This story contains M/M relationship, use of alochol, swearing, slight Sakura & Ino bashing, and some sexual themes. You have been warned.

It's also an AU (Alternative Universe) so don't be surprised if some of the characters are not the same as in the actual Anime/Manga.

It was a beautiful day at the countryside. The sun was shining, wind blowing nicely and no cloud in sight on the big blue sky. The grass and tree branches rustled in the wind. A black car drove on the narrow road that split the fields. In the car there sat a family of four. The parents in the front while their children sat in the back.

The oldest was gazing out the window, appreciating the fine scenery and lovely weather. He turned to his younger brother who had his nose buried in yet another fantasy novel. He couldn't understand his brother and his obsession with these sort of books. Sure they were good, but he was a ten year old for goodness sake. He should be out playing and not be sitting in his room all day reading. He blames his uncle Obito and ex-teacher Kakashi that had introduced him to the books in the first place.

He sighed before turning back to look out the window. Hopefully he would be able to tear his brother away from his books once they arrived.

"We're here!" exclaimed their mother suddenly, startling the two boys.

Said siblings looked out the window as their onyx eyes fell upon a village of sorts. There weren't many houses around and most of the buildings were made out of wood and pretty small.

The youngest in the family wrinkled his nose in distaste. He hoped that the place they were going to stay at was bigger than these houses. He didn't do well in crowded places.

The car drove past the houses, what looked to be a small convenience store, an inn and clinic. They continued down the narrow road, leaving the village. The two boys turned to look at each other in confusion. Didn't their mother say that they were here? Then why were they leaving the village?

Their confusion was shortly cleared up when a house came into view up ahead.

Their mother let out a squeal of excitement and they quickly figured out that this must be the place.

When they were close enough to see how it looked like, the younger felt more at ease. The house in front of them was much bigger than the other ones they'd seen. It was mostly made out of wood that had been painted a brown color. It had a lovely front garden with different colored flowers growing on either side of the sandy path that led up to the porch.

The younger brother was rather impressed by the taste these people must have. Then again, these people were his parents' friends so they must have some. He would be rather shocked if they didn't considering his mother. Speaking of his mother, she had turned to look at him and his older brother.

There was a look in her onyx eyes that the two boys had rarely seen. Calm and serious with a hint of a warning.

"I want you to behave while we'll be staying here. The people that live here are very important to us. So be nice." The warning tone was much clearer on the last three words. Both boys nodded to confirm they had understood.

Their mother smiled before unbuckling the seat belt and getting out of the car, the rest shortly followed. They watched as their father went to the back to get their luggage before following their mother who had gone up to the house and was now standing on the porch.

She didn't get to raise her fist to knock on the door before it flew open and a woman stepped out to wrap her arms around their mother.

They watched their mother stagger back before wrapping her own arms around the other woman. The two women shortly pulled away and that's when the boys got to truly see the person their mother considered as her best friend.

She was a beautiful woman with long crimson-red hair that reached all the way down to her ankles and dark violet eyes. She wore a white sleeveless t-shirt, green shorts and sandals. Excitement and happiness shone on her fair features and she immediately dove into conversation.

"It's so good to see you Mikoto-san," she said. "How have you been? What have you been doing? Anything exciting happened lately?"

Mikoto couldn't help but let out a soft laugh at her friend's excitement. She'd missed this back home.

"I've been good. I have been doing the same old stuff, working, being a mum and wife." She shrugged. "And not much have happened, just the occasional troublesome client and of course some family problems," she explained. "What about you? Anything exciting happened?"

"Well-"

The younger brother tuned out what the crimson-haired woman had to say and instead went back to the car where his father was. He didn't say anything as he stopped in front but it wasn't needed as his father continued to move suitcase after suitcase out of the car.

"What is it Sasuke?" asked his father finally.

"How long will we be staying here?"

"A month." The man looked up when his son did not reply and saw his shocked face. "I thought your mother told you." The boy shook his head and his father sighed. "Well, now you know and there's nothing we can do about it."

"A month?" his son breathed out in disbelief. "But... But I didn't bring anymore books except for this one and two more."

"Maybe that's why your mother did not tell you," muttered his father absentmindedly.

He was about to ask what his father meant by that when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, annoyed at being interrupted but his irritation was quickly wiped away when he saw who it was.

"What is your name, sweetie?" asked the crimson-haired woman.

Sasuke ignored the nickname and answered with a blank look. "Sasuke."

"Sasuke? What a wonderful name for such a handsome young man like you."

Sasuke couldn't help the blush that crept over his face. No one had ever told him that. His mother occasionally called him sweet or cute which he did not appreciate much and then the girls at school called him smart or handsome but never said it to his face. It felt good to hear someone tell him that. And at that moment he immediately liked this woman.

"Thank you," he said with a small shy smile.

"You're welcome," said the woman with a bright smile. "Say, can you do me a favor Sasuke?"

The little boy was shocked at the woman's immediate trust in him but nodded.

"I have a son around your age and would really appreciate it if you could be his friend."

Sasuke once again was taken by surprise. He's never had friends before. The boys that he occasionally had studying sessions with couldn't really be called friends. He saw them as mere classmates. And now, somebody was asking him to be their son's friend. He felt honored and dare he admit a bit nervous. But he held his head high as he nodded and was rewarded with the biggest smile he's ever seen.

"Thank you." The crimson-haired woman then stood up and walked over to greet his father.

Sasuke was in a bit of a daze until they'd moved into the home of the crimson-haired woman. The hallway was a bit narrow with four people in it and the youngest quickly went to remove his shoes before walking into a room. The room he'd stepped into was big with leaf green walls and wooden floors. A large brown rug lied in the middle of the room, on it was a brown couch, a few armchairs and in front of it stood a small wooden table. There stood a drawer a few feet away with a small TV on it, there also were wooden shelves with rows upon rows of different books. It was a nice room, giving you a feeling of the forest and Sasuke instantly liked it.

"This is the living room, it's not much but I hope it's to your liking," said the crimson-haired woman as she led her two friends to the room.

"It's wonderful Kushina," said Mikoto with a smile.

"That's good." Kushina returned the smile and then went to another room, the others following behind her. "This is the kitchen."

The kitchen was half the size of the living room. It had white walls and black painted wooden floors. The counters, cabinets, refrigerator and oven were in colors of white and black. A black painted rectangular wooden table stood on the side with white chairs surrounding it. It reminded Sasuke of their kitchen back home, except that it was bigger and darker color wise.

Do they have a different themes in every room? He wondered. Well, there really was only one way to find out.

They were led out of the kitchen and into a small room that had to be the bathroom. Its floors were tiles in a sandy color and walls blue. The sink, toilet, and bathtub were all in a cream color. Small bottles filled with sand, different colored water and sea shells sat on the small windowsill. It didn't take a genius to know what theme this was.

Kushina then led them out, up a flight of stairs and into a bedroom. The bedroom was big with cream colored walls and wooden floors. A wooden wardrobe stood in the far right corner of the room, a double bed on the left and wooden shelf in the other corner. There were three small paintings hanging on the wall that had obviously been made by a child. One was of a red fox with blue eyes, another of a forest during autumn and the last seemed to be a portray of a family.

The crimson-haired woman then led them to another bedroom, about the same size as the other that looked the same except for the color. The walls were pale blue and floors white carpet. The furniture was mostly in colors of white with some light blue and by the window there hung pale blue curtains with white snowflake patterns.

"I hope you like it Mikoto-san, Fugaku-san," said Kushina with a warm smile.

"Oh. It's fantastic Kushina," said Mikoto a bit stunned. She turned to her husband. "What do you think, honey?"

Fugaku gave his wife a small smile before looking over at Kushina. "It's very beautiful."

"Thank you. I wasn't sure if you would like it but I seem to remember you two saying that you liked winter." Kushina looked almost embarrassed as she rubbed her arm absentmindedly.

"It's perfect Kushina. Thank you," said Fugaku because his wife seemed at a loss for words at the moment. "I've been wondering though, where is Minato and your son?"

"I'm relieved that you like it," she said before answering the question. "Out fishing. Though they should be back soon."

As if on cue, the front door opened and admitted two blue-eyed blondes. "Mum! We're home!" exclaimed the youngest before taking off his shoes and running into the house. He quickly made his way up the stairs when he'd checked every room downstairs and went to his parents bedroom. He was a bit surprised that she wasn't there either but figured she must be outside as he closed the door.

He was more than a little surprised when he turned and there was someone standing behind him. He couldn't help the yelp that escaped his lips as he lost his balance and fell down.

Sasuke looked down at the blond before him with interest. Was this Kushina's son? The blond boy looked up and he was met with the bluest eyes he's ever seen. And that's when he could tell that the features this boy possessed was all his mother. Another thing caught his eye on the boy's face and that were the odd lines on his cheeks, almost as if they were whiskers. He wondered if they were real or drawn just for fun.

Whatever the blond boy had been expecting when he looked up, a raven-haired boy around his age had not been one of them. He looked at him with curious-confusion. What was a boy doing in his house? He decided to ask him, no use in wondering and trying to figure it out for himself.

"Who are you?" he asked trying not to sound rude but knew that he must've failed because of the look on the other's face.

Sasuke was honestly surprised by the unfriendliness in the other's tone. He couldn't help but glare at the other boy before he answered in the same tone. "Uchiha Sasuke."

The blond boy frowned at the last name. He'd heard that somewhere before. Then it hit him. "Ah! You must be Mikoto-san's son."

"I am." Sasuke didn't know why he was confirming it but he felt like it was needed. "So, are you going to tell me your name or what?"

The blond frowned at the other. What was this kid's problem? Sure, he had sounded rather rude when asking who he was but there was no need to give him the cold shoulder. Whatever the hell that meant.

"I'm Namikaze Naruto," said the blond before he stood up. He noticed then that he was just slightly shorter than the other boy, which irritated him a little.

Sasuke couldn't help but snort with laughter.

"What's so funny?" asked Naruto, crossing his arms over his chest.

Once the raven had calmed down a little he said, "Do you mean "Naruto" as in Narutomaki?"

The blond was still confused. What the hell was this kid talking about? "No. I mean "Naruto" as in the main character of "The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi"."

Now it was the raven's turn to turn confused. "You mean you're named after a fictional character from a book?"

The blond nodded.

Sasuke thought that that didn't sound so bad. Being named after a fictional character sounded pretty cool actually. He then realized how impolite his reaction to the name had been and quickly went to apologize but never got a chance to open his mouth to utter the words as the adults came towards them.

"Welcome back Naruto. How did the fishing trip go?" asked Kushina her son who looked up and smiled the biggest smile at seeing his mother.

"I'm back. And it went well. We caught five fishes! I caught three of them by myself!" he said with enthusiasm. He then noticed the other two adults and boy standing by his mother.

He immediately recognized Mikoto and Fugaku from the pictures his parents had of their school days. The boy standing beside them he could only guess was their oldest son, Tachi or something along those lines.

He immediately walked towards the small group and held his small hand out. "I'm Namikaze Naruto and welcome to our home Mikoto-san, Fugaku-san, Tachi-san."

The three Uchiha smiled at the young blond before each shook his hand. When it came to Itachi he bent over so he was at the blonde's level. "My name is actually Itachi," he said and the blond blushed a little for getting it wrong. "But I wouldn't mind it if you called me Tachi."

Naruto smiled at that. "Okay Tachi-san!"

Sasuke frowned at the blond who was getting all mushy with his family. He didn't like it. And it made the dislike for the blond grow when Itachi gave him permission to call him by the same nickname Sasuke had years ago. He had stopped only because it had sounded rather silly. His brother's name was Itachi after all and not Tachi.

The two families shortly moved downstairs where the older blond was preparing dinner inside the kitchen. He smiled at his two friends and introduced himself as Minato to the Uchiha brothers before he went back into making the meal. The Uchiha family and Kushina went to the living room to talk. And the two Uchiha brothers and Naruto decided to go out. Well, technically Itachi and Naruto decided to go out, Sasuke just tagged along because he had nothing better to do.

The blond led the two brothers to a large red wooden house that the boys had totally missed. And that's when they heard the sound of chickens and cows along with a rather nasty smell. Itachi didn't comment on the foul stench but that didn't stop Sasuke from complaining.

Naruto didn't care for Sasuke's comments, mostly ignoring the boy. Instead he continued to lead the two brothers to look at the chickens and cows. They didn't stay for long as the blond could tell that Sasuke wasn't the only person who seemed uncomfortable. He led the two boys then to the forest and down a path until they came to a lake.

The raven had never smelt such a stench before. It was beyond unbearable and he didn't waste any time to complain to the blond about it. But it seemed that his comments were in vain since the other boy seemed completely unaffected by his words. He wondered if he was used with people complaining or if he was purposely ignoring him. The second thought made his blood boil and he couldn't help but draw his brows together in yet another frown.

Thankfully they didn't stay in that ill-smelling place for more than five minutes. The blond then decided to take them through the forest. Sasuke didn't know if he should be happy for the smell being gone or irritated for being led into a forest. Now don't get him wrong. Sasuke loved the forest, but there were times when he wanted nothing more than to be in his own room reading than out in nature.

His irritation did not last for very long though when they arrived at a vast lake, surrounded by many trees. His breath was stolen in that single moment as he stared open-mouthed at the place. He was abruptly pulled away from his thoughts by something cold and wet hitting his skin. He yelped in surprise and looked up at the accusing culprit.

The blond was standing in the water, his blue pants having been rolled up to his thighs and sandals left on the shore. He was grinning at Sasuke in a way that made said raven's irritation bubble up again.

"What was that for?" asked the raven shooting him a glare.

"That," began Naruto, pointing a finger at the raven. "Was for scaring me earlier."

"I didn't do it on purpose!" yelled the raven. "Not my fault you're such a scaredy-cat."

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too."

In Naruto's anger he cupped his hands, stuck them in the water and threw said liquid on the other boy. He watched in satisfactory as the raven-haired boy let out another cry of surprise.

"Hey! Stop that!" yelled Sasuke as he tried to get rid of the water but the blond just threw more at him. "Stop!"

"No!" yelled Naruto as he continued to throw water at the other.

It didn't take long for Sasuke to give into the anger that he had tried to suppress. He stomped forward and without warning tackled the blond into the water. Of course, by doing so he also got wet but at the moment he didn't care.

"What did you do that for?!" yelled the blond as he wiped some liquid off his face.

Sasuke noticed then as the other boy wiped some of the clear liquid off his cheeks that the whisker marks must be real. Anger completely forgotten he decided to ask about them. "What are those strange marks on your cheeks?"

Completely taken aback by the question the blond couldn't help but just stare at the other boy. He was shortly brought back from daydream land when his name was being called and a hand was in his face. Pushing the hand away he looked into the frowning face of Sasuke. For a moment he had forgotten why they were there in the first place until he remembered.

"My great-grandfather Uzumaki Kurama had them. Mum says I inherited them from him."

"So... They're like a birthmark?"

The blond shrugged. "I guess."

Silence followed that remark. A silence neither boy was really comfortable with so they decided to get out of the lake and go back to the house.

They didn't notice Itachi standing on the shore with his hands in his pockets and a big smile on his face. This trip is going to be fun, he thought.

…

When the three boys got back Mikoto and Kushina immediately sent the youngest to the bathroom to wash up and change clothes. While they were in there Itachi had a fun time telling the adults of what happened.

"What are they talking about out there?" asked Naruto out loud when he heard loud laughter coming from the other side of the door.

"I wouldn't know," muttered Sasuke and shrugged off his shirt. He was cold but refused to shiver in front of the blond as he continued to take off his clothes as the tub was slowly being filled.

The blond hummed as he went to take off his pants. He then curiously looked up at the raven and saw something interesting.

"What's this?" he asked and without much more of a warning put his palm on the other's skin.

"What are you doing?!" yelled the raven, pushing the other's hand away. He took a few steps back and a bit more for good measure just staring at the blond before him who was looking right back innocently.

"What? I was just wondering about that scar." Naruto frowned down at his fingers and then looked back up at the raven. "You're cold."

Sasuke didn't know what to do so he just sighed and decided to answer the question. "I fell down from a tree when I was seven."

"What were you doing in a tree?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

The blond could understand that so he didn't push the other. They spent the rest of their time in the bathroom in silence. Well, for the most part since Naruto couldn't keep his mouth shut for more than two minutes.

When they got out of there clean and dressed it was time to eat. Over dinner they talked about sleeping arrangements and apparently the adults had decided that it would be a good idea to place Sasuke in Naruto's room. The blond wasn't overly thrilled and neither was the raven and he was not afraid to say anything about it unlike Naruto who kept his mouth shut for once.

Sasuke tried to change their minds but it seemed like they were dead set on this decision. And so, the two boys soon found themselves going up the stairs and to the blonde's room. The raven was muttering under his breath on how unfair it was. The blond felt a little sorry for him but was also hurt. This was the first time he would be sharing with someone after all.

He pushed the feeling of hurt aside for now and put on forced smile. "Well, here we are," he said with an enthusiasm he did not feel.

Sasuke stopped his muttering and looked up when he heard the blond speak. He watched the blond open the wooden door as it revealed a room that had his eyes widen and mouth fall open.

The bedroom he stepped into was beautiful. Yes, beautiful was defiantly the word he would use to describe it. The walls were sky blue with fluffy white clouds that had been painted on and the same wooden floors as most rooms had. A double bed stood on the far right, with a wooden drawer standing next to it. A white painted wardrobe, desk and chair stood on the opposite side.

Sasuke was once again stunned into silence. He wondered if he's ever been amazed so many times in just one day. Probably not.

"I see that you like it."

The voice of the blond slightly startled the other from his thoughts and he turned to look at him from where he stood. He wondered then whether he should be honest or deny that his breath had literally been stolen away for the second time that day. He decided finally that honesty would be best now. If they were going to sleep in the same room then it would be better if they got along.

"It's amazing. I have never seen a room so full of... Life."

Naruto smiled at that. He was happy that the raven seemed to like it. He honestly had been a bit afraid that he wouldn't.

"So, where am I sleeping?" Sasuke decided to ask.

"On the bed with me," said the blond with a smile.

The raven blinked a few times. Surely he must've heard it wrong, but it didn't seem like the other boy was joking as he continued smiling.

"I'm sleeping... In the bed... With you?" he said slowly, almost choking on the words.

The blond nodded, seemingly oblivious to the other's discomfort. "Mum couldn't find any more spare mattresses, so this seemed like the only solution. Is that a problem?"

Sasuke was about to open his mouth and say that of course it was but shut it immediately. Why was it a problem really? They were kids so obviously there shouldn't be one, but Sasuke had a teenage brother and Naruto didn't so he knew of things that someone his age probably shouldn't. The curious things his brother told him sometimes, and the strange magazines that he'd found under his brother's bed.

He internally shuddered at the pictures he'd seen in there. They would forever haunt him.

"I promise I won't disturb you. I'll stay by my side of the bed." Determination shone in the blonde's blue eyes and Sasuke couldn't help but smile a little. This kid was so weird.

"Alright. Let's get to bed then. I'm tired." And just to prove his point a yawn escaped from his lips before he could stop it.

Naruto smiled before getting ready for sleep.

The two boys were now lying there on the bed in the darkness. The blond was long asleep and would mutter something or another in his sleep every so often. Sasuke on the other hand was still awake. He was tired but seemed unable to turn his brain off and go to sleep. So he just laid there in the mostly silent room, staring up at the ceiling.

He didn't think that any of this seemed real. That he wasn't truly at the countryside, lying in someone else's bed and that that "someone" could maybe become the very first friend the other has ever had.

Sasuke felt movement beside him and some muttering from the blond. He turned to look at said blond and couldn't help but smile at how peaceful he looked. He instinctively reached over and placed a hand on the other's marked cheek. It was warm and he felt a strange surge of something course through him. He couldn't quite decipher what it was and for the moment, he didn't really care. It was only a few moments later before the raven had closed his eyes and fallen asleep.