Author's Note. YOU CAN TOTALLY SKIP THE AUTHOR'S NOTE. Jitensha, jitensha, jitensha, jitensha... hello! Hi hi hi!

- Uploads: I haven't uploaded in quite a while, because I want to give it my best (well you awesome readers with a refined taste *winks* deserve it) and I was facing insecurities. I apologize if you had an Author Alert you were glaring at, for not ringing. It's my fault, spare her poor life!

- AA time: Tips are very welcome, along with cookies and Sasuke plushies... no, wait, that's what they give me when I review a story... well I'll give cute Sasuke plushies to you if you fill my inbox with tips okay? ^-^ It would be so helpful. Here I'll feature something like the 'give a llama, get a llama' from deviantArt: 'give a plushie, get a plushe!' How does it sound? Cute, right?

- Pre-talk: I hope you like what I wrote. This was specifically born out of a dream (I dream about Naruto AN UNUSUAL LOT) and is meant to relieve some tension between them, inside our heads. Note please that it will never happen in the manga/anime, if Kishimoto-sensei has a say on it, which well, he actually does. Every say on it. Look at him, he's smirking at me! Stop, Kishimoto-dono, stop please! Noooo, not the Uchiha smirk again! *runs away, for dear life*

- Warning: Please forgive me for killing both Sasuke and Naruto by the end of the story. *Silence...* Oh well. *More silence*
Heh, come on, you know I wouldn't (not in a non-angst one, I would not!)

Perfect Together

Orochimaru and Kabuto were almost dead, and his team was unconscious. Every single person: Sakura, Sai, Yamato. All of them. He stood there, forgotten. Spared. Yet he was not scared. He wouldn't run away, nor give up, nor give in, nor go without Sasuke, he wouldn't.

"God dammit! What the fuck is up with you, Sasuke?"

"We're not friends anymore, Naruto," a detached voice observed. "I already told you."

"You're still a bastard," Naruto argued. "Let's say I can just tell."

Sasuke spoke in an exasperated, yet threatening tone. "If you insist on taking me back, I'll have to kill you."

"You won't," Naruto slapped before he could think of the words he was uttering, "and I'm no coward. Besides, if you're not coming back to Konoha, I'd rather die now."

Sasuke's eyes moved strangely, almost imperceptibly, but Naruto knew he had managed to get to him.

"I mean to say it wouldn't have any sense to go back without you." Naruto winced internally, for that was painfully true. In Konoha or wherever in life, for him, there was either Sasuke, or anything, at all.

The air was the only thing moving around them. His teammates were forgotten, as the pain from his injuries, and the blood drying and pasting to his tan skin. Everything worth paying attention to moved between the lines. The air, as if trying to make them aknowledge its presence, blew through them once again as the two figures stood facing each other, but still went unnoticed by them.

"Why do you do this for me, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, his voice cold and collected, but softened and pleading to Naruto's ears. "Just let me go," he begged. "I've already made a desicion. Just let me go."

"I'll never, ever let you go. You are my friend, and Konoha is where you belong. We love you."

"Love makes you weak."

"Love makes you strong, it's pain what makes you weak. You're still in so much pain, Sasuke."

"See, that's why you haven't been able to kill me yet," Sasuke said in mockery, well aware of the fact that the blond did not enjoy being underestimated and belittled. "You're so innocent." Sasuke raised his katana once again, not failing to notice the beat that Naruto's heart skipped.

"I warn you, Sasuke."

"You? You warn me?"

"Sasuke, come back to Konoha, we can deal with this together!"

"We can get nowhere together," he spat. "You keep getting on my way to get anywhere."

"No!" Naruto yelled, frustration evident through his tensed up features, and reinforced by the hand running through his hair. "We are perfect together, why can't you just see?"

He took a while to answer. He knew they were. He knew too well, but all he wanted was for Naruto to give up. When Naruto gave up, he could give up too, and maybe that way he would stop worrying about doing the right things. He wouldn't think, and therefore he wouldn't hurt or doubt anymore, and he would finally lose himself in complete darkness and become stronger than... Itachi. He didn't need a conscience if he was going to do it. He wanted to do it, but Naruto kept coming after him. He kept chasing him, and he hadn't been able to stop him, because it was obvious: they were more, they were good, they were perfect together.

"Naruto..."

"You know we are, don't you," Naruto accused, nodding. "So perfect together, Sasuke. So damn perfect together, you know it!" he demanded angrily.

For Sasuke, Naruto clearly did not understand. He did not get a single thing about this.

"I can't request anyone's help to kill Itachi!"

"You would kill him by simply ignoring him!"

"And give him one more chance? I'd rather die."

"He wanted you to do what you're doing, he's controlling you! You should make the desicions on your own life!"

"And no one else should make them for me," he returned, glaring so Naruto would get the message.

"Friends are always allowed to make an intervention if you're just fucking your ass up!" Naruto defended, eyes purple with frustration.

"You mean I'm not good enough for killing him?" his voice threatened.

Naruto sighed in fury, twice, effectively calming down a little so he could think more properly.

"I mean you should come back," he started, more collected. "We miss you. I miss you. I know you miss me," he tried, losing composure. Then, all of a sudden, his composure left him. "Get your ass back home where it belongs! We'll take care of Itachi later—"

"There's no we, no us," Sasuke interrupted. "I, and I alone, am going to take care of Itachi. Just like he took care of the clan," he said, sarcasm hurting his throat as he said those venomous words which stung him beyond compare.

"The clan this, the clan that... why don't you do what's better for the clan, and live your fucking life?"

"Because I will NOT surrender to what he did! I'm the only one left and it's my duty—"

"Okay you died for me once! Let's just say Haku killed you and you're a different person now!" Naruto tried desperatedly, no longer being able to think.

Sasuke stared at him in amazement. He could not believe his ears. "You're pathetic."

"I'm strong."

"You're beyond pathetic. You are so disappointingly weak, Naruto."

"Then why am I still here?"

Yes, why was he still there? He had followed him, though Sasuke abandoned the village, almost killed him, joined a criminal, planned on becoming one, he had done his best to break their bond. Why was he still there, always behind him, always after him? Why?

"You're... stubborn."

Naruto knew he was not stubborn, not this time. It was simple for him: he just needed Sasuke. It did not matter if his friend was making the wrong desicions, because his life had been difficult and he was in a hard situation, put under too much pressure and he was confused, angered, and hurt. He was not bad, he was the exceptional person, friend, and ninja he had always been, so Naruto was there to show him. He was there to remind him how good he really was, and everytime Sasuke would forget that, there would Naruto be, reminding him. Helping him. Showing him the way he saw things. Walking by his side, bringing him back to reality, back to Konoha, back to him.

"I'm not being stubborn for this. I am here for you. It's not a game, nor a childish, preposterous dream. It's a necessity."

The wind blew between them as if wanting to break them apart. Neither of them moved, neither of them broke eye contact. Blue eyes stared as the confusion and mistrusting aura disappeared. Sasuke was about to either kill him or faint.

"Why, Naruto?" he insisted in a quiet, calm voice.

Naruto closed his eyes. This was it, there was no way around it. "That's because..." he started, sighing. "I love you, Sasuke."

Sasuke frowned, his face darkening with sadness. "Why?"

That was, for Naruto, the most stupid question in the world, it was so obvious.

"Because you're you! You're worth everything, everything, Sasuke! You're too much, I'd do anything for you, anything to keep you safe. Anything to bring you back. Anything to take away your pain from you and heal you and protect you. I'd do anything, Sasuke, just for you, because you're more than the world to me, Sasuke, I'd kill for you, I'd die for you... I'd do it the same day, I'd never need to think about it twice, and I'd die happy, because you're worth all that and more. You're so damn important. Why can't you fucking see?"

It was a sin. An avenger – even a simple ninja – did not love anyone and he was doing well, he sometimes doubted if he even loved himself.

"Love's already made you weak."

"No, shit! That fucking pain you still have in you, that's your only problem, your only weakness, and what messes up with us! If we weren't this fucking hurt, things would be so different between us, it's pain, not love, what makes you weak!"

"Why not find out?" he challenged, trying to get away.

"We already had a fight," Naruto reminded, "and I'm still here."

"I was kind."

"You were tired."

Both of them knew, deep within their hearts, he had not been that tired. They were united by a strong, powerful force. The question was, would they ever make it matter again?

"You're going to fight or not?"

Silence met their ears as Naruto shook his head.

"Not anymore, I don't think so. I don't have to fight a friend. I'm just going to stand here, waiting for you to kill me. Then if you do, we'll both know who won."

"Incredible. Love has made you so pitifully weak that you're not even fighting. Typical. You've been a loser all your life, you would have never been able to become the Leaf's Hokage. You're so mediocre. Such a loser. Such a stupid, little chicken. Nobody should have believed in you, ever. Now we know that those who did were clearly mistaken. You're nothing, nothing but a waste."

"Then go ahead," Naruto urged. "What are you waiting for?"

Sasuke fell silent for a moment. Even insulting Naruto had not worked. There was nothing to do, he had to...

Sharingan eyes registered every detail, as he raised his katana and aimed it towards Naruto.

Naruto didn't move.

The katana started moving towards him. Naruto still didn't move. He didn't even wince, didn't flinch, he closed his eyes softly and raised his head a little, both imperceptible movements for the normal eye, but evidently indicating to the Uchiha's eyes that his chest and neck were exposed, and he wouldn't move away or fight back.

Blood fell from the katana to the floor: Naruto's blood.

Pained gasps were heard against the deep silence.

Naruto blinked. He was hurt, slightly.

Sasuke tore open his skin but didn't even make a deep cut.

He was now on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Eyes closed, body shaking. Face contorted in pain.

"I can't," he said, with a voice that broke before he could really speak.

The Sharingan spinned, fueled by the Uchiha's wrath.

"I fucking can't."

Naruto fell to his knees too. He placed a hand in Sasuke's chin and slowly raised it so that their gazes met.

The Sharingan looked at Naruto, and didn't hurt him. Naruto didn't even blink at the imposing, scary sight. He looked at those red eyes as if he knew all about them since the beginning. As if he had known them inside out all along. He wasn't scared, and he wasn't hurt.

"I love you too, Sasuke."

Sasuke sighed and let his head fall down as his eyes turned black again, silently aknowledging that he was tired, very tired. Sick of everything... but there was Naruto next to him, he always was. No matter what he tried to do, or actually did, Naruto was always next to him.

"I love you," he muttered clearly but aggressively, infuriated for being defeated, since he was now too weak to attack and too enraged to utter a word normally. Naruto gave him a weak smile, while soothingly running his fingers through his back, his blue eyes showering him with concern.

"I know."

"I love you, Naruto," he repeated, aknowledging for the first time the honesty filling his words.

They pressed their lips together as life blurred around them. Naruto's hand was placed in Sasuke's neck, thumb gently caressing his cheek.

"I love you," he insisted once more, then kissed the blond again, hungry and thirsty for his painkilling taste, too sad and tired for his own standards. "I'm sorry," Sasuke whispered against Naruto's lips, not breaking the kiss. Pale arms wrapped themselves around Naruto's body. "I'm so fucking sorry."

"It's okay," Naruto sighed, brushing their lips together with comforting care, "it's over." The kiss was deepened as a pair of hands cupped Sasuke's face, eventually irradiating warmth and comfort, while all the anger, pain, tiredness and conscience flew in the form of a blur of colors into the background.

They were going home.

Author's Note. Sooo...? What did you think? I hope it was not as fluffy as I write them? *winces*
Anyway, thank you very much for reading my story. Now go read some more! I would recommend you a PWP, what do you think? Tasty, huh? Delicious. Anything by AkaiTsume is wonderful. Stay away from drugs except yaoi and convert every being on Earth to SasuNaru! *Speaks in a strange, hypnotic voice* That's your ninja way, that's your ninja waaay, that's your ninja waaaaay... xD

MY REPLY TO MY ANONYMOUS REVIEWER:

Art rocs: Hey again! Oh my Sasuke, thank you very much! I'm so glad that you... eeeehhhh? No, no! *cries* I wouldn't kill Sakura-chan! She's Lee's property! ;) Hehehe... ok I'll get serious. I apologize because you thought I had killed Sakura. If you are confused, it's the author's fault. I said at the beginning that Orochimaru and Kabuto were about to die, which, come to think it, wouldn't be so bad. Sakura, Yamato and Sai were unconscious. They were NOT dead, let's just say Sasuke brushed them out of the way so he and Naruto could have some privacy *winks* xDD. Once again, I apologize for confusing you. Thank you very much for reading my story and taking the time to review. That's so sweet! *hug* ;)

Babylove203: I'm really glad you did! Thank you very much! *dances Caramelldansen* *gives you a cookie* *bows* Heh, heh... well thank you very much for reading and reviewing my story! ;)