Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Naruto. Unfortunately.

Warnings: Yaoi and character death. Don't like it? Don't read it. It's that simple.

***This is dedicated to Golden Cheshire, for her continual support in everything I do and for being an amazing friend***

Waiting It Out

The streets of Konoha were, for the most part, deserted. There was barely any light, save for the occasional illumination provided by the infrequent bolts passing in the murky sky above. When this would happen, inky figures could be seen lurking in the heavy rain, sinuous and distorted, like jellyfish made of shadow and darkness, and even darker shapes lay on the ground with a stillness that could only be found in death. Carrion birds circled these forlorn huddles hungrily. Screams punctuated the unnatural silence that had fallen over the hidden village, originating from where the fighting was still going on, near the Hokage Tower.

The battle had started days ago, with only a few invaders from the Hidden Sound infiltrating the village. The Hokage was not too worried about it, and dispatched a few ANBU to deal with the threat. Within hours, however, it had escalated into something of epic proportions. The Hidden Leaf was being outnumbered as troops from other countries, including the Mist, Snow, and Rock, began pouring into the city and killing arbitrarily. The Hokage had pulled out all of the ninja at her disposal at that point, trying to defend the village, but they were being beaten badly, and the casualties were unacceptably high. That was when Tsunade had declared a state of emergency, declaring that all civilians were to be evacuated immediately. When that had been accomplished, she launched a final offensive against the invaders, gathering as many ninja as possible to do so and hoping that reinforcements from the Hidden Sand would arrive soon.

When the heavy downpour turned into a raging blizzard, however, Tsunade was forced to recall her troops. The enemy, however, was not impeded by the storm and continued their attack.

"We cannot hold." She said grimly. "This isn't a political invasion, its genocide. They won't stop until we're all dead. The technique that they're planning to use will most likely decimate the entire village by morning, so we all need to get as far from here was possible. Move!"

OOO

Naruto Uzumaki was not happy about abandoning the village, nor was he happy that he had found an enemy that he could not stop, even with the help of his friends. As he ran through the deserted streets, brushing the heavy snow out of his eyes, he slipped on the inch-deep ice that had formed on the sidewalk, his ankle twisting oddly as he crashed hard to the ground. When he tried to stand, his leg trembled under his weight and he groaned as the pain made him woozy. He attempted a few steps, failed, and fell to the ground again, this time jarring his wrist. A shock ran through the ground as he hit it, making him look up in sudden apprehension. The snow that had built up on the roof of the building, a large formless mass of blinding white, quivered, lost its placing, and began to fall. With instinct born of desperation, Naruto threw himself through the door of the building with surprising speed, managing to slam the door shut just before the monstrous pile of snow hit the ground.

Breathing heavily, the blonde ninja shut his eyes as he leaned against the cold wood of the door, another stab of nausea shooting through his body.

"What the –"

Naruto's heart skipped a beat and he spun around, clutching a kunai in his hand, but his eyes fell immediately on a familiar face. Two red iris', seemingly alive in the light of the small fire that burned in the fireplace, were watching him.

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke moved forward slowly, coming more into the light, and it was then that Naruto noticed that his leg was wrapped in a white bed sheet, stained with blood.

"Wh – what happened to your leg?" Naruto asked weakly, trying to support his weight.

"Hn. Explosive kunai." Sasuke explained. "I couldn't dodge it in time. What about you? You don't look too good, dobe."

Naruto let the insult pass without comment. "It was the ice. I lost my footing. I think it might be broken."

Sasuke came to his side and put an arm around the smaller boy's waist, helping him into a small chair and pulling the table closer so as to use it to elevate his foot.

He pulled off his sandals, and as Sasuke inspected the injury, Naruto closed his eyes again, wishing the pain would go away.

"It's not too bad," Sasuke mumbled eventually, "just a sprain, really. Just keep it elevated, I'll go get you some ice."

As Sasuke hobbled away to the house's kitchen, Naruto stared after him blankly. Sure, Sasuke had calmed down a lot since they were first put into team seven, it had been five years now, but he was never this nice. When the Uchiha returned, Naruto eyed him warily, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Why are you looking at me like that, baka?" Sasuke asked sharply, a little more like his old self.

"You're being nice…" Naruto said uncertainly.

"Hn."

Silence fell between the two shinobi, broken every now and again by Naruto's quiet moans of discomfort when he shifted his position.

"Stay still, Naruto." Sasuke said quietly. "You need to save your strength. Once you can walk a little, I'll help you and we can get out of the village before it gets destroyed."

Naruto nodded. "What about your leg, though?" he asked. "It looks bad."

Sasuke shrugged and removed the bloodstained sheet. The wound wasn't all that bad, just superficial, and the bleeding had stopped.

"I'll be alright as long as we don't move too fast. I only came in here to stop the bleeding and regain some strength. Seems I'll be staying until you're alright as well. We'll probably need each others help escaping."

"Yeah, probably." Naruto winced as his leg shifted on the table. "Did Baa-chan tell you what technique the enemy are going to use to destroy Konoha?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I get the feeling that we don't want to know. From the sound of it, it'll be big, and bad. Enough to level the village, at any rate. And we need to be out of here before that happens, or we're both history."

Naruto took a deep breath. Thanks to the Kyuubi's chakra flowing through his body, his ankle was already close to being healed. Outside, the sound of the blizzard became, if possible, even harsher. Sasuke moved to the window and wiped at the condensation that had accumulated there.

"Shit." He muttered. "I can't see a thing… Unless…"

He cursed loudly, and Naruto jumped in surprise.

"What is it?" Naruto asked nervously, slowly getting to his feet.

"Shit!" Sasuke said, crossing the room in the blink of an eye and stopping at the door. Naruto slipped his sandals on and grabbed a kunai, unsure of what Sasuke had seen.

Sasuke put his hand on the door handle tentatively. He pulled it down, but didn't push the door open.

"Open it." Naruto whispered, but Sasuke's hand slid off the handle and dropped to his side.

"I can't."

"Why not?" Naruto asked, moving forward cautiously.

"The door's blocked. We're snowed in."

It took several seconds for that to sink in before Naruto responded.

"Snowed in? Is that all? Why don't you just use a fire jutsu and melt us a path outta here?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I could, but this building is made of wood. We'd be burned alive in here."

"What about the windows then?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke let out a breath of air and glared at the blonde.

"Naruto, use your head. If we break the down the door, or smash open one of the windows, all of that snow is going to come pouring in here and bury us. At the rate this storm is going, the snow is piling up pretty fast."

Naruto frowned. "I guess…"

Sasuke nodded once and sat down on the couch again.

"Wait." Naruto exclaimed suddenly, making Sasuke jump slightly. "What if I used my shadow clones to dig us out of the snow?"

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes. "It won't work, dobe. The snow would simply crush your clones."

"Well, what do you suggest then?"

Sasuke didn't reply for a moment. He crossed the room and sat down on one of the heavily cushioned chairs. "The only thing we can do. We wait it out."

OOO

For a long time there was silence. Neither shinobi spoke, as neither of them knew what to say. Naruto contented himself with listening to the sound of the blizzard, for although it posed a definite problem, the sound of the howling wind was oddly comforting, much like listening to the sound of heavy rain. Once or twice he had caught himself dozing off on his chair, only to be jerked back to wakefulness when Sasuke would get up to check the window and mutter something vulgar about how much he hated snow.

"Is there anything you do like, Uchiha?" Naruto asked with a mocking smile on one such occasion.

"Tomatoes." Sasuke replied without missing a beat.

"Tomatoes, huh?" Naruto questioned. "You know, you're a very strange person."

"Tell me something I don't know." Sasuke said, smiling softly even as he rolled his obsidian eyes.

"Okay, what else do you like?"

Sasuke stared over at Naruto for a few seconds before speaking again. "This reminds me of when team seven was first formed. Kakashi asked us the same question."

"And you avoided it then, too." Naruto pointed out.

"I didn't avoid it." The Uchiha said abruptly. "I just didn't feel like sharing at the time. I didn't even know you or Sakura back then."

Naruto nodded. "That's true. I remember how Sakura-chan kept stealing glances at you while she was talking. Boy, she can be so obvious at times."

Sasuke snorted. "I've noticed. It doesn't matter, though. I've never liked her in that way."

"Then who do you like?" Naruto asked curiously.

"None of your business." Sasuke snapped.

"Hey! No need to get all bitchy about it." Naruto said, feeling stung. "I'm just trying to make conversation. Besides, we're supposed to be friends, and you barely tell anyone anything about yourself. I think I have the right to know."

Sasuke snorted again, glancing over to the window.

"No one, okay?" he said. "With all the time I've spent trying to be the best ninja, and always plotting Itachi's death, I never really looked at the girls in that way. To me, they were just like everybody else, not remarkable in any way."

"So not even Ino?" Naruto asked.

"No, not even her. Or Sakura. Or any of the other fan girls that are so obsessed with me. I never took the time to even consider it."

"That's kinda stupid." Naruto stated. "One of your main goals has always been to restore your clan, and that would involve a girl as well, wouldn't you say?"

Sasuke blushed to the roots of his hair, looking flustered. "I realize that. I just thought there would be more time, that I could think about that kind of thing after I had killed Itachi. I never thought… well, I didn't think things would happen this way."

"I guess not." Naruto said quietly.

"Well, dobe, since we're telling our secrets, who is it that you like?"

Naruto's face went scarlet, and his fingertips fiddled with the hem of his shirt. "It's pretty much obvious, isn't it?" he asked. "I haven't exactly kept it a secret that I like Sakura-chan.

Sasuke chuckled softly. "What about the Hyuuga girl? Hinata. She likes you."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "Come off it, Sasuke. Hinata does not like me. She's just a really good friend."

"Then why does she always blush around you? And even faint when you get close to her?"

"It's because she's shy." Naruto said with a roll of his eyes. "If you ask me, I think she has a crush on Kiba."

"Inuzuka? Now you're being ridiculous. It's obvious that it's you that she likes, baka. Why are you so intent on denying it?"

"Because it's not true!" Naruto yelled, causing Sasuke to flinch at the sudden loud noise. "There's no way that Hinata likes me, and you know it."

For a long while, the two simply glared at one another, neither one willing to back down. Eventually, however, Naruto sighed and looked away.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Hn."

"Why do you think Itachi did it? Murdered your clan, I mean."

Sasuke's face darkened at the mention of his brother's name. "He said it was to test his capabilities. I don't know… I think there was more to it than that. And I don't think he was alone, either. Someone must have helped him. The Uchiha clan was fairly large, and skilled too. He couldn't have done that by himself in one night."

Naruto ran his fingers through his blonde locks. "I guess not. But who would've helped him do something that terrible?"

Sasuke shrugged, staring into the fire that was burning in the fireplace. Naruto fell silent too, wondering if he would survive the night.

OOO

It was nearly midnight, and the blizzard had not halted in the least. If anything, it had grown even stronger, and the two shinobi were becoming listless. Naruto had raided the kitchen and found some instant ramen, which he was happily slurping up, much to Sasuke's annoyance. Sasuke was crouched beside and ancient radio, fiddling with the buttons and murmuring to himself.

"Do you think we're going to die here, Sasuke?" Naruto asked somberly. Sasuke looked up at the blonde, who had just put down his ramen, and frowned.

"No." he said. "We'll get out of this, Naruto. It's unlike you to even consider the idea."

Naruto shook his head slowly. "It's not." He whispered. "I've thought about it many times. When we fought Zabuza, when we took on Gaara after the Chuunin exams, and even when you and I fought, that time that Kakashi-sensei stopped us. I've thought about dying quite a lot…"

Sasuke seemed to be at a loss for things to say, so he simply turned back to the dilapidated radio, still trying to make it work.

"We won't die here." Sasuke said, but he didn't sound convincing. Naruto nodded distractedly, glancing at the window. The snow had completely buried the house by now, and the cold was seeping in through the wood like Death's own icy grip. Shivering slightly, he decided to go looking through the house for something to entertain himself.

Entering the large kitchen, he glanced up at the high ceiling, which was almost completely hidden in shadow. The support beams creaked under the pressure of the snow building up, but they were still holding firm. He crossed the cold stone floor, feeling paranoid in the eerie silence, and gripped the iron handle of the pantry door. He turned it slowly and opened it up, then grabbed the cord that was hanging a few inches from his face. With a tug, the dim light came on, and he peered around at the contents of the small room. The walls were comprised of dusty shelves, stacked with various boxes and bottles containing food, herbs, spices, and strange liquids that Naruto could only assume were meant to be used for cooking. He reached out and picked up a box of tea, in order to shift it out of the way, but dropped it with a small shriek when a large spider scurried from the box and onto his hand. He jerked his hand back, causing the spider to fall to the floor and crawl under the nearest shelf. Naruto swore quietly at the spider, cursing his own overreaction to something as stupid as a spider.

"I'm a ninja, for crying out loud." He muttered to himself. "Spiders shouldn't scare me half to death."

Shifting more boxes aside, he didn't find anything of interest, and decided to move on to another room in the house. He bypassed the lounge, where Sasuke continued to work on the radio, and walked through the first door he found. It turned out to be a rather spacious bedroom, painted deep blue and filled with various paraphernalia. The double bed dominated the floor space, its dark red comforter contrasting with the walls, and once side of the room was lined with a bookshelf. A small table sat by the room's only window, a closed book atop it. Naruto allowed his eyes to wander over the room one more time before deciding that it no longer interested him.

The next room was very much the same, with only a few minute differences. The next room, however, contained a large bar. Naruto grinned to himself and walked over to it, examining the contents at a leisurely pace. He picked up each bottle, determined what it was, and either put it back or placed it on the counter, intending to take it with him.

"Hmm… whiskey? No, that tastes bad. Brandy… I'll take that. Vodka… I'll take that too. Absinthe… No, I still want to be able to walk…"

When he had chosen half a dozen bottles, he scooped them up in his arms and made his way back to the lounge. As he entered, a soft tune began to play, coming from the radio.

"Finally!" Sasuke exclaimed. "Naruto," he called, "I've gotten the radio to work!"

"And I've got just the thing to go with it." Naruto replied with a foxy grin. He placed the alcohol on the coffee table and smirked at Sasuke, who was looking worried.

"Cat got your tongue, Uchiha?" Naruto asked with a cocky lift of his eyebrow.

Sasuke adjusted his forehead protector, his face once again a smooth, unreadable mask.

"Not at all, Uzumaki. I just didn't expect you to go looking for anything like this."

Naruto chuckled ruefully. "Yeah, well, if tonight is my last night, I'm at least going to go out in style. No point in trying to behave, now is there?"

Sasuke frowned at him, his lips tugging down in disapproval. "I thought we agreed that we weren't going to die here, dobe."

Naruto met Sasuke's glare with a look of indifference. "Come off it, Sasuke. If the cold doesn't kill us, then the invading ninja will find us and kill us. And if that doesn't happen, then that jutsu that Baa-chan was talking about is going to atomize us anyway. I'm not trying to be pessimistic, but the odds aren't exactly in our favor. Hell, I honestly don't see any way for us to get out of this."

Sasuke snorted. "I suppose you're right. It doesn't look too good for us."

Naruto nodded and passed Sasuke a bottle of brandy. "Drink up, Uchiha. Let's go out with a bang."

Grabbing a bottle of vodka, Naruto drank half of it in one go, pulling his face away when he began to cough wildly.

"Goddamn," he swore, "it feels like my throat is on fire."

Sasuke manfully swallowed a generous helping of brandy before clouting Naruto on the back, trying to help his friend breath.

"Just keep going." He said. "Soon you won't even taste it anymore."

OOO

Half an hour passed by quickly, and Naruto could feel the alcohol worming its way through his body. It was becoming harder to focus on anything, and his movements felt sluggish and uncoordinated.

"Sasuke," he half-slurred, "do you think they'll remember us?"

Sasuke put down the empty brandy bottle and picked up the sake. "Probably. I'm one of the infamous Uchiha, after all, and you're the vessel of the Kyuubi. I'm sure they'd remember us."

Naruto frowned as a sudden thought struck him.

"You know, the invaders might not like what happens after they kill me."

Sasuke raised a questioning eyebrow.

"If I die, there's a good chance that the Kyuubi would just be freed, and it would wreak havoc on what ever is closest to it."

"That's assuming that what ever technique they're using doesn't kill the Kyuubi too." Sasuke pointed out. "If you die slowly, the seal would weaken and allow it to escape, but if it was an instantaneous death, it would probably kill the Kyuubi along with you."

Naruto giggled. "Stop being a prat, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked taken aback. "How am I being a prat?"

Naruto shrugged, giggling. "I have no idea…"

Sasuke laughed, his cheeks flushed from the alcohol.

Taking another drink, he looked at Naruto, who was standing in the center of the room. His body was swaying rhythmically to the beat of the song that was playing on the radio, and his eyes were closed. Every now and then, he would raise the bottle he was holding to his lips and take a sip, shuddering before he continued to dance.

Sasuke grinned in spite of himself. If they were going to die, at least they were having a bit of fun first.

Naruto's eyes opened, and their cerulean depths met with Sasuke's eyes.

"Come and dance with me." He said softly, expecting the Uchiha to decline, but to his surprise Sasuke joined him, standing close. He took a long swig of alcohol, placed the bottle on the burnished table top, and began to move his body to the beat, smiling to himself. Naruto couldn't remember a time when he had seen his friend so relaxed.

When a new song came on, it was a much slower, more intimate one. Naruto, expecting that the dance was now over, moved to take a seat again, but Sasuke put an arm around his waist and drew him in close. His other hand came to rest on Naruto's shoulder, so the blonde ninja copied his movements, falling into a slow dance.

"You know what the worst is?" Naruto whispered softly.

"Hn?" Sasuke replied curiously.

"Seventeen years, and I've never even kissed someone."

Sasuke frowned. "I've never done that either. Unless you count the ninja academy, when you fell forward and landed with your lips on mine."

Naruto felt the blood rush to his cheeks. "That doesn't count. It was an accident. And it wasn't even a real kiss."

Sasuke raised a questioning eyebrow.

"No tongue." Naruto replied, now thoroughly embarrassed.

Sasuke seemed to grow thoughtful for a moment.

"We could do it now, you know."

"Do what now?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Kiss. Since neither of us have ever… Well, I want to know what it's like, before I die."

"But we're both guys, Sasuke." Naruto replied. "Isn't that, I don't know, weird?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Who would know? We'll be dead by dawn anyway."

Naruto took a deep breath and swallowed. "True…"

He stared at Sasuke for a moment longer before nodding, giving the raven haired ninja permission. He felt Sasuke's body move closer, pressing up against his, and closed his eyes. Tilting his head forward, he closed the gap between them and pressed their lips together. At first, it was a tentative kiss, like they were simply testing the waters, but soon Naruto felt Sasuke's mouth open against his own, and he felt a tongue slide over his lower lip, asking for entrance. Naruto complied, opening his mouth and allowing Sasuke's tongue inside. His own tongue responded automatically, brushing against Sasuke's softly, and his one hand gripped the back of Sasuke's shirt tightly, while the other crept into his hair, lacing it with his fingers. They sank down onto the couch, with Sasuke on top of Naruto, and continued kissing one another. As their bodies moved, the friction began to arouse Naruto. He felt himself harden, and he could feel Sasuke's own member brushing against him through the fabric of his pants. An involuntary moan escaped Naruto's lips, and he ground his hips up against Sasuke's. Sasuke let out a gasp, but didn't pull away. He gripped the back of Naruto's neck tighter, and Naruto wrapped his arms firmly behind Sasuke, pressing against him. When they pulled apart for air, Naruto felt like his head was spinning. He expected Sasuke to get up, but what the Uchiha said next caught him completely off guard.

"Take your shirt off."

Naruto complied without thought, dropping the shirt to the ground next to them. Sasuke's shirt joined his, and the Uchiha prodigy pressed their bare chests together as their lips met once more. For the first time in hours, Naruto felt warm and safe. Being in Sasuke's arms was something he had never thought of before, but in that moment it made complete sense to him. They broke their kiss, both flushed and a little out of breath, and Naruto smiled up at the Uchiha, who simply smiled back.

"I never knew that I felt this way about you." Sasuke whispered.

"Me neither." Naruto replied softly, brushing Sasuke's hair away from his face. "Better late than never, I guess."

Sasuke pressed their lips together again, but this time it was more gentle, more caring, and far more intimate. When he released Naruto, the blonde held him tightly.

"Can we just freeze this moment?" Naruto asked, tears building in his eyes. "I don't want it to end. Not now, when I –"

"When we just found each other." Sasuke finished for him, sounding saddened. "I wish we could stay in this moment forever. But let's make the best of it while we can. If this is the end, then I don't want to be apart from you."

Naruto laughed gently, a few tears escaping his eyes. He nodded and pressed his face against Sasuke's skin, breathing in his scent.

"I'm so tired." Naruto said.

"Let's get some sleep, dobe." Sasuke replied with an affectionate smile. He shifted his position, climbing off from on top of Naruto and onto the couch next to him, laying with their bodies touching and their foreheads together.

"I think I love you, Sasuke." Naruto whispered quietly as he was drifting off. Right before sleep claimed him, he heard Sasuke whisper a reply.

"I think I love you too."

OOO

It was dark, and Naruto was pleasantly warm under the blanket he was wrapped in. An arm was curled around his waist, and another body was tight against his own, pressed against his back. And all he could smell was Sasuke.

'Am I dead?' Naruto thought to himself. He felt Sasuke shift in his sleep, and his touch sent small electrical jolts throughout his body. He rolled over to face the Uchiha, smiling softly at him. For a second time, he wished he could stop time and live this moment forever. But reality came crashing down all too suddenly.

A loud noise erupted from outside the house they were trapped in, high and piercing. Sasuke jolted awake beside him, his eyes wide with fear.

"I think this is it." Naruto stated.

Sasuke didn't reply. He looped his arms around Naruto and pulled him close.

"Goodbye, Naruto." He whispered in the blonde's ear. "I love you."

"I love you too." Naruto said through his tears. "Goodbye, Sasuke…"

A blinding light flashed through the house, accompanied by the roaring sound of pure destruction. Right before it reached them, Naruto felt Sasuke kiss him gently.

Then it was over.

XXXXX