Elysium

A/N: Beta'ed by 80X18 who worked very hard on this. Thank you so much! Anyway, would love to know your views on this!

Enjoy!

"To the airport. Fast!" Uchiha Sasuke commended in a frantic voice, sliding into the backseat of the taxi.

The brown-chocolate colored eyes of Nara Shikamaru flashed Sasuke with a tinge of boredom and irritation. Without masking the animosity in his voice he said, "For what? Are you going to get Naruto back?"

Sasuke cursed under his breath for the millionth time that night. "Of all the cabs in Tokyo, why did I have to sit in yours, Nara?"

Shikamaru sat back in his seat and regarded Sasuke in the rearview mirror lazily. "Bad luck I'd say. And by the way the door is right next to you. You're free to step out and leave. As it is, driving people around is so troublesome."

Sasuke glared at him from the mirror. He knew the lazy genius was right. He should step out and hire another taxi. He turned to open the door when Shikamaru added in that same lazy tone, "Before you go hunting for another taxi Uchiha, you're aware that most of the cab drivers in this city are my friends, right? They've received strict orders not to drive you to the airport or anywhere near it."

Sasuke sighed in frustration. If that was the case he would have to take the bus but since he had no idea about their timings, he knew he was stuck with either taking a taxi or walking to the airport. And since the airport was about five miles ahead, a taxi was the only option left.

Shikamaru instinctively knew he hit home when Sasuke halted mid-way into the process of opening the door. It was a risk he had taken and judging from the frown on the Uchiha's face, he knew it paid off well.

But Shikamaru didn't quite expect what would happen next.

A look that could have almost passed off as desperation crossed the handsome pale face. In a voice that was hoarse and filled with tight emotion he turned to the rearview mirror, "Please, Nara take me there. You know I can't let Naruto walk away."

"Well, you should've thought of that before you decided to walk out on Naruto the day he confessed his feelings for you. Honestly, Sasuke how thick can you get?" came back the harsh reply. Though as troublesome as it was for Shikamaru to lose his temper, when it came to Naruto and what Sasuke wanted with him, he wouldn't hold back.

Sasuke grimaced at the biting truth. He could still remember the day Naruto admitted his feelings for the raven. It wasn't as if Sasuke didn't know prior to the confession. It was impossible to miss the obvious signs like Naruto's overprotective nature and almost doting care towards Sasuke, his hostile behavior towards many of Sasuke's former lovers, the extra attention he lavished on Sasuke, and the various bits and pieces here and there he would do for the raven.

The list went on and on.

At hearing the love confession, Sasuke merely scoffed at Naruto and told him to get rid of the "useless" feelings that he was harboring for Sasuke before walking away from his best friend of twenty-four years solely because Naruto fell in love with him.

However, that was three weeks ago—three daunting weeks without so much as to hear the blonde's loud voice or constant bickering about work, or to see his deep azure-colored eyes. And damn, he had missed him so much that it hurt Sasuke.

But it was his pride that was to be blamed. He didn't call Naruto out of fear of being called a weakling by the said blond. Instead he chose to preoccupy himself with his work in a futile attempt to block Naruto completely out of his mind.

In result, he lost sleep, his appetite and he was slowly losing his mind.

Finally, distress and desperation compelled Sasuke to drive up to Naruto's apartment about three days ago only to find a forlorn Hinata staring at him dazedly. He had to literally shake the woman out of her reverie to demand Naruto's whereabouts.

Hinata stared at him blankly and whispered, "I-I don't know. O-One minute I was telling him a-about my day and the next he was striding out of the house in his s-shirt grumbling about s-some fresh air."

According to Hinata, that had happened three weeks ago. He dropped in once after Hinata left for work to pick up some of his old stuff but she had no idea where Naruto stayed. Sasuke had tried calling Naruto on his cell countless times only to find that it was switched off. He then called every mutual friend that he could think of but Naruto was still nowhere to be found.

Sasuke went as far as to drive up to Naruto's office to wait for him for work, where there he learned that Naruto was absent from the said office for the past couple of days. Sasuke stormed into Naruto's secretary's office to demand the whereabouts of his best friend, but even Hatake Kakashi refused to reveal any information, no matter what level of threat was ensued.

Just as he was losing hope, it took Sasuke many resources—seventeen private detectives to be exact, and twenty-two hours later— to figure out the location of Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto was residing in none other than Sabaku no Gaara's mansion.

Gaara was unfortunately one of Naruto's best friends, who secretly—or at least to the oblivious and ignorant Naruto—harbored deep feelings for the blond, much to Sasuke's dismay.

Personally, Gaara was manipulative, bossy, rude and uncaring. Sasuke hated the fact that he had to share the best friend title with someone like Gaara. All in all, he loathed Gaara. But nonetheless Naruto turned to Gaara for comfort and now it was Sasuke's turn to hurt.

An emotionally sane Naruto with Gaara was enough to put a permanent scowl on Sasuke's face but now thanks to Sasuke's mistake, Naruto was hurt and angry. Thinking about the possible rebound use between Naruto and that man was nearly driving Sasuke to the edge of insanity.

But the detective's work went all in vain. When Sasuke left from work early to take his Mercedes to Gaara's lavish apartment downtown, he demanded to meet the blond. Gaara only smirked evilly at him and told him Naruto already left for the airport to leave the city. Whether or not Gaara was telling the truth when he confessed he didn't know the location remained unknown.

During the frantic ride between Gaara's apartment and the airport, the Mercedes decided to die, adding fuel to the incensed fires that were burning in Sasuke's mind. He kicked and cursed and fumed with rage and had finally decided to hail a cab.

And that cab fatefully belonged to Nara Shikamaru, another of Naruto's loyal and faithful friends who somehow learned about the entire scenario. And now he was refusing to help Sasuke.

Sasuke grit his teeth in frustration.

"You don't understand Nara. It came right out of the blue and I got cold feet. I panicked okay? The easiest thing that time was running away and I did it." He glared resolutely at the brown eyes in the rearview mirror and whispered, "And now I am going to back and make it up to him. I'll convince him not to go and then-"

"And then what? Expect Naruto to come back to you wagging his tail happily between his legs?" interjected Shikamaru.

Shikamaru continued adding, "Cut him some slack, Uchiha and quit taking things for granted. He's only salvaged enough pride and self-respect to leave happily with his head held high while he still can. Don't become the source of his misery anymore. Leave him be and go home to your work, your wife and clan. It might hurt in the beginning for Naruto but trust me he'll be better off without you."

At this point, Shikamaru's voice had been so full of venom that his tone was austere, almost leaving Sasuke fazed.

Almost.

Sasuke was shaking with rage at Shikamaru's words. "Of course he will. Since you'll be there to mop his wounds and help him right? Add in a couple of hot steamy nights and lo and behold Naruto is over me. Am I right?" he growled.

"I detest his taste in love, Uchiha…I really do. But that doesn't stop me from loving him or for being a hurdle in his love story…as troublesome as it is," Shikamaru answered.

Shikamaru made the wise chose not to take the bait Sasuke planted on him and instead, he surprised Sasuke by asking him the most obvious yet the most crucial question. "Let's assume for a moment that I drive you to the airport and you're able to convince Naruto not to board the plane, then what? Will you proclaim your undying love for him? Will you be able to leave everything behind that you spent your entire life building?"

And the final question, "Will you be able to leave your wife, your company or your family?"

Sasuke's heart raced hastily in his chest. This was precisely the one question Sasuke was always afraid to ask himself. It was true; the only way to convince Naruto would have been to proclaim his love. He would have to say the words he had squished in his heart.

It was also true that he encouraged Naruto's affections to grow because it made him feel loved. He needed Naruto's love because it was completely genuine and unconditional and unlike anyone else's. Naruto had loved him for who he was, as a friend, as a person and once as a lover.

It was only Sasuke's obligations to his clan that he had squelched all his love for the blond and gone ahead to marry a woman he had never cared about. His relationship with Sakura meant nothing to him whereas his friendship with Naruto meant the world to him.

From the start it was only Naruto that was able to goad him, to provoke him, to move him. Naruto was that beacon of light that constantly attracted Sasuke. Just like a flame that draws the moth to bask in its warmth, Naruto had drawn Sasuke to his tiny world and had later become the centre of his universe.

However, a thousand things separated them.

Sasuke was tied down to his family like a bird captured in a cage. He knew expressing his love to Naruto would mean declaring himself a homosexual and that was considered a curse in the Uchiha clan. He would be mocked and ridiculed. His father would have to resign from his office as the head of the clan and that would mean ultimate doom upon the family.

There was no way in hell that Sasuke would let it happen. So he locked away his heart and his feelings for the blond, instead sticking to a friendship until the day the blond confessed.

When Naruto confessed, everything Sasuke worked up for shattered. And, oh how Sasuke longed to say the words back to Naruto, to hug him and weep with happiness, to tell Naruto that he became everything to him and to earn his love!

That was the best thing that really ever happened to Sasuke.

But things didn't go that way. Sasuke merely called Naruto immature and childish and coldly turned his back to him to walk out. But now, he couldn't tolerate a life without the blond. He was ready to confront Naruto and to tell him that he loved him; for once in his life, Sasuke was ready to embrace happiness.

Destiny would then show them the way.

It took a minute for Sasuke to polish his thoughts and when he found the answer, he lifted his head with a small smile on his face and replied, "Yes Nara I'm willing to tell the idiot I love him. I'm willing to leave my company, my wife and my clan for him. Now will you please drive me to the airport?"

Shikamaru sensed that the Uchiha finally figured out the answer and smiled. He slowly started the car and began to drive in the direction of the airport.

Sasuke sat nervously on the edge of his seat, biting his nails nervously. His mind whizzed with a million questions and frightening possibilities. His heart was racing madly with nervous anticipation. Happiness was so much within his reach and now all he had to do was grasp it in both hands and never let go.

He urged Shikamaru to go faster to which the lazy genius complied with a long suffering sigh.

Suddenly Sasuke spoke up, "Why are you driving me to the airport now?"

Shikamaru gave him the most disgusted look ever and said, "You really are thick Uchiha. Why the hell do you think I'm driving you to the airport? Like I said very clearly, I don't want to be an obstacle in Naruto's road to happiness. Sadly…he loves you and you love him back. And now that you are willing to forgo everything in order to be with him, why the fuck should I refuse to help you?"

For a fraction of a second Sasuke wanted to turn and kiss Shikamaru but held the impulse in check at the last moment. Instead, he gave the man his best smile and realized he liked the lazy man after all.

The drive to the airport took exactly five minutes thanks to Shikamaru's expert driving skills and knowledge of short-cut routes.

A feeling of trepidation crept in Sasuke's heart just as he stepped out of the taxi. He had no clue where Naruto was heading off to or no idea about what Naruto's reaction would be like. All he knew was that he was willing to gamble everything he had for his lover.

His frenzied gaze sought Naruto amongst the throng of strangers. His eyes only searched for the mop of blond hair in the crowd of unseeing faces. His feet inherited a will of their own as they ran crazily across the counters, pushing strangers out of his way looking around trying to find the man he had loved all his life.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew Shikamaru was also there looking for Naruto as well and he was thankful for the man's company and help.

A distant part of his brain registered the faraway announcement for the passengers heading to Paris to board their planes.

Paris!

Something clicked in Sasuke's brain as he recalled Naruto once saying something about wanting to go to Paris. He ran to the terminal where the passengers for Paris were and there he spotted the wild blond hair he had been searching for.

Naruto was standing there with his ticket and boarding pass clutched tightly in his hands. His face was turned away from Sasuke but the raven knew it was his Naruto alright. Slowly, almost hesitantly he made his way towards the man who had taught him how to laugh, love and share.

As he neared Naruto, the blond suddenly turned in his direction as if he'd sensed Sasuke's presence. His blue eyes were filled with so much sadness that it was almost past unbearable. Naruto's appearance was haggard with an unshaven face, tired and swollen eyes and his body posture screamed of little to no sleep.

Sasuke stepped forward and smiled slowly. In a voice too hoarse with emotion he whispered, "You look like shit Naruto."

Naruto's eyes searched Sasuke wildly for answers to questions he was too scared to voice. In an equally hoarse voice he asked, "What the fuck are you doing here Sasuke?"

In answer to the question, Sasuke leaned forward and captured Naruto's lips to his own. "I…love you Naruto, so much. Hell, I've loved you all my life. Come home with me Naruto."

Naruto's mind attempted to register his words. He was astonished by the abrupt confession as he took a moment to gather his wits. Once the realization hit him, he loudly retorted, "What? Are you insane? What about your clan? Your company? Sakura? Everything? You can't just throw it all away. There is no way I'll let you throw it all away!"

Sasuke shook his head and replied, "I've made up my mind. I'm willing to sacrifice everything for you. I have finally found happiness and I am not going to let it go. I love you Naruto."

Shikamaru rounded the corner only to find a confused and flabbergasted Naruto gaping at Sasuke, who looked pathetically hopeful.

If this was how falling in love looked then he was sure all he felt for Naruto was nothing but a crush; falling in love was so troublesome!

He also realized that as pathetic as they seemed, without his assistance they would have gotten nowhere.

He walked up to Naruto and slapped him hard at the back of his head to snap him out of his confused state. He sighed when Naruto turned those blue eyes clouded with confusion at him. "Naruto, Sasuke just said he loves you. Do you want him to sign it in blood for proof?"

The moment the words registered in the blond's brain, Shikamaru realized he had taken the trouble up a new notch.

Ceruleans that had been filled with confusion a second earlier were now sparkling with hope and happiness. And suddenly the hyperactive idiot was back!

It took Nara Shikamaru's entire brain to process the fact that Uzumaki Naruto was now hugging him than the raven he loved all the time chanting "Sasuke loves me" in his ear.

Reluctantly he pushed Naruto away and maneuvered him in the direction of the raven.

He turned towards Sasuke and in a disgusted voice said, "Tch Uchiha! Quit drooling and kiss Naruto before I do. As troublesome as you both are, if someone doesn't do the honor, that woman standing in the queue might piss her pants with the suspense and drama."

Sasuke stared beamingly at the man who made him realize where his destiny lay before pulling Naruto into a kiss that sealed their love and promised happiness, and more.

Shikamaru scowled on his way back to his taxi. The Uchiha made him miss his afternoon nap for the day, and now he would have to miss his cloud watching activity too since he had challenged Asuma to a game of shoji. Troublesome as it was, he couldn't deny the fact that he was in fact looking forward to meeting Asuma. He sighed heavily as he pushed his seat back and waited for the "couple" to return to the taxi. A couple of minutes later, his eyes slid shut and a soft snore could be heard.

He had some free time in his hands; why not make the most of it?