There were a couple of hard knocks at the door and a soft-throated, "Naruto?"

Naruto blinked blearily and groaned.

"Ero-sennin? It's four o'clock, y'know..."

The knocks came again, slightly more hesitant than before. The boy yawned.

"Door's open!" he called. The hinges on the front door creaked as somebody pushed it open and there was a click as it closed again. Somebody removed their shoes.

"Ero-sennin?" But it had suddenly stopped sounding like Ero-sennin: Ero-sennin wasn't quiet. Ero-sennin would've slammed the door open and bounded into the room with a loud shout of greeting. He would've shown himself by now.

"Sakura?" A whumph! Somebody had removed a travelling cloak. Sakura didn't wear a travelling cloak. "Gaara?" The door of the room squeaked on its hinges. No; Gaara would've had the decency to wait until tomorrow morning. But, who else could it be?

"Naruto?"

The boy in his boxers gave a disappointed sigh, pulling the covers back over his head. "Go away, teme. Dreams are meant to make sense."

He heard a pause, then Sasuke said, "...what?"

"You know what. You are just my subconscious, after all."

Sasuke snorted. "Dobe. You're not dreaming."

"That's what they all say."

There came a pause. "And then what do they say, Naruto?"

Naruto sat up and turned the pillow over, deliberately thumping back down onto the side that was facing away from his former friend.

"They say they'll never come back," he said. The silence sounded cold to his ears. Tiredly, he sank back down into the bed and tried to go back to sleep. It had been happening a lot recently, Sasuke appearing in his dreams: more than usual, actually, after the rumours of Itachi's demise. He wondered what the real Sasuke would've thought of them if he had known.

Then the covers above his head were roughly pulled back and a long, cold finger jabbed his arm. Naruto squawked.

"Shut up, idiot," came a familiar voice, "I haven't travelled six-hundred bloody miles in a bloody storm just to be told to go bloody back again!"

Naruto blinked and gulped, feeling his throat constrict.

"S-Sasuke?"

Sasuke smirked. "Who else, dobe?"

He gulped again, his eyes blurring. "I thought you were never coming back..."

His friend flopped down onto the bed and chuckled.

"I'm not a complete arse, y'know."

"Sure you're not."

"Stop crying."

Naruto dragged an arm across his face and sniffed. "It's your fault, teme."

"Huh, dobe."

"Teme,*sniff*"

"Dobe."

"Teme."

"Usuratonkachi."

"...baka."

Sasuke grinned, all white teeth in the darkness. He looked happy.

"Stop looking so cheerful! You're freaking me out!"

"Stop looking miserable, then. You're Naruto: you're meant to look happy."

"I'm not miserable! I'm crying 'cos I'm glad you're back!"

"Baka."

"Baka yourself. And go take a shower; you smell like a skunk died on you."

"Oh, charmed, I'm sure."

"Hehe...Don't mention it." And he waited as his friend padded into the bathroom and slammed the door. A moment later the shower started up. Naruto grinned, burrowing back down under the covers.

"Teme," he said, closing his eyes, "You came back."