SETTING:

Right after the war, Sasuke revealed that both he and Itachi were spies for the Leaf; Sasuke brought back info on the enemy and the previous Hokage's, Hiruzen Sarutobi, writing as proof. Sasuke's ninja status went on hold not sure if was telling the truth, however was rumored to be given an ANBU position. Naruto took a year off, having found out that he was pregnant, sometime after coming home after the war.

Naruto and Sasuke did get their fight, back where it all started for them (Valley of the End?); towards the end, just as Sasuke was Dominating the fight they both had their first time by the waterfall. They avoided one another and when Naruto found out about his situation Sasuke was given his new position in ANBU and was sent away on a mission.

Naruto quickly left for a year, saying that he wanted time away; Sasuke returned from his mission, ready to confess only to find Naruto's apartment empty.

Alone

It's nice, looking after someone, taking care of someone . . .he's just a little boy, just three years old, and so smart . . . In a few years he'll know that he won't need me, that he can take care of himself . . .

I'll be alone again . . .

It's the only reason I kept him after that night . . .if only he could stay little longer . . .

I don't like to be alone . . .

I don't think anyone really does . . . It's quiet and dark . . .if possible, the silence in the apartment echoes when quiet . . . So cold when I'm alone, I hate it . . .

I'm scared when I'm alone . . .

"Daddy!"

"Daddy!" a little boy, just at the age of three, ran out of his room, tears gathering in his blue eyes. "Scary, Daddy!"

Naruto picked up the crying child in his arms, tucking his head under his head, gently rocking. One arm holding the precious little body, his other hand running through the spiked black hair. Moving away from the window, Naruto moved to sit on the sofa, "What happened, baby?" Naruto whispered.

"Bad dream, Daddy," spiked black hair moved, revealing bright watery blue eyes, "I no find Daddy, Daddy." Little arms wrapped around Naruto's neck, the tiny face hidden under Naruto's head once more.

"Well, how about we sleep here then? Away from the bad dreams . . ." Careful of the precious bundle in his arms, Naruto went to his room to gather his pillow and blanket. With the items in hand he returned to the couch and readied for bed. Making sure that the tiny body was comfortable on his chest, Naruto covered them with his blanket. Wrapping his arms around his baby, feeling his warmth, feeling him relax as he fell asleep again.

Naruto stared out the window, ignoring the tears that fell, as he swore that he could see spinning red eyes watching them from outside the apartment . . .

Naruto had been back in the Village for over two years now and Sasuke could never be alone with him for more than a few seconds . . .

Granted he didn't know what to do after that day, under the waterfall, having gotten the upper hand over the strongest carrier . . . He liked to think that it had been the rush of having someone so strong and beautiful under him that made it feel good. . . amazing actually. However the next day, it wasn't that that came to mind but "I want more."

Being an Uchiha he would, naturally, get what he wanted, willing or by force. A flash of memory would come of their most violent fight at the Valley of the End, how he nearly, forcefully, took Naruto's life. His one link left in the village, the one who roused his emotions that he controlled with an iron fist . . . "No, I want him willing again."

That night, in the place where Sasuke admitted his weakness and nearly destroyed it in the drunken haze of power and blood lust, admitted something else unknowingly. When Naruto submitted to him in the fight Sasuke felt something that he had never felt with anyone, but then again Naruto could always pull at his emotions.

Sasuke wandered for two weeks, as himself and then in a disguise at bars or brothels, since he and Naruto couldn't be alone as it would become awkward almost immediately. And Sasuke noticed something: how disappointing it was that he didn't get as high as he did with Naruto, before and during the act. How amazing it was to fight and get Naruto to submit to him, where the others just spread themselves when he would glance at them. How he . . . missed Naruto, his dobe, and how pissed he was with himself.

Two weeks after that night, Sasuke literally bumped into Naruto outside the Hokage's office. The urge to pin him against the wall and have his way with him was strong, until he noticed Naruto's pale complexion, his cautious dull blue eyes. "Naruto . . ." Sasuke whispered, "Naruto, I-"

"Uchiha!" Tsunade yelled from inside the office.

Glancing away to glare at the women and back to his dobe, Naruto had looked away, "'Scuse me," he was gone after that.

Sasuke was given back his Ninja status and more, he was awarded with a position within ANBU. After being told that he had a mission with his new team in an hour, he rushed to Naruto's apartment. Only to find it empty. Looking around Naruto had just left and would be gone for some time. 'He'll be back . . .' Sasuke returned two weeks later after his mission and his report, to see Naruto's apartment empty with a thin layer of dust.

He asked Sakura if she knew anything, "He left me a note that he would be gone for some time, did you two get in a fight again? Honestly!"

Sasuke kept watch over the apartment, waiting for his dobe to return home, for a year. When Naruto did come back, Sasuke was seething when he felt another person with him. His anger became icy as his eyes bled red when he saw that the other person was a young child; Naruto claimed to have someone's child.

For the next year Sasuke went on missions back to back, stopping only to rest and eat before starting the cycle over. It would've continued had Tsunade not stopped him, threatening him into taking time off. It was then that all their friends had met and interacted with Naruto and his child, Menma, everyone but himself.

According to Sakura, it was shortly after Naruto left that he got drunk at a bar which led him to getting pregnant, which is strange for the Dobe since he can't get drunk. No he doesn't know the father and no he doesn't want anything to do with the father. Sakura and Naruto had gotten into a heated argument about that; Sakura saying that the father has the right to know about Menma. In which Naruto yelled that he didn't want to lose his son, after all who would want their child raised by a monster? Sakura made it up to Naruto by helping him with nearly everything, even convincing him that he was a good enough Daddy.

However, now two years after Naruto returned home with a little child with him, Sasuke had yet to meet him up close; Sasuke knows that the child is smart, telling Naruto what he learned when he was dropped off with his babysitter (one of their friends that wasn't busy), that he had Naruto's expression full blue eyes, showing his every emotion that he would go through, and Naruto's loud brashness that could be heard from all around when his emotions were high.

It wasn't right that Sasuke found all this out, not by asking as that would raise eyebrows and suspicions, but by watching. Sasuke also found out that Naruto put up a barrier to keep nosy eyes and ears off his and his son's bedroom which is understandable as the two get attention from everyone in the village even after all this time that's passed.

Whenever he and Naruto would be alone, even if for just a moment, Sasuke would be struck by his beauty and strength that when it would pass and someone would join them or Naruto would quickly leave. Sasuke just couldn't get the words out of his mouth, the words that he knew would make a difference to their, now, pathetic relationship. If they still have one that is.

'I like you.'

'I miss you.'

'I'm alone without you, Naruto.'

One day as Sasuke was returning back from a stupid meeting with the Hokage and the Council, asking when he would start a family and if he found someone worthy to carry his name, Sasuke stumbled across the two Uzumakis.

"Uchiha-san, I hope that after four years that you have someone in mind to marry."

"I have," Sasuke nodded to the older man.

"Good," another Council member nodded, "however, it should be known that, while you are young now, we have given you more than enough time to pick and settle down, Uchiha-san."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, his eyes cautious and curious.

"What they mean, brat," Tsunade entered the conversation, not caring if she were being rude, "is that you will marry by the end of the year or 'we' (read: they) will pick someone for you to marry either in or outside the Village." The entire Council nodded in agreement and Sasuke clenched his hands behind his back, nodding to them and their decision while inwardly he cursed them in a foul language.

Naruto was playing hide and seek with Menma, hiding behind a tree where he could be easily seen; but Naruto played a little differently, telling Menma what color to find his real Daddy before creating five clones with different colored shirts. Menma screamed in joy at having more than one Daddy to play with, he ran and found the clones saying the color and being "Not this one, baby, try again." Sasuke leaned against the tree, hiding high in the branches, watching them with a small smile on his face; jealousy bubbling in his stomach that Naruto had someone else's child. Wondering what child they would have created together had it been him that got Naruto pregnant . . . would their child have his midnight eyes or Naruto's deep blue eyes? Have his dark hair or Naruto's bright golden? Have his calm personality or Naruto's loud and demanding one? Would he even have a chance to claim Naruto as his, as his dobe, and ultimately his husband? Perhaps that other man would come back and Naruto to let him into his life and that of his son, Menma's.

Sharingan One Tomoe* (Sharingan One Comma)

'Impossible!' Sasuke activated his eyes to Sharingan Three Tomoe*, with a closer view he could see that Menma was looking around with his eyes, struggling to stand with the high amount of draining of Chakra the eyes were taking. From his Sharingan eyes to his blue eyes within a blink the child ran to another part of the woods, just twenty feet away, and shouted up the tree. Naruto's laughter could be heard and the name of the color, Naruto told him how smart he was as Menma started to rub his eyes.

"Let's go home, baby," Naruto picked up the dosing toddler in his arms and walked off, pops and then smoke filled the air as the clones dispersed. Memory filled his mind from the clones, one of them had spotted Sasuke passing by and didn't see him leave but it was ignored as Menma's smile and laughter rang in his mind from the other memories.

Tsunade stared at him, "Come again?" she rested her head on her hand, her elbow on the table.

The Uchiha brat barged into her office just a few moments ago asking for a private meeting with the Hokage and waited for said Hokage to wave away her security for just a few minutes. "Who is the Father to Naruto's child?"

Tsunade hardened her eyes, "What ever happened between you and Naruto at that fight is long over, Uchiha, you didn't go back to him or say anything. What he does now, is none of your concern."

Sasuke's eyes twitched, his jaw tightened to hold in his anger, "It becomes my concern when the child shows Uchiha blood!" he hissed. Taking a breath, he straightened himself out and relaxed, seeing Tsunade's shock on her face from the corner of his eye. Walking calmly to the side window he let out a sigh, "You know what happened when we went to do our fight? The one that we agreed on?"

Tsunade tsked before digging into her desk and pulled out a cup and half empty bottle of Sake, "Of course I do," she answered, "there's nothing that he hides from me, if he tries to or not." Filling her cup she tossed up back and filled it again, relaxing into her chair, "I won't say anything to you, Uchiha, but yes Menma does carry Uchiha blood."

Closing his eyes, Sasuke brought a memory of Menma and could see him in that child, a tear fell from his eye in sadness that Naruto went through this alone. "If the child is mine, I will marry Naruto and claim him and Menma into my Clan-"

Tsunade slammed her empty cup on the table, "You will not marry him out of convenience, Uchiha Sasuke!"

Sasuke turned around, glaring at the women, "He is who I wish to marry, he is the one that will carry my Clan's name with honor as I do, He. Is. Mine!" Sasuke growled out, his eyes bleeding as they changed into Mangekyo Sharingan, he turned and left the office, slamming the door behind him.

Tsunade sighed, "This ends in a good way or bad, sorry, Gaki." forgetting the cup and instead drank from the bottle.

Sasuke flashed across the Village, thinking of Naruto and Menma; 'Got pregnant right after leaving here? No, he was already pregnant when he left . . . It couldn't have been Itachi because he was already dead when the war had started . . . He left when I was summoned to Hokage's office with the mission . . .' Sasuke stopped down the block from Naruto's apartment, "Why did he leave?" Jumping off the roof and onto the street Sasuke noticed how late it was as the street was deserted and the street lights on with no light coming from the night sky. Shoving his hands in his pockets he walked towards Naruto's apartment, looking down at the ground that he walked, wondering what to do next.

Looking up he was at Naruto's door.

It was just passed ten, Naruto gave Menma a bath where the child complained of his eyes hurting, Naruto was debating if to take him to Tsunade or to Sakura. Tsunade knew that Sasuke is Menma's Father, but it's obviously busy, and Sakura is a Medic Nin, but doesn't know about Sasuke's 'help' in creating Menma . . . Naruto made tea in the kitchen, pouring it in his froggy mug that he found at a Village that he stayed in when pregnant. As he took a sip of his tea he felt Chakra that both warmed him and freezes him; Sasuke is close, very close. Having been exposed Sasuke's Chakra as children and then looking for him for years, Naruto can always know when he's nearby, making it easy and hard to hide himself and Menma from the other man.

Realizing that the Chakra wasn't moving but staying in one place, Naruto walked towards it, his heartbeat quickening when he was led to his front door. He debated if to open the door or to ignore Sasuke and go to bed but Sasuke knocked on the door, and Naruto opened the door instead of walking away.

They stared at each other; Sasuke swallowed and stepped into the apartment, Naruto blinked and glared at the man, "Of course, come in, Sasuke." Naruto gently slammed the door, thinking of the sleeping child nearby.

Sasuke stood in the room, hands in his pocket, glancing around, "You never had issues with me coming in before, Naruto." Sasuke glanced at the door towards Naruto's room, and perhaps Little Menma's too, and saw the tags taped to the wall. "Any reason for privacy to your bed? They weren't here before," Sasuke nodded towards the wall.

Naruto sighed and turned to the kitchen, turning on the burner and started to make tea; "Things change, Sasuke," he said softly, "I want some privacy after everything."

Sasuke slowly walked up towards Naruto, his dark eyes burning into Naruto, "I want to say something before we get into a fight, Naruto," he whispered. "I was confused afterwards," Sasuke leaned against the counter, his eyes looking away from a frozen Naruto, "I wasn't sure if it was because I had sex or if it was because I had sex with someone I could count as an equal to myself."

Naruto swallowed, his eyes never leaving the old tin, "Did you ever find out?"

Sasuke didn't answer for a few minutes, his mind flashing back to when he first heard that Naruto was back. "I had just got home when Sakura told me that you were back," he looked up to meet Naruto's eyes, "I was going to come but I heard that you had a child," his voice lowered, a glare filling his eyes, "someone else's child!" A crackle of lightning sounded in the apartment, a shaky breath passed Sasuke's tight lips as he tried to control himself, his anger. "I just want to know, I believe I have the right to know, Naruto."

Naruto took the teapot off the stove, "It's best that you don't know, Sasuke, it doesn't matter."

"I have the right to know," Sasuke shoved off the counter, "if not as the Father than as the last Uchiha. Is he carrying Uchiha blood in him?" Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the arm, yanking him around to face him. Naruto stared into Sasuke's cold and hard eyes, fighting back the tears that want to fall, Sasuke sighed and loosened his grip. "May I ask who the Father is?"

Naruto's face immediately turned red in anger, "You, you asshole!" Naruto shoved Sasuke away, "You think I would sleep around like you?" Sasuke blinked, "You think I didn't hear from everyone, how 'Uchiha is on the prowl'?" Naruto shoved him back again, completely out of the small kitchen and towards the couch; tears burned in Naruto's eyes again, he didn't bother fighting them as they would fall when Sasuke, the asshole, left. "I never let someone touch me before that night or after it, Sasuke," Naruto gave a sad smile, "it never felt right when someone touched me that wasn't you."

"Daddy?" Naruto and Sasuke turned towards his bedroom door, seeing Menma peeking through the door, his eyes showing fear and uncertainty.

Naruto, not liking those emotions that showed themselves in Menma's eyes and his 'mother instincts' kicking in, moved passed Sasuke and picked up his baby. "Did Daddy wake you?" Naruto kissed Menma on the head, gently rocking his body to calm the little boy.

Menma nodded, "Scary, Daddy, very scary," he mumbled into Naruto's neck, his hands gripping around Naruto's shirt.

Sasuke watched a few feet away, happiness filling his body on how well Naruto can care for his child, but the ache that he went through this alone and that Sasuke could never be able to join them, ironically, the family that he, Uchiha Sasuke, had created. Not knowing what to do Sasuke walked up beside Naruto and Menma, reaching up and gently brushing away the tears that were slowly drying on Naruto's face and a lock of hair from Menma. This gained both of their attention, "I'll be back tomorrow," Naruto opened his mouth, "Tsunade gave me the week off, too much work it seems." Sasuke shrugged and left; he knew that if he stayed any longer he would have pulled them into his arms. Naruto made it clear when he left till now, he doesn't want Sasuke to touch him, and it would be wrong that the first time he holds his son would be after he made Naruto yell and cry, waking the child from sleep. No, Sasuke would earn their trust, little by little and over time, need be. They are, after all, his only link to this god forsaken village.

~Ending part A~

The visit never came, not that Naruto expected it of Sasuke to make empty promises; he answered Menma's questions of the mystery man as best as he could. Yes, they were friends; no, they're not friends anymore; no, he does like you; yes, I miss him.

'I miss him alot.'

A week had passed with no word from Sasuke and asking Sakura led to no answers either, although it did lead to interesting information instead.

"Is something going on that I should know about?" asked Sakura, finishing her small bowl of ramen. She turned to Naruto, smiling when she saw him showing Menma how to use the chopsticks.

"No," Naruto lightly blushed, "I was just wondering, why?" he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.

Sakura sighed, placing her chopsticks on the nearly empty bowl and leaned back in the booth they chose to sit in. "Nearly every time I see Sasuke-kun he always asks if you're happy, if you're okay," she said softly, tilting her head to the side when Naruto quickly turned to her, eyes showing shock and bitter happiness. "I tell him yes every time," she shrugged, "did he confess?" she asked a few minutes later.

"Con-confess?!" Naruto's voice squeaked in shock, his face and neck completely red, Menma laughed, "Con-confess what?"

Sakura stared into Naruto's eyes, and whispered, "Did he confess on how jealous he was that you had someone else's child? Instead of his own?" She leaned forward, resting her head in her hand, waiting for Naruto's response.

Naruto helped Menma with a few more minutes, cleaning him when the noodles splashed, "Did you know?" he asked.

"That Sasuke-kun is Menma-chan's Father?" Menma looked up at Sakura and turned to Naruto, he saw the pain and sadness in his blue eyes. "The only person that you always tried to show up or show off to, the one person you tried to impress, is the only person that little Menma-chan hadn't met." She answered gently, "That and Kakashi asked me about it too."

"Eh?!"

"Kakashi figured it out, after all, Kakashi has been around since we were babies, you know." She waved off the fact like it was nothing; Naruto didn't even think about that, the fact that Kakashi would figure it out just by looking at them. . . Damn.

"Well, actually, I wanted to ask you all this because I heard that Sasuke was sent on an emergency mission." Sakura sighed, tapping her finger on the table, "He left a week ago, alone, Black OPS I believe. He should be back soon, I hope."

Another week went by and another and another.

Naruto, having Menma checked out by Tsunade, blurted out if he could know where Sasuke was. "Don't worry, Naruto, he'll be back," she patted him on the shoulder, trying to hide her own worry. 'Uchiha brat is taking too long!'

Two weeks passed before a messenger came from a neighboring village, Sand, on the discovery of Uchiha Sasuke. Quickly Tsunade sent a team of Sakura, Shikamaru and Kakashi to Sand; it was later when she realized that the messenger never said if he was alive when they found him.

Naruto came back to her office, dropping off his reports from previous weeks when the team came back to report; Sakura broke down and cried when she saw Naruto, leaving before she could say a word about the mission. Kakashi and Shikamaru stood still, looking away from Naruto with deep sadness and fear for Naruto. Tsunade was about to send Naruto away when he asked if it had to do with Sasuke, causing everyone in the room to still; "Did you find him?" Naruto asked the two men, hope filling his eyes left as quickly as it came. His body going cold with their lack of response, his heart felt like it was shattering once more, he slowly fell to the floor.

"Report," Tsunade muttered, quickly moving around to pull Naruto into her arms.

"The body found in Sand is- was Uchiha Sasuke," Kakashi said, his voice firm and truthful when Naruto started to shake his head, "he wasn't alive when he was found a few days ago. It looks like had been gone for a couple of weeks before then," Kakashi looked at Naruto, his eye holding back the tears as Naruto started to sob, "I'm so sorry, Naruto."

Shikamaru took a breath and went to place a scroll on Tsunade's desk, "Information from those that found Uchiha and drawings taken of the body," Shikamaru glanced at Naruto, "for only you to open, Hokage-sama." He took another breath and went to hold Naruto, "You made it years without him, Naruto, this time you have a part of him with you, in Menma." Shikamaru left, mentioning that he'll tell the others.

Naruto screamed, screaming at the unfairness, screaming how his baby could never meet his Father.

He cried as his chance of having a family slipped through his fingers. He cried that he didn't want to be alone anymore.

So... I got this stuck in my head, I didn't think it would become this "dark" towards the end. It only did because I was hoping to upset my friend/Beta while reading it. It did, so job well done. XD

~yoliravioli