Painted Masks Pt

Painted Masks

(Part Two)

A/N: Well now… wasn't expecting this… and it may be extremely cheesy and dumb beyond all belief. All in all I feel like I didn't give this justice yet so I think I will make a third part for the story… depends on what you want. Feel free to send angry letters! Also check out my forum I created please! It's on my profile and I hope you guys wouldn't mind talking together about my stories… Oh! One last thing… BEWARE! This chapter has delicious action in it… don't like man on man action… just don't read this.

The party passed in great joking and fun. Hinata had found herself on the receiving end of a kiss from Kiba. Tsuki had snuck off somewhere with Shino, Sakura, Lee, Ino, and Chouji had a little war amongst themselves. Gaara and his siblings managed to have a food fight against Tenten and Shikamaru. Naruto caused his own chaos with the majority of all of the groups, mainly providing aid to the losing side in the food fight.

Sasuke just watched, eating some of the cake that few actually managed to get. He was silent and would occasionally glance at his watch, keeping track of the time.

"Needing to go somewhere?" Naruto asked, cake pieces encrusted into his hair and his shirt splattered with ice cream and more cake. Naruto was glad that none of it would ruin his new clothing; however he was careful to not rub it into the fabric even more.

Sasuke just peered at him from the corner of his eye. "Hn…" He gave a shrug in the usual manner, which Naruto at this point was able to translate such moves.

"Ah… I see. The festival I assume?" He hid his mounting joy, yet still put on a solemn face of one who isn't allowed to go.

Again Sasuke only looked at him and shrugged. The expert of reading Sasuke got the hint and he inwardly cheered. To him it was getting his mask back and seeing more of Sasuke's true side.

The ruckus behind them grew louder, however they both ignored it, dodging the few launched pieces of food heading their way. They grew silent and Naruto looked at his feet, thinking about his gift from Sasuke.

He opened his mouth, wanting to thank him again a little more in depth than before. A shout caused his eyes to widen and Sasuke looked straight at him. Kiba had fallen into Naruto, bumping him forward and knocking him into Sasuke.

Sasuke's reflexes kicked in, preventing the same accident from back in their academy days, but wound up with his face in the crook of Naruto's neck. He got a short whiff of what he recognized as Susumu's smell, before they tumbled to the floor with him ontop.

"Itai…" Naruto mumbled, his head throbbing slightly from the impact with the floor. Sasuke had moved first and looked down on Naruto, his brow furrowed again in confusion at the similarities he could pick out between the two.

Naruto shoved him off first, rubbing the bump on his head. Kiba was off to his side apologizing for running into him. Sakura had run over at this point with an ice pack and handed it over to him.

By now the rest of the group had caught the track of time again and started to clean up so they could go back to the festival. Naruto sat on the couch, Murasaki in his lap and one hand holding up the ice pack. Sasuke sat next to him, his eyes glaring at him as he kept trying to figure out why Naruto seemed to smell like Susumu.

Finally, the raven-haired ninja spoke up, "Naruto… do you know anyone by the name of Susumu?"

Naruto sputtered in shock and let the ice pack fall onto the floor behind him. "Say who?" Sasuke repeated himself again and Naruto thought up a quick response. "Oh, Susumu? Yeah I ran into someone by that name today. Why?"

Sasuke nodded. "I see… nothing really." He got up and left for home, leaving Naruto sitting on the couch in worry. Did he slip up somehow and now Sasuke knew that HE is Susumu, or something else.

Everyone had left the cozy Akimichi home to his or her own homes. Naruto was the last to leave, dashing quickly to his apartment, wanting to change quickly and head back to the tree where 'Susumu' had first met Sasuke.

He pulled out some other clothes bought before his shopping trip with Tsuki. They consisted of the same dark colors again and looked almost the same, except he went without a jacket for tonight.

He looked in the mirror and repeated the same hairstyle as before and changed his physical appearance as well. He sighed, taking in the appearance of Susumu. He had spare time now and his mind was free to wander and think about what he is doing.

The blonde questioned about going through with this. It nagged at him and made him feel guilty for lying to Sasuke. It was worse when he thought about the attraction of last night. He knew he shouldn't feel that way towards a guy according to some villagers; however this village was a little more opened minded so sexuality was never really a problem here. What bothered him was the fact that he was dragging Sasuke with him on this road of experience and possibly ruining the revival of the Uchiha clan.

The thoughts spun around in his mind in a never-ending circle. Finally it settled into one conclusion. He had to reveal it to Sasuke tonight before they both did something they would regret for the rest of their lives.

With that thought in mind he dashed out of the apartment and raced towards the festival grounds towards the tree in which 'Susumu' was created.

Sasuke sighed, looking at the mask he carried in his hands, hoping beyond all hope that Susumu would be there. What Naruto told him earlier made him believe that Susumu should still be in the village and hopefully would be waiting for him. He touched the polished mask, running his fingers over the intricate detail.

He could see the tree off in the distance, growing nervous as he slipped the mask into his pocket. He shifted the simpler shirt of plain blue and white with the small embroidery of the clan symbol over by his heart. (Like a Polo shirt) A cool breeze made him shiver slightly, but he quickly ceased to feel the dropping temperature as he was trained.

His eyes focused on the empty tree and crowded streets, looking for Susumu's form. His mind wandered to last night, blushing softly and faintly at the events that took place. The familiarity of him put him at ease and allowed him to relax his guard and be himself. He didn't have to worry about his brother around him; the pain he normally felt would disappear.

He sighed again, something he noted he was doing more often. Susumu was a guy however and couldn't help him reproduce the future clan for Konoha. Then again… he kind of didn't want to deal with running the clan itself, teaching the rules he barely knew of the Uchihas, the dangers of Sharingan overuse and many other secrets. He almost reached the decision to not recreate the clan and tell his brother to go fuck himself.

A small sound of rustling leaves snapped him into attention as Susumu leapt down from the branches, face pulled into that familiar grin. He caught the smell of brown sugar and cinnamon waft through the air as Susumu moved.

"Ah… good thing you came tonight after all. I seem to have misplaced my precious mask…" Naruto spoke, relaxing when Sasuke pulled out his mask.

"Here." Sasuke muttered and handed it to him.

'Susumu' gladly accepted the mask and put it on, tying the ribbon in the back. "So… I have…" He was going to continue however a shout interupted him. Naruto cursed as familiar pink hair came running up with Tsuki and Shino.

"Sasuke! I thought you were staying home today?" She quested, panting slightly as she skidded to a stop next to them, Tsuki and Shino casually walking up next to her.

"Hn…" Came the boy's favorite monosyllabic reply as he did his best to ignore her. Naruto gritted his teeth in anger at her, wishing he could've told Sasuke the truth and return home to Murasaki and mope about.

"Well… oh sorry about this. I'm Sakura and this is Shino and Tsuki." She introduced herself to 'Susumu' finally, even though he knew who she was. Tsuki and Shino were whispering amongst themselves and seemed to know, he could tell from that damn look Tsuki gave him.

"Susumu and it is no problem really…" He slipped into the role with ease and shook her hand in greeting.

"Nice to meet you. I was getting ready to ask Sasuke if he would like to come to the acrobatic show, you can come with us as well." Sakura smiled, beaming in excitement, probably hoping Naruto would accept.

'A little more fun won't hurt… I guess…' Naruto thought to himself as he nodded in agreement.

xXx

The show was dazzling. To the mainly ninja audience, the skill the performers possessed were appreciated and sparked new fighting techniques. The regulars still showed respect and awe for the amount of training the performers must have committed themselves to in order to put on such a show for them.

Their small group had met up with the others, Lee at once paired up with Sakura as they sat down and Tsuki would constantly peek over at where Sasuke and 'Susumu' sat. They all enjoyed the show and the newer couples decided to separate off from the group as they left the stadium.

So, eventually Naruto found himself alone once more with Sasuke, his mask off and the genjuutsu mask in place. Their mood was light as Sasuke was more open and friendly than yesterday. Also he seemed a little closer to him than before, Naruto was aware of the occasional touches from his teammate.

His heart twisted in fear as he thought about what he needed to do before something terrible happened. He hung his head slightly as he recalled what had to be said. Sasuke hadn't noticed yet and proceeded to drag him over to an okonomiyaki stand and ordered some food.

"I heard this stand has the best…" Sasuke chattered, but stopped when he saw the worried face of his companion. "Is everything alright?"

Naruto jolted a bit. "Yeah… listen. Can we talk somewhere a little more private?"

Sasuke nodded, afraid of what might be said. He didn't want to hear any words of rejection, didn't want to hear a farewell. He had peace in his life for once and didn't want it to end just after one full day.

Naruto noticed Sasuke's own worry as he lead them away from the crowd and towards the base of Hokage Mountain. It was almost deserted due to the festival and was easily hiding them from view in case some ninja or other villagers happened to walk on by them.

An air of nervousness covered the both of them, making them both feel awkward and only increasing their fears. Naruto turned to face Sasuke and moved in closer towards him, forcing the raven to look at him closely.

Sasuke's body reacted strongly to the sudden closeness as his blood rushed south with the gentle touch of a hand holding his chin. His head swam as that scent enveloped him with desire for this person before him and the comfort it brought to his soul soothed him.

Without a doubt, Sasuke was accepting this person to be so close to him and no other person. That gentle hand caressed his cheek, sending shivers down his spine, and it moved towards the back of his head.

Naruto couldn't resist the power he seemed to now hold over Sasuke, plus he craved one last kiss with his teammate before he broke off the biggest mistake he had ever made. Their lips touched gently, a light caress full of the heat they awoke in one another and the needs of their bodies being held back.

They held the gentle kiss for what felt like eternity to them both before Naruto finally pulled back, panting slightly as his heart raced in excitement. Sasuke's cheeks flushed with those same feelings as those slender hands gripped Naruto's arms for balance.

"Susumu…" He muttered, trying to find words that needed to be said, but Naruto was faster.

"Wait. There is something I need to say to you, something before anything else can take place between us." Naruto steeled himself and put some distance between them. "I realize now that I really have feelings for you, feelings that I have no name to call them by. These are emotions I have never experienced before in my entire life and have only felt them when I am with you."

Naruto paused, willing his heart and mind to keep going as Sasuke processed what he had said so far. "However, I can't continue being with you. I am not the person you believe I am." He turned his head to the side as he pulled out the mask with care.

"What do you mean? So far you have given me no doubt or suspicions… I feel comfortable around you. I feel safe and at peace, something I have not felt for many years. I can finally feel love after all those years of pain and rage." Sasuke spouted back, his control crumbling. He had finally found something stable within Susumu and without realizing it, he quickly found a person to support him even if it was only in the span of a handful of hours.

Naruto placed the mask within Sasuke's hands. "Sasuke, this is my most treasured item from parents I never knew. You may do what you wish with this item." He noticed the pooling tears in Sasuke's eyes and felt it in his own, but pushed on. "I am still not Susumu. In fact, you know me very well…"

Sasuke looked confused as Naruto formed the hand seals for release and uttered a soft word. That look of confusion quickly changed to shock as the face of Susumu disappeared and became that of Naruto's face. Those glittering blue eyes swam with the inner turmoil the blonde felt, a turmoil that Sasuke felt as well.

However, that shocked look quickly turned into something else and Naruto bolted before any word could be spoken, before any movement could be made. He left Sasuke there, alone and upset, leaving behind his mask with that delicious scent and tears behind him.

xXx

His heart was breaking, but it had to be done, he had no choice but to eliminate the existence of Susumu before Sasuke's very eyes. The tears fell freely down his face as he headed home, along the way he realized that he had always loved Sasuke from the beginning but was never aware of it until that gentle kiss and the attraction the other night.

He stormed into his house, sobbing loudly within his domain. At once Murasaki ran over to his side, whimpering softly as she licked at his salty tears. He hugged her close to his chest and buried his face within her fur, finding comfort in her loyalty and understanding.

"I screwed up… I screwed up… I never thought that would happen…" He sniffled, but continued to cry into the small nin-fox. Hours passed, but the pain in his heart never eased despite all the tears he shed.

Eventually he got himself under control and released Murasaki from his hold and headed towards his bed. She followed him and curled up beside him as he cuddled the stuffed animals Tsuki had made for him, the tears flaring up once more as he eventually cried himself to sleep.

Murasaki watched him and licked his face clean of the salty trails and groomed herself. She nuzzled his face in affection and worry and the sound of knocking alerted her to the existence of someone at the door, before the sounds could wake her master she charged the door and slipped through the small flap Naruto created for her.

The small nin-fox looked up at the shaken form of Sasuke; her instincts alerted her to the fact that this man caused her master his current pain. She growled at him and nipped his feet, forcing Sasuke to look down.

Sasuke himself looked a little teary as he kneeled down next to her. "Asleep I see?" he muttered faintly as he held out his hand. The small creature felt his own pain and nuzzled the offered hand, linking together that the two were meant for each other. "I wanted to talk to him… I guess I have to wait until he wakes up. Keep an eye on him for me Murasaki. I'll come back later…"

With that, Sasuke left the young fox behind as she slipped back indoors and he headed off towards his home and a hopeful tomorrow. However, he slipped a tiny square of paper under the door addressed to Naruto.

Naruto.

We need to talk…

Meet me on top of Hokage Mountain at 8p.m. tomorrow.

Sasuke

Murasaki saw the paper trail in behind her and sat next to it. However, this wasn't an ideal area for the note to remain. She placed a paw on the note and pushed the note towards that paw with her free one. She appeared pleased as the paper folded up and allowed her to pick the paper up in her mouth.

Now, she just needed to figure out where to place the note for her master to locate it. There were many places, but Naruto was never consistent enough to head towards those spots. She huffed and sat down in the middle of the floor. Then an idea struck her.

She quickly headed off into her master's room and prepared for him to wake up.

xXx

Sasuke sighed. Something he noticed was becoming quite frequent. He still couldn't believe that Susumu was actually Naruto. NARUTO!! The seemingly mentally challenged teammate of his, the teammate he put through hell and put him through hell. Now he learns that said teammate has feelings for him? How does that work? Is life really that twisted?!

He rubbed his forehead, feeling a huge headache coming on. When he ran off Sasuke didn't know what to do, in fact it forced him to think about things. After finally reaching a decision he chased after the emotionally fragile blonde.

It did explain that familiar comfort he felt with Susumu. The personality quirks, small normal habits he picked up. What made it seem real was the way they held themselves. He recalled that that was what attracted him the most. Susumu, Naruto, they held themselves high, but seemed to shoulder a great burden. They had this courage and pride with a touch of laughter and humility. Much like an honest and innocent man would after many hardships.

The night breeze was growing colder, forcing Sasuke to wrap his arms around his chest to block most of the chill. The stars were bright and demanded some attention despite the clamor continuing with the festival's activities.

Seeing the truth within Naruto's revelation, Sasuke gazed back into how he felt for his teammate. All of their trials and tribulations. Those rare moments of laughter and comfort they shared with each other. The battles they fought together or against each other.

As his mind shifted through all those events he noted the changes between them. He had a respect for Naruto he would never have for anyone else. A closeness that could never be shared, a trust he had with no one else. The distance between them, no matter how vast in size physically, was in fact very small mentally for the both of them.

He pondered the time of his disappearance from the village. He wanted to forget most of what happened back then, but what he didn't forget was how often he found himself thinking of the blonde.

It all came together then. He did love Naruto, wanted to be with Naruto and no other person in the whole world. His mind and body had instinctively known Susumu was Naruto in disguise. It explained everything.

Now all he could do was wait for the person he fell for to give him a chance first, before giving up on him. His resolve formed for the next day, he decided to head on home and finishes his plan.

The sun shined brightly through the closed blinds in Naruto's room, waking Murasaki first to the new day. She looked at the face of her sleeping master, her heart reaching out to him as he looked relaxed in this state. However, she had to wake her master and deliver the note.

She yipped a few times, receiving a small glimmer of life as Naruto groaned, growled, and rolled over to escape the ninfox. She wasn't going to give up that easily however and jumped to the next tactic.

Murasaki tightened up her hind legs and crouched low on the bed, her eyes glinting in mischief. She sprung up into the air and flew down with forepaws stretched out into her master's cheek.

The peaceful morning air was destroyed with a sudden loud outburst of pain and a chuckling fox. Naruto was now awake to the world, but now she had to give him the note. She yipped again and jumped back over her master's body to the crumpled piece of paper and handed it to him.

"Huh? What's this? A note?" He rubbed his eyes sleepily; they felt horrible after last night's crying fest. "Did you really have to wake me up this early for a note…?" He trailed off as he realized said note came from Sasuke.

He read the note and felt his empty stomach squirm. There was no good or bad tone to the note and it made the blonde worry. He looked to his new companion as he set the note aside. "Do you think I should go there? Should I face him…" His eyes began to tear up once more, but he fought them.

The little ninfox licked his cheek in understanding. She then nodded her head and yipped. Naruto got the message and nodded. "Alright, I promise to meet up with him… this is a problem that can't be ignored… much to my dismay…"

He got out of the bed and decided to take a shower and brush his teeth. When he was finished and dressed in an outfit from Tsuki he looked at the time. It was still early morning, but steadily approaching noon as the clock read ten.

"I might go mad before I meet him tonight Murasaki. The time will not pass by with peaceful ease like any other day… today will be agonizingly long." He sighed and started to cook himself brunch since it was getting to close to lunch to focus on either side.

Instead of some weak meal he decided to go all out and create a more fancy meal to eat. He fed Murasaki as well and ate the meal, eventually forcing it down his throat because his stomach felt squeamish again from the thought of facing Sasuke.

When he finished he was glad to see that it was finally done, having taken time doing his dishes. Murasaki kept him comforted with her presence as he headed to the couch to relax before heading out. She curled up in his lap and purred much like a cat as he stroked her fur.

He sighed and looked at her in the face. "Alrighty you. What shall we do to pass the time?" He didn't get a response and sighed. "Ok. I'll decide then." This time she yipped in agreement. "Let's go to the training grounds then… we need to get you some more ninja skills…" She nodded happily in reply.

She scrambled into position around his neck, draping her forepaws down low and loose. She fought to keep her tail still and not tickle the sensitive spots on her master's neck. Naruto chuckled as he gathered some items into a bag for the training session.

"Hey… I think we should pack some snacks…" He received a short yip of approval from his new companion as she licked his cheek. He chuckled and tugged lightly on her ear and nuzzled her. "Yeah… it is a good idea huh…?"

Running a hand through his hair and hefting the bag onto his shoulder he glanced back inside the apartment, making sure the fish were fed and any messes were picked up off the floor. He fumbled in his pocket for the keys as he headed out the door and locked it behind him.

Murasaki growled in contentment as a soft cool breeze pushed lightly against them, a perfect time to train and stay cool. Sapphire eyes blinked roughly as they exited the shade of the walkway, heading into the bright light. Deep down he felt like it mocked him as it brought joy and happiness to everyone today, making it all shine brighter in people's eyes. For him, it hurt and made him slightly angry that it wasn't stormy out or about to rain matching his hidden somber mood.

He breathed in deeply, ignoring Murasaki's soft whimper of concern and exhaled. He laughed loudly and shook out his depression and fears, emptying himself for the sake of Murasaki's training. He ignored the sharp claws digging into his shoulders as the forgotten fox held on for dear life as Naruto sped off to their destination.

They paused outside the small area, watching curiously as two members inside trained. Murasaki studied the moves of one of them, following the gleam of massive white fur. Naruto studied the smooth and bestial moves of the other, catching the glimpses of red triangular marks on the cheeks.

Kiba and Akamaru had beaten them there already it seemed, destroying his hope of training with Murasaki alone. He tilted his head slightly as his little companion looked up at him, golden eyes glaring into his own, conveying a simple message with no sound.

"I guess we could… if we want some pointers from dog breath-!!" He cut himself off, flipping backwards to avoid a clawed hand rushing towards his face and the massive white body trying to slam into his side.

Murasaki fell off, flipping into the air and twisting herself and aimed for Akamaru's head and latched onto his ear with sharp teeth. She seemed to growl in pleasure at the sound of pain the oversized mutt made as she then kicked off his face and into her master's arms.

"HEY! Watch what you're doing you dog lover!" The blonde shouted in anger as he checked over Murasaki's body, making sure she was unharmed during her short attack upon Akamaru.

Kiba snorted and leapt onto Akamaru's back as they moved closer to him, a low growl faintly emanating in the air around them. "Idiot! What were you thinking to gain you spy! Damn foxes and their cheating…" He smiled as he eyed Naruto carefully, watching the fur on Murasaki stand up and could have sworn the same was for Naruto if he had fur.

However, Naruto really wasn't in the mood for this and calmly straightened himself back up and squatted as he smiled at Akamaru, holding out a dog treat in one hand. "About time… I was standing there for a good ten minutes before you seemed to sense us…"

Akamaru eyed the food, silently wondering if the blonde had drugged it in some manner or even if it was still edible. He shrugged his shoulders, forcing Kiba to balance himself out as he walked forward and gently took the offered treat.

"Hey! Don't go taking handouts! I trained you better than that!" Kiba shouted, grinning his thanks to Naruto and slapping Akamaru on the back as his companion ignored him and ate the treat anyway.

Murasaki watched this with minimal interest and was instead eyeing the training field, wanting to learn some skills she had seen those two practice. She huffed and hoped Naruto would be competent enough to train her properly and have good team work skills, even though Akamaru had told her otherwise before she met her new master.

"So… you came to train with her eh?"Kiba chuckled as he watched the small nin-fox pout from within Naruto's arms.

Blue eyes looked back down at her and one hand smoothed a patch of fur. "Yeah… I was thinking up some moves we could do… since it seems she has some skills already…" He pointed to the faded imprint on one cheek where she had slammed into his face this morning.

Kiba whistled in slight amazement. "Wow… we had started to train her back home, but didn't know she had that much strength already… it felt odd training something a small as her…" He muttered picking her up by the scruff of her neck, ignoring her snarl and furious kicks as she tried to break free.

Naruto nervously watched him, desperately wanting her back within his arms. "What are you doing?! Give her back!" He glared at the Inuzuka, slipping out a kunai if he had to force him to return her.

"Chill Naruto… chill…" He handed her back over and placed a hand on Akamaru's head. "I was just seeing if you two had formed a bond first. Which it seemed you guys have…"

Naruto blinked. "A bond?" He looked confused

Kiba chuckled. "Yes a bond. This is important for training together and working together with a nin-animal. If there is no bond then there is no trust and love between you. This can result in mistakes on the battle field…"

Akamaru nodded his head, barking in agreement. Kiba knelt down and rubbed his cheek against the smooth fur of his companion. Naruto contemplated what was said and looked down at Murasaki and it seemed to click in his mind.

Kiba looked up, just in time to catch the two enjoy a silent moment of understanding. "Yes… I see you two are just peachy in the bond department. What needs to really be worked on next is communication."

Kiba got off of Akamaru's back and squatted on the ground. He motioned for Naruto to follow suit as their companions sat next to them. "I can understand Akamaru as if he were speaking human tongue at me. This came through after many years of training together and trying to understand each other." Akamaru nodded and was level with Murasaki's face, seemingly having his own speech with her.

Naruto eyed the two carefully. "Well… I do understand her somewhat already…" He looked down at her again and avoided the shocked gaze of Kiba.

"Really…?" Kiba muttered and turned to have a quick side conversation with Akamaru. The two seemed to reach an agreement and then shifted to have a few words with Murasaki.

All three of them seemed to grin in a devilish manner at Naruto. "What…?" He asked, suddenly nervous about what they were thinking. He only caught some things from Murasaki, but had no idea what the other two had said.

He processed what could have been said an glared. "Hey! No planning sneak attacks! And don't tell them what my wardrobe looks like!" He blushed as they had shared a few more words amongst each other.

Kiba blinked in surprise and looked at Murasaki. The small fox just ignored him, radiating off an aura of pride at the natural skills of her master. "I'm jealous man… it took me two weeks to just understand most of what Akamaru said to me…"

Naruto's chest swelled at the sudden ability he had to gloat at this exact moment, but he stopped himself. "Well… I think it's because I do have some unwanted help…" He muttered, knowing Kiba would understand, but still finding to openly talk about the Kyuubi was hard.

Kiba seemed to muse over the thought, picking at it and seemed to agree. "You do have that help… it just makes it easier for you guys to begin combat training then…" He smirked. "Now… here is where my help is no longer applicable except every now and again."

Naruto blinked again, confused with the thought that Kiba wouldn't be able to help them out often. "Why is that?" He asked, watching Akamaru and Murasaki play around while they continued talking.

"Well… it is a species thing."

"Species thing?"

Kiba sighed and rubbed his temples. "Dogs are different from foxes. They may have the same weapons, however they really have different instincts when it comes to fighting." He waited to see Naruto puzzle through the information. "Dogs are more aggressive and rely on more brute strength and numbers. Much like how wolves work in a pack kind of way."

Naruto nodded again. "I see…" he murmured, placing a finger on his chin.

Kiba smiled, deciding to continue. "A fox is smaller and slimmer than a dog is, which reflects a different lifestyle in order to ensure survival. Foxes are none to really be loners and don't generally stay in a group. That doesn't mean there aren't some that do live together. Being smaller and more slender than dogs, foxes rely on more stealth and cunning to hunt and eat."

"Ah…" Naruto nodded. "So I would have to make more attacks suited for Murasaki to execute rather than learning some of you two's techniques…"

Kiba nodded. "You got it. But that doesn't mean I can't teach you two some skills. The two species do overlap in some areas of skill. Where the two overlap is where I can teach you certain skills."

Naruto smiled. "So where should we start first in our training?" he asked, curious to see if Kiba would train them in some moves right now.

"Well… How about Dynamic Marking? We would have to train your sense of smell and hers. This will be a tracking skill the two of you can use."

Naruto grimaced. "Isn't that the peeing thing you guys use…?" He shuddered.

"Yes. It is a useful skill so that doesn't mean you can turn your nose up to it yet. First I want to see how strong your sense of smell is…" Kiba stood up and seemed to think and sniff at the air for a moment.

Naruto pouted slightly, wrapping his arms around himself in slight annoyance. He came here to train really, not go through with this. He watched as Kiba seemed to locate a certain smell and was tempted to ignore him when he did find one he favored.

Kiba smiled and looked back at Naruto. "Now with this skill you have the natural talents at sensing with your partner, you need to learn to pull out distinct scents around you and become familiar with certain ones. Now I have located the scent of a stand of apples. It is a light scent that can easily be overrun by the other scents in the area, however with a trained nose you should be able to locate the apples blindfolded."

"Eh?!" Naruto yelped as he suddenly found himself blind to the world. "Apples…?" He whined as Kiba chuckled behind him.

"Yes apples… When I tell you I want you to start sniffing out that apple stand…" Kiba paused, watching Naruto fidget nervously, knowing the boy was not to keen on this idea of training.

"Go!" He shouted and gave the blonde a push in the opposite direction of the apples. He quickly scooped up the nin-fox in case she decided to help her master.

Naruto grumbled as he wobbled down the street, sniffing around carefully. He did already have a well trained nose, however he wasn't used to eating apples and being around them enough to know what they smelled like. He could feel Kyuubi chuckle somewhere within him at his current lame situation.

He froze and caught a faint whiff of the light flavorful smell of ripe and juicy apples, almost smothered in the scents of the villagers and other aromatic foods. He growled to himself as he realized Kiba had of course pushed him in the wrong direction of the apples. He stiffly turned on his heel and stomped off down the road, ignoring the mutters from the villagers as he passed by them, carefully dodging people in front of him.

The scent got stronger the closer he got, but he did get confused a few times along the way. When he did make it to the stand he was pleased and slightly angry with this method of training. He bought one apple after pleading with the old woman and replaced the blindfold.

"Want to see how good I can smell… fine… I will follow your scent back to the training ground…" He huffed, carefully sniffing out the musky scent of dog and fox and ran back to the grounds, apple in hand.

Kiba had been eyeing a stop watch the entire time Naruto was gone and look slightly pleased with the finishing time. "It's a good start…" He muttered. "However… you do still need work…"

Naruto whined and flopped to the ground, jealous as he saw Akamaru apparently begin instructing Murasaki on some fighting techniques.

That was how he spent the most of his day, training under Kiba and running around the entire village, working on strengthening his sense of smell. It was rolling near five when they decided to stop. Murasaki panted and had sweat damp fur from the speed and light footed testing and training Akamaru submitted her to.

Naruto felt slightly sick to the stomach and woozy after going on smell hunts all day. However, Kiba did praise him when Naruto had proven he was skilled in smelling out anything quickly. In fact he was pleased to let his friend know that he actually outranked him on the last test when he asked Naruto to describe everything he was able to smell nearby. The boy had had been able to smell anything inside and outside the village, something Kiba struggled to do when pushed.

And so… the two companions were exhausted when they parted from Kiba and Akamaru. The further the duo walked away from the training grounds, the more Naruto's light and slightly carefree mood disappeared. His mind was wandering to that note he read this morning. He felt his stomach knot up in worry and fear.

For once, he felt truly terrified about what was going to happen. It ran deep through him and almost disabled him from its sudden force. Murasaki sensed his fear and whimpered to him, trying to perk him up and focus on other things, to relax and try and enjoy himself.

However, her attempts failed when Naruto stalked into his home, eyeing the empty apartment and its silence threatened to crush down on him. He felt slightly hollow inside as he slunk to the couch and absent mindedly played with the nin-fox's fur.

His mind yelled at him for haven been stupid and creating that dumb plan to attend the festival. His lie possibly ruined any hope he had for his relationship with Sasuke; he felt his chance to enjoy being with someone who could understand him slip through his fingers like water. He fought to contain it but it didn't work… he foresaw himself being rejected and hated by Sasuke, seeing them never speak to each other again.

He forced himself to breath and stops his train of thoughts, fighting back the new urge to cry again. "Damn it…" He wheezed, trying to stop the tears with his fists against his eyes, struggling to stop the need. "Damn it… only you… only you make me cry this much…" He sobbed flipping over to bury his face into the couch cushions.

His entire frame was wracked with the force of his sudden sobs and the silence and cold of his apartment only made it worse. Murasaki was again helpless as Naruto broke down in front of her again. Her heat reached out to the boy, wishing she had a human body long enough to comfort the blonde and silence those tears.

It was clear just how much Naruto had come to rely on his relationship with Sasuke. She hoped that other boy really felt the same way for the blonde. Hoped that raven haired being would accept the boy and end the loneliness they suffered together. She sighed in a foxy manner and settled to use her paws and message his back gently to ease up his tension and help him clam back down.

His self-pity session ended in half an hour when he finally forced himself to stop when his stomach growled in apparent desire for food. He sighed, hating himself for crying as his head throbbed and his nose was stuffed and eyes felt puffy. He hoped that all signs of this would be gone by the time it came to meet up with Sasuke.

He slowly pitched himself to his feet and headed into the kitchen to begin cooking a small meal for the both of them, eyes constantly flickering to the clock.

xXx

Tsuki sighed as she glared at her door, blankets draped loosely around her as she sat with her knees to her chest. She was still in her night clothes and refused to change into the horrible gowns her attendants wanted her to wear.

She felt like something was off today, like someone was sad and depressed when they really shouldn't be. She pondered to herself about that odd sense she got last night, but it was so far away from her at the time she couldn't pinpoint where it came from. She slowly got to her feet and began to rummage for more middle class clothes and changed into them hastily.

She had thrown on a simple, thin tank top with thin straps and a pair of jeans. She headed out the door without catching unwanted attention and planned her escape into Konoha. She had traveled a bit getting ever so closer to the Ichiraku Ramen stand in the hopes of finding Naruto.

She didn't see him and thought he was probably still training or something. She went to walk away and froze at that same wave of sadness washed over her and this time she knew where and who it was coming from.

"My Naruto-senses are tingling…" she muttered to herself and charged towards him at his apartment, full 'Naruto needs me' mode as she burst through his door and found him calmly cooking dinner for himself and the fox… with enough left over for her.

"Uh…" she blinked upon finding that he wasn't crying at all and didn't seem as depressed. She looked puzzled as she closed the door behind her, looking at Naruto as he noticed her arrive and quickly made her a plate as well.

"Tsuki! What are you doing here?" He asked, his fake happy front in place, but she saw through it.

She decided to follow along until the meal was over and then force his problem out of him and try and make him all better, try and make go back to his smiles and pranks if it worked. However, her gaze told her that this was not a simple light matter and if she dug too far and not matter what she did, she may never fix his problem.

"I dropped by to visit… and escape my attendants… they were driving me nuts…" She smiled warmly as she eyed the simple stir-fry he had cooked. She took a small bite and winced at how plain it was, however she knew it was the most he could do with how the village was. In fact she was surprised that he was able to get vegetables and seafood to make it with.

He smiled at her and nodded. "Well… as a high ranked Lady… shouldn't you please them and do your duties…?" He asked her, seeming small and unusual in her eyes. It confirmed that something was hurting him inside.

They seemed to eat in silence after that, the fake mood Naruto had created appeared to be slipping from its place; it cracked because he knew she would always see through his small lies. But, he counted on her to see through them, to see him and try and support him through anything and give advice whenever she could.

She paused, looking at the remains on her plate. "Naruto… I know something is wrong… will you please tell me?" She looked up at him with worried eyes as she moved the plate away from her.

The blonde looked down at his food, pushing it around on his plate. It became clear that he hadn't eaten much and just made it look like he did. He sighed a sigh of the ages, making Tsuki almost regret asking Naruto what was going on.

"I… I…" He puzzled and tried to force the words out of his mouth, to tell her everything that he done and explain his situation with Sasuke. He felt the tears come, but this time it was easier to fight them since he already cried too much already.

He took in a deep breath, gather together all he could before he told her everything. "You know about the festival and how I am not allowed to really partake in it?"

Tsuki nodded, feeling a little upset with such an unfair decree. She also was upset that they decided to hold such a festival to begin with.

"Well… I really wanted to go so I created a disguise… and called myself Susumu." He paused and thought about the mask he had given over to Sasuke, silently hoping that it was still intact and in Sasuke's possession.

"I was enjoying the parade on the first night… when Sasuke showed up and next thing I know… we spent the entire night with each other…" He trailed off and blushed deeply as he recalled their brief intimate moment on Sasuke's doorstep.

"And… I realized something I never would have normally thought about… I learned that I… I… really love him…" He looked flustered and worried about Tsuki's response. He looked up seeing that she was happy for his choice, however she sensed that something happened last night.

"So… you decided to tell him the truth of your identity… last night…?" She asked, slowly coming over to him and wrapping her arms around him to comfort him as he nodded slowly.

"I told him, but I was scared of his response… so I ran away from him…" Tsuki nodded, not caring how intense his grip became on her arms. "And… he wrote a note saying he wanted to see me tonight…"

"I see…" Tsuki muttered. "I think you should go Naruto… it might be good for you… don't worry about a feeling of rejection… remember we are here for you…"

Naruto nodded. "I know… I'm… I'm still worried about the outcome…"

Tsuki sighed and broke away from him and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. "Which would you prefer then… a life having never talked to him tonight… or life in which you did…?"

He sighed, understanding what she was getting at. "I see… I guess I should do the dishes and get ready to leave…" He looked at the clock and saw that it read seven. "I only have an hour before I have to be there…"

Tsuki smiled. "Go shower and get dressed… I will do the dishes for you…" He nodded and headed towards the bathroom as she gathered up the dirty dishes. "Oh! I will also walk you over to the meeting place if you would like…"

Naruto looked back and smiled. "Thanks Tsuki… it would make me feel better…" He grinned, truly feeling brighter despite his fears. He headed into the bathroom and jumped into the shower as quick as he could. He decided to just use the shampoos with that light scent and not mask it with the other soaps.

He exited the shower, feeling refreshed and better in spirit and hastily dried his hair and body and squirmed into another outfit Tsuki had bought him. The baggy black pants hung low around his hips and the simple black tank with an orange spiral in the middle showed off some of his midriff. He threw on a black jacket and exited the shower, reading the time and was pleased to see Tsuki was just finishing up with the chores in the kitchen.

"Ready to go…?" She asked, drying her hands on a brown dish towel. She received a nod and saw Murasaki jump into place around his neck. She shook her head, pleased to see him look chipper and free of worries.

"We shouldn't run into many people since today is the last day of the festival…" She mused leading him out and down into the streets. It was true as even the main areas seem to be devoid of anybody. Off in the distance they could hear the drums and chatter of the festival and smell the array of foods being cooked.

They walked in comfortable silence, Naruto taking comfort with her helping him get through this. Their guard was completely down and they figured there would be no chance of an attack upon them. That turned out to be a mistake, before either one could notice they found themselves surrounded by a group of older ninjas.

"Shit…" Tsuki cursed, quickly drawing out a kunai as Naruto followed suit. "what do you want?!" She shouted, feeling nervous from the waves of hate boiling off of them. Naruto sensed it as well, growling faintly as he clutched his weapon.

"We want the demon carrier… his life should be taken and destroyed for what he has done to the village…" Came a female voice from one of the ninjas, the only one it looked like in the group. "It is thanks to him we have lost everything we once held dear…"

"You still don't get it do you!" Tsuki shouted, looking for a way to get Naruto to safety. "This boy did nothing… he is not responsible for all that death…"

A male scoffed at her. "So? We no longer care about that since the fact remains that the demon is in him… kill the boy kill the demon…"

Tsuki gritted her teeth and edged closer to Naruto, hoping she could sense him ready to fight, but that wasn't so. Something was off again about him, his form looked dejected and ready to accept their death offer. She looked at his eyes and they were not the blue she recalled but a milky blue.

She gasped and scanned the ninjas around them, looking for one using the technique against Naruto. "You low lives…" She muttered and charged when she located him at least, flying at him with her kunai ready.

All hell broke loose. Half the group moved to Naruto, the rest attacked her. She fought desperately, trying to find off the woman mainly, trying to break free and snatch Naruto back.

"Naruto!" She shouted, deflecting a kunai blade, trying to twist and block another only to miss and have the blade dig deep into her forearm. They closed in around her, blocking her vision of the blonde as he disappeared into the shadows. "Damn it! Don't do this!!" She half begged stabbing one member in his lung, her eyes searching for the woman. It seemed like she was the cause of this attack.

She gritted her teeth and charged after her, throwing the others to the side, plunging her kunai into the woman's heart and swung back around to the men, panting heavily and clutching her wounded arm.

"I'm not dead yet you bitch!" The woman shouted and flung multiple throwing weapons into her back as she crumpled to the ground. The men leered at her as Tsuki collapsed and her blood started to drain form her body. They grabbed the woman and left her to die.

"Sasuke… maybe Sasuke can help… maybe he can save Naruto…" She muttered, hoping Murasaki would fend them off of Naruto until then. She slowly got to her feet, ignoring the pain in her back and arm. She ran… ran for all she was worth to Sasuke.

xXx

Something wasn't right… he could sense something was off. Then again, he wasn't expecting the blonde to show up anyway. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking at the watch he had with him. It was half past eight and there was no sign of Naruto. His heart ached slightly as he continued to wait, hoping maybe the dobe was still eating ramen or playing a quick prank.

"Who am I kidding…" he muttered and laid back on the fourth Hokage's head.

He tensed, the smell of blood reaching him and he heard the faint sounds of labored breathing. His eyes narrowed as he slowly moved to scope out what was happening, shocked to see Tsuki fighting up the hill with severe wounds.

"Sasuke… its Naruto… he was taken by some ninjas! There were too many and I couldn't block them all and they used some weird juutsu on him…" She wheezed out quickly as he walked over to her.

Instantly he grew worried about what was going to happen. "Where did they take him?" He lifted her up, trying to force her to hang in a little bit longer so he could help the one person they held higher above the rest.

"I'm not sure… I followed their signatures as long as I can… it looks like they headed out to a small compound just outside the village gates." She wheezed. "Don't worry about me… help is coming for me…" She smiled and held up a chakra bug.

Sasuke nodded, understanding that Shino was well on his way to help her now. Without saying another word he disappeared using teleportation juutsu to the gates, running the rest of the way.

'Naruto… I don't know why I feel this way for you… I don't know why I am not angry with you… so please… hang in there for me… just a little longer… please…' He thought to himself, sweat forming on his brow as he finally located the little compound and could hear voices from within.

He silenced himself, focusing in on the room and trying to decided when he should burst in and save Naruto without causing a fatal move.

His mind was fuzzy and his neck felt light. 'Murasaki…' He thought worried about his little nin-fox. He could recall being surrounded by the ninjas when he was on his way to face Sasuke. 'Damn… they couldn't wait until I had my heart shattered?'

He tried to move as he opened his eyes, feeling an odd lightness about his entire body. "Waugh!" he shouted, finding himself bound, his shirt pushed up high and pants pulled down, the chakra seal on his stomach glowing. Kyuubi was pissed for some reason.

He fought his bindings, glaring at the ninjas in the room. "What do you want! Leave me alone…" Pain laced throughout him as he suddenly found a kunai jabbed into his leg and another held against his throat.

"Silence brat!" Spat the male, now in charge since the woman was killed by Tsuki. He towered over him. "We're going to kill you and that damn demon…kill the boy kill the demon…" He sneered, twirling a dagger within one hand.

Naruto grimaced. Another attempt on his life to add to the many other times, but never was the past attempts so underhanded. He shivered and struggled against the binds again as he came closer with that dagger. He felt Kyuubi's chakra surface as death loomed near for the both of them.

"It won't work… relying on him…" As soon as it was mentioned, more pain raced through him as a hidden barrier attacked the rising chakra. Naruto hissed in pain and fell back on the floor, shivering as the cool cement soothed the slightly burned flesh.

"Hmm… I daresay… who would ever think that such a monster would look as nice as he does…" The man muttered, trailing the dagger down across the exposed chest and around the seal.

The sensation chilled him and fear surfaced. He resumed fighting the bindings, eyeing that dagger and trying to ignore the sudden strong scents in the room. The fear consumed him and all he could think about was crying out for help.

That was when he noticed it, slowly the number of men in the room was decreasing and he caught a brief glimpse of raven hair and pale skin. His fear left him for now as he glared at the man who was now running a hand over him along with the dagger, inflicting wounds wherever possible.

He growled at the man, trying to continue the act, to not let Sasuke be revealed to them. "You can never break me… no matter how hard you try…" He taunted the man, daring him to continue as Kyuubi slowly surfaced, blending the chakra so that the barrier did not react. Claws sprouted along with fangs as he spoke.

The man leaned back, dagger dripping some blood as he felt the sudden change in power from the boy. "Ah… I thought the demon could surface in more than way manner… she didn't believe me either…" He then slashed a large mark across the top of Naruto's chest, watching the blood spill out and seeing the demon's ability to heal him working into action.

Naruto panted, gritting his teeth against the pain. "That hurts you damn bastard!" He shouted, flexing his hands, trying to get the claws to slash through the binding. He caught another glimpse of Sasuke and counted that only five men were left in the room, easy enough for the both of them to take down if Sasuke were to free him.

"Heh… I don't really care…" He then slowly dragged the dagger down the blonde's chest, slowly opening him up towards the seal. The pain was immense and Kyuubi snarled deep within him, the fused chakra going to work on healing those wounds.

Then Sasuke finally jumped in, planting a foot into the man's face, sending him flying across the floor and a kunai expertly slashing through the ropes that bound Naruto's hands. The four other men looked on in shock as they realized the others were already dead.

Sasuke smirked, face smeared slightly with the blood of his foes and some had splattered over his clothes. Before they could move he had killed another and started fighting with the rest.

Naruto sat up, panting as Kyuubi worked on his wounds and breaking the barrier on his chakra. He slashed at the bindings on his feet and pulled back up his pants, feeling more comfortable now about fighting as his shirt slid back into place.

The wounds sealed smoothly as he charged, fighting alongside Sasuke. The sight was something to behold as the two worked perfectly with each other, moving with ease around each other and providing each other support. Within very little time at all, they stood back to back, both panting heavily, kunai still raised as all the ninjas were now dead in the room.

Then an eerie silence settled over them as Naruto realized who he was with. He fought the sudden urge to tackle Sasuke and ravage him, wanting to feel him writhe underneath him, much like the first night. He turned, ready to leave without talking to him, ready to head back home alone and shower.

Something stopped him, his pants must have been caught on something and it wouldn't let him break free. He turned and found Sasuke had grabbed him, his head was down and he looked so fragile at that moment. Then he could faintly hear him…

"Don't… don't go…"

Naruto blinked, slightly confused by this. He tugged harder and tore himself away from the Uchiha. "I'm sorry… but I don't want to hear…!" His eyes widened in surprise as he suddenly found the leaner man against him, clutching at his shirt and fighting himself to speak. His arms wanted so badly to wrap around the Uchiha, to experience those sensations on that doorstep.

"I don't know… I don't know why… but don't go yet… don't." Came the small voice from the Uchiha.

Naruto sighed, feeling even more confused than before. "Geeze… I was the one almost violated and killed tonight and you're acting like the girl…" he shook his head, still ignoring his arms' demand to hug Sasuke close to him.

"Shut up…" He replied, burying his face into the blonde's chest, not caring that they both were bloody. "Just shut up…" He started to shake as the images of what could have happened ran through his head. His support, his stabilizer was almost killed tonight and it actually frightened him and angered him immensely.

Naruto sighed again, this time hugging the blonde. "I meant what I said Sasuke… I meant every word… if you don't want this I suggest you leave me be…" His heart wrenched as he said those words and he felt the sudden urge to cry rise up.

Sasuke stilled, his heart racing as he fought himself back under control. He looked up, his glaring at him with an intense emotion. "I ought to smack you… beat you… or something for lying to me…"

Naruto flinched, but seemed to be braced for such a move from the Uchiha. He looked at him from the corner of his eye, shocked to see the sudden pools of tears form. "But… I can't find myself to do that… I thought about it for hours, agonized over every detail."

He paused to catch his breath. "Everything led me to the same conclusion, no matter what I reasoned… I need you… much as I hate to admit it, but I need you…" Sasuke blushed, hoping the weight of all his emotions would carry over to the blonde.

Naruto grinned, realizing what he was trying to say. He didn't know what to say nor what to do now really. He brought a hand to his cheek, smearing the blood even more on his cheek, slowly leaning in and placed a gentle kiss upon those luscious lips.

He pulled back, chuckling at Sasuke's dazed look. "Come on… we're both covered in blood… we can shower back at my place…" He started to walk out, pleased to hear the sudden arrival of ANBU to clean up the mess they had made.

The Uchiha followed after, still dazed and slightly upset at the blonde already. He didn't protest though because the idea of a shower sounded really pleasing, but kind off awkward. They just revealed their feelings for crying out loud… his head swam as his mind recalled being pushed up against his door, a hand trying to slide up his chest, the intense heat enveloping them both.

He growled at himself as all the sensations ran south. It couldn't be that bad if they just took turns showering. Before he noticed he found himself inside and found himself nose to nose with the fox. She looked like she was pain but still functioning and would survive. He hadn't even notice Naruto scoop her up and fuss over her on the way over.

She blinked, forcing him to as well. She then licked his cheek and forced herself out of Naruto's grip and onto the couch to sleep. He stopped, watching as Naruto headed into the bathroom for another shower. He blushed and stood in the middle of the room, afraid to sit down anywhere and get blood on things.

Time passed and he looked around, taking in the apartment's cleanliness, not something he had really expected from the blonde. He felt nervous, something he wasn't really used to being. But he did know he felt strongly for the blonde and wanted him. Needed him in his life despite how hard he tried to push everyone away.

The door opened and Naruto exited in a puff of steam. "It's free now…" he was blushing, obviously the same thoughts had ran through his mind. He then trotted down the hall, messing with his hair. "I have spare clothes and towels ready for you…" He then disappeared into his room.

He sat on his bed, blushing furiously as he heard Sasuke in the shower. He ran a hand over his head, finding everything to be unreal. It wasn't really supposed to work out like this, but he wasn't going to complain now. He knew Sasuke was really stubborn and said what he meant.

The water stopped running and a timid knock sounded on his door. It opened without him saying anything and Sasuke's head popped in, looking a little nervous. He stepped in all the way and the nervousness disappeared and Naruto felt the stoic mask try and slip into place.

"Thanks for the shower… I'll leave you alone finally… I'll see you tomorrow…!" He was cut off this time as the blonde slammed a hand on the wall next to his head. Aggression rolled off him in waves as the blonde looked into Sasuke's face.

Kyuubi was active beneath that gaze and the blonde seemed to fight for control for a moment and won. He was panting softly, slightly worrying Sasuke. Then came a fierce and insistent kiss, drowning him in the sudden force and sensation.

He clutched at the blonde's shoulders as tanned hands roamed his back and sides, forcing the kiss deeper. Sasuke felt the wall disappear from his back as he was dragged somewhere and then pushed down. He realized he had been forced onto the bed, but the sudden feel of skin on skin erased all thoughts from his mind as his body ached with a sudden primal need for more contact.

Before he knew it his clothes were no longer confining him and the tanned hands traced circles all over him. He moaned as he felt Naruto's tongue slide down from his neck to one nipple, shocking him slightly as he suddenly bit down and moved to the other one.

His hips shifted against the blonde as he seemed content to lavish the smooth pale skin with caresses and kisses. The room got hot and dizzying as his mind became hazed with pleasure, his body aching for more touches as his breaths came rougher after every moan.

Naruto smirked from where he was tracing circles around Sasuke's navel with his tongue. Somewhere along the way he had shedded his own clothing, fighting the urge to take him as those pale slender hands roamed over his back and chest, as Sasuke writhed with pleasure beneath him.

His heart was soaring as Sasuke had reciprocated his feelings in his own roundabout way and allowed him this pleasure. He moaned as a nail flicked across one of his nipples, causing him to pause from his slow descent southwards. He eyed Sasuke with amusement as he grasped it gently, finding nails digging into his arms as shock ran through out Sasuke's body, followed by another moan. He toyed with the tip, rubbing it, watching Sasuke's flushed face of embarrassment as he bit down on one knuckle.

He smiled and trailed his tongue up one side and enveloped him with his hot and moist mouth, sucking carefully, watching Sasuke lean back with another moan, this time with his name coming off his lips. A hand tangled itself within his blonde hair as Naruto moved, trying to create a necessary distraction for Sasuke, trying to prevent those thin hips from jerking into his mouth.

He focused on pleasuring him pulling free for a moment, not failing to catch the faint whimper at the sudden loss. Naruto smiled leaned up for a deep kiss and then carefully pushed him back down on the bed and pulling back, sucking two fingers.

Apparently his intent to make sure things weren't painful took too long, somehow. He moaned himself as Sasuke started to reciprocate the pleasure he was giving him. He moaned his name, not having expected such a thing from the raven haired lover. He tried to focus as he reached down Sasuke's back, searching for the entrance to slip his fingers inside.

He found it with ease, whimpering himself as Sasuke arched up into himself from the sudden intrusion. He felt bad and looked at Sasuke with concern. However, the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan sent him an intense glare, eyes glazed over with the pleasure still coursing through him. Naruto gasped as he pulled his fingers away, suddenly worried that he had angered Sasuke.

"No… I… I want to continue…" He muttered and shifted back onto the bed, legs spread to invite Naruto to him. The blonde blushed, definitely not expecting this from him. He wasn't going to complain as he continued to stretch him and search for the pleasure zone. The moans grew louder from Sasuke as Naruto still gave his member attention with one free hand.

"Naruto… I'm… I'm about to…" A tight squeeze choked off his sentence as Naruto tried to prevent him from releasing already. Then his entire body jerked as his back arched when his finger had slid back in, brushing that pleasure zone, forcing his name back into room.

The blonde smiled as he pulled his fingers away and readied himself to enter him, still slick from earlier. "Sasuke…" He drawled, running his fingers lightly along those pale sides of flesh. "Are you sure about this…?" He asked, wanting one last confirmation before he followed through.

Pain hit him as he found fists start to beat on his arms. "I'm not some fucking girl! Of course I'm ready!" He snarled, wanting to be drowned back in that pleasure cloud again.

Naruto smiled and slowly pushed himself in, fighting the urge to release so early just from entering him. He felt the Uchiha tense underneath him, nails clawing at his back from the sudden pain. He waited, panting heavily along with Sasuke as he tried to adjust. Moments passed before the pale lover relaxed enough for Naruto to try an experimental thrust, pleased to see the face of pain quickly disappear into the haze of pleasure. Assured that he wasn't about to be impaled with a kunai, he pulled back and pushed back in, delighting in the gasps and moans coming from underneath him.

He sped up, moving into him with more speed and force, seeking that pleasure zone once more, finding it with amazing results as Sasuke shouted out in pleasure, forcing the blonde to repeat that cry with each thrust, holding onto one smooth leg while one hand trailed to pump his new lover's member, trying to bring them both over the edge, finding himself steadily unable to hold back.

Sasuke was breathless from all the sensations, gripping the sheets, the pleasure coiling around him and seeking for the release. In and out, in and out he felt, relishing each movement Naruto made, feeling hotter and almost like he would die from pleasure overload.

Then they found it, plummeted down the abyss as they released themselves in a sudden orgasm, drifting in the sharp waves of pleasure, panting for air, searching each other for more gentle caresses. Sasuke didn't mind the sudden weight from Naruto as he collapsed on his chest, panting heavily from the intense aftermath.

They exchanged gentle kisses and caress some more before Naruto pulled free and lay next to him, wrapping his arms around the avenger. Finding a sudden deep sense of belonging and comfort.

"Sasuke… I love you…" he nuzzled his cheek and fought the urge to drift into sleep.

Sasuke smiled, a short and rare gift for them to see. "I… love you as well…" He almost puzzled over the words, finding it strange to be saying them, but they also summed up everything he felt for the idiotic blonde who had somehow stolen away everything he tried to fake.

Then he drifted asleep next to him, content and pleased with everything. Neither of them realizing that Murasaki had borne witness to everything.

A/N: Finally… finished this part… like I said before, check out my profile to see my forum! Don't forget to review! And I wouldn't be upset if you give me hate mail!