There are some issues with canon in this one, mainly concerning Sasuke, but that's just because I wrote this before Gaiden came out. I honestly didn't think any mission would be so demanding that Sasuke would decide to neglect his family for twelve years, but you know what? Let's not get me started on that.

As always, read and review, please!

Naruto never intended to leave her so soon, in all honesty.

There were too many things he wanted to do with Hinata; really look into her eyes, hear the rhythm of her breath against his back; talk to her for more than thirty minutes. Her presence had always been there, if he thought about it, but he'd never quite taken it into account. Not until the war, and everything that came after. He wanted to make it up to her. "Wait for me," he'd said.

He'd meant it.

More than three weeks away from her - it had been so agonizing. The hollow air that lathered his back had seemed so strange, an anomaly in his life of love and laughter. He had touched it in the middle of the night, pawing at the empty air with his clammy fingers. Odd, how the absence of her body there had left him feeling so inchoate. As soon as she'd filled the gap in his heart, he hadn't wanted to let go.

Loneliness was hard to bear the second time over, he'd realized.

He and Sasuke walked now, in average strides to the gates of the village. The moon hung over the sky, casting a silvery glow on the haphazard buildings inside. Naruto carried a number of decaying scrolls in his hand, Sasuke likewise. They both had their scars to show, but these were the kind that would heal and whisper away, so they paid them no heed. A quiet thumping started up in Naruto's heart.

The guards at the gates waved them on, and they stepped onto the cobblestone path that wound its way to the Hokage rock face. They shared a route and walked close to each other, never uttering a word. Naruto sneaked a glance at Sasuke, but eh vagabond was staring at the sky, eyes distant. He did this sometimes, when the people were few and the air near silent. Mostly he would think about his brother, but it wasn't uncommon for his parents to graze his mind either. Naruto had only seen pictures, but he noticed more and more how much Sasuke looked like his father, jaw pulled taught, hair hanging over.

Fugaku would be proud, Naruto thought with a secluded smile.

The brothers-in-blood passed a towering apartment complex. Naruto looked back at it for one, two, three seconds, then turned away. He still remembered where his old apartment was, the first room to the right on the seventh floor. Its window was black, a mirror to the darkness of midnight. A wave of nostalgia consumed him, but not for long. There were other things he should be looking forward to, he reminded himself, and walked on.

When he reached the door, he stopped. The red painted wood was by no means soundproof, and he heard laughter echo from inside through the cracks. His Adam's apple bobbed nervously, and he stared hollowly through the small circle drilled near the top of the door. A flash of violet hair caught his eye. His heart stopped.

"What?" said Sasuke irritably from the shadows, waiting for Naruto to walk past the threshold and into the light.

"Voices," said the blond distantly. "I hear voices."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked forward, poking Naruto between the eyes. A ghost of a smile flashed briefly across his lips. "Of course, you do, stupid. Now go home." And he walked away, into the night and towards another light he called home.

Naruto gulped down the hollow of air still stuck in his throat. His hand trembled as it flattened against the wood and pushed. The hinges let loose a whining wail. He felt his hand come away from his as the door was pulled open from the other side. There she stood, hair cascading down her back, moon eyes peering at him in wonder. "I thought I heard-"

"-voices," he finished. Hinata blinked at him, staring. He realized he liked the color of her eyes; like milk, but with a lavender tinge.

"Are you..." she echoed, hesitant. Naruto blinked. His lips stretched wide in a grin.

"Yeah," he said. He stepped past the threshold and closed the door behind him, their distance along with it. His mouth touched the hair at her forehead, and their eyes caught. Hinata smiled. Hanabi yelled from somewhere inside.

"I'm home."

Note: I have more than twenty fics with these two that I've only published to Tumblr, so I won't be running out of material any time soon. And these fics date back to almost a year ago, so with each new drabble, the writing will improve. I'll also be updating bi-monthly. :)