Auth Note: Alright, alright. Demand was relatively high, so how could I refuse? Here is the sequel to I Want You To Want To posted not so long ago. If you haven't yet read that one you should probably stop now and go back to read it. It is required reading at this point. For those of you that have, enjoy

Warning: Possibly most if not all of this fic will contain just a little bit of graphic smut. It's pretty mild and though I suspect most of you just shouted 'Yay!' I need to put the warning in here because in the last story I skipped over the graphic stuff and I don't want anyone to stumble into it unawares.

Except Naruto.

Obviously.

- Dash

I Need You To Need To

Part I

So this mission sucked.

Naruto figured that Granny Tsunade had been trying to placate him when she said that this was a B Rank mission. Go to the temple in the Land of the Sun and acquire the gold Orb before enemy ninja got it. So far, he hadn't seen any of these supposed enemy ninja and he'd been on the road for three nights already. It was getting boring.

He supposed he should be grateful, getting to go on a mission like this on his own. But he knew, deep down, that it was because things in the village were so tight at the moment. There were too many missions and not enough ninja. Without missions no money would come into the village. He wouldn't be totally on his own though, as soon as Sai finished up with his current mission he was going to rendezvous with Naruto. Together, both of them would complete the mission and fly back home. But, the rendezvous was still more than four days away and he hoped to be done by the time Sai arrived.

There was no way he needed help on this mission.

He arrived at the village during his fourth morning on the road -still three nights shy of Sai's arrival- and was greeted by one of the monks responsible for hiring him.

"Let's go to the New Temple so my Master can tell you the details," the monk said to him.

"Uh, sure."

Walking with the monk through the village, Naruto was taken back by his surroundings. This village was a minor village in a very small land, but his surroundings looked rich. The village itself was about a quarter of the size of Konoha, however, the houses were large, lavish looking affairs and the businesses looked busy and profitable. They passed several hotels that all looked luxuriant, not one little dive amongst them. There were also a lot of people walking around.

"Wow," Naruto commented looking around as they walked, "This place sure is popular."

The monk smiled at him, "Akemi is a vacation town. We have hot springs because of the mountain and the weather is perfect during our tourist season. It's a very popular place and we have people from all around spending time here every year."

Okay so that explained a lot. Walking past the hot springs spa, Naruto wondered if he might have enough money to stay there a night if he finished with the mission early and had extra time before Sai showed up. The thought suddenly made Naruto a little impatient to get the mission started.

It still took them ten more minutes to reach the Temple and another twenty before he was shown into a lavish looking chamber in the back of the temple.

The monk with him bowed before the only other man in the room.

"Master this is the ninja from The Hidden Leaf…"

Then monk paused and reddened slightly when he realized he hadn't gotten Naruto's name. Naruto didn't mind.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto supplied with pride.

The monk nodded his thanks and said, "This is Master Takahiro. He is responsible for safeguarding the Old Temple."

Naruto nodded to him.

"If you would prefer to freshen up before we get started, we have-" Takahiro began but Naruto waved him off.

"I'd like to get started right away if that's alright."

The Master seemed pleased by his response. "I am a little ashamed to admit that we need help with this," The Master started with a wry smile, "But since we haven't had a security issue like this in more than a hundred years, it's taken us a little off guard. How much information did Lady Hokage give you before you left?"

"Not a lot." Naruto admitted. "She said the letter you sent with the messenger was damaged and he didn't notice till he got to the village. All she could make out was that you needed something taken back to the Hidden Leaf for protection."

"Oh, that's unfortunate. I'm afraid there's a little more to it than that."

Rather than make him uneasy, Naruto was happy with the news. Maybe this mission would turn out to be more interesting than he'd thought it would be.

"I'm sure I can handle it," Naruto said with confidence.

The Master smiled and motioned for Naruto to come and look at a nearby map spread out on a table.

"The object that we want you to take back to Konoha is located in the Old Temple."

"The Orb?"

"That's right. Unfortunately, the Old Temple where our ancestors used to protect the Orb has been abandoned for centuries. There was a large war that wiped out all of the Master monks at the time but one. This monk spent the remainder of his life setting up the temple security systems. He taught his apprentice the secret of how to navigate the temple, but the apprentice himself died before he could pass on the knowledge. Since that time, some monks have tried to get into the temple, but none have ever come out again."

"Traps killed them?" Naruto guessed uncertainly.

"Yes, that's exactly right. We have a map of the trap system, but knowing where they are and being able to actually get past them are two different things. Unfortunately, we just don't have the skills. And it compounds matters when the entire temple has a permanent darkness cast over it that can't be dispersed by any mundane methods. We've taken torches there, but it doesn't seem to have an effect. The torch would not illuminate anything other than itself I'm afraid. We thought if we could show a ninja the map he might be able to get into the temple and retrieve the Orb in order to protect it."

This news wasn't good for Naruto. He wasn't really suited for this sort of a mission. However, it was still a challenge and Naruto could get into that.

"Granny Tsunade mentioned enemy ninja?" Naruto asked after peering at the map for a while.

"Yes, this is the reason we are even contemplating sending anyone in there after so long. A week ago we caught a ninja sneaking around the temple. He killed himself before we could capture him, but it has us worried that someone may be thinking of stealing the Orb. We haven't spotted any more since then, although it might just be a matter of time."

"What's so special about the Orb anyway?"

The Master frowned slightly at the question. "You might find this a little hard to believe, but it is said that the Orb is responsible for our land's perfect weather. We have perfect rainfall for crops, sunshine throughout most of the year, and it never gets very cold. It is why our village has such a large tourist trade. Our weather earns this village a lot of money for the traders here. Something like that could be worth a lot to another village."

"Aren't you afraid that if I take it away, the good weather will stop?"

"We have reason to believe that it doesn't matter where it is kept. The Orb is currently tuned to our land, so it should keep working even from the Fire Country. Unless, of course, someone reset it for a different location."

Naruto found it hard to believe that an Orb could influence the weather, but whatever, a mission was a mission.

"Okay. Where is the temple?"

"It's behind the village. There is a path from the back of this Temple that will lead you to the entrance of the Old Temple in the mountainside. It takes about a day to walk there from here."

Naruto figured that meant it was more like half a day's travel for him.

"I would suggest," The Master said watching Naruto's expression, "that you spend the rest of the day and night memorizing this map. You will not get far into the temple without it. You must remember that once you are inside you will not be able to see where you are going. The traps are all deadly so you must be prepared."

He had a point. Studying wasn't really Naruto's strong point so he tended not to try. But then again, his life hadn't depended on it before.

"I'll set out first thing tomorrow."

He'd been prepared for the temple, he'd studied the map longer and harder than he'd probably studied anything in his life. Although the monks had warned him about the darkness, he hadn't been prepared for just how dark it really was. It wasn't merely dark, it was black. He put his hand experimentally in front of his face and waved it around. Absolutely nothing changed in his view. He lit a match and just like the monk had told him, he could see the match head flare, but it illuminated nothing else. Not even the fingers holding it. He threw the match away and decided not to become too bogged down by this. He'd been forewarned about this, he knew what he would be up against and he was as prepared as he could be to face the challenge.

He did wonder briefly whether it might have been a smart idea to wait for Sai after all. With the possible exceptions of maybe the Hyuga family with their ocular abilities, Sai would probably have been the best-suited ninja for a job like this. Sai was stealthy, good at spotting traps and had lightening quick reflexes. But honestly, Naruto couldn't resist the challenge and he wasn't the sort to sit around waiting for help. And besides, who knew when the enemy ninja might turn up to get the Orb themselves. He couldn't risk that, right?

So with that in mind, he started off into the temple, careful to measure out his steps and ready to jump out of the way of any unknown traps at a moment's notice. He was doing well and even surprised on how well he'd prepared for this. He didn't run into anything unexpected and his memorized route through the temple made sure that he didn't trigger anything he was unprepared for. So long as he didn't get sidetracked or step off his pre-determined route he would be doing fine.

He was about half way to his goal when he thought he heard something in the darkness around him. He would have stopped and took more notice of the noise but he'd been just about to step around a trap he knew was directly in front on him. Distracted by the noise he didn't step far enough and his foot landed on a section of floor that gave way the moment he put pressure on it. It wasn't a wide gap though and he threw himself forward just as he lost his balance. He managed to grab the opposite edge and hung there for a few moments in relief. The relief was short lived though. He felt something whoosh over the new gap above him. Then he heard something thunk into the stone not far from where his fingers were hanging on.

He pulled himself up a bit, but it was difficult to hang on. The stone was smooth and fairly featureless. He flung out a hand in search of a better handhold and his hand found the hilt of a kunai. The tip was wedged in between the flagstones that made up the floor and was stuck in there tight enough that it could take most of his weight, allowing him to pull himself up out of the hole. He didn't try to pull the kunai out, it might help him on the way out to locate the trap he'd sprung.

He was a little confused about finding the weapon here though. Then he figured that whooshing must have had something to do with it. Without knowing it was there he must have triggered a second trap and it was just lucky for him that the second trap had helped him out of the first one. Very lucky actually.

But then he remembered the noise that had distracted him in the first place and took the time to listen to his surroundings. He didn't hear anything else and got to his feet, preparing to move on. Since that moment on though, he had the most uncomfortable feeling of being watched. But seeing as nothing was trying to kill him at this very moment he just figured it was his imagination and tried to put it out of his mind.

Continuing on, he entered what he remembered being described as the pedestal room and paused briefly just inside the doorway. The main trap in this room couldn't be jumped over or detoured around like the traps on the way in. This one needed timing and he couldn't avoid setting it off.

He stepped into the room, walked three paces forward and ducked. He felt something swoosh over his head, counted till five and then straightened up, walked another five paces and stepped smartly to the side. Something thunked into the ground beside him and when that happened he took a step forward, one to the right and then five more paces forward. He waited two more seconds stepped two paces to the left, rolled forward quickly and straightened up once more. After every movement he'd made, something lethal had landed just where he'd been. With his timing and reflexes Naruto had been able to make it through with only a fast beating heart and a huge triumphant smile. He had to admit to being a little worried about that last one, his reflexes and moving speed weren't the best but he could see why the monks hadn't been able to make it this far into the temple. He might not be that great with obstacles like these, but he was far better than any average, untrained person like the monks.

At least now that the trap had been sprung, he no longer had to worry about it. This trap would not reset itself anytime soon and he could move around the room freely. He moved up to where the pedestal was supposed to be and reached out.

Naruto was just about to lay his hand on the orb when he felt someone roughly grab him from behind. Before he could do anything, his attacker turned him and shoved him backwards. He felt his back hit the rough cold stone wall of the temple chamber knocking a little of his air out.

He could feel the warm breath of this attacker on his face and then the man in front of him stole his breath even further when he stepped in so their bodies were pressed up against one another and kissed him forcefully enough for him to bump his head on the stone behind him. One hand was placed of the side of his face, the other grabbed his hip in an iron grip. Both hands held him in place until his attacker let up and finally let him breathe again.

With newfound breath, came the ability to speak.

"Sasuke…?" Naruto whispered.

A mocking voice replied from just in front of him, "You'd better hope so."

Naruto couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. Of course he'd known who it had been. He hadn't been kissed a lot in his life, but he knew what was familiar. The smell, the feel, it all came rushing back to him. All of a sudden he felt a little warm.

Sasuke continued, "What would you have done if I'd said 'no'?"

"Kicked your ass, stole the orb and gone home for a shower. A long one."

He could almost sense the smirk he knew would be on Sasuke's face as he replied, "And now you know?"

Naruto reached out tentatively where he assumed Sasuke's face would be till his fingertips brushed lightly over the smooth, cool skin of Sasuke's cheek. He ran his fingers ever so lightly down to his lips and now knowing where his target was leaned forward and kissed him back. It was a little less brutal than before. Sasuke didn't even hesitate to respond, the kiss deepened and he felt a tongue slide across his. The warm feeling slid a little lower and he reached an arm around Sasuke in an attempt to get their bodies even closer together.

Sasuke broke the kiss first and used the hand on Naruto's face to tip his head to the side so he could kiss his way up the jaw line till he got to Naruto's ear where he bit the earlobe a little painfully. With his mouth inches away he whispered into Naruto's ear.

"Are you still pretending?"

It didn't take more than a moment for Naruto to regain his focus enough to understand what Sasuke was asking him. He'd asked the question in such a mocking, teasing tone that at first he didn't know if Sasuke really wanted an answer. But the moments dragged on and Sasuke hadn't moved.

"Well? Tell the truth," he persisted.

"Does it matter?" Naruto asked eventually a little taken back. Why Sasuke would want to know was a little confusing for him. Okay, so the whole thing was more than a little confusing for him. He hadn't been expecting this to say the least. He wasn't even positive he would ever see Sasuke again let alone here on some boring little mission next to nowhere. He certainly hadn't been expecting that if he did see him again, that Sasuke would just grab him and start kissing him like this.

He had felt that the last time he'd seen Sasuke there was much regret felt all round. Probably for both of them. Naruto had been trying to get Sasuke to want to return to the village. Sasuke had made light of his determination in his mission to accomplish that goal and had challenged him to prove how much he wanted it.

The kiss dare.

If he really wanted to prove how far he'd go, he supposed he could have thought of a better idea. But after the kiss, sensing how much Sasuke wanted it, he'd decided to take things a little further. At the time, he had thought this would accomplish a few things. It would reinforce how much he cared, how determined he was and even giving him a taste of what he would be missing if he remained away from the village and out on his own. Alright, so that last bit was possibly a little egotistical on his part, but for some reason he hadn't thought so at the time. And besides, after having kissed him for a while, he'd just simply found himself not really wanting to stop where it was going.

Being with Sasuke wasn't really a regret, but telling him why afterwards had been. He'd figured Sasuke would be pissed and embarrassed and well…pissed. Apparently not. Naruto had told him he cared, told him he'd still enjoyed it, but he hadn't been sure if that had helped much. He'd left Sasuke before he'd had a chance to gauge his reaction properly. He'd plainly been afraid of what he might see. Obviously his fear had been unjustified.

Or had it?

"Maybe I just want to hear you say it."

Naruto swallowed a little when he felt those cool lips brush up against his warm neck.

"I never was pretending, Sasuke."

"Are you forcing yourself to let me do this?"

Boy, Sasuke sure was chatty. He was never the biggest conversationalist in the world, and wanting to talk at a time like this was a little frustrating.

"No. Stop asking so many questions!"

He felt those lips curl into a smile. "Is that impatience that I hear?"

"Do you really want to talk about it, here and now?"

After that sentence was uttered, Naruto realized something very important. He realized he'd been very stupid. Just why exactly was Sasuke here, now?

"You're here for the orb aren't you?" he asked the darkness.

So, good beginning, bad? I know, it wasn't long enough since most of this chapter you read in the preview but I'll make the next update pretty quick just to make it up to you all.

How does everyone like Naruto's POV since the last one was from Sasuke's? I think it works cause it's nice to see what the other half of the story is thinking for a change. It does occur to me that I possibly make up back stories that are perhaps a shade to involved in a story that is basically just a boy meets boy, sort of fantasy fic but I find I just can't help myself. I just hope it works for everyone else as well. Does it draw you in or should I just get down to the groping? hehehe

- Dash