strongly in him now, making his throat tight, making him slide off the bed. He walked to Sasuke and lightly touched his hair, his shoulder, before climbing into the chair with him and straddling his lap. His hands rested on his thighs a moment; he was very aware of the way Sasuke wasn't touching him; they hadn't touched in weeks, working to hide their relationship as they were. But then he put his hands on Sasuke's neck and gently used his thumbs to angle Sasuke's face so that they were making eye contact. "Tell me what's wrong," he said again.

He didn't think he'd ever seen Sasuke cry, really cry, when there was no serious reason at hand for doing so. He'd cried around Itachi, and maybe that one time the night Naruto had asked for it rough, but this? This gradual gathering of tears as Sasuke stubbornly looked off to Naruto's left, only to have them roll slowly down his cheeks? Naruto sucked in a sharp gasp, now terrified. He threw himself around Sasuke's neck and hung on tight, choking him. "Just tell me what it is! No matter how bad it is we'll deal with it." He said all this in a rush through numb lips. His entire body was cold.

Sasuke felt Naruto shivering against him. To have those strong arms around him, and feel the panicky strength of Naruto's touch again just made it worse. It reminded him of everything that should be and just wasn't, and that made him gently push Naruto off his lap. For some reason, he just couldn't take touching Naruto when things were so different. Naruto knelt at his feet now and stared up at him with wide, scared eyes, asking him again what was wrong.

"I don't know," Sasuke said honestly. "Nothing. Everything. I can't put my finger on it."

He really couldn't. The council had gotten theirs, even if it wasn't the brutal death he would have preferred. He was back in the village, as his brother had wanted, and free. But he was miserable. He sat there, ignoring his tears as if they didn't exist, and Naruto as well, as his mind painstakingly fit the pieces of his desolation into some semblance of a whole picture, one he could then convey in words.

"When I was here in the village," he said slowly, still staring away from Naruto. "Back before I'd left it…you were alone. You had…nothing. Not respect, not friends really…you didn't even have talent. You were alone and lonely."

The way Sasuke's voice was roughened by his tears, and the fact that the tears themselves continued to slip free unchecked and unacknowledged held Naruto more in thrall than the words did, but he listened.

"I was alone, too," Sasuke continued in that same slow voice. "Lonely, but I liked it like that. Then, in the forest, we were alone and lonely again…still, I mean. We were still alone, but we were able to…" Sasuke's hand jerked where it draped over his knee, bouncing fitfully as the right word was sought. "We were able to complete each other. No, not complete. Fulfill. We were able to give each other what we'd needed. Like that was what we were supposed to do all along, the whole reason we even existed. In the forest, whenever we touched, I felt like the whole reason we'd been alone for so long was so we could be together. And I felt like once we were back here, it would be even better. We'd still be alone, but we'd have each other. I wouldn't have vengeance in my way, and…it would be good. I could finally have everything. A home, you…my life.

"Instead, we get back here and it's like this whole place just revolves around you. Nobody shuts up about you, ever. The Society…"

Sasuke blinked a few times, either losing his train of thought, or simply unable to continue that line of thinking. He was quiet for a long time, his tears dry and gone now. He still stared somewhere to Naruto's left, and Naruto sat there, aching inside and waiting to hear the rest. When it came, the room was so still, Naruto thought he could hear his own heart beating.

"I turned my back on everything," Sasuke said. He let that hang in the air a minute, groping for more words, before continuing. "I gave up my vendetta against the council, gave up avenging Itachi. Maybe that's not a lot to some people, but it was all I had. It was everything. I gave it up because it was the last thing my brother ever asked of me. And I wanted you. I knew I'd have to give it up if I wanted to be with you; the two things couldn't exist together, so I…let it go. Let myself be brought back here, where it seems like me doing a one-eighty is no big deal. Saved your life, let myself be put on trial, agreed to bring Madara back…all nothing. Just nothing. I'm nothing, just the traitor Naruto brought back, who no one seems to like, and who doesn't like anyone but the one person everyone seems to love and worship like he was the Sage of the Six Paths incarnate. I'm losing you, losing myself, just…I'm losing it. Feel like there's nothing for me to hold on to anymore and I'm just...twisting in the wind. Just some floating nothing."

Sasuke swallowed a few times at the end of this speech.

In essence, Naruto understood everything Sasuke had said. However, these were weighty issues that he had no idea how to address. Not at all. He didn't even know where to begin. Didn't know how to break it down or simplify it so that he could try to put it in some sort of perspective for each of them. The worst of it was that most of what Sasuke said was true.

"I don't know what to say," Naruto mumbled. "I mean, the whole fixation on me came as a surprise to me too, don't think it hasn't. And though it's nice most of the time, it sort of freaks me out. I'm not basking in it the way you seem to think I am. I just try to go with it and move on. I like having the acknowledgement of the villagers and all, but it's way more intense than I thought it'd be. I got no control over them, Sasuke. I can't make them see all you gave up, or like you, or…or anything."

Naruto moved closer now and rose up on his knees to make Sasuke see him as he went on.

"Here's what I can do. I can tell you for sure that you're not losing me. You'll never lose me. I'm here and I'm always going to be here. Okay? You do fulfill me and all that other stuff you said. You have me, and now we have a home. We can still have everything you dreamed about. So come with me tonight. Please. Okay?"

Sasuke looked at him until Naruto got up and finished gathering their things, but when Chouji came and helped Naruto carry everything to his new place, Sasuke was still in the papasan chair. He gazed at the scrap of paper Naruto had scribbled the directions to the house on.

Chouji tried not to notice the way Naruto's face seemed to be very red or the suspicious way he sniffed from time to time. He had the large box of his and Sasuke's belongings balanced on the palm of one hand, while Naruto carried Moose in his pet carrier and the rabbit hutch. "Is Sasuke moving in with you?" he asked after awhile. "I only ask because you have his things here with yours."

"I don't know."

"Oh? So…he's still staying with me, then? That's fine, of course, he's more than welcome…"

"I don't know what Sasuke plans on doing." Naruto tried to show that the subject was closed by walking a little faster.

Chouji kept pace. "Did you two have an argument?"

Naruto sighed. Sometimes he missed the forest as much as Sasuke seemed to.

"Sooo…"

Sasuke jumped violently, badly startled by the sudden appearance of Kakashi at his elbow. He glared up at him, breathing hard as his heart settled back into its normal rhythms.

Kakashi looked down at him with that one eye that didn't seem remotely bored now. This close, seeing the hard intelligence and pragmatism that lurked behind that drooping lid, Sasuke wondered if Kakashi was ever truly bored, or ever as laid-back as he seemed. There was something distinctly menacing about the way he gazed at Sasuke, as if he knew more than Sasuke did and would always be superior, thereby making Sasuke eternally insignificant as far as the Jounin was concerned.

I hate him, Sasuke realized.

If he'd been able to understand that Kakashi made him uncomfortable simply because he'd never treated Sasuke as anything special –had always treated him as an ordinary person, in fact- Sasuke wouldn't have believed it; as aware as he ordinarily was of the inner workings of his nature, he had never really grasped how vain he was.

Kakashi did know, though. Vanity had always been such an integral part of who Sasuke was that it rarely, if ever, manifested itself. When it did rear its ugly head, it did so in the form he saw now: injured pride at not being considered special anymore, of being reduced to an ordinary person, with ordinary troubles. Sasuke had been the prodigy when he'd lived in the village before, the tragic hero of the Uchiha clan, and the boy every girl wanted. Once he'd left, he'd been the focus of a manhunt, Naruto's obsession, coveted and exalted by Orochimaru, and eventually sought-after by Madara. These were not things that could be considered favorable or glamorous by any means, not the parts about Orochimaru and Madara, but they fed that secret vanity lurking in Sasuke just the same.

He had no idea just what had gone on while Sasuke had been off with Naruto, but whatever it was, it had to have been momentous. Sasuke had undergone a complete transformation. Almost complete. Really, the transformation was only visible when Sasuke was around Naruto, and then only to someone who was looking, which Kakashi certainly was. Around Naruto, Sasuke was humble, where before he'd been prideful. He was affectionate, where he'd been cold. He was loving, and open, and communicative, where he'd been emotionally shut down and closed off. Kakashi could only imagine what the two of them must be like when there was no impediment to their sex life. Probably had set the woods on fire a few times; Kakashi could truthfully say he'd never seen such a depth of passion in two people, or two souls more obviously in love.

But that was changing, and he didn't like seeing his students in pain. He could play counselor, he decided. Not like he had anything else do to. Besides, Sasuke was his charge. He had a responsibility to the boy, especially now, when he clearly needed a little help.

"You seem lost," Kakashi drawled.

Sasuke glanced around the room and snorted.

"At a loss regarding your life," the Jounin clarified. "Directionless."

"Knew you'd be somewhere watching," Sasuke muttered.

"Actually, I don't watch you constantly, as you seem to think. I'm aware of you at all times, but I don't stare at you or listen to everything you say…just in case that thought has kept you from certain pursuits."

Which means you heard what I said when Naruto and I wanted to have sex our first night in this room…which means you do watch and listen. "What do you want?"

"Me? Oh, nothing. It's you, you know."

Sasuke started to turn his head to look at him, then decided not to. He didn't want to encourage this visit. "What?"

"This failure to fit in here. The problem's not the villagers or Naruto. It's you."

"Thanks. You can leave now."

Kakashi considered addressing that. Later. He'd have a chance to teach Sasuke all sorts of lessons on manners and respect once they were on the mission. For now, he leaned back against the wall and pushed his hands into his pockets. He put his head back as well, now gazing at the low ceiling. "For instance, you might consider the fact that things simply aren't the way they were when you left. Naruto's friends aren't likely to embrace you the way they embrace him, because they don't know you. They never really knew you. You saw to that by keeping to yourself while you lived here. And yet, they dropped everything to try and bring you back when you went to Orochimaru. Tried and nearly died in the attempt. Some of them really remember that. I know Neji especially holds Naruto in high regard, which was the reason he went along. He was injured the worst, you know. Almost didn't make it.

"All anyone here really knows about you is what they hear…and what Naruto has shown them. They've all watched him bleed and struggle for years in an attempt to bring you back. He's saved the village in the process, protected it, earned the Hokage's highest esteem, and still he never lost sight of his goal to reach you. No one doubted that he would. And now that he has, what does he bring back with him? Not anyone they see as worthy of the lengths Naruto has gone to, I'll tell you that. They see the same moody boy who wouldn't have anything to do with them before he'd left."

Sasuke blinked. Was that how he was seen?

"They know you've done bad things, but now they also know why you did them. A few of them have reached out to you, hoping you'd come out of your shell at last. The day of your verdict, I thought I'd finally witnessed the man you'd become when I saw you take the initiative and apologize to the Raikage. I wasn't the only one. The Hokage, in fact everyone in her office that evening, was soundly impressed. I thought you'd really make it here. What happened?"

His apology to the Raikage hurt now. He had intended to make a go of it here, Sasuke remembered. He hadn't even lasted two weeks.

"Is it the things you said to Naruto tonight? Because if they are, then you need to start considering the fact that nobody owes you anything. You're not entitled to anything, and are actually fortunate to be alive and breathing free air. If you want respect and acknowledgement, then go out there and earn them. Stop looking at what Naruto has earned and is entitled to, and stop thinking that the way to weather something you don't like is to disappear inside yourself. That's not an option anymore, not now that you and Naruto are so close. It hurts him when you do, and I can promise you this. Seeing as the villagers feel the way they do about him, hurting Naruto might be a bad idea. So far, only Neji's made it known how he'd view any pain you cause Naruto, but once it's known how much influence you have over Naruto, more won't be long in showing their support for him. I'm not saying to let them dictate your actions, but stop thinking of yourself all the time. There are other people in the world. The day you start taking notice of them, they'll probably treat you much better, and you'll be a lot happier."

Sasuke thought he would shut up and leave at last, but no. Kakashi went on after a minute or two of silence, and it was what he said next that really got his attention.

"Relationships, you know…they can be funny things," Kakashi mused. "One minute you think nothing can tear you apart, the next it seems like the moment something happens, you two are on opposite sides of the battlefield. I'm no expert, but if what you have with Naruto was strong enough to overcome his incredibly love-shy personality, then I'd say it's strong enough to endure being here in the village. You just need to find the way the new dynamics work. Adapt. Adjust. You don't just give up and leave things as they lie. Just because the surroundings have changed doesn't mean your love has. Don't let it get lost in all the surface nonsense. Whatever happened between you two out there in the forest, whatever moment of tangency finally opened your eyes to each other…that's something you hold on to no matter what, Sasuke. Not many people get to have something like that."

That was it. He was gone. Sasuke looked over at where he'd stood. Good riddance.

Neji was the first to arrive. He was waiting on the porch with two shopping bags when Naruto and Chouji strolled up. They entered the house together, Naruto fumbling his key as he used it for the first time. In the kitchen, Chouji opened cabinets to reveal dishes Naruto hadn't seen before. He began arranging the chips and drinks Neji had brought, while Neji set up the rabbit hutch in the living room, and Naruto went to open the door for more arrivals.

It turned out to be the rest of the entire group. They filed inside on a babble of noise and cold wind, carrying housewarming gifts and, in Kiba's case, a whole crate of sake.

Naruto held the door open after they'd all come inside, staring up and down the street. He tried to remember if he'd written the address down correctly, then wondered if Sasuke had gotten lost. Finally, when snow began falling again, swirling in past his feet, he slowly went inside and shut the door with a soft snick.

Kakashi stood outside Chouji's house for a good twenty minutes. When Sasuke still hadn't budged from that chair, he wearily shook is head. Well, I tried.

Everyone, minus Naruto, stood uncomfortably in the living room for several long minutes. They exchanged awkward glances from time to time, until Kiba finally broke the silence with a huff. "Stealing that sake was a waste of energy. This party is dead."

"What are we going to do?" Hinata asked softly.

"Don't think there's anything we can do," Sakura grimaced. "He told me to leave him alone."

"But he's crying out there in the hall, Sakura-san." Lee was almost tearful himself with the force of his distress. "Doesn't he think we can hear him, even if he is trying to be quiet about it?"

"I don't know, but I'll bet anything it's because of Sasuke," Chouji said darkly.

The others turned to him immediately. "Spill," Neji ordered.

Chouji was quick to comply. "Not much to tell. I hear them arguing sometimes. Tonight I think Sasuke was supposed to come here with Naruto and live with him. I overheard something to that affect, but Sasuke didn't come, so…"

Tenten narrowed her eyes. "Why would Sasuke not living here make Naruto cry?"

Kiba could hold the knowledge in no longer. He beckoned them all into a huddle, before whispering, "Because he and Sasuke are a thing now, that's why."

"Thing how?" Shikamaru wanted to know.

"A sex thing," Kiba said.

Doubtful stares all around.

"You're lying," Neji said flatly. "He can do so much better than Sasuke. That Uchiha is a fucking ingrate."

"And I'd know if something like that was going on in my bed," Chouji said, eyes troubled.

"They certainly don't look that close whenever we train," Sakura murmured. "I mean really, Kiba." But she too was frowning now.

"Dudes, I'm telling you, Sasuke and Naruto are like…in love. I can tell. At first I just smelled all the sex and shit on them, but after I got close enough, I was able to pick up other things. They're…I don't know how to explain it in any way except how my clan does. It's like they're synced some kind of way, the way we sync with our ninja hounds. Whatever's between them it's serious. I mean it. And they are definitely fucking."

Kiba delivered this with uncharacteristic drama, but only a few of them seemed convinced. They listened to the tortured, wheezing sounds of Naruto crying and felt their hearts break a little on his behalf. Regardless to whether or not Naruto was in love, he was in pain right now.

"Let's go talk to him," Ino suggested.

"I say we find Sasuke," Neji countered.

"Maybe we should leave?" Sakura looked around the huddle at them. "He's never been the type to let people see him when he's like this, hence the reason he's hiding out there in the hall."

"But what happened?" Lee asked. "Did Sasuke-kun-"

"Sh, did you guys hear that?" Tenten held up a hand. The sound came again. Knocking on the front door. The huddle broke apart as they all heard Naruto sniffing while he went to open the door. After that they heard nothing. They approached the hall in a single, silent mass of curiosity.

-oOo-

Sasuke stood on the threshold, waiting for Naruto to let him in, but Naruto just stared at him. He could see that he'd been crying. "Can I come in?"

Naruto stood aside, and shut the door once Sasuke was in. He didn't immediately turn around.

Sasuke gazed at his back, wondering who'd made him cry. He could sense people in the house, and when he glanced behind himself, he saw everyone leaning around the living room doorway, watching, so someone must have said something. "Naruto? You okay?" He put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, cursing the fact that he hadn't just come with Naruto in the first place.

Without warning, and apparently uncaring of the fact that they had an audience, Naruto spun and flung himself at Sasuke, grabbing his head and kissing him hard.

Sasuke responded at once. It had been too long since they'd done even this simple thing. His arms came around Naruto and lifted him off his feet, crushing his solid body. Naruto moaned low in his throat. His hands tightened in Sasuke's hair, and Sasuke walked forward to lean their weight against the door.

Naruto broke away when his back thumped against the wood. He leaned his forehead against Sasuke's, panting, as he tightened his grip in the dark hair. "I thought that was it, that you weren't coming. That we were done, and you'd left me-"

"Said I'd never leave you-"

"-tell me again-"

"I'll never leave you, ever."

"Tell me you love me, Sasuke."

"I love you. Sucks being here, but that hasn't changed. Had to have my eyes opened to that, I guess." Then, when Naruto was quiet, he added, "I love you. I'm sorry."

"Me too. Sasuke, I-" Naruto lifted his head to see Sasuke's face, and caught movement further down the hall. He saw his friends staring at the two of them in wide-eyed amazement, mouths open. "Um…"

Sasuke put him down and turned around. No sense hiding now. Taking Naruto's hand, he led the way to the living room, where the observers were forced to back up. He continued walking until he was standing in the middle of the room, Naruto's hand still in his.

Naruto couldn't meet their eyes at first. But only at first. Sasuke's hand squeezed his, and that helped tremendously. After a minute, he was able to lift his chin and say in a reasonably firm voice, "I'm, uh…Sasuke and I are together."

Sakura was the first to act. Seeing Sasuke kiss Naruto, hearing him say in a choked voice how much he loved Naruto, her childish infatuation with him had died a quick and painless little death. And it was all right, she realized. She was all right. It hadn't been love after all, nothing whatsoever to compare with what she'd witnessed. She crept forward hesitantly, and gave Naruto a one-armed hug. "Well, of course you're together. Were you hiding it all this time? It's fine, baka. A few people here are gay too, you know." She thrust the gift she'd been holding in her other hand out at him. "Brought you a first-aid kit. Every house should have one."

They were all still holding their gifts, Naruto saw. They came forward now one by one and handed them over, but it didn't dispel the awkwardness in the room. They stood around staring back and forth between Sasuke and Naruto. The kiss they'd all witnessed was clearly in the forefront of everyone's minds.

"I say we get this party started!" Kiba yelled abruptly. He turned for the sake.

Sasuke cleared his throat. "Before you do, I want to say something."

They were surprised to be addressed by him, to say the least. Sasuke pretty much just kept himself to himself. They'd learned to accept that whatever Naruto saw in him was only seen by him. They gave Sasuke varying looks of curiosity now.

"I know a lot of you came after me when I left the village. I didn't ask you to, didn't want to be brought back, and wouldn't have appreciated it if you'd managed to. But you risked your lives because you thought I was in danger, and because you believed in Naruto. That I do appreciate. I appreciate any support he received, anything that kept him from giving up on me. He saved me. It's…not easy for me, being here, or…well, none of it is. I've never been social like Naruto."

He had to stop there. He didn't know what else to say, and he didn't want to say the wrong thing, such as the fact that he hated social functions like this. He stood uncomfortably, until Kiba sauntered over and handed him a bottle of sake. "It's all good, man," Kiba snickered. "We deal how we deal, each in his own way, neh? Can't say I'd be any different if I'd gone through the same shit you had. Drink up!"

Sasuke eyed the bottle in his hand. "I'm underage."

"Newsflash, genius, we all are." Kiba belched. He was halfway through his first bottle already. "Hence the basis of sake's appeal."

"I've never drunk before," Naruto frowned. "We could get into loads of trouble for doing this."

"No doubt," Kiba hooted. "Which is why I waited till my mom was out of town to steal it. Won't matter if I'm hungover a few days, she's not here to sniff me out. Oh, and I've never had a drink either, but so? Live a little, man, we've earned it!"

That seemed to put the matter to rest. Shrugging, and exchanging nervous glances, they each tipped their bottles to their heads in imitation of Kiba.

At 18, Neji was the oldest one there. He didn't have a head for alcohol, but he drank with everyone else without the slightest hesitation. Lee was banned from alcohol period, but that didn't stop him. They were all underage, feeling privileged for having witnessed Naruto and Sasuke's intimate moment, and positively glowing from Sasuke's stunted effort at an apology.

-oOo-

An hour later…

There was a general cacophony of screaming, laughing teens and music blaring from Tenten's transistor radio. Food and spilled soft drinks littered the living room.

Kiba staggered over to a red-faced, bleary-eyed Sasuke and slung an arm around his neck, just as Lee crowed about fighting Neji seriously. The green-wearing freak had needed to be restrained, which Naruto did quite easily. He was pinned beneath Naruto's ass now, as Naruto and Sakura held a furious arm-wrestling match. Sasuke was slumped against Naruto's side, heroically trying to deny the affects of alcohol on him by trying to appear alert.

"It's like this," Kiba slurred. "Alls we want to know is who tops."

The other occupants in the trashed room looked over with interest. The radio was hastily turned down.

"Tops?" Sasuke tried to focus on the three swimming faces Kiba seemed to have.

"Yesh…it's Naruto, right? He tops in y'allses relationship?"

"Ha. Funny. Naruto…doesn't…doesn't top," Sasuke finally finished.

"Daaaayum, son Uchiha!" Kiba hiccupped. "Topping the Kyuubi! Respect man, respect."

Naruto had heard it all. "I topped once. Sasuke loved it."

Catcalls everywhere, until Sasuke leveraged himself upright. He glared at Naruto with one Sharingan and one normal eye. "Once. And I said you weren't doing it again unless I axed. Asked."

"I'll have you begging for it," Naruto promised. "You'll see."

Neji looked at Naruto speculatively, mildly drunk, and intensely sleepy. "Not only do you choose the person least worthy of you, but you let him top?"

Naruto wasn't drunk off sake so much as all the fun and hysterics that had gone on as a result of it, so he was reasonably clear-headed. He beat Sakura for the third time in a row, before breaking wind directly onto Lee's back. Lee bawled in outrage, swearing revenge. "And who do you suppose is worthy of me?" Naruto cackled. He let out another protracted fart.

Neji had to admit, Lee kicking futilely under Naruto was pretty funny. "Lot's of people," he said.

"You?" Naruto finally got off Lee, who seemed to have fallen asleep suddenly. He came and sat next to Neji on the loveseat.

Neji looked at him for a long time. "Ha. Ha. Just someone who loves you."

"Sasuke loves me."

"He also hurts you."

Naruto looked across the room at where Sasuke had accepted a challenge from Tenten to see who could throw kunai with the greatest accuracy in their drunken state. He thought about how Sasuke continued to wait for him to own up to his feelings, and shook his head. "I'm the one who doesn't deserve Sasuke. Give him a break, he's been through a lot."

"So have you."

"He's the one I want, Neji."

"Maybe he's the only one you thought was available?"

"No…I've always wanted him."

"And someone, somewhere, has always wanted you." He got up then, but Naruto had seen the glance he'd shot across the room, where Hinata was still gingerly nursing her first bottle of sake.

"Unbelievable."

Dead to the world as they were, the sound of the Hokage's voice nevertheless was not something any of them were accustomed to hearing; the group of hungover teenagers woke up instantly, nerves jangling in alarm, to behold Tsunade, Shizune, and Kakashi standing over them. Tsunade had her arms folded. She didn't look pleased.

"I'm told none of you checked in this morning, parents are frantic with worry, and where do I find you? Passed out drunk. Underage drinking," Tsunade informed them in dire tones, "is a punishable offense."

-oOo-

The sentence for their night of revelry was three weeks of hard labor with Konoha's construction crew. The use of chakra was forbidden. So onerous and backbreaking was the work that all of them, Sasuke included, grew closer together in their mutual hatred of what they saw as an unjust punishment. Three weeks, for a single night of drinking?

And as if that wasn't bad enough, Tsunade confiscated Naruto's house keys. "You're obviously not ready for the responsibility of a house," she told him. "You weren't in the thing one night, and already the living room is destroyed. I think you and Sasuke should stay with The Society."

That did it, that did the job of sealing a lasting and binding friendship between Sasuke and the rest of his former classmates; they rose up with him and Naruto in umbrage, horror struck at such cruelty, but Tsunade was firm.

Naruto had contacted Yamato-sensei soon after he'd received permission from Granny, and had him construct a large, four-story building to replace the tent the Society girls had been living in. There were five bedrooms to a floor, two sets of bunk beds to a room, giving the place the capacity for a hundred girls at any given time. He'd further had Granny draw up a list of every tradesman in the village who was in need of assistance, then sent girls he thought would prove useful to them. Many of the girls were taken on permanently as apprentices and given homes with their employers. As a result, staying with The Society wasn't as bad as it would have been before Naruto's changes, but it was still a fate he thought ridiculously unfair. "Why can't we stay with Chouji again?" he'd asked.

"Because you need to learn some responsibility." And the matter had been dropped.

At least the construction part would end in three weeks. The placement with The Society would probably last until they left for that mission. "I didn't even drink that much," Naruto grumbled as he left her office.

The Jounin exam snuck up on them all during their misery. By then, they had a few days left doing construction, and Naruto had convinced Moegi to open up a chapter of The Society for boys. Konohamaru and Udon were running that with a good deal of success; there were even more orphan boys than girls.

"Meh, I know I'm ready," Lee huffed as he carried a tree trunk on his back. "Practical should be the hardest part. I studied for the written until I was cross-eyed."

Sasuke and Naruto pulled up short. "There's a written portion?" Sasuke asked.

"Of course." Sakura paused to swing her sledgehammer at a boulder several times, making gravel. She could have done this with a single punch, but she wasn't allowed to use chakra. "There are about seven books you need to read. What, no one told you?"

Naruto looked panicked. "No! And Granny specifically told us she wanted us to take the exam, so how come she didn't mention it? Or Kakashi-sensei?"

Neji, who was lashing saplings together for scaffolding, grunted. "You're supposed to find out on your own what the Jounin exam consists of, else how can you qualify for the rank? You're not Genin who need to be told what to expect for the Chuunin exam. You have to find out where the exam is on your own, too."

"Shit," Sasuke said. "The exam is four days away, we don't even have the books."

"You can have mine," Neji offered. "I have three, I think. Hinata borrowed 100 Practical Jutsu."

"And I have the rest," Sakura said. "Practically have them memorized. We can bring them over to The Society tonight. Need help studying?"

Naruto went over and hugged her in profound gratitude. "That'd be great. You're a lifesaver, Sakura."

"I can spare a few hours too, if you want," Neji offered. "No need to hug me."

The last of any lingering resentment for Sasuke on Neji's behalf, and any awkwardness between Sasuke and the rest of the group was buried once and for all during the four sleepless nights all of them spent in the The Society's enormous rec room, studying until they were sick.

Naruto had the worst time, never having read anything longer than a single page in his life. Amidst Sakura's exclamations of disgust that he could reach such an advanced age and be so developmentally behind, and Neji's swiftly-progressing one-on-one sessions with Sasuke, Hinata was the only one able to explain things to Naruto in such a way that he was able to understand them. Sasuke flew through the seven large textbooks and doubled back through them to solidify the information, with Neji and Sakura pushing him even harder. Sasuke reveled in that, it was the way he was.

By comparison, Naruto appeared stupid, stuck on the second book the way he was. Hinata was patient, more patient than anyone else was with him. Lee was great for practicing the Taijutsu, and Kiba, Tenten, Chouji and Shino were excellent sparring partners, but it was Hinata who sat and read him one long passage after another, took the time to summarize or expand on points as Naruto needed, or went back and re-read something to him that he'd forgotten.

-oOo-

The time finally came when the exam was three hours away. Sasuke disappeared to get what sleep he could, thanking everyone for their help. One by one, the rest left too. The rec room emptied until only Hinata and Naruto remained. Hinata reached for the third book and cracked it open.

Naruto looked at how she stifled her yawn as she began reading to him from Fundamentals in Strategy, and blurted, "I'm sorry."

"Excuse me?" She looked up at him, a polite expression on her face.

She was so gentle, so forgiving of his inability to acknowledge her confession, Naruto thought. And that night at the party, he'd thought about Neji's words for a long time. "You're the best person I know, the best I've ever known," he said thickly.

She blushed to the very roots of her hair. "Oh…Naruto-kun…I'm not."

"Yes, you are. It makes what I did even worse, but…Hinata, you know you're important to me, right?"

She knew what was coming. She held the book tightly, eyes down, body tightening in defense.

"You're always going to have a special place in my heart. You were the second person to acknowledge me, and the only person to think I was worth anything long before I even did. I do have feelings you…just not like that. But it's more than friendship. Well, more than what I feel for my other friends. You were willing to die for me, and no matter what, I'm here for you. Always. So, thank you."

Why did he have to say it? Hinata thought as she gently closed the book. Why couldn't he have continued to ignore it, and thus allow her to save face? The whole village had witnessed the shame of her confession. Though he hadn't returned the words, he'd gone Kyuubi, and she'd been able to comfort herself with the delusion that this in itself was his response, the evidence of his feelings. She'd died a little at seeing him kiss Sasuke, and unlike Sakura, the death had not been quick or painless. But she'd still been all right. So long as nothing was ever addressed, she could keep her head high. She knew she'd never have him; all she wanted was to be able to hold on to her little dreams and delusions, hold them safe in her bruised heart where they didn't hurt anyone, and were frequently they were the only thing to keep her going in the face of Sasuke's knowing and forbidding animosity toward her.

But now he'd brought her shame out and held it to the harsh light of reality. He took away her secret fantasy that he could love her, and she felt horrible.

"I think you're as ready as you can be, all things considered," she said softly. She set the book aside, and calmly got to her feet.

Naruto watched her leave, and knew he should have left well enough alone. Why hadn't he? He hated hurting her more than he already had. Why couldn't he have kept his big mouth shut?

He reached for the third book and angrily flipped it open.

The Jounin exam took place over the course of three days. None failed of the rookie nine, though Naruto squeaked past the written by the skin of his teeth. Afterward, Sasuke and Naruto staggered back to The Society and collapsed on the nearest horizontal surface, deeply exhausted. There was no celebration.

After congratulating the new Jounin on their status a week later in her office, Tsunade did, however, ask Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke to remain. The rest of their friends said they'd catch up with them later.

"This regards the mission," Tsunade began. Kakashi popped into being beside her desk as if he'd been waiting for these words, and she went on. "You will begin tomorrow morning, and leave at first light. Sasuke, I understand you've drafted an itinerary of your intended places to begin searching?"

"Yes."

"Is there anything else you need?"

Sasuke thought for a moment. "My blade."

"You'll get it in the morning. Very well. Tomorrow is February 1st. I want Madara dead or alive by February 1st next year, or your life is forfeit. I'd hate to have to enforce them, but those are the terms you agreed to."

"Understood," Sasuke said.

Tsunade measured the certainty in his black eyes and gave a small nod. "Yes, well. I wish you every success, and not just to spare your life. You are all dismissed. Sleep well tonight. Oh, Naruto…" She reached into a drawer in her desk, and drew out a set of keys.

"My house keys," Naruto said as he caught them. "We can go back?"

"I think it's only fair that you sleep under your own roof before you go."

-oOo-

Kakashi stood with them outside the Hokage building. He and the boys watched Sakura run off, saying she had a ton of things to prepare before tomorrow morning. He then turned to Sasuke and Naruto and leveled them with a bland stare.

"Big day tomorrow," he said. "Makes me want to get as much rest as I can tonight. I think I'll sleep quite soundly." He gave Sasuke a pointed look before vanishing.

"Probably still show up late," Naruto chuckled.

Sasuke was silent on the walk home, thinking. Naruto didn't mind. He and Sasuke still weren't as close as they'd been in the forest, but they were a lot better than before. Now it really was like they were best friends. Friends with benefits, Naruto amended with a smile. Sometimes they were able to steal a moment alone and they would kiss. It was always hurried, little more than a peck, but it was something.

Just not what it was.

Moegi and a few of the girls were kind enough to bring the boys' things to Naruto's house. After telling Moegi that she'd be in charge while he was away, Naruto thanked them and shut the door with a sigh of relief. Sasuke reached over and locked it for good measure. They stood in the hall, looking at each other.

"We made Chuunin," Naruto said with some traces of shock.

"Yes."

"We made Jounin."

"Yes."

"The mission begins tomorrow."

Sasuke declined to comment this time. Apparently, Naruto was in a mood to state the obvious tonight.

"And we actually have space to ourselves for the first time since coming back to the village almost two months ago. My God, Sasuke, is all this real? Pinch me so I know it's real."

"Actually," Sasuke said as he walked up to where Naruto was leaning back against the front door. "I had something else in mind."

Naruto's dreamy gaze sharpened. His smile faltered a bit. "Oh?"

"Yeah."

"Huh."

Seeing the way Naruto looked down and to the side, Sasuke thought his heart would break in two at the hurt he'd caused him these past weeks. "I guess you weren't expecting that, hn?"

Naruto lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

"I guess you thought that we'd lost it," Sasuke went on. He kept his eyes on Naruto's lowered face. "That what we had in the forest was gone for good."

The blue eyes met his briefly, looked away. Guarded. So guarded now, where before they'd been open pools of love and happiness.

Sasuke felt sick at seeing how much damage he'd done, but took a step closer to Naruto anyway. "Look, it's my fault. I know that. I got here, and just let being back fuck with my head. I let shit get between us, I… I pushed you away."

"Yeah…well…you know I'm not going to force anything. I mean, if that's how you feel now…"

A memory of their first night in that farmhouse came to Sasuke then. Of Naruto saying he'd leave Sasuke first rather than watch him pull away. Of how scared Naruto was of giving in and being hurt. And he, Sasuke, had come here and done exactly what he'd said he wouldn't do. After telling Naruto he loved him, and swearing that he wasn't going anywhere, he'd let the first test their relationship had come up against just about tear them apart.

He had to purse his lips to hold it together, and swallow several times. "Naruto. Naruto, please?"

Naruto looked at him.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Sasuke's voice was getting thin as his control began slipping. "Kakashi said some things to me that opened my eyes. Basically, that our lives are what we make of them. That if shit is happening that we don't like then it's because we're letting it happen. I let a bunch of crap come between us, I guess, because I'd been expecting it to."

He'd thought they'd made things right the night of the party, when Naruto had begged Sasuke to tell him he loved him. It had taken him a long, long time to realize that something had happened to Naruto that night. That Naruto had completely put away the wildly passionate person from the forest and become this overly friendly, always smiling, outgoing person who kissed Sasuke, and laughed with him, and withstood the odd gay jokes from friends with him…that he was being Dumb Naruto. Sasuke didn't know if something had broken in Naruto that night, or if his feelings had really genuinely changed. He only knew that Naruto was playing dumb with him, and Naruto only did that when something hurt him.

And he had no idea how to fix it.

"I'm not perfect," Sasuke husked out. "I know that. I know how fucked up I am. If you tell me we're through, I'll-" fucking die. "I'll respect that. If all you want is to be friends I guess I can't blame you, but I…fuck it, I can't let you go."

It was the serious Naruto looking at him now, Sasuke realized with a jolt. Hands in his pockets, ankles crossed, head tipped to the side, those blue eyes stared at him seriously, and yes. They were swimming in hurt.

"Seems to me like you're saying this now, while we're here alone, but we're not always going to be alone, Sasuke. It's the village life for us now. Or, once we get back."

"I know."

"It's not fun being shut out."

"Yeah…and I'm s-"

"It's weird," Naruto spoke over him, not looking at him now, but towards the living room that was still wrecked. "Thought I'd rather die than have people find out about you and me. Turns out it wasn't so bad. People have a lot more important shit to worry about than who's fucking who."

As interesting as all this was, it didn't answer Sasuke's question. "If you're not comfortable with the idea of us being lovers anymore, or if I've messed things up beyond repair, tell me. I'll go. I won't want to, but I will if it's what you want." He waited, meeting Naruto's eyes. He waited and waited, until he realized Naruto wasn't going to answer him.

Sasuke dropped his head, then moved to step around him.

"Gimme a kiss."

Surprised, Sasuke stepped back to see Naruto's face, checking to see if he was serious. The blue eyes were too serious. Cautiously, Sasuke leaned in and pecked those closed, soft lips.

"Mmm, gimme another one."

A slow smile broke across Sasuke's face.

Even so, they were both aware that a lot had been lost. Whether or not it could be retrieved remained to be seen. Sasuke's head dipped and retreated several times, pressing quick, searching, butterfly kisses to Naruto's mouth. Naruto's face was lifted, eyes half closed. His hand came up to graze Sasuke's arm with his fingertips once, twice.

Naruto slowly grabbed Sasuke to him at the same moment that Sasuke stepped into him, and this time their lips stayed against each other. A slow opening of their mouths, as they warily let each other in again. A sigh left Naruto, disappearing into Sasuke as he sucked in that exhalation, and then it seemed the hard angles of their bodies softened and melted against each other. Their arms became tangled, roaming, hands gently questing over their clothing.

Dark. Seeking…seeking remembered skin, lost heat. The kiss deepened gradually. Hands settled at waists, paused there, before slowly riding up, taking tunics and jackets with them. Up and up, until the garments were pulled over their heads. Back down the hands went, skimming arms, as their mouths sought each other once more. That was all at first, only their mouths touching, heads leisurely slanting. Then, like furtive thieves in the night, their hands lifted to each other again, settling lightly wherever they fell.

Sasuke bent his knees and slowly grabbed Naruto's ass, lifting him up. Naruto's legs rose and came around his waist, supporting his own weight. Still kissing with steadily increasing pressure and urgency. They were moving, Sasuke was walking, and Naruto's arms were around the messy black head. Sasuke felt Naruto's burgeoning arousal against his stomach as he reached the bedroom. He stopped there, unwilling to put his burden down.

Their breathing roughened. The kiss changed. They realized that they weren't coming up for air, that it was hurting, and it was suddenly the most important thing in the world. Naruto's hands were fisted tightly in the dark tresses, hanging on, as Sasuke's arms locked around his waist hard.

-oOo-

They didn't remember falling onto the bed. It only registered when Sasuke found himself settling his body between Naruto's thighs, restraining Naruto's hands near is head on the pillows. Naruto tugged against the restraint, twisting to be free, and still they were kissing. Sometimes their mouths left each other as Sasuke nipped his jaw, his cheeks, kissed his eyes, kissing everywhere his lips could reach on that face.

Breathing hard. Panting. Sobbing. "Let me go!"

Sasuke released his hands, and Naruto reversed their positions.

There on the bed, a harsh, frantic rediscovery took place amidst the kisses. The skin was freed of clothing, until Sasuke clasped a naked, sweating Naruto to him, and Naruto clung to him in turn. "Shh. Sh."

Naruto gentled slowly, shaking hard. He buried his face against Sasuke's neck. Hid there.

Sasuke's callused hands moved up and down his back. Soothing him. Calming the tremors. Naruto lifted his face.

The kiss was better this time; Naruto wanted him. Sasuke gave back, apologizing again and again, as many times as it took, until Naruto finally rolled to his back, taking Sasuke with him. Surrendering. Forgiving. He welcomed Sasuke with gentle arms and softened eyes. Sasuke left a small kiss of gratitude at the hollow of that strong, tanned throat. Another.

-oOo-

Naruto let himself be pushed to his stomach and gave himself up to feeling that hot mouth trail heaven down the valley of his spine. Sasuke's lips were so incredibly soft. Sometimes those sharp teeth bit him and he would jerk, arching a bit on a low giggle. That mouth just kept moving lower and lower, until he felt Sasuke's sweaty hands part his ass and Naruto suddenly felt hot air on his hole. His eyes flew open in alarm. He reared up on a forearm, twisting to look behind himself. "What are you doing?" he whispered. Sasuke had never kissed him there.

Sasuke paused, looking up at him. "Seems like you should pay me before we go tomorrow." His voice was just as low.

"Wha-?"

"For topping." One dark brow lifted. "Did you forget?"

Yeah, he had actually. Naruto swallowed. "So rimming just means you kissing my ass hole?" He'd thought it would be something else entirely.

"Just relax. You'll see."

That smile was too sexy to resist. Naruto turned and laid his head on his forearms, wiggling his ass impertinently. Sasuke may have kissed his ass cheeks a time or two before, or bitten him there. The first time they'd fucked, back in the shack, he remembered Sasuke licking one cheek. He wondered what it would feel like to have his hole kissed, and almost laughed. Only Sasuke would think of kissing such a place, God.

A moment later Naruto exploded onto his hands, roaring in sudden, shocking pleasure. "Sasuke! You… Oh, fuuuuuck…" He wilted back to the pillow with this last groaned word. His hands clenched on the blanket, twisting the material in his fists.

Sasuke had to grin. This was what he'd wanted, to completely reduce Naruto a writhing, squealing mass of delight. He left off licking and closed his mouth over the pulsing pucker of flesh. He sucked hard, pushing Naruto's body back down when he bucked upward on a curse. He saw Naruto shove the blanket into his mouth and bite down, growling. He kept up the suction. Sometimes he shook his head gently back and forth, worrying the skin he was eating, and Naruto would weakly kick his legs. Then he reached behind him and buried a hand in Sasuke's hair, dragging his head inward on a ragged plea for more.

Naruto pounded a fist on the bed and bit the blanket until it tore in his teeth as he felt that tongue enter him. Sasuke was actually fucking him that way, he thought in disbelief. Holy fucking God, he's killing me… Pleasure abruptly coiled hot and heavy in his balls, tightening his belly, making him go stiff. He pressed his face into the pillow, fighting it, teeth clenched. Not yet, oh not yet. "Sasuke, I'm gonna-"

Sasuke pulled away and flipped him in time to sink Naruto's dick down his throat just as Naruto came with a loud yell. He swallowed greedily, sucking viciously until Naruto shoved him off with a bleat of pain. Sasuke rolled right back, and this time he was covering Naruto's body with his own, and entering him hard and fast.

-oOo-

They stopped. Stopped moving, stopped breathing. They just stayed that way awhile, lost in the feel of each other. Memories of the forest swamped them and they realized that they'd found it again, that thing they'd lost when they'd come back to the village. They began moving slowly, on a sigh of relief and gladness, and the soaring, climbing, hungry passion they'd thought was gone forever. It had never gone. It had just been waiting for them to come back to each other.

They loved for a long time in the dark.

In the heat of it, when movement, feelings, hearts and minds were at their hottest and highest peak between them, Naruto suddenly grasped Sasuke's face close to his and said clearly, "I love you. I love you. I love y-"

Sasuke's entire body lit up like an explosion. He thought his heart would just stop, it convulsed so hard. He crushed his mouth to Naruto's, taking the words he'd needed so badly into himself, and still Naruto kept repeating them, as if he couldn't stop. "I know," Sasuke whispered. "I know."

The next morning, Sasuke stood with Moose on his back. As Tsunade solemnly handed him his blade at the village gates, and asked him if he really thought he could bring Madara back, Sasuke looked behind him to where the rest of his team was standing. He only saw Naruto. Naruto, who gave one of his brilliant, carefree smiles just then. Naruto, who loved him.

I can do anything, he thought. As long as I have him.