Disclaimer - Don't own Naruto

Naruto was packing when she came, he'd been hoping that maybe she wouldn't hear about it until it was too late; it wasn't as though they'd had much contact in the last year, ever since he was removed from her team.

Unfortunately nothing had gone the way he'd planned so far, why would it start now. He felt her presence move up to his door, Naruto had been tracking her for the last mile, His sensory abilities making sneaking up on him all but impossible. Especially for her. If he was actively looking, her chakra stood out to him like a burning piece of magnesium. The door opened, a chill gust of wind and a blast of icy rain momentarily slipping through the portal.

There was no light on, and she didn't bother rectifying that. He could see in the dark, and so could she. He because of Kurama's influence and she… well suffice it to say for now that she could. Naruto didn't turn, he didn't dare, and the uneasy fluctuation of her chakra answered all his questions he could possibly ask; if there was to be conversation. She would need to begin it.

"Is it true?" Her voice wavered, it took all of Naruto's willpower not to turn and sweep her into his arms, to comfort her. But he knew what he needed to do, he only hoped he was strong enough. Wordlessly Naruto nodded. "I don't understand, after everything you've done… why?" He didn't answer. "How, what possible pretence could there be for this?"

"I've grown too powerful, they fear me, just like they always have."

"Gomen, Naruto I wish there was something I could do to change them. I still don't get it, what happened out there. You saved the world, you killed Madara, and you stopped the Juubi. Why is Sasuke, a traitor, worshipped as a hero? Why is Sasuke the Rokudaime? I know why you said we couldn't be together… but can't you tell me, you have to let someone in. Even you can't do it alone. Please."

"Not many believe that I did those things, whose word would they take… the Demon Brat," he practically spat the words, "Or their precious 'Last Uchiha'. Never mind that he betrayed the village… never mind that Sasuke-teme threw his lot in with Orochimaru… never mind that he killed hundreds of innocents…" His voice and heart broke, "Never mind that my father and mother died saving this place, while his committed treason. He is still worth more than me in their eyes."

Naruto fell to his knees, it was too much; he had been lying for too long. He had been strong for too long; for too many people. It was all he could do for the last three years not to burst into tears… or into an incandescent rage that threatened to annihilate the very place he had nearly died to save so many times.

"I used to think that if I could show my worth, that if I saved them enough times… that if I became strong enough. That they'd have to respect me." She cut him off with a soft touch to his shoulder. Naruto took her hand in his and pressed it up to his cheek.

"Tell me." Her voice was soft and polite, like always. But underneath the velvet tones was steel. She was done waiting and would brook no arguments. "I waited for two years for you to come to me… tell me now damn it."

(Flashback-Three Years prior to Present)

Naruto exhaled loudly, exhausted. It was over. Tens of thousands had died for the insanity of one man, innocents and Shinobi alike had fallen faster than ever before. But finally, it was over. Obito was dead, Edo-Madara was dead, Kabuto and Orochimaru had been consumed by the departing soul of the Kyuubi, and all the Bijuu had been freed from this plane of existence, their immortal souls finally granted peace after hundreds of years.

In his spent state, Naruto didn't notice the man behind him until it was too late, and everything went black.

He woke in his least favourite place. The hospital. The familiar scent told him one thing, at least he was in Konoha. The bright light hurt his eyes, the sterile scent burned his nostrils, and then there was some weird screeching… oh wait. The screeching appeared to be a person in the distance, Sakura.

"No," he groaned, turning over and covering his ears… of all the medics to survive and be on duty, it had to be her. He couldn't believe he'd had a thing for her for so long. She'd shown her true colours, she was willing to use whatever she could to get whatever she wanted. She'd ripped his heart in two, pretending to love him, just to get close to Sasuke. Thankfully Sage training allowed him to see through that. When someone lied, even if they were skilled enough to mask the facial tells, their Chakra rippled, it was so slight that not even the Byakugan could see it, but a Toad Sage could. Then she'd said that she wanted to kill Sasuke, another lie. She had the perfect opportunity, but only revealed their locations and ruined any chance of bringing him in. Naruto was through with the Pink-haired harpy.

The creak of hinges however, revealed that she was not through with him.

"Oh Naruto, you're awake." He groaned again.

"How long was I out?" Might as well get his bearings if he had to endure this torture.

"About a week, Sasuke-kun came and saved you from Madara, and then brought you back." Absent-mindedly Naruto nodded. Her words took time to filter through his ears to a disbelieving brain.

"Yeah… wait… what?" He was confused, something inside felt wrong, this whole situation felt wrong. Something terrible was about to happen, and as usual, he would be on the receiving end.

"Yeah," She smiled brightly, and Naruto could feel the breath of the Shinigami on his spine, the omen of a world of hope about to come crashing down. "Sasuke-kun found you losing against Madara, then he saved you, killed Madara, and saved the world. I knew Sasuke-kun was a hero all along. He only went with Orochimaru because he knew that the Akatsuki would attack and he wanted to get strong enough to defend Konoha."

"That is a Lie!" He could barely control his rage, it all made sense, the presence behind him, the sudden blackness, the memory of a stinging pain in his heart. "I killed Madara, and Obito and Zetsu several thousand times over. Sasuke came up and attacked me, that cowardly teme stabbed me in the back. I'll bet the teme thought me dead. I'll bet when he rocked up my survival surprised him, but he couldn't kill me in front of you all. Not with the other Kages there, not with B and Gaara." He could feel Kurama's power bubbling beneath the surface, a gift for freeing him, the Kyuubi had left his Chakra behind. While in and of itself the Bijuu chakra no longer caused him to lose control, when he was naturally angry, it would answer the call.

Her eyes narrowed, and Sakura glared.

"After all this time you're still jealous of Sasuke-kun, you're such a baka." And with that, she left. It hurt. Naruto knew that she was still hung up on him, but to immediately take the word of a traitor over his; to accuse him of jealously, when he was infinitely stronger; when he had done so much and received so little in return. Perhaps he was jealous, but not of Sasuke's skill, nor he certainly wasn't jealous of that. He was jealous of the silver platter that the Uchiha's life seemed to be permanently perched upon. Sure his brother killed his family, but after that what hardship had he seen? None.

The council had been fawning over him for so long. The people worshipped the ground the bastard walked on. Naruto himself had been blind for so long. So desperate to have his friend back that he failed to realise that Sasuke had never been a friend. That Sasuke was incapable of anything beyond blind ambition and hatred.

Naruto didn't waste further time, ignoring the dull aches of abused muscles he dressed, pulling his clothes on with frantic haste. It couldn't be true, there was no way. Tsunade wouldn't let this happen, she would know the truth.

He dove out of the window, rolling briefly before a chakra enhanced leap propelled him onto the rooftops. The world whipped by in a blur, shingles shattering underneath his feet, unable to take the strain. He pushed himself as fast as he could without the Kyuubi's chakra or Senjustu. In barely a few minutes he found himself by the Hokage tower. However, Naruto was not alone.

A scaffold had been erected, a speaker set up. The council stood in plain sight of thousands of the citizens of Konohagakure. There was an excited buzz, rippling through the crowd; clearly they knew something that Naruto, comatose for a week, did not.

A figure stepped up to the microphone. One of the nameless members of the Civilian council that had for so long toadied up to Danzo, apparently willing to follow him even after death.

"People of the Leaf, we are gathered here to celebrate our victory over the Akatsuki. We are gathered to celebrate the one man, who above all others, brought about our triumph. A Shinobi who knows no equal, whose power strikes fear in the hearts of the foreign nations, Sons and Daughters of Konohagakure, I present to you, the Hero of the Elemental Nations, Slayer of Uchiha Madara; vanquisher of the Juubi: Uchiha Sasuke."

To add further insult, Sasuke was garbed in a familiar set of robes, with a certain hat placed upon his head.

"After the unfortunate death of Lady Tsunade from injuries sustained during the war, I present to you the Rokudaime Hokage."

(Flashback End)

"Just like that, everything I had ever worked for was taken away. You know much of the rest. The bastard passed a law that forbade Jinchuuriki from ever advancing past Genin. Then I was confined to the village, then to the Namikaze estate. I was forbidden from marrying, from reproducing. One by one my liberties were taken away. And now…" It was too much, three years of emotional torment far worse that even the shunning he had received as a child came crashing down.

Only a thin pair of arms around his waist kept him sane. Only a chest firmly pressed up against his back let him know that all was not lost into darkness. Only a cheek pressed into his neck, the tickle of silken hair against his jaw. She gave him the strength to go through his pain, to keep speaking over the sobs of anguish.

"They've taken my parents from me. They've stripped me of the Namikaze name, even Uzumaki, I am now just Naruto. Apparently DNA tests say that I am the child of neither Uzumaki Kushina nor Namikaze Minato. They…" a breath shuddered into his lungs. "I am to present myself in three days to have my Chakra permanently sealed, to be sterilised, and to be banished."

"And will you?" Her voice was hard.

"Hai." Without a warning he was wrenched to his feet and spun around. Two small and delicate hands grabbed the sides of his head and pulled it down into a passionate kiss, a pair of soft lips moving slowly but decisively against him. Naruto was still shocked when he was pushed away and a slap rang out against his cheek.

He looked at her, taking in her hair, long and dark, her skin, pale and smooth, belying just how deadly of a Kunoichi she was. And her eyes… her angry eyes, he was taken thoroughly aback. He had not expected to be slapped. Naruto knew she was far more fiery than she let on in public, their missions together had shown that, but she seemed furious.

"Hanabi-chan?" He was stuttering, sounding more like his love's sister Hinata than anyone else.

"You will do no… such… thing." If here voice held hints of steel before, now is was hard enough to make diamond feel like marshmallow, melted marshmallow. "Damn it Naruto, you can't give up." Her hands balled up at her side, her nails were cut too fine to draw blood, but her chakra glowed dangerously around her fingertips.

Hanabi activated her Byakugan wordlessly, breathing deeply to regain her composure. She took Naruto by the hand and led him deeper into the Namikaze estate. She had never been there, it would have drawn too many questions, teammates or not. When you had eyes that could see though walls, it didn't really matter. It also revealed something else.

Complicated Fuinjutsu covered the entire exterior of the house; no-one could see or hear anything from outside. And that was if they got past the various blood and trap seals that littered the grounds. Hanabi almost snorted, if Naruto wasn't such a loyal Shinobi, there was no way that the ANBU could get evict him from these estates.

But something was wrong. Naruto had always been loyal, hai, it was one of the things that had drawn Hanabi to him, but this was something else. It was insanity, the last few weeks, he hadn't been the Naruto she knew. Although they ostensibly had minimal interaction, and even that just of the kind associated with ex-teammates, she kept an eye on him; she knew he kept an eye on her.

For the first time, she concentrated her Byakugan on him, truly looked. It nearly blinded her. His chakra was immense, far larger than even a Jinchuuriki's had a right to be. But that was to be expected, with nothing but D-rank missions assigned to him, Naruto had thrust himself into training. In the last three years, he had undergone three thousand. Hanabi did not doubt that if Naruto wanted to lay waste to the entire village, there was no longer anyone strong enough to stop him. But as he was, he had lost hope. Everything and everyone had been taken from him.

But perhaps, she could help. She had come upon hearing the news from Hinata, through Kiba, her sister's husband and current clan head of the Inuzuka. Kiba, along with Shikamaru, was one of Naruto's last allies. Her initial plan was to persuade him to stand up to the council, something he had not done since the death (suspicious death in her eyes) of the Lady Tsunade. Something quickened within her heart… she knew what she had to do. And she had been granted the perfect opportunity to do it, her bastard of a father would never believe that the Hanabi in the bed at her home was a Shadow Clone, after all, no Hyuuga could possibly have learned that technique.

She led Naruto into his own bedroom and sat him down with the hint of a smirk gracing her lips. The kiss and slap still had him a little stunned, which Hanabi had no problem taking advantage of as it was for his own good. She could see his Shadow Clones roaming the house, continuing their task of packing his belongings. The smirk blossomed when Hanabi noticed the Jutsu scrolls they were sealing away, along with other heirlooms. Perhaps Naruto wasn't going to roll over after all, perhaps his Shadow Clones were sick of the placid attitude of the 'Boss'.

Rational thought finally returned to Naruto, or at least as rational as he had been these past few weeks, and his location was made known to his conscious self.

"Hanabi-chan what—"He was cut off by a pair of fingers gently pressing his lips.

"Shush you. It's my turn to talk. Tomorrow I'm going to chew you out," Naruto could feel truth in her words, and was slightly worried, but he also felt the beginnings of a 'but', "But…" there it was, "tonight you need help. Something is wrong with you Naruto. The Naruto I know, the Naruto who was able to make me see through the years of lies and hatred of a fool, the Naruto I love, would never give up. You are not going to report to the council. My Shadow Clones have had words with yours. They've sealed everything. Tomorrow, you will leave Konoha in possession of all that belongs to you." Naruto agreed so far, but he could sense more was to come, Hanabi just oozed mischief; it resonated with the King of Pranksters within him. "And I will be going with you."

"Hanabi-chan no. I won't let you abandon your life, not for me." All of a sudden she was angry again.

"Damn it Naruto you are my life. What else do I have? From birth my father hated me. I'm the reason my mother died, he may have thought Hinata was weak but he hated me. Every day he beat the emotion out of my being, trying to make me a soulless machine. He forced me to hurt my Nee-san, the only person at that point who actually cared about me. Do you think I don't know she was holding back, that she was strong enough to let me hit her? My own father used me as a tool to destroy my sister. To punish me for killing mother, and to punish Hinata for looking like her."

In a shot Hanabi was in his arms, her head flush against his chest as his hands rubbed up and down her back, a soothing white noise issuing forth from his lips. She hadn't seen Naruto move, even with the Byakugan, but he was standing there, his own pain pushed aside as comforting her became everything. Naruto smiled wryly, his eyes wet as a fog fell away from his mind; he thought clearly once more.

Naruto stumbled, his mind felt clearer, his memories of the last week as if viewed through a misted glass. But they were real, how else would Hanabi be in his arms, something he had dreamed about for the last two years.

"Hey Firecracker-chan." A murmur in her ear and he felt her freeze in his arms before she sobbed in relief.

"Naruto, you're back." He finished filtering through the memories, then the memories of his recently dispelled clones. "I missed you so much. I don't want them to take you away from me again. A year is far too long." He remembered that too. That had happened when he was awake, but he had no legal position to stand on.

When he had been banned from any promotion the council had assigned him to another Genin team, where Hanabi just happened to be. They had served together for two years. After one Naruto had fallen in love with her, even though she had been just fourteen at the time, and he seventeen. Everything he thought about her had been wrong. For years he had just seen Hinata's posh little sister, prim and proper in every way, arrogant to a fault. It, much like the village view of him as a demon, had been wrong, dead wrong.

Just under a year after that, while alone with her on assignment, a surprise attack left him with a hole through his chest. A Raikiri, aimed at her by an unknown assassin. He in turn left them with a slash on the leg as they fled.

(Flashback – One year Prior to Present Time)

"Naruto, Naruto listen to me, kami please don't die." Naruto heard her panic, heard the fear in Hanabi's voice. He wanted to tell her it was alright, that such a wound wouldn't hurt him. The Raikiri had gone through his chest, bursting both lungs and his heart. He had to air to tell her, and she was far too upset and shocked to notice the flesh knitting back together.

Hanabi heard her own voice, it was weak and pathetic. She couldn't breathe. It was as if all the oxygen had been torn forcefully from her lungs; nothing made sense. Naruto was invincible, he couldn't die. And he certainly wouldn't get caught by surprise, unless…

"Oh Kami Naruto, please tell me you didn't take this for me." She was racked by sobs and hiccoughs, her body spasming against his shoulders, her tears falling from her eyes to his neck. "I never got to tell you. Oh Kami. Naruto, I love you. Please don't die." Hanabi, her eyes screwed shut, not wanting to see the hole blasted straight through the man she loved, fumbled around, finding Naruto's face with her fingertips. She clumsily pressed her lips to his, expecting them to be still. He was breathing, barely and faintly, but still breathing.

Hanabi leaned back, looking into his eyes, the azure depths staring back up at her, his whiskers crinkled in a smile. A shuddering hand rubbed a thumb absently along her cheek.

"A little thing like this couldn't kill me, have a look little Firecracker." It was true, the gaping wound had completely healed, leaving yet another scar. "I still have my healing factor, one of Kurama's gifts." Then it dawned on her.

"Naruto, about be—"his thumb found her lips, slipping between them and rubbing her teeth. It was one of the stranger ways she had been silenced, but oddly pleasurable.

"I've been in love with you for quite some time little Firecracker." He smiled at her again before a hacking cough coated both of their faces in his blood. "Oops." Slowly but surely the found their faces moving together. Hanabi, looking this time, saw his lips centimetres from hers. Then the distance was gone, and through the tangy taste of blood she kissed Naruto. Until when thirty seconds later the moment was ruined on account of him being unconscious. Neither noticed the same cloaked figure that had nearly killed them hanging in the shadows.

Naruto awoke in the hospital, the only place he ever seemed to wake up in. There was no one to greet him, there never was anymore. Not since Sasuke's inauguration. The Hospital staff just left him to find his own way out. It was never particularly hard to do so.

As he left, a complication arose. Four ANBU leaped from the buildings, surrounding him with weapons drawn. He had never been particularly fond of the ANBU, too many of them were not to be trusted.

"Demon, the Hokage summons you." Naruto groaned, what did the Teme want know, and why couldn't people accept that the Kyuubi was as good as dead now, moved on, gone to the fox pen in the sky, whatever they wanted to call it. Flanked by the ANBU Naruto made his way to the Hokage tower. Just what he needed after having someone's arm… wait. That attack had been a Raikiri. And it wasn't the first time he'd had an arm through his chest.

It didn't matter anyway. Everyone was against him. A memory of a bloody kiss flitted into view, well, maybe not everyone.

"Hokage-sama, you called for me." Naruto deadpanned, his voice betraying nothing, his face cold as stone, Naruto had master his emotions enough to appear strong in public, sure at night he cried himself to sleep, all alone, betrayed by those he considered friends, but Naruto would be damned before he let Sasuke know he'd gotten to him.

"Hai Dobe, I did" Naruto, in spite of appearances, was livid, everything in him wanted to tear Sasuke apart, to rend him limb from limb. He no longer needed a Bijuu to provide rage, he had that in spades. He wanted to wipe that arrogant smirk from his smug little face, and he could, oh he could. "We are withdrawing you from the Shinobi forces and confining you to your quarters except for when requested by the council. Surrender your headband immediately. I have business to attend to, I trust you can show yourself out." With that, he left.

As Naruto reached up to his forehead, he recalled something strange he had seen. Sasuke had been limping.

(Flashback end)

"What even happened?"

"Genjutsu," Hanabi answered, "a strong one. You've been acting strangely for three weeks. I was worried, then I heard about what they were going to do. Hinata told me, Kiba and Shikamaru tried to shoot it down. You aren't alone."

"Hanabi…" His voice was dangerously low, "We haven't seen each other in a year, how would you know how I've been acting," He smiled, she breathed a sigh of relief, no doubt Naruto was setting up a joke. "Been taking a leaf out of Hinata's book and stalking me?" Luckily Hinata had grown out of that phase and moved on, he liked her, but not in that way.

Hanabi laughed, Kami it felt good to do that, she'd had so little reason to laugh lately and she doubted much was different for Naruto in that respect.

"Shut up Naruto," She refused to call him Naruto-kun, it sounded weird to her. His name alone, unadorned by the proprieties of a society that shunned hum, that was the best sound in the world. "I know you broke parole, sneaking around in Sage Mode." She couldn't see him, her face nuzzled in his chest as it was. But Hanabi could smell him looking sheepish. "Kami I missed you, but now you're back. And I'll be damned If I let you leave me now. It's been hell keeping father away with suitors." She spat it like poison, and nearly gagged. They'd all been forty or more, and fat. And all Hyuuga elders. She knew that she was hot, her feelings of inadequacy next to the far curvier figure of her nee-san were quickly silenced by the way the perverted male half looked at her when they thought she wasn't looking, but that was weird and creepy.

"Hai I'm back." Naruto just kept rubbing her back, enjoying the feel of her head tucked in the crook of his neck, her delicate scent, like fresh lilies, filling his nostrils. He'd gone so long without pleasant physical contact, he barely could find words to say. "Kami I love you. I missed you so much. I wish I'd been brave enough to meet you. That day… it was a message. If I tried anything they'd kill you. The man who attacked… It was Sasuke, I'm sure of it." Hanabi just snorted derisively.

"I know. Not sure how he found out we loved each other before we did, but there you go. I'm just glad he didn't tell my father. We'll be out of his reach tomorrow. But tonight…" She was done playing and slowly pulled the sash of her kimono, eschewing the item of clothing. He just stared as she stood in just underwear, taking in her small, but undoubtedly womanly, figure in the barely lit room as she made her intentions clear.

Naruto was shocked as Hanabi took charge, pushing him down onto the bed and straddling his waist, it felt good, damn did it feel good. She began to rock against him, pushing their nether regions together through the fabric separating them, and sending pleasure arcing through both parties. A tiny part of him told him to stop her, he told it to go jump off a cliff. She leaned over slowly, licking her lips as she felt him react, her breath strained in anticipation.

"Tonight…" she continued; her voice so quiet that Naruto nearly burst an eardrum to hear it. "Tonight you are going to make love to me. I want you to make me forget how angry I am at those bastards for making me wait a year for this. I want you to make me forget my own name." Then her lips met his, her tongue sliding over his upper lip as he opened his mouth for her. The wet muscle glided in, playing with his in small flicking motions, inexperienced yet experimental. Naruto almost died of embarrassment when he moaned from her various ministrations, but he was going to enjoy this.

Naruto couldn't speak for her. But Hanabi made him forget many things, except her name, with many fervent repetitions of it no could doubt his knowledge of that.

It was only later when the irony of it hit him. He was the male, the three years older male. Society stated that he was only after one thing, yet Hanabi needed to spell it out for him. Oh well, society could go fuck itself for all he cared.

Author's Note

Alright.

This is my first go at this fan-fiction business so just a few notes.

I am British, so my spelling may seen weird.

It may seem like Sasuke/Sakura Bashing, but it isn't. Just give it time.

I'll try to update about every two weeks, we'll see how that goes.

That's about all for now, feedback is welcomed, flames will result in endless crying in a corner.

La3nus

End Transmission

Edit on 06/04/2014 to clarify a few things