Title: The World Exists For Just Us Two
Summary: "Love is so...difficult," Naruto often tells himself. Especially since the one he loves is Uchiha Sasuke. "I must not know what love is," Sasuke often tells himself. Especially when coming to terms with his feelings for Uzumaki Naruto. SasuNaru. AU.
Disclaimer: Naruto & Co. © Masashi Kishimoto
Warnings: Rated M for future chapters.

Yoru wo Kakeru - spitz

Chapter 1 – Chasing the Night.

Six Years Later

Wide blue eyes stared into deep onyx. Silence hung in the air, breaths stifled. Naruto's face turned a shade of pink as the whites of his eyes blurred red. Tears hung at the edges of his waterline. Sasuke's face remained as impassive as ever, eyes never leaving the oceans hidden in Naruto's orbs.

"…"

"…"

"…Mmf."

"…"

"…Ngh…BLINK ALREADY SASUKE!" Naruto yelled impatiently, his eyes straining at the dryness of the air. The black, white, and blue color scheme of Sasuke's room was starting to blur into blobs in his peripheral vision. He could hardly make out Sasuke's figure, but his eyes never left the fiery dark ones.

The young Uchiha smirked with satisfaction, closing his eyes slowly as he replied, "Hn. I win. You broke the silence rule first." He shifted his body back onto the bed before flopping his backside into the downy comforter, legs dangling off the edge.

Naruto pouted, rubbing his teary eyes with the palms of his hands, "Since when did that become a rule…" he grumbled mostly to himself. He knew very well that nothing good came out of arguing with the Uchiha, not that it ever stopped him anyway.

The dark-haired boy simply dismissed his remark with a wave of his hand, "Doesn't matter. Anyway, since you lost you have to tell me…"

"Okay, okay, I got it," Naruto looked around Sasuke's room, as if the walls and furniture could listen. Jolting up quickly from the floor, he rushed over to Sasuke's door, checking the hallway for weasel-like eavesdroppers, before shutting and locking it quietly. This earned an eye-roll from the expecting boy lying on the bed. Climbing onto the bed, Naruto leaned close to Sasuke's ear, a hand covering the side of his mouth, "The person I like is…" his voice lowered to a barely audible whisper, "…Sa…Sasldkjf," As quick as the mumbled slur came out of his mouth, he was just as quick in fleeing out of the room before the wrath of Sasuke could reach him, cackling all the way down the hall.

Sasuke continued lying on the bed, giving the dobe a good head start, "One…two…three…four…FIVE! DOBE, YOU ARE SO DEAD YOU CHEATING IDIOT!" He flung himself off his bed and sprinted down the hallway, eyes searching for a head of blond. Why does this house have to be so big? Sasuke complained as his eyes scanned over every inch of each room. Finding no luck down one side of the house, he turned and sprinted down the other half. His sprint slowed to a run as he turned a corner, slipping from the lack of friction between his socks and the hardwood floors. Grasping onto the corner of the wall, he halted to a stop when his eyes landed on a mop of golden hair. The blond stood quietly in front of the door of the study room with his back turned away from Sasuke, seeming to be staring into space. "Naruto, you are dead!" He seethed in a harsh whisper.

With a jolt, Naruto spun around, a mixture of panic, surprise, and relief on his face. It didn't last long enough for Sasuke to question as his expression turned into a sheepish grin. "I couldn't find anymore places to hide," a nervous chuckle erupted as he began to lead Sasuke back to his room. "Oh, and don't call me dobe."

"Dobe, why are you–," His question was left unfinished as piercing CRASH interrupted. The two boys turned, immediately running to the study room where the source of the interruption came from. As the approached closer to the door, they heard deep voices in the midst of what seemed to be a very heated argument.

"…I told you I wouldn't stand for anymore…"

"…It could not be helped. If you are so…"

"…Do not question me, Itachi…"

Upon arriving at the room, Naruto pushed the door open, Sasuke peeking from behind. The array of the room left them speechless. Sasuke shoved past Naruto and scanned the room critically, although his panic did not show on his face. Books were scattered across the floor with papers floating in the air after them. On the floor were a thousand shards of his mother's favorite vase. His onyx eyes lingered there before lifting, taking in the expressions of the two adult figures in the room. Fugaku's face, which was three shades redder about ten seconds ago, paled considerably as his youngest son eyed him. His gaze shifted to the opposite side of the room. Itachi's expression was impassive, like a true Uchiha, but the regret in his eyes did not go unnoticed by Sasuke. Without a word, the young boy stepped towards the middle of the room, bending down near the broken vase. His hand reached for a shard of precious porcelain.

"Sasuke, don't touch that," his father warned irritably.

Sasuke ignored him, gathering the pieces in his little hands, one hand picking up the shards, the other hand holding them.

"Sasuke…" his brother sighed his name, almost like a plead. Almost.

The little dark-haired boy felt his nose tingle, the warning sign that his onyx eyes wanted to brim with tears. He reached for another shard.

"You're bleeding, Sasuke," A gentle honey colored hand held onto his shaking pale one. "Put those down before you hurt yourself. Or more importantly, me," Naruto gave a shining grin as he helped Sasuke up from the ground. "Let's get your mom to clean those cuts first and then I'll tell you my secret from earlier."

Sasuke simply nodded, dropping all the pieces back to the floor, and then following Naruto out the door. Not once did he turn to look back.

"My goodness, Sasuke! What on earth were you two boys doing that got you into this mess?" Mikoto asked as she dabbed her son's cuts with a hydrogen peroxide drenched cotton ball. Sasuke didn't answer so she simply smiled knowingly. "Well alright then," with finality she placed the last band-aid on his little finger, "How about you walk Naruto home now? I'm sure Minato's got a bowl of ramen waiting for him at home. And then you'll come home to me and I'll give you a nice bowl of tomato soup, okay?"

Naruto's face brightened at the mention of ramen, and then blanched at the sound of tomato soup. Is Sasuke even human?

From Sasuke's house to Naruto's house, it was a thirty minute walk. From Naruto's house to Sasuke's house, it was a forty-five minute walk. The neighborhood where the Uchiha estate was rested at the top of a hill, overlooking a part of Konoha. Naruto's neighborhood was at the bottom of the hill. The difference between these two neighborhoods was just one letter. Pleasant Valley and Peasant Valley.

The walk home was relatively normal, with Naruto talking endlessly and Sasuke "Hn"-ing every so often. Neither of them wanted to bring up the topic of earlier events, so Naruto just…talked. He talked about nothing, and he talked about everything.

"So you know how I've been coming to your house since I was like, three?" Naruto asked without really expecting an answer.

"Hn." He didn't really get one.

Naruto listened closely to the chirping cicadas as they walked in the summer heat of July, "Well when I was old enough to walk to your house by myself, I always found myself counting the steps it took to reach you," He paused idly, "When I got bored of that, I'd try going backwards. It was tough at first, and a lot of cars honked at me, but I always managed to get to your house in one piece," He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled, pausing again to think, "And then after that, I'd close my eyes and walk to your house," He began closing his own eyes, trusting the path beneath his feet to take him home.

Since when does this dobe think so much? Sasuke thought as he squinted at the splash of colors in the sky left by the setting sun. He "Hn"-ed again when he noticed the dobe was thinking for too long.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes. Using a hand to cover the sun, he peeked through the cracks of his fingers until his eyes adjusted to the sudden flood of orange light. "Up until now, I've used a different method of reaching you everyday. I've lost count of how many steps it takes since the numbers have been decreasing."

The raven turned to the blond and raised an eyebrow in question.

"My legs are longer than they use to be so I can take bigger steps now. I've been growing," Naruto turned to the Uchiha and flashed him a breathtaking smile

Sasuke could feel his breath hitch in his throat. Apollo. "Hn," was the only response he could muster.

"…Have I reached you yet?" Naruto murmured in a barely audible voice, more to himself than to Sasuke.

The rest of the walk home was taken in a comfortable silence.

Minato could hear the front door creak open as his son arrived, shouting a "See you tomorrow!" to Sasuke. The father gave a sigh. Walking to the front hallway, he greeted his son, "Hey, kiddo. Have fun?"

"Hm? Yeah," was the only response given. Naruto kicked off his shoes, and after peeling off his socks, he stuffed them inside.

Minato was taken aback at his son's lack of enthusiasm. Usually, he would bombard the man with exclamations of their adventures. "R-really," He said cautiously as a half-question and half-response. "It certainly doesn't sound like it," the father stated concernedly.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in thought, "Sasuke…I think he's just having a bit of family issues or something."

The father nodded slowly. "Is that so. Uchiha is a heavy name to bear, Naruto," he placed a hand on his son's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze, "They'll be okay. He'll be okay," he added with affirmation. "Well, I ordered Ichiraku for dinner today. Your favorite: 'a large serving of miso ramen with roasted pork fillet!'" He mimicked Naruto's usual cheer of ardor.

At the sound of his favorite dish, the blond boy froze. Something's…off. As he walked to the dining room and sat himself down, he asked, "There's something wrong, isn't there?"

"…" The young boy's father was baffled both by the idea that there something must be wrong in order for him to pamper his son, as well as the fact that his son was incredibly sharp at reading the small matters. "Just a bit of change, that's all."

Nevertheless, Naruto shrugged, slurped, and sloshed his delicious ramen, downing the bowl in a matter of minutes. Or perhaps even seconds.

"There's more on the counter if you're still hungry," Minato said with a smile.

The boy eyed his father suspiciously, "It must be really bad then," he muttered ominously as he went to retrieve his second helping. On the way back to the table, he simply stated to his father, "Just tell me, dad," before digging into his bowl.

Minato took a deep breath, "Okay, son, but promise me you won't be too upset?"

"Dad, that really depends on what you're about to tell me."

God, this boy is smart. Or rather, cunning. He is his mother's son indeed. Minato stared at his son, his eyes pleading for him to just promise, even if it was just a lie. His conscience needed the comfort.

Naruto eyed his father before caving in, "Alright, alright I promise. Now what is it?" He dropped his chopsticks and spoon into the bowl, giving his father his full and undivided attention.

"We're moving tomorrow." The older man stated blandly, as if he was reading a title off a newspaper.

A sigh came out of Naruto's mouth. He picked up his utensils and began eating again. "Really, dad? That's it? You got me worked up over nothing." He mumbled out in between bites.

"You're not upset? Not at all? I mean, what about Sasuke?"

"What about him? I guess I'll just have to walk farther or take a bus to see him. Or he can come see me. I'm sure Itachi could take him or something."

That's when it dawned on him. Minato blinked slowly before telling his son softly, "No, son. Kiddo, we're moving. To you're mother's hometown, Uzushiogakure. Tomorrow."

The sound of utensils dropping into a plastic bowl echoed in the room as Naruto slowly raised his head to look as his father. He said nothing. He asked nothing.

A shrill ring filled the air several times as the landline of the Uchiha estate rang. Again. For the umpteenth time. In ten minutes. Frustrated, Itachi glanced at the caller ID, picked up the receiver and barked, "Hello, don't answer," He covered the end of the receiver with a hand before shouting "Sasuke, it's for you!"

Sasuke irritably dragged himself out of bed, trudged to the phone, and barked very much like his older brother, "Speak."

The raven heard a hushed "Meet me there," from an all too familiar voice before the click and dead tone marked the end of the conversation.

Sighing, Sasuke replaced the receiver and trudged back to his room to get dressed. "There" was where they went when things were, to say the least, like tragedies of Elizabethan proportions.

After hanging up, Naruto listened with hushed breathing to the sound of his father whose room was located across from his. When he could hear the rhythmic breaths and snores, he carefully tiptoed his way across the hall to the front door and slipped on his shoes before sneaking out the door.

When Minato heard the quiet slam of the front door he sat up in his bed, running a hand through his gold locks. He let out deep sigh. Who sleeps at 9, kiddo?

Outside the front door, the blond child let out a puff of air. His head reclined backward as he gazed at the night sky. The moon was nearly full. He began his trek towards the meeting place, always starting at a slow pace. Like always, he jumped over the twisted wire fence that blocked a secret path. And like always, something had to get snagged and he ended up in a heap on the dirt floor. And this is where it begins. After standing up and dusting off the dirt, Naruto took off in a yellow flash, feet pounding on the path. Fireflies lit his way as he maneuvered through the woodsy trail. He ran and ran and ran. Until his tears fell into the wind and his lungs begged for more air. Even then, he didn't stop. He never did. When he could see the clock tower through the forage, he smiled. And when his steps felt the dirt path turn into hard pavement, he slowed to a run, then to a jog, then to a walk. Grinning like an idiot. He always did this on an exceptionally bad day. Because he knew that at the end of the path, he would be waiting by the clock tower, smirk in place, and Naruto would grin like a fool, tears all forgotten.

Between Pleasant Valley and Peasant Valley, there was a neutral place. A forgotten place. Surrounded in the lush green foliage that split the two neighborhoods was the empty town square. It was neither on the hill, nor off the hill. It was exactly 15 minutes away from either house. It was simple, and not so much a square as it was a circle. There was a broken clock tower in the center, always stopped at seven forty-two. The forest encircling the place always silences every sound that attempts to escape from the square. The fireflies guarding the place always leads right to the clock tower. It was a place where time stood still.

Naruto slowly made his way towards the clock tower, tracing his fingers against the graffiti stains on the bricks. His breath came in heavy puffs as he collapsed in exhaustion next to Sasuke. He too was panting from his run, and like always, had his smirk in place. He didn't have to say it, as both of them already knew, but he did anyway, "I..win..dobe."

The blond haired boy smiled softly, rolling over onto his back and savoring the coolness of the pavement. He lazily lifted his rose-colored hand above his head, using his index finger and thumb to encircle the almost full moon. He could see a spark of lightning, flashing in the west. Bringing his hand down next to him, he slowly turned his head over to Sasuke.

Deep ocean blue eyes lock with fiery black ones. Just like the way they did six years ago, maybe even before then. A rueful smile appeared on Naruto's face, and surprisingly, Sasuke's as well.

Ah, just like this. I wish time would stop for us just like this.