Prologue

He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it. The girl who had fought so hard for a mere glance was gone, struck down in combat by a well-aimed kunai to the throat. Uchiha Sasuke knelt by his fallen comrade, brushing aside a curtain of pink hair, and placed a soft kiss upon her still-warm lips.
"Sakura-chan." he murmured softly as he shut her eyes to the world.

Sasuke remained by Sakura's side for about an hour, thinking about how she fought for his affections, and he never returned them. 'She's gone, she's gone, she's gone,' his mind chanted over and over, flashing images of her when she laughed, when she cried, when she beat Naruto over the head for something stupid, and most of all when she made lovey eyes at him. Suddenly a hand lighted on his shoulder. It was Kakashi.
"We're leaving now. Others from the village will take care of her body." Kakashi said solemnly. Sasuke said nothing as he rose, turning away from her body. 'Even the dobe is quiet,' he thought to himself, 'He really cared about her, but she did to him what I did to her. Ignored him.' These words left the taste of bile in his mouth, making him want to vomit. He resisted the urge and continued walking back to Konoha with a heavy heart.

As the remaining members of Team 7 re-entered Konoha, a bell tolled once, signifying to the village that one ninja was lost. Sasuke winced at the sound, remembering the day Itachi destroyed his life.

Sasuke returned from a day of lessons at the Academy, finding the house unusually quiet and dark. "Mother? Father?" he called into the darkness, a young boy of seven. He trudged up the stairs, feeling slightly concerned with each step. He headed toward his room, noticing that something was amiss; the door to his parents' room was ajar. He pushed it open, eyes wide with horror at what he saw. His parents were dead, blood seeping into the tatami mats beneath them. It was there he saw a note on the wall across the room. He walked slowly, avoiding the tainted tatami mats, at grabbed the note. He scanned it over, hands shaking at the name signed at the bottom.
"Itachi," he whispered to the silent room, tears falling down his cheeks.

"Sasuke! Look out!" Naruto shouted, snapping him from a memory. He had nearly walked into a cart piled with citrus fruits.
"Watch where yer goin'!" the owner growled.
"Gomen," Sasuke said quietly as he continued heading for home, Naruto at his heels.
"Quit following me, dobe," Sasuke growled with no feeling behind it.
"We live on the same road, remember?" Naruto said angrily. Sasuke plodded forward, eyes focused on the mansion far down the road and the development even farther away.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Naruto asked angrily. Sasuke whipped around, piercing Naruto with a deadly glare. Naruto proceeded to badger him, ignoring the daggers nearly shooting from Sasuke's ebony eyes.
"Leave me alone, Naruto." Sasuke replied in a venomous voice.
"I know Sakura was just killed, but it's not like you had feelings for her! You ignored her!" Naruto said, nearly shouting at him. That was the last straw for Sasuke, who drew a kunai and held it to Naruto's throat.
"I. Said. Leave. Me. Alone." Sasuke whispered into Naruto's ear, pushing him forward and releasing him. Naruto had a frightened look in his eyes, backing away from Sasuke, who returned the kunai to his holster and continued walking.
"Sasuke.." Naruto said softly, sadness saturating his voice.
"Hn?" Sasuke asked none to kindly as he looked back at the younger shinobi. Naruto ran forward, locking him into a tight hug, sobbing.
"Sakura-chan's gone. She's really gone." he managed to say between sobs. Sasuke gently put his arms around the younger boy, his muscular frame shaking, unsure of what to do or say. Naruto cried on Sasuke for several minutes until he regained enough composure to walk forward. Sasuke still had his arm draped around Naruto's shoulder, trying to support his comrade when all he wanted to do himself was collapse into tears. He remained stiff, if not emotionless as they walked. They reached the Uchiha mansion, Sasuke turning down the walk to his front door when Naruto said suddenly, "Don't leave me, Sasuke. Don't leave me alone." Fresh tears sprang into his eyes, and Sasuke sighed inwardly.
"Come on, dobe, but just this once." Sasuke said, defeated. He let the younger shinobi into his home, hoping his company would make some of the pain recede.

He led Naruto into the kitchen, and began preparing some hot tea to calm himself and the boy.
"I only have Earl Grey. Is that ok?" he asked, looking to Naruto, who barely managed a nod. He set some hot water to boil and took two mugs from a cupboard and placed a teabag in each. While the water was heating, Sasuke made a small plate of crackers, cheese, and some pepperoni. He placed this in the center of the table and sat opposite of Naruto. The silence was only broken by his sporadic hitching and the kettle whistling, announcing with a scream that the water was done. Sasuke rose, pouring water into each mug and carried it to the table, setting one in front of Naruto.
"Thank you, Sasuke." he mumbled, head still bent.
Sasuke allowed his tea to steep for several silent minutes, watching Naruto with great intensity. 'He's never this quiet.' Sasuke thought to himself. Almost as if Naruto had heard this, he looked up and stared into Sasuke's dark eyes, his own devoid of their usual cheer. Naruto removed the teabag from his mug, squeezing the last bits of water from it. Sasuke did the same to his own and took a sip, feeling some of the tension in his head slip away.
"Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" Naruto asked with a hint of suspicion. Sasuke fixed him with another if-looks-could-kill-you'd-be-dead glare.
"Because, baka, you asked me not to leave you alone, so I didn't," he replied. 'I probably should've left him on my doorstep.' Sasuke thought bitterly. Naruto brushed off the death glare and insult, taking his words at face value. 'What the hell is he up to? First he tries to kill me, then he invites me into his house, then gives me food and drink! I don't get him!' Naruto took a small sip of his tea, finding it rather tasty and soothing, and tossed his previous thought aside. 'Maybe he really does care.'

Sasuke shot the thinking Naruto with a softer glance than usual, feeling rather sorry for himself and for Naruto. Sasuke blinked back tears as his dead father's voice resonated in his head.

"A real shinobi doesn't cry or show excessive emotion, Sasuke."

"Sasuke?" Naruto fixed him with a queer glance. Sasuke snapped back to reality and averted his eyes.
"What, dobe?" he replied with a characteristic scowl forming across his face.
"Why were you staring at me?" Naruto cocked his head to the side.
"I was thinking, that's all." Sasuke replied quickly, eyes still on the floor. Naruto gave him another strange look, then turned back to his tea, taking another sip. Sasuke returned his gaze to the table, picking up a cracker and some cheese and nibbling on it. They were silent for almost a half hour until Naruto spoke up.
"Sasuke, if it's not too much trouble.." Naruto started. Sasuke grumbled inwardly.
"What?" he said with a scowl.
"Could I stay with you tonight?" he asked, his imploring eyes locked with Sasuke's. Sasuke's eyes widened with suprise, unsure of how to respond.
"Please?" the younger shinobi nearly pouted. Under normal circumstances, he would've glared and refused, but these weren't normal circumstances. The tips of Sasuke's ears reddened.
"Umm, su, sure." Sasuke stammered. 'Why did I stammer? Uchiha Sasuke does not stammer!' he chastised himself. Naruto looked at him, utterly relieved to hear his answer.
"Just don't try anything funny." Sasuke regained his composure and glared.
"I won't!" Naruto replied angrily, fixing him with that peculiar gaze again. 'That was odd..' he thought, cocking his head to the side. Sasuke stood up and collected the empty mugs and the almost untouched plate of snacks and set them on the counter by the sink. It was nearing eight, and the sky was darkening rapidly.
"If you're staying over, we'd better get some fresh clothes for you." Sasuke said, shocked at his own words. 'I said 'we'd'! Where'd that come from?!' he thought frantically.
"Let's go, then." Naruto said, almost as shocked as Sasuke was. 'At least he interpreted it correctly.' Sasuke sighed to himself in relief. The boys left for Naruto's apartment, both knowing that things between them would never be the same again.

Naruto and Sasuke walked in silence to Naruto's tiny apartment. Sasuke stood at the door while Naruto hurriedly gathered his things. When Naruto returned with a small bag of clothes, the duo headed back just as it began to rain. 'Perfect,' both boys said in their heads, for different reasons. They arrived a few minutes later, still silent and both rather damp.
"Come on, dobe. If you're staying over, you're helping me." Sasuke said quietly.
"Fine," Naruto said, following Sasuke up a large flight of stairs. They walked past several rooms, all labeled with the resident's name on the doorframe. Naruto gazed around, seeing name after name until one door had its name laboriously scraped off. The paint had taken up some of the color, leaving behind a light mark of each character. The characters spelled "Itachi".

"Are you coming or what?" Sasuke said, slightly irritated. Naruto snapped out of his odd fixation with the doorframe and headed into Sasuke's large room.

He gazed around the sparsely furnished room, not utterly shocked that it was where Sasuke slept. There was a desk with papers neatly stacked and held down with an old kunai as a paperweight, a couple of comfortable-looking chairs, three windows, and a raised futon rather than a bed.
He noticed that Sasuke had left the room.
"Sasuke?" No answer. Then, a large roll with legs came into the room.
"Help me, damn it!" Sasuke cursed into the futon. Naruto quickly grabbed the futon and unrolled it on the floor, parallel to Sasuke's. He then left again and returned with a set of deep blue sheets, a blanket, and a pillow.
"Fix them to your liking. I'll be downstairs." Sasuke said coldly and turned for the door, leaving Naruto alone. 'He could at least be a little kinder. I am his guest.' Naruto thought bitterly, but remembered that he had placed this burden on Sasuke's shoulders. He prepared his mattress and pillowcase, making sure there were no wrinkles in the bedding as he lay it down. He finished making the bed and wandered back down the dark hallway, stopping at the door he had been looking at previously. 'Who is this "Itachi" person anyway?' he thought to himself, pushing open the door and stepping onto the tatami mats. 'Curiosity killed the cat..' he thought with a touch of glee as he poked around Itachi's room.

The shades had been drawn, leaving the room pitch-black. Naruto felt for a light switch and flicked it on, seeing a room decorated similarly to Sasuke's. He looked on a matching desk, seeing a photograph of a younger version of Sasuke and someone who looked like his brother. 'Is Itachi Sasuke's brother?' He left the room and shut off the light, leaving it exactly as he had found it. He returned downstairs quietly, going into the kitchen to see where Sasuke was. He was standing at the stove, cooking something when he let out a cry of pain.
"Damn it!" he yelled in suprise and pain, looking at his fingertip. He stared at it for a moment before going to the sink and pouring cool water over it, completely unaware of Naruto's prescence. He returned to the food when the pain had receded, mumbling to himself. Naruto quickly darted out of the kitchen and lighted on a couch in the living room. 'Who is this Itachi person? Why haven't I ever heard of him? Is he Sasuke's brother?' were questions that coursed through Naruto's mind.
"Naruto?" Sasuke called from the kitchen. Naruto ran to the kitchen.
"What, Sasuke?"
"Dinner's ready." he replied, bringing two steaming bowls of homeade ramen to the table. Naruto looked at the ramen happily, ready to dive in at any moment.
"Thank you, Sasuke! You're the best!" Naruto cried happily.
"Whatever, dobe." Sasuke replied nonchalantly. They sat down to eat, facing each other, the silence only broken by Naruto's noisy eating of the ramen. Sasuke glared into his own bowl, eating it quietly. Meals were always silent for the two boys. They were both alone, and now even more alone without Sakura as their teammate.

His silence was maddening. He wasn't used to hearing nothing coming from the blonde, other than the sounds of ramen being eaten. He finished his bowl and promptly went to the sink and washed it out. 'I'll probably have to take care of Naruto's,' Sasuke thought sullenly, 'He may be 14, but he still acts like a child.'
"Sasuke, could I have another bowl? You make ramen almost as good as Ichiraku's!" Naruto said excitedly. Sasuke was somewhat pleased to hear this, but replied calmly, "Sure. There's only enough for one more bowl." He brought the pan over to the table and poured the remaining ramen into Naruto's empty bowl.
"Thank you, Sasuke."
"Whatever, dobe." Naruto began eating noisily again. Sasuke slipped out of the room and went upstairs to change. He removed his battle-soiled clothing and tossed it to the floor roughly. 'Sakura's blood is on them,' he thought as he tossed each article to the floor. He stood nude for a moment before going into his dresser and putting on a fresh pair of boxers and a pair of black sweatpants with loose ankles. He then removed his forehead protector and placed it on the desk near the kunai-turned-paperweight. Sasuke sighed, 'If only I could've saved her. If only I hadn't been fighting another lightning-nin, maybe she'd be alive right now.' He picked up his discarded clothes and carried them downstairs.
"Naruto, come with me."

Naruto had been digesting his ramen, smiling. 'Damn, Sasuke's a good cook. Maybe I should come over more often!' He rubbed his sated stomach, relaxing.
"Naruto, come with me." Sasuke said suddenly. He looked around and saw the Uchiha in nothing but a pair of black pants. He quickly looked away.
"Alright, hang on." Naruto said. Sasuke led him behind the mansion to a small blackened hole in the earth.
"Why are we here?" Naruto asked softly. Sasuke ignored him. He tossed the clothes he had been holding into the pit and tossed some liquid on top of the clothes.
"Goodbye, Sakura." Sasuke mumbled.

Naruto was fidgeting around as he struck a match and tossed it onto the clothes, watching them burn. Sasuke wore a pained expression as he watched his clothing burn, and Sakura's blood float to the heavens in smoke. A small scrap of cloth caught an updraft and floated down at Sasuke's bare feet. He picked it up and tossed it back into the fire. Several minutes later, the flames had died down and all that was left of his clothing were ashes.
"Let's go back inside, Naruto." Sasuke muttered quietly as he turned for the enormous house. 'Goodbye Sakura. Rest in peace, my teammate.'

'What was all that for?' Naruto wondered to himself. He followed Sasuke back into the house, feeling rather empty. 'Sasuke's been acting oddly today. Spacing out, going nuts at me more than usual, and he was way too quiet to be normal. He's probably taking Sakura's death hard, but I don't understand it. He didn't even like her! He just accepted her as his teammate, although it took him a while.' Naruto went into the living room and sat on the couch he had been on before, feeling rather sleepy. He glanced at the clock, noting that it was 10:15. 'I should probably go up to his room. I'm so exausted.' Naruto thought dully as he got up and headed for the stairs, seeing the kitchen dark. "He's probably upstairs.." he mumbled to himself, trailing off into silence. He reached Sasuke's room, finding it also dark. He took his bag of clothes and went into the bathroom, changing into his blue pajamas, and returning to the room. Sasuke's pale frame was highlighted in the moonlight, making him glow.
"Goodnight, Sasuke." Naruto mumbled as he drifted off into the abyss of sleep.

Naruto suddenly awoke from a dreamless sleep for a reason he couldn't quite place. As he gazed around his unfamiliar surroundings, he realized why he had woken up.
"Sasuke.." he muttered. The pale boy's frame was shuddering with quiet sobs. Naruto crawled over to the other boy's futon, placing a hand on the older boy's shoulder. Sasuke turned over, afraid of the touch on his shoulder.
"Sasuke," Naruto asked softly, "why are you crying?"
Sasuke was mortified, having his rival see him cry.
"Get away from me, Naruto," he said as roughly as possible, failing miserably.
"I won't." Naruto said softly, gazing into his dark eyes with determination. "Why are you crying?" he asked again, knowing exactly why.
"Naruto.." he said softly before trailing off into sobs.
"I'm here for you, Sasuke. Don't be afraid to let it out. I'm not telling anyone." Naruto rubbed the older teen's back, sitting on his futon now. Sasuke looked to him, tears still running down his face, unsure of what to think. 'Is this really the Naruto I know?' he pondered.
"She's really gone, Naruto. Sakura's gone. She was always so kind to me, even when I ignored her." Sasuke managed to say, still crying. Naruto moved closer to Sasuke, embracing him and whispering soothing words into his ear until he calmed down a bit.
"I'm here for you, Sasuke." Naruto whispered into his ear as the sobs turned to occasional hiccups. Sasuke could hardly believe his ears.
"Thank you, Naruto." he said in disbelief.

"Everything will be OK." Naruto said somewhat cheerfully. 'Will it?' Sasuke asked himself, unsure of his future.

Kakashi sighed. 'Another day. I hope Naruto and Sasuke are alright.' He climbed out of bed and opened the blinds revealing a dark grey sky that threatened to burst into rain at any moment. He scratched his head and yawned, heading over to the kitchenette to start some breakfast for himself, glancing at the clock. 'It's a good thing I told the boys not to come today or for the rest of the week. It's already 10:30.' He prepared a cup of coffee and some eggs for himself, settling at the small table near the window and gazing into the dismal sky. 'At least the weather matches my mood.'

It was the middle of the morning. The team had just run into 3 lightning-nin, and were forced to battle them. Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi fought off the lightning squad, taking one shinobi on at a time. Kakashi had the leader, and Naruto and Sasuke were taking out the other two. Sasuke performed some excellent jutsus, while Naruto beat on the other as best as he could. Sakura stayed off to the side, her skills not being useful to them at the time. Her prowess in the medical field was astonishing, but not helpful to people who weren't injured. Their leader, sensing she was the weakest link, tossed a kunai in her direction.
"You missed," Kakashi smirked as he held a kunai to his throat.
"No I didn't." the ninja chuckled, forcing Kakashi to slash his throat. He turned around to see Sakura drop to her knees, eyes wide in shock, the kunai in her throat. She hadn't seen it coming, and the boys were too busy defending their own lives to protect her adequately. The other shinobi, seeing their leader dead, fled into the forest.
"That was some good fighting, eh, Sakura-chan?" Naruto turned to see Sakura dead on the ground.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto screamed, Kakashi holding him back. Sasuke kneeled beside her body and pushed her hair aside, muttering something before kissing her lips and shutting her eyes. He stayed there for a long time before Kakashi woke him from his stupor and led them back to the village.

"Sakura's gone," he mumbled into his cool coffee. He pushed his barely-touched plate of eggs aside and stared out the window. It had begun to rain.

Sasuke woke up and blinked several times, clearing the sleep from his eyes. He looked beside him and saw Naruto, still sleeping, next to him. His arms were locked around Sasuke, and he gently nudged them off as he got up and went downstairs.
Sasuke glared into the refrigerator, finding nothing suitable to prepare for breakfast.
"Damn, what happened to me last night?" he mumbled aloud into the silent kitchen. He felt much better than he had the day before. 'Maybe it's because I talked to Naruto.' he thought idly. Almost as if he had heard the thought, Naruto came crashing down the stairs, cheerful as ever.
"Hey Sasuke, what's for breakfast?" Naruto said with a grin as he bounced into the kitchen. Sasuke cracked a small grin.
"There's some cereal in the cupboard over there. I'm not really hungry." Sasuke said warmly. Naruto looked at him like he had four heads. 'What the hell is up with him today?! Now he's all cheerful! I've never seen him smile, let alone see him in a good mood. There's gotta be something wrong with him!'
"KYAAA!" Naruto lunged at Sasuke, knocking him to the floor.
"What the hell are you doing, teme?!" Sasuke cried in suprise and rage. Naruto bared a cheeky grin.
"Get off me!" Sasuke roared, pushing Naruto off him. He glared at Naruto, who grinned like a maniac, laughing. Suddenly, he found himself laughing as well. 'I'm laughing? I'm really laughing?' Sasuke asked himelf as he chuckled. 'Did Naruto slip something into me last night? Whatever it is, it feels great.' Sasuke was cheerful, and it was all that mattered to him at that moment.

"Sasuke, are you sick?" Naruto asked, another queer look spreading across his face. 'Man, is he going nuts!'
"No, why?" Sasuke pierced him with an icy look.
"No, nothing, Sasuke!" Naruto chuckled weakly, scratching the back of his head. 'He has such a nice laugh too. I wish he'd do that more often.' Sasuke turned away from him and grabbed a bowl and the cereal from the cupboard, and a spoon from the drawer.
"Here. I'll get some milk." Sasuke grumbled. 'He always manages to spoil my mood, even if he caused it in the first place! I can't remember the last time I laughed and meant it!' That was a lie, of course. He remembered the last time he laughed. He was with Itachi, training in the back yard.

"Nii-san! Nii-san! Show me that trick you do with your eyes!" Sasuke yelled happily after sucessfully learning a new jutsu. Itachi flashed the Sharingan to him, only two tomoe in each eye. Sasuke laughed at how odd his older brother looked with red eyes. Itachi laughed too, two brothers bonding.

"Earth to Sasuke! Hello!?" Naruto stood inches from Sasuke's face, staring at him. Sasuke flinched automatically, seeing Naruto's face in his made him recoil. Sasuke then hit Naruto, sending him sprawling and sliding on the floor. He winced inwardly as he heard Naruto's head thud against the wall.
"Owww! Sasuke, you teme! That hurt! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Naruto rubbed the back of his throbbing head.
"Shut up, baka. You shouldn't have been right there." Sasuke growled.
"You were the one who freaked out! One minute you're getting me some breakfast, and the next you're beating me to a pulp, and it's not even noon!" Naruto was yelling.
"I'm not allowed to think now? I'm not allowed to have a moment to myself!?" Sasuke was seething mad, practically shooting Naruto with daggers now. "Just because I don't show my emotions to the world doesn't mean I don't have them! Now that Sakura's dead, you and Kakashi-sensei are the closest things I have to family now! I can't stand to have another important person in my life be killed!" Sasuke had tears flowing freely down his face, unchecked.
"Sasuke, I told you last night. I'm here for you." Naruto said softly, hugging the older teen. "You know, we've probably both pissed her off by crying over her." Sasuke looked into Naruto's bright blue eyes, his own wide with shock.
"You're right." he murmured. "Sakura never would've wanted to see us like this. She would rather see us fighting each other than crying over her." Sasuke wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Let's not cry anymore. Let's be happy." Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hands, and placed a small peck on his lips.
"That's a promise." Naruto said softly, smiling at Sasuke, who returned the smile.

The boys left the Uchiha mansion after Naruto ate some cereal, and went down to the cemetary. It was drizzling out, and both boys carried small flowers. After walking around for several minutes, they found the headstone they were looking for.

Sasuke traced the name on the headstone with one finger.
"Sakura, Naruto and I have come to a decision. We're not going to spend the rest of our lives in mourning. We're going to hold your memory in the highest regard and think of you fondly. We will miss you, and you are our beloved teammate. Rest in peace, dear friend." He touched the headstone one last time, and both boys placed their flowers on her grave. There wouldn't be a service for her, on her parent's insistence, so they were urged to pay their respects in their own way.

"I'm going to go home after I grab my stuff from your house, alright, Sasuke?" Naruto looked at the older boy.
"Sure. I have some things I need to do alone anyway." Sasuke looked at the ground as he walked. 'At least the rain's letting up.' Sasuke thought to himself. The boys went their separate ways, and Sasuke let himself inside. He quickly went into a small unmarked room upstairs and grabbed a stick of incense from the holder by the door. He then placed it in its holder by the altar and he got on his knees to pray.
"Mother, Father, family, I am sorry that I did not come sooner. I wanted to say that I'm letting go. You can rest in peace now, knowing your deaths will be avenged. Please let me keep you in my thoughts, but in them fondly. I'm hoping this path that I have chosen will please you. Goodbye, my family." Sasuke rose and left, locking the door both mentally and physically, and he smiled.

Naruto walked home, the small duffel bag he had taken to Sasuke's slung over one shoulder. He was feeling much better after properly saying goodbye to Sakura, and even better about Sasuke.
'I can't believe he kissed me! I know there was that incident when we first met, but he actually kissed me, and he did it on purpose!' Naruto was blushing as he walked. 'Crap, why am I thinking this!? Sasuke's still my enemy, and we're not even friends! But he trusted me with his tears. He trusted me to not tell anyone about his pain. I think that makes a difference..' Naruto nearly walked into his closed front door, cheeks still red.
'Huh, I only got red like this around Sakura-chan. This is weird..' Naruto sat at his table, staring at the mess around him. 'I should clean up!' Naruto jumped up and shouted:
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Several shadow clones appeared and began tackling the mess in all four of his rooms: The real Naruto tackled the kitchen, one did the dishes, one cleaned the bathroom, one vacuumed the living room, one made his bed and picked up the dirty laundry, and one took out the trash. He wasn't exactly sure why he went on a cleaning spree, but he was enjoying its effects. His tiny apartment didn't smell like stale ramen and dirty clothes anymore, and everything was clean. After all the work was done, he merged his close back with himself and he flopped on the couch in the living room. "I wonder how Sasuke's doing?" Naruto muttered aloud, looking out into the pouring rain. It was almost 5:30, and he was slightly bored. He began training and practicing his jutsus, trying to occupy his thoughts, but he failed miserably.
"Damn it! I need something to do!" Naruto rocked back and forth on his heels, anxious and tense for no reason at all. A loud clap of thunder resounded, causing Naruto to nearly jump out of his skin. Moments later, he heard a loud pounding. 'That's not thunder.' Naruto thought as he opened his front door...

Naruto opened the door to find the Uchiha heir standing at his door, soaked to the bone.
"May I come in?" he managed to say through chattering teeth.
"Sure, Sasuke." Naruto said, inviting him inside. "I'm gonna get you a blanket and a towel, alright?" Sasuke nodded, still shaking and dripping.
'He looks so helpless.' Naruto thought as he returned.
"Thank you, Naruto." Sasuke said softly, toweling his hair dry before wrapping the towel and blanket around himelf.
"You look like you just rolled out of bed." Naruto laughed. Sasuke glared at him momentarily before the ice in his eyes broke. 'Why am I even here?! We aren't friends, we're enemies! Why was I drawn here?!' Sasuke's mind raced at the same pace Naruto's did, both thinking the same things.
"Come on, you can sit down!" Naruto urged Sasuke into the living room. Sasuke took a seat on the tiny couch, with Naruto by his side.
"Why are you here?" Naruto asked after some brief silence.
"I don't know, really. I was taking a walk, then it started to pour, and I found myself at your door." Sasuke replied. Both boys looked long and hard at each other for a few minutes, minds going a mile a minute. 'Why did I come here? I have no reason to be here. He's my enemy! But last night..' Sasuke trailed off, eyes wide with realization. Naruto's had widened as well.
"Naruto, do you, umm.." Sasuke trailed off, blushing.
"I was thinking the same thing!" Naruto said excitedly, feeling rather foolish. "I know we're sworn enemies, but I get the feeling that we're closer to being friends than anything." Naruto blushed profusely.
"So you're saying that we're friends now? I was going to say that I think you and I would be good together." Sasuke clapped a hand over his mouth, blushing an even darker shade of crimson than before. Naruto goggled at him for a moment, taking all that information in. 'Did he just ask me out?' he thought dazedly.
"Sasuke, it's ok. You don't need to be embarassed." Naruto smiled gently, reassuring Sasuke.
"So, what is your answer?" Sasuke muttered. Naruto looked into the older boy's coal eyes.
"Yes," he replied pulling their lips together in a soft kiss.

Naruto awoke with a start that morning, glancing at his clock which blared 5:03 AM.
"Man, I have nothing to do!" he grumbled sleepily. He began his usual morning stumble through his now-clean apartment, heading for the bathroom. He had a massive headache.
"Ugh! What the hell happened to me last night?!" he yelled as he glared at his bleary reflection in the smudged and dirty mirror. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and continued thinking about the events that had occured the previous evening. He remembered being with Sasuke, and both of them confessing their feelings to each other, but that still didn't explain his headache. He took a couple of pain pills and began preparing himself some breakfast: the ever so healthy ramen! He stepped on something cold and hard as he headed to the kitchen.
"What the-" Naruto's curse was cut off when he saw what he had stepped on: Sasuke's forehead protector. 'He forgot it? I think he's really losing it!' Naruto remembered why his head hurt so much this morning. He touched the tender spot on is forehead.
"Oww! Now I remember. Our heads collided last night and it must've fallen off. At least the power's back on now and the sun will be out today." he grumbled to his empty apartment.

Sasuke began his morning with a walk through the mostly silent village, feeling rather good, but felt as if he was missing something. Almost everyone, save a few determined shopkeepers, was still asleep, and the sun was just beginning to rise. He breathed in the fresh air, still moist and clean from the previous night's storm. The power had gone out the night before, while he was at Naruto's, but it was back on now.
'Even my power went out last night. I don't really even know when I got home last night, but I'm pretty sure it was around ten,' the Uchiha heir thought to himself. 'I had to reset all the clocks this morning. At least I had my small battery-operated clock to use as reference.' He kept walking through the quiet streets of Konoha with no real destination, but several minutes later, he found himself at Kakashi's apartment. 'He's probably still asleep, knowing Kakashi,' Sasuke sneered to himelf. Moments later, he was joined by a familiar orange-clad figure.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, truly suprised to see his teammate and boyfriend at this early hour.
"What are you doing here?" Naruto replied, grinning.
"I was walking around and I ended up here." he said, shrugging his shoulders. "What about you?" he smirked.
"I'm so bored! I'm sick of training, and I need something to do!" Naruto practically shouted.
"Be quiet, dobe! You don't want to wake the entire village, do you?" Sasuke glared at him.
"I was planning on banging down Kakashi-sensei's door. Sound like a plan to you?" Naruto said more quietly than his previous remark.
"Why not?" Sasuke grinned evilly. Both boys began beating on Kakashi's door.
"Kakashi-sensei! Let us in!" Naruto hollered at the closed door. Kakashi opened the door, allowing Naruto to fall into the apartment.
"Oww.." he muttered into the carpet.
"Usuratonkachi." Sasuke mumbled as he smirked at the blonde.
"You boys certainly are up early. What brings you here?" Kakashi said, boredness creeping into his voice. Naruto jumped up and began shouting at Kakashi.
"I'm bored, Kakashi-sensei! Can't we go on a mission or something?" Naruto whined.
"I thought you two would still be grieving." Kakashi said, amused.
"Kakashi-sensei, we both have let go of Sakura-chan. Naruto's hyperactive and restless." Sasuke shot a glare at Naruto, who was examining Kakashi's countertop intensely.
"Hey, where do you keep the ramen?" Naruto asked loudly. His question went unanswered.
"Really, Sasuke? You both have let go?" Kakashi asked, raising his one visible eyebrow.
"For the time being. We both came to an agreement to only hold the good memories of her and let her pass on, rather than crying over her. I think she would've wanted it this way."
"You're probably right, Sasuke. She hated to see you suffer, and grieving will do that to a person." Kakashi replied softly.
"Hey, is anyone listening to me?!" Naruto shouted.
"Quiet down, Naruto. Don't wake up the entire complex." Kakashi said loudly. He lowered his voice again.
"Well, since both of you seem to be okay now, I think it's time we do something together." Kakashi smiled with his eyes. Naruto picked up that last part with his super-sensitive, ultra-selective hearing and exclaimed, "Awesome, Kakashi-sensei! What are we gonna do?" Naruto came over next to Sasuke.
"Well, how about a camping trip?" Kakashi suggested.
"Doesn't bother me." Sasuke said quietly.
"Awesome! Let's go!" Naruto cried out happily.
"Hold on a moment, Naruto. We have to pack, first of all, and let the Hokage know. Then we have to get a hold of the dolphin." Naruto looked at him quizzically.
"Iruka-sensei, dobe." Sasuke replied in a bored tone.
"Why?" Naruto asked.
"With you around, I'm going to need as much help as I can get." Kakashi grinned, and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. 'I know the real reason.' Sasuke thought to himself, barely holding back a smile. 'Kakashi-sensei still doesn't know yet. Better keep it quiet for now.'
Kakashi began listing things. "We're going to need three tents, food, some futons, blankets, pillows, paper plates, and utensils. I'm pretty sure you're both capable of packing for yourselves and bringing toiletries." He grinned at Naruto, who turned away.
"Ok. Then we'll meet here later, say around eight?" Kakashi said.
"Fine with me. How long are we staying?" Sasuke asked.
"Hmm, five days." Kakashi replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Bring all the things you'll need for the next five days when we meet back here in a few hours. Got that, Naruto?"
"Yeah, yeah, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto mumbled. Kakashi shooed Naruto out and motioned for Sasuke to come to him.
"Sasuke, did you realize that you're not wearing your hitae-ate?" Sasuke reached up and touched his bare forehead.
"Damn, must've left it at Naruto's last night." Sasuke grumbled.
"Oh? You stayed with Naruto last night?" Kakashi asked, a strange look coming over him.
"No! I mean, yes, but not like that!" Sasuke's ears began reddening.
"Don't worry, I won't tell Iruka that you two are lovers." Kakashi smiled.
"What!? We aren't lovers!" Sasuke blushed even more.
"You're face tells a different story." Kakashi smirked.
"I know the real reason you're inviting Iruka-sensei." Sasuke returned the smirk.
"Touche`, Sasuke." Kakashi replied, admitting defeat.
"If he's your enemy, why were you at his apartment last night?" Kakashi pushed.
"Well, I was driven here inexorably like I was last night to his place, and we got to talking. He and I admitted a few things to each other, and the power went out. We whacked heads, and he didn't have his hitae-ate on at the time. Nothing happened." Sasuke replied, staring sullenly at the floor.
"Well, by the sound of things, you two are dating, correct?" Sasuke nodded. "Just don't try anything while we're away. I don't need to hear you two."
"You two keep it down. We'll be fine." Sasuke replied.
"Ouch, I think my ears just got burnt," Kakashi said sarcastically. 'So, he knows? Great. Now what am I gonna tell Iruka?' Kakashi thought.
"Well, are you two together?" Sasuke pushed back.
"Yeah, you can call it that. We just decided that it's time to-" Kakashi replied.
"I don't need details, Kakashi-sensei." Sasuke interrupted quickly.
"Fine, fine. Now, get out of here. You've got some packing to do, and your lover's waiting." Kakashi grinned beneath his mask. 'Aww, how cute!' Sasuke gave Kakashi a death glare and left, heading for his house. 'This is gonna be a long five days..' Sasuke sighed inwardly.

Naruto raced home, anxious to begin packing. When he got to his apartment, he ran through it, looking for a duffel bag and everything else he would need. He stopped and looked in his somewhat full closet. "Hmm, I don't really want to pack all these jumpsuits and pajamas that I normally wear." he muttered to his silent room. He decided on packing his "normal" clothes, which were jeans, t-shirts, sneakers, socks, and shorts. He also packed several pairs of cloth pants to sleep in, and a baggy sweatshirt in case of cold. After cramming five days and four nights worth of clothes into the duffel bag, he tromped into the bathroom and gathered his toiletries, putting them in separate plastic bags to prevent explosions on his clothes. "I think that's everything.." Naruto said as he gazed around his apartment, looking for anything he had forgotten. He glanced at the clock, noting that it was only 6:45. 'I've got a lot of time left. Maybe I should change.' he thought to himself, looking at his vibrant jumpsuit. He went into his room and looked through his closet for some clean jeans and a t-shirt. He settled on a green t-shirt and some faded blue jeans. He set his duffel bag on the floor near the couch and flopped onto the couch, turning on the TV to watch cartoons. He flipped through the channels until he found some cartoons and began watching the mind-numbing colors and figures.

Sasuke got back to his house around 6:30, and began to pack his things. He looked through his dresser for ordinary clothes, but found that he had outgrown them. He put his pajama pants into a small bag and headed toward Itachi's room. 'Why do I even leave his stuff here? It's not like he's ever coming back.' Sasuke thought bitterly. He began rooting through Itachi's dresser, finding only dark-colored clothing. "It'll do." Sasuke said to the quiet room. He took off his own clothes and tried on his older brother's clothes, suprised at how well they fit him. He put his nose to his sleeve and inhaled, taking in the faint scent of Itachi. Sasuke sighed and picked up his clothes along with the ones he had found and left the room for his own. He packed the clothing and grabbed his toiletries, packing them neatly and in separate compartments of his bag. Finding nothing missing, he sat downstairs for a while, thinking about Itachi. 'I'm wearing his clothes, but I can never fit into what he left.' He sighed again and looked at the clock, which read 7:30.
"I'd better get going." he muttered to his silent house as he locked the door and left for Kakashi's.

Naruto was in Kakashi's apartment at 7:43, waiting for him to stop running in circles. A couple minutes later, Sasuke showed up, and Naruto let him in. The boys sat on Kakashi's couch, talking amongst themselves while a frantic Kakashi ran around his apartment, looking for one of his hentai. He was muttering something about needing it for Iruka when a loud knock broke his frenzy. Kakashi let Iruka in.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Iruka asked right off the bat.
"I can't find my book that I was going to let you borrow." Kakashi replied sadly.
"You mean this one? You already gave it to me." Iruka held up a book, to Kakashi's relief.
"Umm, hello? We're waiting!" Naruto cried out from the couch.
"Sorry boys. We'll be leaving in a few minutes. We're going into the forests just outside of Konoha. I hope you all packed some comfortable clothes." Kakashi smiled. Naruto took the time to notice what his sensei was wearing. He still had on his forehead protector and mask, but he was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of loose fitting pants. Iruka was dressed in a similar fashion. 'Even Sasuke changed his clothes. I've never seen those clothes before.' Naruto thought, studying Sasuke.
"What, dobe?" Sasuke said, slightly irritated.
"I, um, like your outfit." Naruto said sheepishly.
"Thank you, I guess." Sasuke just scowled. 'Those clothes are a bit odd, but familiar.' Kakashi thought to himself. He brushed off the thought and slung his bag over his shoulder.
"Ready, boys?" Kakashi asked. Naruto jumped up and Sasuke nodded, scowling at his teammate's energy. "Iruka, could you help me with these tents?"
"Sure, Kakashi-sensei." Iruka nodded, picking up two of the bags. Naruto picked up the box of food, and Sasuke picked up two rolled futons and put them on his back.
"Let's go then!" Kakashi said cheerfully, gathering up what was left.

The odd group marched through the village, earning peculiar looks from the villagers they passed. Twenty minutes of walking later, they were at their desired spot and they began setting up camp. Kakashi and Iruka set up one tent, and Naruto and Sasuke set up their own in a secluded space slightly away from the main camp.
"Sasuke, could you bring one of the futons over here?" Iruka cried.
"Yes, Iruka-sensei." Sasuke replied as he carried the large futon over. 'He only packed two futons. I guess that means Naruto and I are sharing.' Sasuke thought, blushing slightly. He shook off the blush before he handed the oversized futon to Iruka.
"Thanks, Sasuke." Iruka said, smiling. He got a grunt as a reply as Sasuke turned back to the tent Naruto managed to trap himself in.
"You baka." Sasuke muttered, smiling as he went over to help disentangle Naruto from the tent.

Sasuke walked up to the tent he and Naruto would be sharing, which kept cursing and moving.
"Calm down, dobe. I'll help you out."
"Don't call me dobe, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto cried angrily. Sasuke began unwrapping the tent from around him, and after a few minutes he was free.
"Thanks Sasuke."
"Whatever. Let's just finish pitching the tent and get the rest of our stuff in there." Sasuke said quietly. They finished setting up the tent with little hassle, and they found that Kakashi had screwed them over again.
"Sasuke, where's my blanket?" Naruto asked.
"He only gave us one blanket. I guess we're sharing. At least we have our own pillows." Sasuke sighed, sitting down on the oversized futon.
"Sasuke, are you OK?" Naruto asked, sitting beside him.
"Nothing's OK. These aren't even my clothes. They're Itachi's." Sasuke sighed again. "I may be able to wear my brother's clothes, but I can never live up to his legacy steeped in blood."
"I know you're serious about avenging your clan and killing him, but there's no need to think about that right now," Naruto said softly, "He's probably hiding out somewhere far away, and you can worry about him once you become a Jounin." Sasuke cracked a tiny smile.
"Thank you Naruto," Sasuke said, hugging the younger teen. "I feel a bit better now." He smiled and mussed his blonde locks.
"Hey, quit it!" Naruto laughed cheerfully, and Sasuke laughed too. 'He looks cute when he's not being obnoxious.'
"Hey boys! Come over here and help us!" Kakashi called to them. 'They're so cute!' Kakashi thought, blushing slightly. Sasuke and Naruto came over to where Kakashi and Iruka were standing.
"What did you need us for, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.
"We need to set up the food tent. We don't want midnight visitors eating all of our food, do we?" Kakashi replied. Naruto shook his head vigorously. The four then preceded to pitch the tent and put all of their food into the tent.
"Well, now that camp's set up for the most part, what are we going to do?" Sasuke asked.
"You two are going to collect firewood. We're going to get some water. OK?" Iruka replied.
"Sure. Come on Naruto." he said as he pulled the boy by his shirt collar.
"Those two seem a lot closer than they did before. Did something happen?" Iruka asked.
"Their teammate, Sakura was killed a couple of days ago. They know we're together, and apparently, so are they." Kakashi said, running a hand through his silver hair.
"R-really? I thought they hated each other?" Iruka said, shocked. Kakashi nodded.
"Well, let's go get some water to boil and use to drink." Kakashi said. The adults left in the opposite direction the boys left.

"You can let go of me now, Sasuke." Naruto said in an irritated manner as he proceeded to drag Naruto into the woods.
"Fine, fine." Sasuke said quietly, letting him go. They began picking up twigs and branches for a fire later.
"Naruto?"
"Hn?"
"Don't think just because we're sharing a bed means that I'm gonna fuck you."
"You? Fuck me? Not a chance, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto grinned at Sasuke.
"Just don't try anything stupid. I am a ninja, after all."
"So am I! I wasn't planning on it anyway!"
"Good."
"Fine!" Naruto finished forcefully. He pouted inwardly. Sasuke sighed to himself, feeling the same way.
"We've got a lot of firewood. Let's head back to camp." Sasuke said quickly. Naruto nodded, carrying an armload of wood. When they got back to camp, they weren't suprised that they were alone. Sasuke set down his firewood and headed toward the stream they passed on their way to the campsite.
"Where are you going?" Naruto asked.
"To the stream to get rocks. I'm going to build a fire pit." Sasuke replied coolly.
"Oh, OK. See you later I guess." Naruto said with a hint of sadness. By the time he looked up, Sasuke was gone into the woods.

Sasuke was about forty feet away from the stream before he stopped dead in his tracks. His mouth hung open as he stared at the teachers, who were having a make-out fest by the stream. He regained his composure and walked toward the stream, gathering rocks to make a ring. 'This definitely confirms they are together. Definitely.' Sasuke was partially grossed out, but they were both fairly young men, and he knew it wasn't uncommon for a Chuunin to fall for his Jounin teacher. He gathered enough rocks to make a circle, and he left quietly, the two men still glued together at the face.

"..Did you hear something?" Kakashi asked a few minutes after Sasuke's departure.
"No, but we should probably head back." Iruka replied. He looked into the silver-haired Jounin's eye and smiled. "Let's hope we don't find them stuck together like we just were." Kakashi nodded and they headed off to camp, buckets full of water from the stream. When the adults got back to camp, they saw a fire going and several logs placed around the fire pit.
"Thanks boys! We were going to start one later, but since you got it going so nicely, we should start boiling water for drinking." Iruka said, smiling. 'That's a relief. They're just relaxing and watching the fire, not screwing each other.' Iruka looked at Kakashi, who had a slight glint in his eye, telling him of things that would occur once the teens went to bed. Iruka smiled gleefully to himself as he set the bucket on a tripod with a hook that Kakashi had built earlier.
"I'm hungry, Kakashi-sensei! What's for lunch?" Naruto whined. Sasuke noticed his own stomach craved food.
"I brought bento for today's lunch, since we will start preparing things for dinner after lunch." Kakashi said, smiling.
"Bento?! I love bento!" Naruto cried, jumping to his feet. Kakashi passed out the boxes and they all began eating.
"Mmm, thanks Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto mumbled between bites. 'I love bento!'

After eating lunch, the foursome began preparing dinner. It wasn't too elaborate, but it would take a little more patience, since they were cooking over an open flame.
"I'm bored," Naruto said as he held the pan over the contained blaze.
"Sorry, Naruto. Why don't you make a shadow replication and have him do it?" Sasuke said in a low voice.
"Great idea, Sasuke!" Naruto cried happily. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he said as he performed the hand seals, bringing forth a clone. He handed the pan to the shadow clone and Naruto headed for the tent.

Sasuke watched Naruto with his Sharingan, and created a replication of himself. He then followed Naruto.
"Hey," Sasuke said as he approached the tent, "want to go for a walk?" Naruto came out of the tent, ready to go.
"Sure, Sasuke." Naruto replied. They headed in the direction of the stream.
"Naruto?"
"Hn?"
"Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei are dating, and they know we are too."
"WHAT!?!" Naruto exploded, glaring at Sasuke.
"Well, he kinda cornered me and badgered me about it this morning after you left." Sasuke said quietly, averting his gaze.
"Sasuke, it's ok. I'm not really that mad. Huh, I never guessed Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei were dating."
"I did, after a little while, but that doesn't matter. All that matters now is you." Naruto stared at Sasuke, shocked by his statement.
"What?"
"You matter to me, Naruto..-kun." Sasuke stammered out the last part. Naruto gazed at his partner, still rather shocked. 'He called me Naruto-kun. Only Hinata-chan calls me Naruto-kun.' Naruto blushed a little.
"You're important to me too, Sasuke-kun." Naruto said softly. 'Sakura only called me that.' Sasuke thought, smiling softly.
"Naruto, I.." Sasuke was cut off by a gentle kiss planted on his lips. He placed one hand on Naruto's shoulderblade and the other on his back. Naruto copied his actions, pulling the older teen closer. Sasuke tilted his head slightly, parting his lips to find Naruto's tongue lapping at his lips, ready to meet his tongue. They gently tasted each other, wrapped up in a passionate kiss. Suddenly, leaves swirled around them and their Jounin leader appeared beside them.
"How sweet, boys." Kakashi said softly, placing a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.
"Kakashi-sensei.." Naruto said softly.
"You're supposed to be cooking, you know." Kakashi said, smiling.
"We know," the boys said in unison. 'In stereo too!' Kakashi thought, amazed.
"Well, come on, then! Let's get back to work!" Kakashi said, nudging the boys forward and back to the camp.
"Man, Kakashi-sensei always has to ruin our fun!" Naruto whispered to Sasuke.
"I heard that, Naruto."
"Gomen, Kakashi-sensei."

'Why does somebody always have to ruin my fun?' Sasuke sulked to himself, attempting to bore holes into Kakashi's back with his death-and-daggers glare. He then glanced over at Naruto, who was lost in thought, so much so that he was on a collision course with a tree. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand and yanked him closer, away from the tree.
"Sasuke, what the hell?!" Naruto hissed, blushing slightly. He tightened his grip on the younger ninja's hand slightly, and laced their fingers together.
"Shh. Let's stay like this." Sasuke looked to him, blushing slightly. This only caused Naruto's face to redden more. He nodded and moved a bit closer to Sasuke.
"My Sasuke-kun," he whispered into the older boy's ear.
"My Naruto-kun," he whispered back, smiling softly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OOC: Aww! Sorry for the sappiness, but I thought it was cute. *random fangirl moment* ACK! I have a fangirl now! Woo!

The trio arrived at camp without much speech or incident, to find Iruka cooking over the fire. Kakashi immediately went to him and joined him in cooking.
"It looks like you two have dinner all set." Sasuke pointed out, still clasping Naruto's hand.
"Almost. We have a mission for you two:" Naruto's interest was piqued at this, "Find our plates and chopsticks!" Kakashi said cheerfully, to Naruto's disgust.
"Aww, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto groaned.
"Go on, boys. They're somewhere in the food tent." Kakashi said with a hint of boredom creeping into his voice. They headed for the food tent, still holding hands and mumbling to themselves.
"I guess that proves that they are together too, ne Kakashi-sensei?" Iruka said quietly, smiling at the Jounin. Kakashi merely nodded and kissed the younger ninja's scarred nose. Iruka blushed slightly before turning to the skies, which had begun to darken and feel ominous.
"It's going to storm tonight. I can feel it." Iruka sighed. Kakashi noticed a slight shudder run through the Chuunin's frame. In response, Kakashi wrapped his arms around his lover.
"It's all going to be O.K., Iruka." Kakashi whispered into his ear, smiling to the Chuunin.

"Damn it, Sasuke! You could help me, you know!?" Naruto hollered at the older boy.
"Quiet down, usuratonkachi." Sasuke replied, frowning slightly. He began searching through a box until he found both the plates and chopsticks.
"Found them." Sasuke smirked, looking at the enormous mess Naruto had made of the food tent.
"You're helping me clean this up!" Naruto growled.
"And what if I don't?" Sasuke smirked more.
"You'll pay later." Naruto said fiercely, trying to act tough when Sasuke drew closer, pressing his lips against one whiskered cheek.
"Not so tough when I kiss you, it seems." Sasuke grinned.
"Neither are you, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto grinned as he kissed the other boy's cheek. Both boys had a soft spot for each other, with the name-calling just a part of their affection for one another.
"Hey, Sasuke, wanna go swimming?" Naruto asked slyly.
"Why not?" Sasuke grinned, seeing though the guise. 'He may be a ninja, supposedly a master of deceit, but he's terrible at hiding things!' Sasuke chuckled inwardly.
"Let's go!" Naruto shouted cheerfully.

"Here's the chopsticks and plates, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto muttered, handing them to the Jounin.
"Thank you, Naruto. Mission completed!" Kakashi said cheerfully. Sasuke "hn"-ed in reply, but said nothing else.
"Kakashi-sensei, can Sasuke and I go to the river to swim for a little while? Please?" Naruto put on a pouty face. 'How can Sasuke resist him?! I can't even resist him!' Kakashi thought as the tips of his ears reddened. 'I hope Iruka doesn't notice.' he thought absently as he replied.
"Sure, Naruto. Just be back in a few hours. Dinner will be done then and it's going to storm later."
"Yeah!" Naruto hollered, turning for the tent he and Sasuke shared, dragging said tentmate along with him.

"Well, aren't you going to change?" Sasuke said tauntingly as they reached their tent.
"Of course! Turn around, teme!" Naruto ordered the older teen.
"Fine, fine." he muttered, turning away from the younger boy and changing into his own dark blue swimtrunks. 'At least these still fit.' he thought, turning to face the younger boy again. He picked up his towel and the boys headed to the river, fingers entwined.
"They're so cute!" Kakashi said quietly. Iruka blushed at this statement. 'I never would've guessed; Naruto and Sasuke, together.' he thought to himself as the Jounin wrapped his arms around his waist. Iruka reddened more at this action.
"Ka-Kakashi-sensei?" Iruka looked at his lover, puzzled.
"You'll be fine tonight. Don't worry. You don't have to be nervous about a storm." Kakashi said reassuringly.

There was a loud flash and a tremendous earth-rattling boom and the tree toppled, taking out the citrus vendor near where he stood.
"Are you alright, Hideki-san? Hideki-san!?" the little boy shrieked into the gale around him as thunder crashed and blood pooled around the street vendor who always gave him an orange in the morning.

"Iruka, are you O.K.? You're shaking like a leaf." Kakashi asked worriedly.
"I'll be alright, Kakashi-sensei. I just remembered why I'm so nervous around storms." Iruka replied softly.
"Do tell." Kakashi prodded gently.
"When I was fairly young, I got caught out in a storm. There was this street vendor who sold citrus fruits near my house, and he was struck by a tree that was hit by lightning. He died in front of me. Hideki-san was such a nice man." Iruka was close to tears. Kakashi wrapped his arms around Iruka and guided him to a log near the fire pit.
"I'm sorry, Iruka." Kakashi whispered to the still-trembling Chuunin, kissing his cheek.
"A-arigatou, Kakashi-sensei." Iruka said softly, calming down in Kakashi's arms.

"Come on, Sasuke-kuuun!" Naruto drawled, laughing.
"I will, dobe." Sasuke glared at the blonde who had jumped into the calm pool in the river. Sasuke was not a jumper; he tentatively got used to the water. He stepped in, feeling the cool-but-not-too-cold water lap around his knees, dampening the hem of his trunks. 'He's gonna take forever!' Naruto grumbled inwardly as he took a couple steps toward the Uchiha.
"Naruto, what the-?" His anger was cut off by Naruto's glomp, which sent him sprawling in the water. Naruto got off the older boy, who was seething.
"Aww, Sasuke-kun, you look so cute all wet!" Naruto giggled cheerfully and Sasuke's expression softened into a smile. In retaliation for the glomp, Sasuke playfully tossed some water into Naruto's face, which began a massive water fight, shinobi-style. After about an hour of fighting, they were both exausted and they couldn't focus their chakra anymore since they were laughing too hard.
"Naruto-kun," Sasuke asked between panting breaths, "what are we going to do about the village, and the rabid fangirls? Our relationship won't help rebuild the Uchiha clan."
"Screw them all, and as for your clan, you can settle down with someone more feminine when you get older. A lot older." Naruto laughed and splashed Sasuke with some more water.
"Damn it, Naruto, why do you make me want to tackle you and hug you at the same time?" Sasuke laughed and grinned at the blonde.
"I dunno. Maybe it's because I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage!" Naruto replied cheerfully. Sasuke splashed him playfully before tackling him in the shallows. Sasuke kneeled over the boy, pinning him to the ground.
"You're mine, usuratonkachi." Sasuke grinned and kissed the younger boy fully on the lips. Naruto would've protested, but his tongue was busy playing with Sasuke's. They kissed like this for several moments, before jumping clear out of their skins because a loud crack of thunder sounded nearby.
"Damn, that sounded close! We should probably head back, Sasuke." Naruto tugged at the older boy's arm.
"Don't tell me you're scared of storms still!" Sasuke rolled his eyes. Secretly, storms still freaked the Uchiha out too, but he was too proud to admit it. As Naruto nodded his head, Sasuke softened and grasped the younger boy's hand.
"We'll ride this storm out together. I promise." Sasuke looked into the other boy's eyes, smiling.
'For having such dark, cold eyes, they sure feel warm now.' Naruto thought, smiling back.
"Let's go before Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei eat all the food without us!" Naruto said loudly, still holding Sasuke's hand.
"Ok, ok! Relax, dobe! They're not gonna start without us!" Sasuke laughed, feeling like an older brother to this childlike boy.

"I love you, Nii-san!"

Sasuke briefly saw a mental image of Itachi, before he was evil, when he was a nice older brother to have. He frowned at this thought, still remembering his purpose: to kill Itachi. 'I haven't been thinking about Itachi-nii-san lately. It's probably because I've been wrapped up in Naruto.' he thought.
"Sasuke-kun? Are you ok?" Naruto asked, looking at the Uchiha.
"I'm fine." he replied as another crack of thunder got them moving faster toward camp.

"Just in time, boys! Itadakimasu!" Kakashi said, brandishing dishes of food for them.

After eating the meal that Iruka and Kakashi prepared, Naruto and Sasuke did the clean-up work. Naruto did 'Kage Bunshin' and sent some of his clones back and forth to the river to gather water to clean the dishes, and others to run the cleaned dishes back to the food tent. They managed to wash, rinse, dry, and put away all the dishes in less than ten minutes, and it was not a moment too soon. Almost the second after Naruto set down the last dish, a loud crack of thunder roared across the sky and the heavens sprang a massive leak. Kakashi and Iruka ran for their tent, and Naruto and Sasuke went to theirs.

"Kakashi-sensei, why did we have to put the tent under a tree?" Iruka moaned nervously.
"Because," Kakashi replied, smiling and poking the Chuunin's nose, "it keeps the tent drier, and I'm sure you don't want all your clean clothes damp and have nothing to wear until the storm lets up and they all dry out."
"Makes sense." he said thoughtfully, nearly jumping through the roof at the storm.
"Geez, I didn't know storms made you that jumpy!" Kakashi grinned and held the Chuunin close, "Nobody's going to get smushed by a tree, I promise." Kakashi felt the Chuunin tense slightly, but begin to relax as he rocked Iruka back and forth slowly.

"Good thing Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei can't see us." Sasuke grumbled, clinging to the shaking blonde. 'I may be fifteen, but that doesn't mean that I can't still get freaked out by storms.' he thought, trying to rationalize with himself.
"Sasuke?"
"Yeah?"
"You're scared too, aren't you?"
"What?" Sasuke glared at the younger boy, but his slight blush told Naruto otherwise.
"Aww, come here!" Naruto tackled the boy back onto the futon, laughing. Another loud crash came, and both boys jumped as the wind began to pick up.
"This is going to be a long night." both Kakashi and Sasuke muttered at the same time, unknowingly.

"Kakashi-sensei?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you for being here with me." Iruka smiled and blushed faintly.
"You're welcome, Iruka-san." Kakashi smiled under his mask. They had changed into their pajama clothes long ago, with both men in boxers and sweatpants. Iruka cuddled up with Kakashi, resting his head on the Jounin's shoulder.
"I love you, Kakashi-sensei." Iruka whispered into his ear. Kakashi was slightly taken aback by this, before whispering his reply,
"I love you too, Iruka." he said before kissing the Chuunin softly.

"Sasuke, are you asleep yet?" Naruto asked uneasily.
"If I'm talking to you, would I be asleep?" Sasuke muttered angrily.
"No," Naruto said quietly as Sasuke turned his back to the blonde, "but how can you sleep in this?"
"Hn." was his reply. 'Is Naruto really that scared? He's seen me at my weakest, and I'm guessing this is his.' Sasuke flipped back over, propping himself on one elbow.
"You're still really scared, huh?" Sasuke said quietly. Naruto nodded as another flash lit up the tent, followed by a loud crash of thunder. Sasuke sat back up and held the trembling boy, rocking him gently and humming to calm him down.
"Nobody outside this tent knows what went on in here, ok?" Sasuke growled and Naruto nodded, incapable of speech from shock and fear. 'He-he's humming to me, like a little child! He's got a good voice too!' Naruto was smiling on the inside, feeling better as Sasuke held him close.
'He smells sweet, like tea, almost.' Sasuke thought, inhaling some of Naruto's scent. Naruto seemed fairly calm and he stopped rocking him and began to unwrap himself from Naruto when a tan hand landed on his wrist.
"Please, hold me." Naruto whispered, blue eyes childish and fearful.
"I will." Sasuke replied in an equally soft tone, smiling and holding the blonde who now was cuddled against his chest.

Somehow, the boys ended up falling asleep in that position, with Naruto cuddled on Sasuke's chest and Sasuke sitting upright, arms wrapped around Naruto, who sat in his lap. Iruka and Kakashi, however, decided not to sleep that night. The next moring dawned bright and clear, with nothing to tell of the previous night's storm, save the dewy grass. Sasuke was the first to wake, followed by Naruto.
"Ohayo, dobe." Sasuke said brightly, with a..smile?! 'Is Sasuke sick? Oh shit, did he fuck me while I was asleep?!' Naruto jumped out of Sasuke's lap.
"O-ohayo, Sasuke." Naruto stammered, gazing at the smiling boy. "Did you do something to me last night?" he blurted, shocked by his own bluntness.
"I only did what you asked me to." Sasuke grinned, enjoying the reaction he got out of the younger blonde shinobi. He looked absolutely terrified.
"S-Sasuke, did somebody give you happy pills or something, 'cuz I've never seen you smile. You're scaring me!" he said nervously, backing away from the blue-haired boy.
"Relax, Naruto! I didn't do anything to you. I'm just feeling really cheerful this morning, for some reason. Come on, let's go make some breakfast!" Sasuke grinned.
"Like this?" Naruto said, pointing at his pajamas.
"Sure, come on!" Sasuke said, tugging him out of the tent into the cool clear dawn.

*Several burnt eggs later...*

"Naruto, do you have any idea how to cook at all!?" Sasuke groaned, cheer from earlier gone.
"No, I don't! It's not my fault the only thing I know how to cook properly is ramen!" Naruto muttered. Sasuke shook his head. "You usuratonkachi."
"Teme!"
"Dobe."
"Baka!"
"I love you, Naruto."
"Huh?" Naruto's jaw hung open. 'D-did he just say he loved me?' Sasuke nodded, reading his expression.
"I-I don't know how to respond to that, Sasuke." Naruto said in a quiet tone. "Just give me some time to think, O.K.?" Sasuke nodded again, hearing the two teachers stirring. Muffled, but not entirely garbled speech came from the nearby tent.
"Well, Iruka, how are you feeling?"
"Better, Kakashi-sensei. Especially after you did that thing with your pinky." Iruka replied. The boys looked at each other, sending each other I-had-no-idea-they-were-screwing-each-other stares.
"Oh, ohayo boys!" Kakashi said, poking his head out of the tent.
"Ohayo, Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei." they replied in stereo.
'I really hope they didn't hear that.' Iruka thought, blushing.
'I think if they were screwing each other last night, we wouldn't have heard them over Iruka and the storm. Hmm.' Kakashi thought, grabbing one of his favorite editions of Icha Icha Paradise.
"What's for breakfast?" Kakashi asked.

"Naruto was just making some eggs." Sasuke replied, brandishing a plate of burnt and rather unappetizing looking eggs to their sensei.
"Umm, thanks Naruto." Kakashi said nervously, wondering if the eggs would kill him or not.
"I tried!" Naruto muttered angrily to his feet. The teachers and the boys began eating the eggs, regardless of how terrible they looked. Suprisingly, they didn't taste too bad, and they were fully cooked.
Clearing away the breakfast supplies, Naruto dashed back into their tent and changed his clothes. He then left the tent and headed for the river, attempting to avoid the overly cheerful Sasuke. He managed to get to the river, and having no assignments at the moment, he walked up to the small waterfall and sat near it.
'Sasuke really meant that he loved me? How the hell do I respond to that? I mean, we've only been together for a couple of days, and now he tells me that he loves me? I want to tell him that I love him too, but I don't want to hurt him.' Naruto grinned, but cringed at the thought of hurting Sasuke. He could hardly imagine how he would act, but then again he already knew. 'Sasuke's an emotional person, but he doesn't let that show. If I tell him that I love him, I'm saying it to him without any meaning, but if I say nothing, he'll probably hate me. I think I should wait to tell him how I feel, because I want to know whether or not I really feel it.' he decided internally. He continued sitting by the water until he heard:
"Naruto-kun? Where'd you go?"

"Over here, Sasuke-kun." he called, looking for the blue haired prodigy.
"I was wondering where you went. Have you come up with a response yet?" he nudged, eager to hear his response.
"Well, it's a bit complicated. I want to say I love you too, but if I say it, it has no internal meaning, and it's just words, and I don't want to hurt you like that. I'm going to wait and see what happens before I say something I'll regret." Naruto said softly, looking Sasuke in the eye.
"I understand, Naruto." he said softly, pecking the younger boy on the lips. 'He really isn't that stupid. He does care.' Sasuke thought, a smile forming on his face.
"Thanks, Sasuke." Naruto smiled and stood up, "Let's go back to camp." He offered his hand to Sasuke, who took it and held it all the way back to camp.

The pair returned to camp and found their chaperones nowhere in sight.
"I wonder where they went.." Naruto exclaimed jokingly and began laughing. Sasuke laughed a little as well, feeling happy for the first time in a long time.
"Well, since we're alone, what do you suggest we do?" Sasuke asked.
"Hmm, dunno. It's a beautiful day and I really don't feel like sitting around all day, and for once, I don't feel like training, either." he replied.
"I don't really want to train right now. We're here to relax and have a good time, not fight to the death." he said.
"Yeah. Whenever we started shooting daggers, Sakura would always try to stop us. I think her death has brought us closer together as friends than anything else." he said in an eerie moment of intelligence.
"I agree." Sasuke said, stoking the fire. They sat in silence, but a comfortable one.

They milled around camp for several more hours before their teachers came back, and they ate dinner. Kakashi kept eyeing Iruka and Sasuke and Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the signals Kakashi kept sending. Later that night, the boys snickered to themselves when they heard the two men.
"You know, Sasuke, I've been really curious as to what Kakashi-sensei is always reading."
"I have too, although I'm not sure if I'd like to know. The books are sex books, Naruto, and I really don't need to know what they say." he replied with a slight blush.
"Aww, Sasuke! Why do you have to ruin my fun?" Naruto pouted.
"Because, ursuratonkachi, if I didn't you wouldn't devise those other great plans." he said, smirking and pulling the boy into a chaste kiss. Naruto snuggled closer to the Uchiha as he lay down.
"Goodnight, teme."
"Goodnight, dobe."

As the week progressed, the days were spent doing camp chores and the nights were spent reflecting and relaxing. On the last day at dawn, Naruto awoke and headed to the rock where he had perched himself to think earlier on. He sat there, watching the water go by and thinking about his relationship with Sasuke.
'We've grown a lot closer in this past week. He's explained a lot to me about why he acted in the way he did in the past. I've gotten to know things he's probably never told anyone else, and I'm glad that he can trust me.' he thought, smiling as the sun warmed his back.
"Naruto, where'd you go?" Sasuke called from the trees.
"I'll be right there, Sasuke!" he called, jumping from the rock and dashing to the clearing.
"Naruto, we need your help packing. Go clean your stuff out of the tent." Kakashi ordered.
"Ok." he replied with a grin. He met Sasuke in the tent and tackle-hugged him into the bare futon.
"Naruto..?" he said with an inquisitive stare.
"I love you, Sasuke." he said softly, kissing the boy's forehead.

'He loves me? He means it?' Sasuke thought, smiling.
"I love you too, Naruto-kun."

"Come on, lovebirds! We still need your help packing up and getting back into Konoha!" Kakashi called, laughing.
"Hai, Kakashi-sensei!" they replied, cleaning out the tent and shouldering their bags. Not suprisingly, the Chuunin and Jounin managed to clean everything else up in the blink of an eye.
"Let's go boys!"

~~~~~~~~~~

Team Seven was officially broken up, but a new team was formed with Iruka, Naruto, and Sasuke, at least until the new Genin teams were selected. Even though Haruno Sakura was gone, she never died within Sasuke and Naruto, who chose to honor her each year by bringing a cluster of sakura blossoms to her grave in her memory. The boys could be seen from time to time sitting beneath the blooming sakura, reminiscing about the times when Team Seven was brightened by her pink hair and fiery ambition.