Chapter Two

"Yoo hoo! I'm home!" Naruto called as he came into the house, dropping his bag by the door as he found himself with an armful of Hinata as the small woman came around the corner to hug him.

Naruto chuckled slightly, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Hey Hinata, how was your week without me?"

"Boring really. You make the house so much more entertaining. I can't wait until you finish college and come back to live with me all the time," she pouted, her pale eyes moving up to look at his face.

He grinned, lifting his bag and moving through the house towards their bedroom. "Yea, that'll be something…" I hope that it never comes… I don't know how I'd survive that long without him…

The woman followed him through the house, almost bouncing on her toes. "So how was your week?"

"Oh… the same… School… boring… work… even more boring… nothing really exciting…" Naruto murmured, grinning to himself as he threw his bag on the bed, wishing that he could be back with Sasuke.

I wonder what he's doing right now… mmm, probably taking a shower… Oh…

"Naruto?"

The blond jumped slightly, yanking himself away from the thoughts that could possibly get him into serious trouble. "Yea?"

"Um… I know that you hate it when I bring this up, but why couldn't I come live with you in the city? It would make it so much easier on you, you wouldn't have to travel, and then we could be together all the time. We could get an apartment rather than you live in the dorms, or I could just stay there." Hinata's voice was soft, and she was looking away from Naruto while she said most of this.

Naruto groaned inwardly, dreading the conversation that she had just started. "Hinata, you know that I like my privacy while I'm studying and stuff. With you there it would just be too… distracting. I'd never be able to pass!"

The small woman sighed slightly, nibbling on her lower lip. "I know, but I just wanted to make it a little easier for us… Being away from you is a pain sometimes…"

"I know, I know… Don't worry; I'm a senior this year. Things will be better before you know it." Hopefully they don't change that fast…

"Oh… well forget that I mentioned it… Dinner's ready if you were hungry."

"Are you kidding? I'm always hungry! Is it ramen?"

Hinata laughed. "No, I know that you eat that 24/7 at the college, I've got to give you something nutritious while you're here!"

Naruto groaned audibly. "Man, I wanted ramen…"

"Come on, you big oaf, let's go eat before it gets cold."


Damnit… weekends are the longest times of my life. They never seem to end! I'm almost always home alone all day, I only work during the week when Naruto is at college, and Sakura works every day.

It's times like this that I hate my mind; I tend to think WAY too much.

I wonder what Naruto's doing right now…

I have to wonder what he calls her. I know that he never really calls Sakura anything; I'm the only one who gets that privilege, but what if he calls her something? Does he tell her that he loves her? Or does he save that one only for me as well?

I sigh, leaning back in the bathtub. Soaking tended to help me calm down when Naruto was away, it was almost like being held by him, the warmth surrounding me and cradling my body. It wasn't quite the same, but it was better than nothing.

The phone ringing made me jump, but nonetheless I wiped my hand across the towel and grabbed the device, bringing it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey sexy."

I eeped. "N-Naruto!"

"Well duh. It's not like anyone else can call you that."

I couldn't help but glaring, even though he couldn't see me. "Idiot."

"You know you love me!"

I grumbled slightly at that, glowering as I sank lower in the tub. "That's not the point, Naruto… So… where's Hinata?"

"Shopping. We're out of ramen."

I giggled. "You said that here too right before you left!"

"And your point is? I gotta have a steady supply, life just isn't the same without ramen! Well, and you, but I can't seem to have both of those things at the moment…" I could hear the smile in his voice, but it seemed sad in a way.

I felt my heart drift downward at that. "Yea… I miss you too, Naruto."

He chuckled slightly. "I know." I shifted in the tub, making the water slosh a little, and then I heard an excited sound from the phone. "Ooo, is that water I hear?"

"Um… maybe." I felt my cheeks heat as he said that.

"You're in the tub, aren't you?"

My blush grew hotter. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"You know I do, baby. Trust me, I wouldn't have asked if I didn't. Well, I probably would have asked anyway, but you get the point."

"So what if I am? What are you gonna do about it?" This was the only way I could ever taunt Naruto, the only way his muscular body couldn't find its usual control over me. I had to make him miss me more then ever; he had to miss me as much as I missed him.

When he next spoke his voice had dropped to a deep purr, husky, making me shiver violently even in the rather hot water. "I could… let you listen to me jack off while thinking about you."

My jaw dropped and a violent blush invaded my entire face, running down my neck. "You did not just say that!"

"Oh, but I did. You are just so easy to freak out, Sasuke! I can just see that lovely blush on your face…" I felt the sudden urge to smack him. Too bad you can't send punches through the phone.

"Idiot."

"Maybe. But you still love me."

I smiled, laughing softly. "Always." I trailed a foot through the water, leaning back against the side of the tub. "So how much longer until she gets back?"

He was silent for a moment, either listening or thinking, I wasn't quite sure. "Don't know. Whenever she gets back, I suppose. I just wanted to hear your voice."

I smiled again, my heart warming. "I'm glad you called… I was going crazy waiting for you to get home."

"You still have two days, sweetheart, get used to waiting. No matter how much I wish I could be back right now, I can't just leave. Hinata would get suspicious. She already wants to come with me into town again."

"Again?" I almost groaned out loud at that. This was at least the fifth time it had happened, Hinata asked at least once every weekend that Naruto was home. It was getting to the point that both of us were worried that she was just going to show up one day.

"Yea, again. I'm running out of excuses. Why won't she let it go?"

"Cause she wants to be with you a lot more. I have to admit, if I were in her place I would have followed you back a long time ago." I said with a grin, leaning my head back to stare at the ceiling.

He laughed at that comment. "No way, love, you wouldn't have let me leave in the first place."

"So true." I couldn't help but smile at his brief but confident synopsis of our relationship.

"Ya know, I wish I was kissing your neck right now, this is torture being able to hear you but not touch you. I hate weekends, love."

I could hear the sadness in his voice, and once again my heart sank slightly. "I know… me too…" I ran a hand through my bangs, smoothing them behind my ear as I turned on my side in the bath, looking out into the bathroom. "I wish you could come home."

He sighed softly. "I wish I could too, baby, but it doesn't work that way. Don't worry, I'll be home before you know it." There was the sound of a door on his end. "Damn, home earlier than I thought… I love you Sasuke, I promise I'll call again if I get the chance."

I smiled. "I love you too, Naruto."

"Kiss me?"

I blushed faintly, and then pressed my lips against the mouthpiece of the phone. "I love you…" I whispered one more time, and then the line went dead.

I sighed, pushing the off button and laying the phone on the tile beside the tub. I slid down in the water, closing my eyes and letting the tears finally fall.


"Naruto! I'm home!"

The blond sighed slightly, putting down the phone and getting up from his place on the bed. He walked out into the kitchen where Hinata was standing with a few bags in her hands, a small smile on her face.

"Here, I brought you ramen; you have to put it all away."

Naruto pasted his easy smile on his face, pulling his happy mask on over the sadness that really covered his features. "Yea, but there's more than ramen in there, right? I don't want to put it all away!"

She laughed. "Oh sure, I have to go buy it and put it away. What a nice husband you are."

The blond grinned. "Well of course. I'm the perfect husband! I come home eventually, don't I? That's gotta mean something!"

Hinata smiled sadly. "Yea, but you're not home all the time… It would be so much easier if I could just be there with you…"

"Hinata…"

She shook herself slightly. "Sorry. Come on, let's put all this away and get dinner started."

"You mean I have to put away groceries and help with dinner too? What am I, a slave?" Naruto moaned pathetically, pretending to collapse into one of the kitchen barstools.

Hinata giggled, shaking her head at him. "You're hopeless."

He grinned. "I try."


Hours after Naruto's call I sat on the couch staring at the TV screen, wrapped up in one of his old sweaters, my hands disappearing beneath the too long sleeves, my nose buried in the fabric that still faintly smelled of him. Sakura would be home soon, but for right now I could pretend that he was still here, holding me.

I could just imagine what would happen if she did see me in this state…

...Internal Thoughts...

"So… What are you thinking about?" she would probably say.

"Nothing."

"Really now? Then what's with the long face?"

"Nothing."

There would be a grin here. "Got a girlfriend?"

"No. That's me."

"Oh… So who's the guy?"

I grinned to myself. "Hinata's husband."

Perhaps a raised eyebrow. "Who's that?"

"Your husband."

"What?.!"

...Internal Thoughts End...

"Nothing."

"Nothing what?"

I almost squealed. Almost.

"Sakura! You're home!"

She laughed slightly as she looked towards me while putting her bag down by the door. "Yea, I am. Where were you, off in lala land?"

I glared at her slightly. If only she knew… "Um, how was work?"

"A drag, as usual. Don't you change the subject on me, why did you say nothing?" She was suspicious by now, her eyes narrowed and a hand on her hip.

I played innocent. "I said what?"

She rolled her eyes. "I wonder about you sometimes… Nevermind… I'm going to go make dinner, what do you want?"

I felt my mood sink a little. "I'm not really hungry, Sakura, I think I'm just going to go to bed."

She frowned at that. "Are you feeling alright?"

I nodded, standing and starting to head for my bedroom. I didn't want to worry her with the truth; I wouldn't be alright until Naruto got home. "Yea, just a little tired. Goodnight."

"'Night."

I shut the door quietly behind me, moving to my bed and climbing in on the right side of the bed, Naruto's side. I buried my face in the pillow, glad to find that it still carried his scent. I sighed happily, turning my face to the side and spotting a piece of paper folded on the table that I hadn't noticed the night before.

I pushed myself up onto my elbows, reaching out and grabbing the paper, unfolding it.

"Hope you like the cologne, it's in your top drawer if you need more. I love you, and I'll be home soon."

I smiled, lying back down with my nose pressed against the cloth. The scent helped me drift off, thoughts of his face passing through my head.


Alright, the internal thoughts were just Sasuke's imagination, just so you all have that straight, it didn't really happen. We just thought it important to address that...

Another thing, we're really not finding that we're getting a lot of reviews. Now, The Fallen Truth and I are loving writing this story, in fact, it's really getting a little out of hand, as in we already have chapter six written and are currently working on the next one. No doubt we will have the story entirely finished by the end of today or tomorrow. We would be glad to post the entire thing... if we get some feedback. We're not going to post for people who don't input. Please let us know your thoughts, it helps the muses think better!