Hi! My name is Kaori, aka SaskaUchiha96, and this is my first story. I've caught up on Naruto, but I still support the NaruSasu ship, since it still holds so much presence. Don't get me wrong, I love the other pairings, but this one will always be my favorite. So, this is placed 6 months before The Last, around June I'm assuming. I don't own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or Naruto The Last. All credit and ownership is to the amazing Kishimoto! Please R&R and enjoy!

The wind blows lazily through the trees and sakura blossoms, stirring them and lifting them off their branches. Birds are chirping, kids are laughing and cheering. The Hidden Leaf village is enjoying this time of peace, new shinobi being trained every year, and older ninja being promoted and sent on missions. The Akatsuki are disbanded, and the Second Great Ninja War is over. A new face has been added to the monument protecting the village, although it really doesn't show much of the new Hokage's face. Kakashi Hatake, now 35, is leader of the Leaf. New policies have been put into place, and the fallen during the war are forever remembered and honored in the newest memorial at the training grounds. Sasuke Uchiha, a former rogue ninja, approaches the village gates, finally feeling content at the new peace in the world. The wind lifts his hair, even longer than before, and he raises his gaze towards the mighty doors. The two ninja standing at the gate recognize him, and open the doors to allow him through. He nods in greeting, and they do the same. As he strides through the doors, he hears them creak shut behind him, and a small smile crosses his face.

Itachi... I'm home, He thought. People watched him carefully, some with disdain, some with wonder, and some with no expression, though none stood in his way. Things are much different around here, but at least I'm not getting attacked. At least, he thought with unease, not yet.

He knew people in the village, hell in the whole land, didn't trust him yet. He did make some bad choices, but all of them for the right reasons. What people didn't know is that Sasuke left the village to protect it, not destroy it. Orochimaru, one of the Great Sannin, threatened the life of his friends and teacher, as well as his home. He didn't want to leave, but he didn't want to lose his friends, whom he thought as family, even more so. As such, he had to hurt the ones he loved, much like his brother did. Sasuke went through great pain and torture at the snake summoner's hideout, some of which he had tried to supress to salvage his sanity.

He heard whispers, and they were not what he expected.

"Sasuke's back, and it looks like for good." "Yeah, but how will Naruto-kun and Lady Sakura take it?" "I'm sure they'll be happy."

He smirked slightly, and continued on. He passed by Ichiraku's Ramen Shop, and heard a yell.

"Sasuke! Hey over here!" He turned and smirked more. He saw Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, Asuma's students. They were eating and waved him over. All had grown in the three years he'd last seen them, since the war. Shikamaru looked taller, and had a cigratte in his mouth, much to Sasuke's dislike. Ino had also grown in height, her hair longer and a new outfit completed her mature look. Her smile was relaxed at seeing him, and her eyes sparkled. Choji had lost an extreme amount of weight in the meantime, but was still strong, and his hair even longer than before, with barbeque pork sauce on his lip.

"Hello guys." Sasuke walked closer, and the smell of the food hit him, making his stomach rumble. He hadn't eaten much in the past two weeks, and was feeling a little weak, though he would never admit it.

Ino heard the rumble, and pushed an extra bowl of miso soup towards him, laughing at his raised eyebrow. "It's obvious you're hungry! I guess you haven't seen Naruto or Forehead yet huh?" Sasuke shook his head and swallowed a mouth full of soup, feeling warmth in his stomach.

"Hn. You and her still referring to those childish names?" Ino scoffed and pointed her chopsticks at him. "Hey! You have room to talk, always calling Naruto 'loser' and stuff!" Sasuke didn't answer and kept eating, chuckling quietly when Ino growled in frustration. Shikamaru took a drag of his cigraette and blew the smoke away from everyone.

"So, how was your journey Sasuke? I'm assuming you went everywhere, though I don't know how, without any money." Shikamaru turned his body towards him and looked the Uchiha up and down. "You have new clothes, and a small chain around your neck. I'm assuming you were catching rogue ninja in other countries to gain some ryo, am I right?" Sasuke gave a nod, finishing his soup.

"Yeah. Everything's...different. People are rebuilding, families are healing, and the ninja are actually listening." He went to pay for the bowl, but stopped when he saw some money already on the counter. Choji smiled and told him, "On the house. Everyone needs help once in a while after all." Sasuke's eyes went wide, but offered a small smile and his voice softened, "Thanks. I need to go see loser. Is he still in his old apartment?" Choji shook his head, surprise crossing his features. "No. His apartment got smashed in the attack from Pein, and Tsunade gave him a new place, but he isn't there anymore."

"So, where is he?" "He's at the old Uchiha compound, apprentally he saved a bunch of his money from missions and bought the property. He rebuilt the entire place, and converted most of it into a museum, altough he kept one home and rebuilt it, not sure which though. Sorry." Choji shrugged and Sasuke stood, a blank expression on his face. "It's okay...I think I know what house he's at. See you all later." He walked out of the shop, and started heading towards the compound. Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji looked at each other in surprise at his abrupt movement, and Choji asked, "Did I say something bad?" Ino and Shikamaru shook their heads. Ino stated plainly, "Naruto is staying at Sasuke's old place. I'm pretty sure Sasuke just didn't expect it is all. He'll be fine." They all nodded in agreement and finished eating.

At the Uchiha compound

Naruto is here? It looks so...different. But it also looks the same. Sasuke looked around, seeing all the trees replanted, and the flowers growing, and the koi ponds flowing. He walked towards his old family home, and saw the place was completely rebuilt. The Uchiha crest was repainted, the walls repaired, and the banners fixed. He walked inside, and spotted a pair of shoes in the doorway, placed carefully on the rack. He took a deep breath and smelled chicken and rice, his stomach rumbling even though it was full. He saw a flash and heard his mother rustling around in the kitchen, but then realizing it was Naruto, based by the artwork hanging on the walls, and the plants growing in their planters.

He walked through the home, seeing pictures, artwork, and plants everywhere. It seemed homey, and there was no trash, much to Sasuke's surprise and pleasure.

Hn. At least dobe is taking care of everything. I'm impressed.

Sasuke froze when we saw a picture frame, and picked it up gently. His eyes widened when we saw the old team picture him, Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi took when they became Team 7. He also spotted the newer picture, him and Naruto in the hospital, Sakura smiling over them in her medical uniform. Kakashi was flashing his peace sign and smiling through his mask, his hiyate fitted over his forehead properly. He felt the stub where his arm used to be, getting the ghost itch Sakura told him would be common until he aquired his prostetic.

He shook his head, put the picture down, and walked toward the kitchen. He spotted Naruto, and was floored by his appearence. His hair is cropped short, his scars on his face deeper, and his skin a healthy tan. His eyes were bright, and he was humming quietly to himself while cooking. He was lean, and actually taller than himself now. He was wearing a tight shirt, and Sasuke could see every ripple and flex of his muscles as he worked. Sasuke felt his heart flutter then pound harder, and his mouth went dry. He knew how he felt for Naruto for years, and it made it that much harder to leave, but he managed.

He leaned against the wall, and cleared his throat. Naruto's reaction almost made him laugh, except when he saw his eyes. He jumped, spun around with the knife in the air, ready to attack but when we saw Sasuke, he paused. His crystal blue eyes where clouded, and Sasuke realized he was in a flashback. Sasuke held up his hands slowly, and talked softly to not freak out his friend.

"Naruto. It's me, Sasuke. You aren't in the war anymore, it's ok." Naruto's eyes cleared slowly, and his hand dropped to his side, the knife limp in his hand.

"S-sasuke?" Naruto's voice cracked in shock, and his eyes went wide. Sasuke allowed a small laugh, and Naruto grinned. "You're still a loser." He chuckled.

"TEME!" Naruto yelled, vaulting over the counter and tackling hugging the Uchiha. He let out a shout as he was slammed into, then groaned as he felt Naruto's weight.

"Dobe..you're...HEAVY!" He choked out, and Naruto shot up and pulled the squashed and out of breath man with him. Naruto scratched his cheek, a nervous habit he developed over the years, and chuckled sheepishly. "Welcome home man! I missed you ya know! Oh man I bet you're hungry!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the hand and lead him into the dining area, and sat him down at the table, where some snacks already were placed. Sasuke's eyes widened, but then smiled. He ate some of the food, feeling his strength return to him.

A little while later, they were eating chicken and rice with tomato soup, much to Sasuke's delight, and shock once he learned Naruto made all of the food himself.

"Wait, I haven't been poisoned have I?" Naruto punched Sasuke's good arm and the Uchiha laughed. "You asshole! I have been cooking for myself since I was six ya know?" Sasuke smirked, "Remember the mi-" Naruto cut himoff with a yell, "SHUDDUP ABOUT THE DAMN MILK TEME!" he shot up and clenched his fist. Sasuke looked at him with a bored expression and smirked at Naruto growling in frustration.

The blonde sighed then walked to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Sasuke walked around the house, and headed towards the stairs. He lightly walked up them, seeing the old pictures of him and his family. He smiled softly, remembering them fondly, and he walked into his parents' old room. He felt shock at seeing the bedspread repaired and the pictures of his mom and dad hanging over the head. He also spotted flowers and a small candle lit, and released Naruto had made a traditional prayer shine for them. He closed the door with a soft click and walked to Itachi's room. He reached for the doorknob, but hesitated. He hadn't been in this room since the massacre when he was nine, and was nervous. Sasuke took a deep breath to steady himself, and slowly opened the door. He was slightly surprised when it didn't creak, apprentally Naruto oiled the hinges. He felt a coldness wash over him. Itachi's room was exactly as he last saw it. His kunai on the walls, his small blade in its sheathe over the bed. The dinosaur Sasuke had taken was sitting on the bed, in perfect condition. He ran a small hand over the Uchiha encrested bedsread, and noted something strange. There was no dust, but the room had been abandoned for ten years.

Did...did Naruto...dust and put everything back where it was? He had to of... everything is TOO clean. Even for nii-san.

Sasuke almost felt like crying, touched at Naruto's good intentions, and missing his family. He was so caught up in his memories, he didn't hear Naruto climbing the stairs.

"Sasuke? You okay?" Sasuke jumped when he suddenly heard Naruto's voice, and looked up and saw concern in the blonde's gaze. "Y-yeah, I'm fine dobe." Naruto scoffed and came into the room, after giving a respectful nod of his head to Itachi's picture on the wall. "You aren't okay teme, you're crying." Sasuke touched his cheek, shocked to see the salty tear on his fingertips. He didn't even realize he was crying.

"Sorry. I...I just..." Naruto cut him off with a hug. Sasuke's eyes went wide, then tears spilled over. He buried his head into Uzumaki's shoulder, and began sobbing, hard. Naruto held him harder, running his fingers in the raven colored locks. He had only seen Sasuke cry twice. When the massacure happened, and when they had fought. It still shocked him, but he understood now how much pain his friend had been in all those years. He murmured comfortingly into Sasuke's ear, and hummed quietly to calm him.

Sasuke eventually calmed down and pulled away, hiccuping softly. Naruto handed him a tissue and he wiped his face. Sasuke nodded his thanks and spoke quietly, "I did a lot of stupid shit in the last few years. I've hurt a lot of people, including you and Sakura. I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't leave of my own will Naruto. Orochimaru threatened you, and everyone else. I couldn't see my family die in front of me all over again, so I left. When you tried to stop me, I wanted to go back with you, but I knew I couldn't. Your words did have an effect on me, and they hurt as well as make me happy. Sakura...she tried stopping me too, but I knocked her out so she wouldn't see me cracking. She tried holding me in her sleep, and I hugged her goodbye before I left her on the bench. I also used a genjustu so no one would hurt her."

Naruto's eyes went wide with the sudden information, but he listened all the same. He felt shock when Sasuke explained what happened with Orochimaru.

"When I arrived, I was injured from our fight. Kabuto healed me, and Orochimaru sent me to my room. It was more like a cage. He came in that night and..." Sasuke's words choked off as he began to fight a flashback. Naruto grabbed his hand and squeezed gently, reminding the raven that he was safe. Sasuke took a deep breath and steadied himself before continuing. "He came in...and he...he raped me Naruto. It happened everyday for those three years, along with his damned experiments." The blonde gasped in shock, his blue eyes wider than before. He felt anger in his stomach immediately, and even let out a low growl.

"What?! Oh if that snake bastard was here I'd ri-" Sasuke cut him off with a hand on his own. Naruto paused and looked at him puzzled. He felt butterflies in his stomach when he saw Sasuke smile fully. The raven was breathtaking to him, and he was reminded of an angel. His eyes closed gently, with a small crinkle on the corners of his eyes. Naruto could tell it was a real smile, the second one he had ever seen. Knowing that Sasuke trusted him this much made him feel warm.

"Naruto. It's okay. It's in the past, and I'm fine now. I promise, loser." The blonde scoffed at the nickname, but smiled none the less. Both men got up and walked out of Itachi's bedroom. Sasuke spotted his old room's door, and noticed it was open. He walked through the doorway, and realized this is where Naruto had been sleeping. He saw the bed was made, though there were a few clothes laying here and there. His computer was on the old study desk, with pictures slopped everywhere he could tack them. Sasuke also saw the old frog coin purse the blonde used, and Jiraya's books, with a feeling of slight disgust.

He turned and looked at the blonde, and realized he was wearing one of Sasuke's gray shirts! He grabbed the material and raised his eyebrow.

"What gave you the right to wear my shirt!?" Naruto laughed sheepishly and scratched his cheek again. "Well, eh heh heh! You weren't here, and my clothes got destroyed in the war ya know! So, since you and I are the same build, I'd figure I'd just wear your old stuff!" He put his hands behind his head and flashed his toothy grin. Sasuke sighed and shook his head. "You're such a loser, and a cheap one too." "You bastard! Take that back!" Sasuke smirked and took off past the blonde, and raced down the stairs. He laughed when he heard a roar from Uzumaki and barrelled down the stairs after him. He ran towards the back of the house, and vaulted over the hotspring's entrance with his right arm.

"DAMMIT SASUKE! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GO YOU BASTARD! IMA FIND YOU DATTABAYO!" Sasuke snickered quietly and undressed. He then slowly lowered himself into the hotspring and waited patiently for the blonde dobe. He spotted Naruto come through the entrance to the hot springs behind the house, and he was searching amongst the mist. The Uchiha took a deep breath and sank under the water. Naruto was standing on the edge, looking confused. All of a sudden, Sasuke's hand reached out of the water, but the blonde didn't notice. The raven quickly grabbed his ankle and jerked him into the water. He heard the blonde's yell echo under the water and he grinned. Both men shot up from under the surface, one coughing the other laughing.

Naruto coughed and glared at the laughing man in front of him. "You son of a bitch!" Sasuke grabbed his stomach and laughed harder, but then he let out a yell as Naruto pulled him under as well. He came back up and gasped for air, his Sharingan activated. The blonde started roaring with laughter. "Not so funny when it's you huh?!" He grinned wider when he saw the Sharingan, having developed a resistance to it due to Itachi and Madara. He looked down and noticed his soaked clothing then groaned. "C'mon teme! These were just washed last night ya know!" He peeled off the shirt, now like a second skin. He did the same with his pants.

"Do you HAVE to strip in front of me dobe?" Sasuke sounded bored, but inside he felt his heart flutter. Now he could truly see the blonde's muscles, along with all the scars he had procured over the years of being a shinobi. He also spotted the bandage where his prostetic arm had been reattached, then felt his own stub, feeling slightly inferior to the blonde. Whereas Naruto was tanned, muscled, and strong, Sasuke was pale, lean, and felt weaker due to his lack of limb. Naruto seemed to sense Sasuke staring at him, and his eyes softened. He waded over to the raven to gently touch the old wound. Sasuke hissed slightly, it still being sensitive.

"Still hurts huh?" Sasuke nodded in response, and felt surprised when the pain faded somewhat. He glanced down and noticed a green chakra sheen coming from Naruto's hand.

"When the hell did you learn healing chakra?!" Sasuke blurted. The blonde smiled and he pulled his hand away. "I learned from Sakura, Ino, and Hinata. They slowly introduced me into it since my chakra control is so good now. I figured every man on a shinobi squad should know basic medic stuff, so if ANYBODY gets injured, something can be done to extend life." Sasuke felt a bit of pride in the blonde's thinking, realizing how much he had truly grown. He sat down in the spring and let the warm water relax his muscles and aches in his body. Naruto sat next to him and closed his eyes. Both of them began sharing stories about their missions, how Sasuke saw for himself the changes in the world, Naruto mentioning the technological advances the village had made with the new cities growing.

Before long, it was dark, and the stars began to appear in the sky. Some lightning bugs began their dance of lights, and the sound of all the night creatures awoke. The two got out of the spring and went inside. When they were dressed, Sasuke made to leave but Naruto stopped him.

"Where are ya going?" Sasuke raised his eyebrow and stated plainly, "I'm going to talk to Kakashi about getting a new apartment." Naruto shook his head and argued with him. "You aren't gonna have to. This is your old home ya know! Just sleep in one of the bedrooms." Sasuke looked skeptical but when he realized Naruto was serious, he agreed. He put his things in Itachi's old room, not listening when Naruto said he would move out of Sasuke's. They said goodnight to one another, and climbed into bed. He heard the blonde's snoring from the other room, and smiled to himself. The bed even smelled like his older brother, and it comforted him, even though he felt a pang of pain in his heart. Sasuke closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep, exhausted after such a long day.