A/N: This is an extension of what was supposed to be a one-shot. Now it's a two-shot and it will be no more than that. This is specifically for my dear ShikiRima4eva-doublesided for being probably my biggest fan. I really appreciate your support Shiki xD You are the shit! If you ever have any requests, don't be afraid to ask me! I'll write anything for you just because you've been so good to me :) I hope you enjoy it.

Warning: There is some bad language in this fic. There is also the mildest yaoi ever. Maybe they kiss. Maybe they don't. You'll have to find out, won't you? :)

SPOILER ALERT: If you aren't up to episode 86 in the anime or chapter 260 in the manga, don't read. I'm not sure if that information is actually perfectly right but it's the best guess that I have. To make it a bit easier, if you don't know what special skill Jiraiya and Naruto share, don't read this. You'll find out eventually. Of course, if you've read the previous part of Take Me Home, then you already know what other spoilers lay ahead.

Take Me Home (Part II)

Sasuke shifts and I hold my breath. Is he gonna wake up? I watch him intently for a few seconds until I deduce that he's not waking up. I sigh. I don't know if I'm happy about that or not. In truth, I don't know what the fuck I'll say to him when he does wake up. Fuck, I don't even know if he'll stay long enough for me to say anything. I kind of just took a gamble with him. He was passing out, so I scooped him up and ran.

Sure, it was a bit reckless. People will start missing me real soon. Sakura is probably already suspicious. She's kept a real close eye on me since that day so long ago when Sasuke… you know… left. I can't blame her. I have been a wreck. I've been chasing him all over the place, hoping to get an audience with him and… well… I don't know. What, convince him to come home? As if he could ever really do that. He's a missing-nin. He's wanted for a lot of crimes in a lot of different places. I chased him anyway though, convinced that I'd just know what to do when I finally caught up to him.

Word got to me that he was on a mission to destroy Konoha and I knew that I had to protect the village. More importantly though, I had to protect Sasuke. Even if he has grown, there's no way he could walk away alive. They would kill him and if they didn't, they would capture him and then kill him. I couldn't let that happen and I couldn't let him harm even one person in the village either, so I set up posts all around Konoha to watch for him. I've had shadow clones keeping an eye out for him. I've been at it for days. It's been tiring work, but it finally paid off when I caught Sasuke approaching.

I didn't have time for nerves. Before I knew it, we were intersecting in a clearing in the woods and, before I even had time to speak, he was attacking me. I defended myself at first, but I soon figured out that I'd really have to fight back, so I did. We were pretty evenly matched, except he was losing more blood than me. It's the kyuubi chakra that saved my ass, really. Otherwise, we both might have been passed out in that clearing right now, just waiting for Sakura to find us.

That would be bad. Sakura of all people can never find us. She once loved Sasuke, but that was a long time ago. Things have since changed. Sasuke has become such a villain to her and it's not because of all of the things that he's wanted for. It's because of something very different, something much more personal to her. It's because of me. Sakura and I grew close over time. It was inevitable. I eventually stopped chasing her tail when I had Sasuke to obsess over. Somewhere along the way, she and I became like brother and sister. I don't know when I realized it, but everything changed when I decided that I was… I was in love with Sasuke. Sakura was the one to point it out actually, and she was very scornful about it at first.

So there it is. I've been in love with Sasuke probably forever and… he's just been off leading his miserable life without me. That's why Sakura hates him. She hates him for hurting me. If she finds us, she'll show him no mercy, even if that means breaking my heart. Sakura would have Sasuke killed in an instant, just to protect me. Although, I think it has more to do with punishing him than protecting me. I know it is out of love though. It's not her fault that she hates him; it's his. In any case, Sakura cannot find us.

That would ruin everything but really, what is there to ruin? I have no plan. Fuck, I don't even know where we are. I just ran until I found some shabby cabin. We'll probably have to move when Sasuke wakes up. We might have to just keep on moving for the rest of our lives. We may never get to settle and… I don't know… relax. Hell, I'm talking like Sasuke will want to stay with me. Who do I think I am? We are talking about the guy who has wanted nothing to do with me for years now.

Sasuke shifts and I hold my breath again. He mumbles something incoherent and sighs. I release my breath. Still asleep. He looks so peaceful this way. He's smirking a little bit in his dreams too. It makes me forget the nerves. Fuck it if he doesn't want to stay, at least I got this time with him, right? At least while he's asleep, I can pretend that things are as I wanted them to be. I can't, and don't want to, fight the urge to brush a lock of hair out of his face. His cheeks redden when my fingers brush his skin and I find myself blushing too. I go a step further and run my fingers through his hair. He sighs again and turns his still sleeping face toward me. I swallow a huge lump in my throat. Oh my god. I really love him. He moans lightly and takes a shallow gasp before rolling onto his side. When he rolls, he grimaces and grunts in pain. I think that will be enough to wake him but it doesn't. He just settles onto his back again.

"Sasuke?" I whisper. He doesn't stir. "Sasuke, I want you to wake up," I say. Nothing. I think I prefer it this way though. Maybe I can just practice what I should say. "I want you to wake up and smile at me." Dead silence. "I want you to tell me that… that you love me too." It feels right to say those things but I know I'll just go blank when he really wakes up. "I want you to stay by my side." Silence. Woah. Wait. Scratch that. Fucking scratch that.

"Naruto," Sasuke mumbles, shifting slightly. I wait a long time, wondering if he's awake or not. I decide that he's definitely not awake. "Naruto," he repeats and my breath hitches. What is he dreaming about me? "Stay," he breathes and my heart skips a beat. Stay? Stay? What does that mean? I don't know, but I talk back anyway, like he can even hear me.

"I'm never leaving you, Sasuke," I whisper and he smiles. He fucking smiles. My heart stops. That's a smile that I haven't seen in… well… shit… I don't know how long! Even before he left, he wasn't happy like that. He hadn't laughed or smiled in ages. I imagine that he hasn't smiled much, if at all, since leaving either and yet, here he is, mumbling my name and smiling. I kind of feel like throwing up. His smile is just so… beautiful. I gently touch his face and I know I've done it now because his expression dulls and his eyes start to flutter. I remove my hand quickly and start to panic.

He's waking up! He's waking up! He's waking up! He's waking up! What do I do?! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! What do I do?! He's looking at me! He's looking at me! He's looking at me! What do I do?! OH MY FUCKING GOD! WHAT DO I DO?! My eyes must be shouting because he quirks a brow at me before speaking.

"Calm down," he says quietly. His voice is a little raspy. In my opinion, that just makes it sexier. Ugh! Why am I thinking that at a time like this? I'm so preoccupied that I forget to answer him. "Calm down," he repeats. I still don't answer. I can't read him. His face is emotionless and I bet mine is just speaking volumes. He grabs my hand that's resting idly on the bed and repeats himself yet again. "Calm down." My heart shoots off into space. I actually start breathing really hard and my vision starts swimming. Holy shit, I'm really fucking nervous. I'm really freaking out!

"I… I… I… I…" I begin stammering like a broken record, not even sure if there is an end to that sentence or even a second word.

"Calm down," he says again, stressing the words. I take a huge breath and release it with a giant puff. I try to take his advice, but it's hard. After a long time of me trying to breathe properly and him just watching me blankly, I get pretty much back to normal. "Where are we?" he asks. The combination if his intense eyes and his husky voice causes me to fluster again.

"I-I don't know," I say. "S-Somewhere in the woods, far away from anyone."

"Did you clean up your tracks?" he asks and I'm quiet for a minute as the question processes. Tracks. Clean. Shit! No! No, I didn't! My eyes must tell the story for me. "We have to go then," he says simply. "Quickly, before they find us."

"There's no guarantee that they're looking," I blurt out, but I know that it's a stupid statement. Sakura is definitely looking. She knows that I've been waiting for Sasuke. She'll have told the entire village and sent people out looking for us to make sure I'm alive and that Sasuke is dead. I sigh. "You're too weak to go," I try again. He tries to move and winces loudly. I grimace with him. "See?" I say softly. "It hurts."

"I'll get over it," he bites out, his eyes still clenched shut. I watch him slowly sit upright and grimace all the while. I feel like I can feel his pain. I wish he'd just lie down. He just needs to rest… but they are looking for us and I am the dumbass who didn't cover his tracks. This is my fault.

"Where will we even go?" I ask. He shrugs.

"Who fucking cares? Anywhere that people aren't," he says.

I look away. We both stay silent for a moment longer before I hand him his shirt, which he puts on slowly. I gather our things and hold my hand out to help him up. He takes it hesitantly and stands. I walk a few feet away and dare him to follow with my eyes. He tries valiantly but ends up staggering, so I'm at his side and catching him instantly, of course. He refuses to look at me though. I suspect he feels embarrassed and ashamed. I don't want to ridicule him, so I just hoist him up on my back and leave the cabin. I make a shadow clone to clean up after me and start running. Where? I don't know. I just run and hope that I'm not hurting Sasuke too much.

I walk over to the bed and hand Sasuke a steaming bowl of soup. He sits up slowly and takes it, setting it in his lap. I eat my own soup across the cabin at the table. We've been here for two days. This is our fourth stop. We've just been finding random places to crash for a few days at a time while Sasuke heals. Once he's better then… well… I don't know. He doesn't look at me often. He sleeps most of the time. I've stopped trying to make small talk and that's pretty much eliminated the need for me to give him that epic speech I was so worried about coming up with. I sometimes catch him staring in my general direction, but I have no idea if that actually has anything to do with me. He often smiles in his sleep and only in his sleep.

I sigh as I eat my soup. I hate this. I hate it so much. This isn't what I wanted. I wanted something different. I guess I wanted a fucking fairytale and I was stupid for that. Did I actually think that I'd get it? Did I actually think that we could just be together, like nothing had ever happened? What a fucking joke! I'm such a fucking idiot! I get so angry at myself that I accidentally knock my bowl onto the ground. It breaks with a loud crash and Sasuke startles. He looks over at me but I'm too busy being infuriated to really take notice of that. Why can't Sasuke just love me? Why can't Sasuke just… just… I don't know! Just fucking talk to me!

"Naruto?" Sasuke says and I whip my head up to look at him. Did I say that out loud? He just stares at me and I look at him expectantly. What Sasuke? What is it? What do you want? Tell me! Tell me! Talk to me! I get a bit excited as I swear that I see something positive flashing through his eyes. "I'm thirsty," he says flatly. I stare at him for a long time before moving. I throw a canteen at him and leave the cabin. I need some fucking air.

Sasuke and I barely speak at all now. He asks me for shit and I just give it to him. He can move around better now. It has been a month. He looks at me even less, if that's fucking possible. I'm watching him sit out in a clearing as he peacefully watches the clouds. We've been here for two days now. This is our tenth stop. We spend about two to four days at each place, depending on how eager he is to move on. He makes all those decisions.

I'm sure of it now; I'm just Sasuke's ticket to freedom. He's just using me because he knows I'll keep him safe. Once he's able, he'll fucking leave me again. He'll run away and probably go destroy Konoha for his stupid fucking revenge. I growl to myself. Fuck Sasuke! Why do I even love him?! I should fucking kill him! I should just… I should leave him here! I won't though. I know I won't. He's right. I will protect him. I will take care of him until he's healthy enough to run away and leave me all alone. I sigh heavily and I see his head move an inch to catch a glimpse of me over his shoulder. I roll my eyes and turn to walk away.

I take a long walk through the trees. What kind of life have I gotten myself into? What will I do once Sasuke leaves? I can't just go home and say that I ran away with him for a few months but now I'm back, so it's okay. Sakura will fight it for sure, but I could very well be a missing-nin by now, too. They have no idea what happened to me. All they know is that Sasuke and I fought in the clearing, we both spilled blood, then I ran to that cabin, and we both disappeared. It looks like I'm working with him now. Well, I am… but that's not the point. The point is that I've just ruined my life for that bastard. I give a tree a good dose of rasengan. I've risked everything for that asshole and he's just using me. I offer another tree a taste of my anger. I've loved him relentlessly for years and for what? Nothing! I put another hole through another tree.

I feel like killing something but, instead, I just sit down and have a good cry. The despair is stifling. As angry as I am at Sasuke, I'm sadder than anything. I deluded myself into some stupid fantasy that we could never actually share and now I have to face the facts that it's all impossible. I just… I just want to be with him. Why is that too much to ask for?

I've got a tighter grip on my emotions now. Sasuke talks to me, but only in short bursts. It's been three months now and Sasuke is a lot better, though he still has some pains. We walk at a slow pace now, instead of me carrying him. We've built our own shelter this time. Correction, I built Sasuke a shelter. I don't sleep in there with him. I sleep by the fire, and he doesn't seem to give a fuck. I try to pretend that he's not going to leave me but I also won't let myself believe that he's going to stay. I just try to focus on the here and now. I don't think I've felt that giddy joy of being around Sasuke in about two months now. That's all been lost. I'm not even sure that I love him anymore.

Well… that's a lie. I do love him. I love him a lot. I just hate him too. Well, I don't hate him. I understand him, so that makes it hard to hate him. He's had a hard life, not that I haven't had a hard one too, but that's not the point. The point is that he's had it rough and he's just trying to find some peace. He's lost. He's confused. He's angry. If I was him, would I honestly have done things any differently? If I was him and he was me and I had known that someone like him loved me, then yes, I would have done things a whole lot differently… but I'm not Sasuke and Sasuke isn't me.

Sasuke doesn't even know how I feel, so I can't blame him, can I? He left without understanding how much I needed him. Perhaps, if he had known back then, he would have stayed. That Sasuke definitely would have stayed. That Sasuke wasn't hardened and calloused by the miserable things that this Sasuke has faced, but this Sasuke is the Sasuke that I'm stuck with now. So I find it hard to be truly resentful of him. He's just playing the cards that he's been dealt. Is it his fault he was served such a life? No.

I only wish that I could have saved him. I wish that I could have stopped him from ever having been forced down this wretched path. I could save him now, if he'd let me, but he won't. He'll never love me back, at least, not in the way that I love him. He doesn't even know that my love goes further than a brotherly love. I never explained that to him, and I don't think that I ever will. I think I'll just let him go in peace, if it'll make him happy.

I vacantly wonder what he dreams about at night that's always causing him to smile. Whatever that is, I'd like to know so I could give it to him. Then, he could be happy.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asks softly as we're sitting by a fire that he built.

He's almost completely healed now. It's been seven months. He's been a lot more comfortable around me for the past few months and he's not opposed to looking at or talking to me anymore. It means nothing to me though. I know he should be leaving me any day now. He's been capable of leaving for a couple of months now. I think he's just dragging it out for some stupid reason. Maybe he's just torturing me. Like I said, it's some stupid reason that I don't know.

Lately, however, he's been… nice. He's been smirking at me openly. He's been talking to me softly. He almost always whispers to me, instead of talking normally. He's even told a few jokes that I've laughed at, even if I didn't want to. I don't want to feel happy in his company because I know it's not mine to keep. I feel so conflicted though. I've wanted to leave him so many times, to just disappear in the middle of the night, to save myself the pain of being abandoned. I've tried over and over again, but I always look at his smiling face in his slumber and I can't move. So, I stay. I allow a long moment to pass before I answer Sasuke.

"Yes?" I finally say, staring into the flames, and he shifts a little closer to me. I pay that no mind.

"Where do you want to go?" he asks. I shrug.

"I don't know," I say dispassionately.

"Sure you do," he urges. "Where?" I look at him with a raised brow.

"Why?" I ask skeptically. What is he getting at?

"So I can take you," he says, smiling at me. My brow rises a great deal higher. He's smiling at me while he's conscious. What the fuck? "I'm better now, so we can go anywhere. We don't have to keep hiding in the shadows, since I can take better care of myself." I look back into the flames and snort.

"Whatever," I grumble. I don't really want to hear what he's saying. It's not real. His kindness… his warmth… it isn't real.

"What?" he asks softly, touching my arm. The action angers me to no end.

What the fuck is he doing? After all of this time, he's being… sweet! What the fuck?! Why is he doing this to me? If he's going to leave, then he needs to leave! He is going to leave, right? Of course! Right? This game is stupid. It's sick and fucked up! He needs to fucking fuck off and just get this over with! He has been using me, hasn't he? He… he has… right? Right? I shake my head vigorously and stand to go for a walk and clear my mind. I'm getting too worked up over this little mind game he's playing. What, is he trying to confuse me before he disappears? I honestly hope that he's gone when I get back. He grabs my elbow firmly though to keep me from leaving, and he stands too.

"Let me go," I demand.

"Why?" he argues. I sneer and wrench my elbow from his grip. I start walking away but he follows. "Wait!" he demands. I keep walking briskly. "Wait!"

"NO!" I scream, whirling around to face him and fighting the urge to punch him. "I will NOT wait, Sasuke! I'm tired of fucking waiting!" He stares at me with wide eyes before I go on emotionally. "I've been waiting for years! I waited when you left, waited for you to come back to me! I waited and waited and waited… but you never came! I had to chase you down and even then, you didn't want to come! I had to knock you out and drag you!" He looks defiant but I don't give him the chance to voice any of his opinions. "I've been waiting for months now, too! I've been waiting for you to just leave already or else…" I trail off, unwilling to say the rest. It's just too painful to say out loud.

"Or else what?" he asks quickly, looking ridiculously eager to hear me finish. I shake my head no. "Or else what?" he repeats urgently, as if the unspoken words are his life source. I find that really strange, but I still don't want to tell him. "Please," he very nearly begs and I grit my teeth. God! Fuck him for looking so… needy! I have the urge to hug him or something and make that look of concern disappear. It pisses me the fuck off, so I just answer him out of anger for the way that he's making me feel.

"Leave or just fucking love me back already!" I shout. I look pointedly at the ground as I begin to cry. Fuck me for being such a whimp. I'm too emotional and he's too… not. Despite his oddly reactive state right now, he'd never cry like this. I am though. I'm crying like a baby! "If you… If you're never gonna love me," I choke out, "then please just leave me alone. I took care of you. I fixed you. I protected you. You're safe. You're healthy. Now just go."

"Just wait a second," he says and I shake my head no.

"I'm turning and I'm walking away," I say, looking up at him through bleary eyes. "What you do is solely up to you, but if you walk after me, you'd better never turn your back on me again; and if you talk to me, you'd better mean every fucking word you say; and if you kiss me, you'd better taste it like it's the fucking air you breathe. Or else… Or else just go the fuck away!" I turn abruptly and begin walking away. I pick up the pace gradually until I'm sprinting wildly.

I run for what seems like miles, blundering through thick forestry and earning myself cuts and bruises all over my body, but I don't care. My eyes are so clouded with tears and my heart is so heavy with misery that I could die right now and not even care. I finally stop running when my lungs are in a full uproar and my mind is threatening to black out. I slow to a halt and fall straight to my knees. I don't have any breath left to cry, but I sob anyway and bury my face in my hands. I don't know how long I sit like that before I feel a hand on my shoulder. I don't even care. Whoever it is can kill me. I don't care.

"I…" the person begins and I sob even harder because it's Sasuke. He… He followed me. "I…" he starts again before he's interrupted by his own panting. "It's… my… turn… to… chase… you… Na… ru… to…" he says slowly, panting heavily between each syllable. I cry harder. "I… won't… leave… I… I'll… s-stay…" he says and falls to his knees beside me. The words are hard to accept. Does he mean them? Eventually, the sobbing slows until I'm not crying at all anymore. I finally peer up at him through my fingers once my breathing has leveled out. His breath has returned to him too. "I want to stay," he assures, as if he's just been waiting for me to give in so that he could tell me again. I purse my lips and wrinkle my nose.

"Liar," I say simply and he snorts. I look away but he grabs my chin and forces me to look at him.

"I've been praying that you wouldn't come to your senses about how fucking stupid this all is and leave me," he says. I'm about to protest but he charges on. "I've been hoping selfishly that you would stay with me. After it seemed like you weren't leaving, I found it easier to indulge in you again. It's been seven months and you're still at my side, so… so I thought it was time I stop doubting you and start believing in… us." His eyes start to sparkle and I'm entranced. "I thought it was time that things change, Naruto, because I do love you and I do not want to go anywhere without you."

He stares me down for a long moment, searching me for any sign of a response. He won't get it though, because I'm frozen. I'm absolutely shocked. Were those truly the words that I've been waiting to hear for years? Did he really just say that to me? Is he truly going to stay? Can this really be happening? I can't do anything but stare. After a while, his gaze grows panicked and I force myself out of my stupor. An instant grin stretches across my face and I find that it's met with that same smile Sasuke has been sporting in his sleep. My heart flutters. Maybe this is what Sasuke has been dreaming about. Maybe we've really shared the same dream all of this time and just never known. That doesn't matter now though. What matters is where we go from here… and I want to go to anywhere that Sasuke is.

Right now, however, Sasuke is a good six inches or so away from me. That just won't do. I tear my gaze from his captivating eyes and lock my own sights on my destination. I instinctively lick my lips. Sasuke parts his just slightly in response and I feel my eyes drooping heavily as my body starts to travel. Sasuke must have begun moving too, because it only takes about half of a second before our bodies meet. Hands fly to hair and grip shirts; chests press against each other; and lips mold together. All the while, my brain explodes from a mix between euphoria and blissful fucking ecstasy. We part after what feels like an eternity and I instantly miss the warmth of his lips. He rests his forehead against mine.

"You've taken me home, Naruto," he says softly and I fight the urge to cry again.

It's just a simple statement, but it's everything. It's what I've been so desperate to do for years now. It's Sasuke's way of telling me that I don't have to struggle anymore. It's his way of assuring me that I've finally caught up and I don't have to watch his back retreating any longer. Now we can stand side by side, hand in hand. We've both been searching our entire lives for our purpose, but the search is over. We've both found a place to belong and as long as we stay together, that home will follow us wherever we go. We stand and I hug him for the first time in… I don't want to think about how long, and I don't feel like I can ever let him go again.