Well hulloder. It just so happens that—I'M BACK, BAY-BAYY! So what's been happenin'? What did I miss while I was off…doing whatever I was doing? If I could honestly remember, I would say. Writing, I guess? Anyway, below happens to be the very first installment of the latest SasuNaru I've been working on! And I "forgot" (neglected) to mention that it's actually an epic! Mwahaha! In case you totally missed reading the title (not that entirely likely), this is called 'Pinky Promise.' I planned it out to be one of those fics that works its way through each of the levels of yaoi. Like, fluff in the beginning, shonen-ai for a while in the middle, and then some smutsy-smutsy-lemon at the end. Again, mwahaha! It's kind of a spinoff of a completely adorable doujinshi called 'Chou' that I cried while reading it for the first time. No even joking. Naruto's spirit breaks and he isn't himself for something like two years. During which Sasuke grows out his hair into a ponytail. Can you say 'SEXY?' ANYway…you'll see. Yep. You'll see. I love you guys, and I hope you enjoy my latest fic—'Pinky Promise!'

*~* Prologue *~*

"But Naru-chan, why do you hafta leave tomorrow?"

Naruto smiled at Sasuke, putting on just a little bit of a tough face. "It's okay, Sasuke-tan, I'm only gonna be gone for a little while. You'll barely even notice that I'm not here!"

Sasuke pouted. "You're wrong. I'm always gonna miss you."

"Naru-chan" giggled. "Aww, I love you too, Sasu-kun!"

The tiny ebony-haired boy blushed a deep crimson color, displaying his happiness. "Stop saying such embarrassing things, idiot…"

"But you look so funny when you blush, I just can't help it!"

"I do not!"

"Uh-huh! Yeah you do!"

"Do not."

"Do too!"

"Nuh-uh."

"Yuh-huh!"

"…"

"Yay!"

Naruto was pleased to have won the so-called debate. Because his mommy and daddy were ninjas, and they had super-important ninja mission to go on, Naruto has to be sent to his aunt's house in a different village in the Land of Fire. Sasuke was going to stay back in Konoha, of course, as his parents weren't ninjas at all. Sasuke couldn't live on his own yet, and so he would remain close to his parental figures. So, both at age six, they were forced to part ways.

The next morning came all too quickly. The Uzumaki family's belongings had all been loaded uniformly into the back of the wagon that would take them to the train station where they would be meeting Mrs. Uzumaki's sister, and following their separate paths.

The little blonde boy was looking up at the four faces carved into the mountainside over the village. That was just one thing that he knew he would miss about his hometown. Among the other things dear to little Naruto that had to be left behind were the special parks, the woods perfect for hide-and-seek, the ramen shop, and another little dark-haired item on the list, who was scurrying toward him as fast as his little legs would carry him. "Hi, Sasu-tan!" Naruto called brightly, "What's up?"

Sasuke got this completely adorable expression on his face, like he was trying to be serious and failing. "Naru-chan, I gotta show you something—"

"Naruto," He turned, seeing his mother waving at him. "We have to get going in just another minute, sweetie."

"Okay, Mom, I'll be right there!" he shouted back, spinning to face his friend. "What were you saying, Sasuke?"

"N-nothing. Just promise to come back and see me sometime, 'kay? And even if you can't do that, then I guess it's okay if you just remember me."

"Okay, I will," Naruto nodded solemnly, "I'll miss—"

"Naruto, honey, we really must be going!" his mother called once more, beginning to sound just a little agitated.

"Okay, Momma!" he yelled back, then said quieter, "Hey Sasuke, what if we pinky-promised to not forget each other?"

The other child's face lit up. "Yeah! Then we couldn't forget, even if we wanted to! But that doesn't mean you do want to, right Naruto?"

Giggling, their little fingers intertwined, Sasuke whispered, "To never forget. Ever."

Naruto nodded almost sadly. "To never forget. Ever."

Then, he did something that surprised them both—he kissed Sasuke's soft little cheek. "Bye, Sasuke. Now you have something to remember me by, 'kay?"

And then he was gone.

… … … … … … … …

Two years passed, and something happened to Sasuke that would change his entire outlook on life: his older brother, Itachi, murdered the entire Uchiha clan, minus Sasuke and himself.

The experience tore the younger Uchiha's mind apart, and he forgot much of the childhood love he experienced. This included Naruto's. Or, to put it more accurately, he broke the promise he had made two years previous with Naru-chan, fingers twined before parting ways.

Sasuke had forgotten him.

—~—

~Ten years later~

—~—

Naruto was sick of waiting, God dammit. He was eighteen and as impatient as humanly possible to get off this flippin' train. The conductor had said they had about half an hour left before their ETA in Konoha. Two minutes more was still too long a wait for the blonde. He would've run by himself if that was what it took to get there faster, but that wasn't the case at all. On the contrary, running would just slow his efforts to return to his hometown as soon as possible. Therefore, he was forced to remain aboard, moving with the other passengers at a constant speed of "HURRY UP ALREADY."

He wanted to see Sasuke, dammit.

There was so much Naruto had to tell the little raven-haired boy from his memories. For starters, that he was an orphan now.

It was still pretty hard to grasp.

He had been parentless for, how many years now? Naruto still had to count the number of years to keep proper track…

Five. Five years, that was it. Minato and Kushina had died exactly nine days before his thirteenth birthday.

After he was alone, his aunt from the other village took him back in and taught him everything she knew about everything from long division and writing papers to housework and getting a job. She had even helped him stumble through university early, many years before the rest of his class. That had been lonely though, with no other people to pace himself around, and Naruto didn't like it.

But he was home now and had graduated from college already, so no more schooling for him!

Naruto's mind drifted to Sasuke, the little dark Uchiha boy from his dreams. Somehow, his image always seemed to occupy a not-so-small back section of Naruto's mind.

The conductor's soothing tone sent Naruto's thoughts into a quiet disarray. "We will be arriving at the Hidden Village Train Station Number Four in approximately five minutes. Please return to your seats while we…"

Naruto zoned out again, amazed that so much time had passed so quickly, especially compared to the whole first part of the trip, which seemed to drag on and on. And on.

Three minutes went down the drain as fast as the ones before them, and the train began rolling in, on time to a T, as the railway system was well known for.

Naruto smiled widely as he heard the brakes' groaning protests, and felt the slightly cushioned jolt that signaled the train's lack of movement. The hollow hiss of the doors and the automated voice introducing the place he still loved made him want to start laughing out of sheer joy.

But then he remembered one of the many reasons for his return, and his smile dropped.

Sasuke. They hadn't had any contact on any level in, what, eleven years, twelve? What of the slim chance he didn't remember?

No, Naruto thought, We made a promise—a pinky promise—and I even…

The hyperactive blonde blushed at the thought of his surprisingly bold move. I did kiss his cheek after all. How could he forget something like that?

Then, as the train continued emptying, his mentality drifted to the matters of lodging. He needed an open apartment with a landlord who wasn't against the LGBTQ community in any way. Yes, that would be a necessity, considering that the occupant, Naruto himself, was indeed as straight as Maryland's eastern coastline, the one with Chesapeake Bay. For you non-Americans out there and those who don't understand the simile, this basically translates to as gayer than the very personification of a rainbow. (A/N: Sorry if this came across as rude or something. I don't mean to offend. If I did, I'm sorry. ^^;)

After gathering the rest of the things, Naruto stepped out onto the platform and smiled. He was finally home.

But then it was time to find his love.

Sasuke.

… … … … … … … …

At last, our little blondie had found a place to stay. Even if only for a little while, it was better than being temporarily homeless. Therefore, in self-congratulations, Naruto was now sitting at the counter of the Ichiraku Ramen shop, drumming his fingers rapidly, and impatiently waiting for his bowl of "everything" ramen.

Finally, when the old guy behind the counter had finished working his magic, Naruto snapped his chopsticks apart and began eating. "Thanks, gramps! Itadakimasu!"

The elderly man laughed heartily. "Oh, you'll always be the same ol' Naruto, whether you're six, eight or…how old are you now?"

"Eighteen, pops. Eighteen and proud of it!"

"Well, well! Good Lord, Naruto. You're going to be my age before you know it, and by that time, you'll have to worry about what you eat, and your weight and your cholesterol points and—"

"Yeah, yeah. Save it for when I actually am your age gramps." Naruto scoffed playfully, grinning like he was a little kid again, "I'd like to live my life as a kid for as long as I can, if you don't mind.

The server smirked. "Yep. Definitely still Naruto. Hey kid!"

The blonde looked almost exasperated as he glanced up over the rim of the near-empty bowl. "Hmm?" His broth-drinking was obscuring his speech.

"Welcome home. This one's on the house."

"Wow, really?!: Naruto slapped the bowl down, looking happy enough to dance like a maniac. "Thanks, old man!"

"Aw, whatever. Call me old again, though, and I'll change my mind."

The grin slipped from Naruto's face as he saluted. "Yes, sir! I thank you much for the meal!" He bowed. "Have a nice night!"

Laughing, the shopkeeper waved a hand. "At ease, soldier, at ease. Now, go home and get some rest. That's an order."

"SIR YES—"

"Oh, give it a rest, you knucklehead."

Naruto grinned like a complete fool. "You got it! I'll see you around, 'kay?"

"Sure thing. Please come again!"

The two waved their farewells, and Naruto jogged back to the apartment he was renting. He collapsed face-first on top of the covers as soon as he possibly could after rooting around, looking for his pajamas, but they were eluding him surprisingly well for the small amount of luggage Naruto did pack. Tired of looking, he reduced himself to an exhausted blob of…something. Travelling had really taken everything out of him, but the day was still fairly young. A nap should be okay, shouldn't it? Shouldn't…it…?

Oh, wow. Completely unintentional cliffy. I also might have word-vomited a little towards the beginning, so sorry for both those things. I wish I could say that I'm a totally perfect author who never does stupid things, but, alas, no. I am not. Gomen. As usual, I would love reviews, and, heck, flame if you want. It would brighten up my day just to be able to laugh at something like that. Ha ha!

Ta,
Lorakeet~