Warnings: Language, Shonen Ai, Angst, possible spoilers until chapter 608
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anyone who appears in Naruto.
Chapter 3
When Shikamaru had finally managed to drag Naruto away, Sasuke was sitting flat on his ass with his hand pressed to his cheek. Maybe it was because he had been sitting in here for three months, or it was because his Chakra was sealed, but he didn't remember Naruto being quite so strong. He knew that he was going to have a bar shaped bruise against his jaw, but he was fairly certain he deserved it. He was very aware of the rift that was between them, and all he had been thinking of were ways to close the distance. He sat there, feeling like he had ripped it even wider because of his arrogant jealousy.
"Damn it!" He growled and he slammed his fist on the ground before he leaned against the bars, staring down at his feet. The thought that Naruto could have found someone else never entered his mind. He knew he had tried to give the blonde idiot up, but he had been an enigma, one he couldn't pull himself away from. He always thought that if he ever changed his mind that Naruto would be waiting for him. They understood each other; the fact that they almost never spoke yet could interact was proof of it in Sasuke's mind. The Raven figured he was being left there to wallow in his own stupidity when he heard the door open and his head shot up. An audible growl was heard when he set eyes on Shikamaru who strolled in, hands stuffed in his pocket like their meeting was no big deal.
"You're looking pretty beat up for someone who's so superior to us mortals," Shikamaru said as he stopped in front of Sasuke, just out of his reach.
"I don't see how it's any of your business Nara," Sasuke said as he watched the other man through his bangs.
There was a distinct snort and Shikamaru's head tipped to the left, "You both are so hard to handle," Shikamaru said, closing his eyes and shrugging. "I don't really know why he comes here so often, but I'm the one who has to deal with the aftermath of you pissing him off and I'd really rather not have him go through this every week. I'd say that's my business, right?" Shikamaru's eyes were pinned firmly on Sasuke's. "When you get out of here, and do whatever you need to, to make the council and village love you again. You can go along the country side and find any number of people to birth your spawn, but Naoyuki is and will forever be Naruto's only child," he stated seriously.
Sasuke's eyes widened by a mere fraction as he stared at the brunette, his pose was casual as ever but there was an expression of seriousness that he had never seen on his age mate's face. He had the nerve to feel a little ill as he thought of the words he had said. During his stay in this prison, and his weekly visits with the blonde he had found it absolutely impossible to turn off his feelings. He knew he could speak poison, and was often vindictive but despite the fact that he had appropriated Naruto's previous accusation about Sasuke having children of his own with someone else, he never should have repeated it. He had often classified himself as more mature than anyone he'd grown up with, he was secretly starting to doubt that. "I didn't…"
"Of course you didn't," Shikamaru snorted the lazy expression taking over once more as he scratched the inside of his ear. "He doesn't wear it on his sleeve like he does everything else, and you don't take care to look at anyone but yourself so it's pretty well impossible for you to have known. But, now you do and you'll take care to keep your mouth shut because he's finally accepted it and moved on. Despite what he thinks, he shouldn't feel responsible for your baggage too," Shikamaru said before he turned on his heel and made for the door.
Sasuke was only quiet with inner reflection for a moment before he looked up at Shikamaru's retreating back. "This isn't over," he said clearly, "Call it a friendly warning, or whatever you please yourself to call it," Sasuke said. He knew it would take time to make things okay, especially after he acted like a spoiled brat, but he'd figure something out.
Shikamaru only paused for a moment, "Says you, maybe. The only opinion I'm really interested in is Naruto's, and I doubt you'll be hearing from him until you get out," he said, merely stating his observation before the door was shut behind him.
Sasuke didn't see Naruto for another three months.
When Naruto finally did show back up he was quiet as he walked in and sat down, cross-legged in the spot he always sat in. He leaned back on his hand and his eyes were half lidded as he watched Sasuke freeze where he had been pacing just to watch him sit down. Sasuke was reluctant to take his position and opted instead to stand where he would normally sit.
"I'm really tired of hearing your apologies Sasuke," Naruto said before Sasuke could even open his mouth. "You should just stop saying and doing stupid shit since you don't like to say sorry in the first place. Just seems like common sense to me," he muttered, closing his eyes, a know it all expression on his face. Sasuke knew then, that he was forgiven but it was fragile.
Sasuke's lip twitched and he sat down, observing the blonde. "I never pinned you for someone who knew what common sense looked like, moron," he said, brow raised.
"Che, clearly know more about it than you do, bastard," Sasuke decided it was a good sign that Naruto had returned to calling him names.
Sasuke watched Naruto for a long while, keeping perfectly silent he observed the blonde. He could see the slight twitch of his lip, and the fact that his expression was serious instead of defiant let Sasuke know that things weren't completely okay. He had been forgiven, but there was something else. "Why did you come back?" Sasuke asked finally, "I'm not in here much longer, so why not just stick it out. I know you're not here by choice," he said though it wasn't an observation he liked.
Naruto flinched and he hunched forward a little before looking behind him. "I don't like being out there today. Shikamaru's out on a mission, I get too many visitors at home, and even though it's a holiday, Naoyuki is in class until noon. I'll have to go out with him later, but even so I don't belong out there," Naruto shrugged.
"Holiday? But its fall," The moment the words left his lips, Sasuke knew what was wrong. He didn't have any way of tracking the date in his cell, but he knew roughly how long he had been here and when he had been obtained. He turned his eyes back to Naruto and deduced that the blonde was doing everything he could not to meet his gaze. "It's your birthday," He stated in a factual tone. The theory was confirmed when Naruto flinched again.
"Yeah it is," Naruto said before sitting straight and rubbed the back of his head. "Birthdays, who likes getting older, right? Pain in the ass really," He let out a laugh and his grin was so large and obnoxious even a stranger would see through it.
"They still treat you poorly," there was a hint of anger in Sasuke's voice he couldn't conceal. Sasuke hated this village. The corrupt councilmembers may have been allowed to have a disgustingly peaceful death, and those who had been directly involved in the Uchiha massacre may be dead but it didn't change how he felt. The anger was so severe that it almost made him tremble and it was constant that the only thing keeping him sane was the prospect of meeting his son. This bit of information only made him hate it more.
Naruto's eyes snapped up and he finally met Sasuke's eyes, "No! That's not what I meant. I mean, maybe some, but…" he let out a heavy breath and looked back down to his lap. "This is my home Sasuke. I may have been hated, and may have grown up without anyone to call my own, but I wouldn't be me or have the people I do if I was elsewhere. Things are different now, I'm not what they hate anymore. Not since Akatsuki, and not since the war. Today though, it's not really the day I was born and it never will be," He said and his hand had absentmindedly moved to his stomach. "It's not really a good feeling being out in the festivals when you know that they're celebrating the defeat of something so personal to you. Kurama…he's a part of me in a way, even more so since he decided to stop being an asshole and I don't like going out and taking part in the celebration of the defeat of a friend," he shrugged. He was quiet a moment and let out a chuckle as if he was in his own little world, it took another moment before he shook his head. "Mn, guess he doesn't like being called names like you," Naruto smiled, "Way to take it like a champ, Bastard."
Sasuke snorted and shook his head. He thought of a few ways to get Naruto back but he was distracted by what Naruto said prior to the backhanded compliment. He had never thought of it that way before, Konoha hadn't really taken anything away from Naruto. It might have been years late but it had provided Naruto with many people who cared about him. Unlike Sasuke, Konoha had stripped everything from him. It had taken until Sasuke had no more to give and he found it annoyingly ironic that ten years after he had forsaken it, Konoha was giving back to him once more in the form of Naruto and his son. He breathed in deeply before he broke from his thoughts and met Naruto's eyes. He had grown serious again. "Happy Birthday Naruto," He said longing to touch Naruto, even just a hand on his shoulder but Sasuke wasn't sure it would be appropriate even if he could reach the blonde.
Naruto seemed surprised to hear the words from him and after a moment of a stupefied expression on his face the blonde smiled. It was small, but it was the first genuine smile Sasuke had seen on his face in a while. "Thanks," He said and even after the moment had passed, Sasuke smugly noted that the remnants of that small smile remained on Naruto's lips for a long time.
They had fallen into silence afterward, it wasn't entirely uncommon for them to just enjoy silent company and Sasuke figured he would let Naruto hide out with him in peace, since he really seemed to need it. It was a couple of hours before Sasuke tipped his head and leaning back on one hand he couldn't help but bring up a certain redhead he knew. "Why is Karin here of all places?" Sasuke asked. He didn't really harbour any feelings for the woman, she was merely a subordinate who proved temporarily useful, but given her personality he couldn't figure out why she was here.
"Why is Karin anything? I don't understand that woman," Naruto crossed his arms with a frown on his face that reminded Sasuke of when they were 12. "She says one thing and does another all the damn time, oh! Right, I don't know, I went and saw her when she was all locked up, you know after…" Naruto looked off to the side and his arms fell limp in his lap. "I mean I went to see her, you know, for no particular reason, certainly not to figure out where you might have gone after the war. Not that it would have mattered, she kept yelling at me that she didn't want to talk about a heartless bastard like you," Naruto smirked. "I guess I do kind of like her, met with her for a while and kind of started talking about Tsunade…er, the Fifth and Sakura and she seemed interested in learning from the old woman. Not that it was easy to get them to cooperate with one another, let me tell you that you've never seen so many headstrong women in one room all at once. Walking into that room with all of those healers was like a suicide mission. She kind of kept mentioning that she was just going to leave when she got free…but when she was released she I dunno, she just stuck around. If you ask her about it, she'd probably just tell you to shut up and mind your business," that frown was back. "Why is Karin?" he asked again and scratched the back of his head. "You know, one day you're going to have to learn that trying to kill people doesn't make them like you," He said like it wasn't already common knowledge. "She got all upset when news of your capture was broadcasted, think she's still pissed at you, she might want to hit you when she sees you," he warned.
"She's probably going to have to get in line," Sasuke muttered, but he was mildly amused at the way Naruto's mind tended to wander.
"Yeah, I think I owe you a busted cheekbone or two," Naruto said. "Speaking of getting out of here, you're free next week. Well, free as you can get. Nao agreed to see you," he finally said. The words drew Sasuke's gaze immediately.
"He will?" Sasuke tried to keep the hope from his voice, but he didn't feel he was very successful.
"Yeah, I don't think it's out of wanting to see you though, but you may as well take what you can get," he offered.
"We'll be alright," Sasuke said but winced inwardly when he heard a snort from the other side of the bars.
"We're going to be nothing, Nao might get over it eventually though. I don't really plan on letting him pout and get his way about the whole situation," Naruto said.
"I didn't mean it like that," Sasuke defended himself.
"I'm not as stupid as you might think, and I think you meant exactly that," Naruto muttered as he stretched. "Anyway, I have to go pick the brat up. I guess I can't avoid the world forever, he's going to want to take part in everything and buy ever trinket he sees for me," Naruto smirked as he stood. "See you in a week, bastard," Naruto waved over his shoulder and was gone again.
Despite how often Naruto had come to see him over the past six months, Sasuke still wasn't used to seeing Naruto's retreating back.
"You sure you're okay with this Naoyuki?" Naruto asked as he knelt in front of his son, running his fingers through the shaggy locks. The boy pushed at his dad's wrist and nodded.
"Like I'm going to let you go see him alone," Nao said, looping his arms around his dad's neck in a comforting gesture which brought a smile to Naruto's face.
"This isn't really about me, brat," Naruto said but the smile could be heard on his voice as he returned the embrace. It astounded him that Naoyuki was so perceptive, he knew the only reason Nao was doing this was because Naruto was apprehensive about seeing Sasuke without any barriers between them. He couldn't bring himself to turn the small comfort away. "I don't know what's going to happen Nao, but I know he wants to get to know you very much. Uncle Neji will be there at all times when you're with him, and if you ever need me to tag along, just ask okay?" He pressed his lips to the boy's temple before he pulled back, trying to compose himself a little better.
Nao shuffled in front of him and rubbing the back of his head he nodded, "Really? Out of everybody in Konoha, I have to spend time with Uncle Neji? He's so boring," Nao muttered but flinched when he heard his dad click his tongue.
"None of that, your Uncle Neji isn't boring, and he's very respectable," Naruto said "Even though I've had to save his ass countless times," the look on Nao's face suggested that he didn't believe the lie any more than Naruto. He laughed though, at his dad's pout, "Yeah, well I'm fully capable of saving him," he muttered.
"I know dad," Nao said and he grabbed his dad's hand before they headed out to finally greet Sasuke.
Sasuke was surprised when he saw his welcoming party. It wasn't that he was upset that the only two who stood outside were Naruto and their son; he just never expected that he would get out of this without that damnable Nara tagging along. It was bad enough that the Hyuuga stood beside him, casually escorting him down the steps, silent as Sasuke was.
Sasuke could vaguely see the figure of his son standing behind the blonde, and as he drew closer, he didn't notice how his breathing seemed to have ceased. He kept his eyes on the blonde and finally he stopped just before him, trying to refrain from trying to peek around him. "Moron," he murmured on the tail of a loud exhale and he cursed inwardly.
"That's the first thing you're going to say, jerk?" he saw Naruto roll his eyes dramatically and very briefly noted Naruto refraining from using poor language. "Nao, come on, he's not going to bite. I'm pretty sure you could outsmart him anyway," Naruto said as he twisted to look behind him.
"I'll come out when I'm ready," was the gruff reply Sasuke heard and he couldn't help but be a little disappointed, especially when Naruto didn't force the subject.
"I'll be waiting," Sasuke said, keeping trying to keep his voice calm and even. His eyes trailed back up to Naruto's face, getting to see him in the sunlight for the very first time. Sasuke noted that he was still the taller of the two, but not by much. The moron had also filled out a little more, and despite the green vest he sported. Despite the fact that it had been seven years, Naruto was still himself in every way that mattered. His eyes were still inviting even in the anger that was present every time Sasuke was around. His foolishness was still there even though it was tinted with a definite maturity and he still seemed as accepting as ever. His flesh was still a soft honey and his hair was still the same golden shade as it had been. He didn't realize he had reached up to run his fingers through the silky locks until two hands pushed firmly at his stomach, forcing him to step back.
"That's more than close enough," Nao said with a firm glare. Sasuke was so shocked that he didn't realize the dazed expression Naruto wore before Naoyuki had interrupted them.
Sasuke looked down to the young boy and first noted that he was a little darker than he remembered and his hair was also longer. He crouched down to Naoyuki's level and decided to ignore his moment of weakness. "Hello," He murmured. "I don't believe we've been formally introduced. I'm your father—"
"No, you're Sasuke, and why should I care? You didn't care about giving me your name when I was some kid in wind country," the boy said leaning back against Naruto's legs. When Naruto's hands settled on the boy's shoulders he looked up, "Can we go find Shikamaru now? He promised to take me for lunch last week and I want to cash in," he asked.
"Naoyuki, you realize that today is important right? You made a commitment to do this, do you want to go back on your word?" Naruto said with a frown.
"No…but this guy doesn't care about me anyway," he mumbled.
"That's not true," Sasuke said. "I care about you and your dad very much," He said, his voice was quiet and he silently cursed Hyuuga for lingering in the background during this private moment.
"Then why did you attack him if you care so much? Dad cares about me so he'd never hurt me," He said leaning far enough into Naruto that it upset his balance and he had to step back. "Besides, you don't even know me, how can you say that you like me?" Nao said defiantly.
"I know enough," Sasuke said, trying to bypass the comment about Naruto. It was not one of his finer moments, he could admit that, but not externally. "I know that you're kind and very generous and always look for the best in people, just like Na—your dad," he said, pleased when he saw a moment of hesitation in the boy's cornflower gaze.
"Dad, are we going to just stand here all day?" Naoyuki muttered, looking back up at Naruto after his long silent deliberation of Sasuke's words.
"No, I suppose not. Come on, Jerk, there's a few people down the way waiting to see you again. You might want to prepare your gut am I right Neji?" Naruto smirk mirrored Neji's but neither said any more than that. He turned and he walked down the path.
The entire walk back to the main village Sasuke was intensely quiet and his eyes never once left Naruto's back. Nao had insisted a piggy back ride and the two were currently chattering between one another. Sasuke knew that it would be difficult to find his place in their family dynamic but it wasn't until that point staring at the two, he realised he was as much of an outsider as he could possibly manage. He found himself not knowing how to proceed from this point. Sasuke had always been a loner but he had never felt lonely, not since the wounds of his family's slaughter were still fresh. He didn't like it.
"Oh, I forgot to mention. We're treating you to a fresh meal when we get into town," Naruto said, pausing to turn and look at Sasuke for a moment. "I figured you'd probably be tired of whatever the hell they were feeding you. Just something small with Kakashi and Sakura, so you better play nice," he said.
Sasuke frowned, "Why would I want to do that? I'd rather just get settled in whatever shack that's been picked out for me," he muttered. It was more the fact that his former teammates were going to be there that bothered him.
"You seem to think that I'm the only one you left behind, jerk," Naruto muttered as he turned to keep walking, shifting Nao on his back a little.
"If you hurt Aunty Sakura or the old man, I'll never forgive you," came Nao, who had an icy glare pinned on Sasuke.
"Fine," he muttered, his arms crossing casually. "I won't hurt your precious friends," He agreed. He had decided to treat the unknown feeling that ran through him as anger instead of guilt. Naruto had been the only one that mattered, with the addition of Naoyuki the same could be said now.
"They're your friends too, whether you like it or not," Naruto muttered. "Sakura will probably have her baby with her so Lee might show up if he isn't busy with his Genin team," he finished.
"Great, there's nothing I love more than spending time with tons of people," Sasuke said.
"Shut up, I'm sure you'll be able to suffer through one meal acting like a decent person," Naruto said.
"Is this why you wouldn't let me go for lunch with Shikamaru?" Nao chimed in with a frown and Sasuke swore he saw their son reach up and pinch Naruto's cheek while he spoke.
"Che, not the only reason brat, and don't forget it," Naruto said batting the boy's hand away.
"Look there they are, dad!" Nao said, a grin spreading across his cheeks as he pointed. "Go faster!" he urged, but when Naruto didn't move he began to squirm until he was let down and he took off toward Sakura and Kakashi.
Naruto let out a soft chuckle as he watched their son run off and he shook his head. "You probably wouldn't believe it by looking at him, but he's top in his class," he said. As soon as the words were out of Naruto's mouth Naoyuki had launched an attack on Kakashi, though he was clearly unmatched he was incredibly skilled for his age.
"Good, I was afraid you'd rubbed off on him too much, Moron," Sasuke said as he watched the clash between his son and former teacher.
"You're not getting out of this, Bastard, so quit insulting me," Naruto muttered before a sunny grin replaced his scowl. "Hey guys," He said as he trotted forward, he leaned over Sakura's arms and started cooing gently to a small bundle in her arms. "Hello beautiful," Naruto said with a smile and held out his hands. Sakura simply laughed and handed the baby over.
Sakura's eye turned to Sasuke when he and Neji finally caught up. "Hello Neji," She said before looking back to Sasuke, "Sasuke," she said with a nod.
"Sakura" He was somewhat relieved when he realized that they were having just as hard a time as he was. "I'm surprised you're on time," Sasuke said then to Kakashi who had Naoyuki in a simple hold.
"Actually, you're the one who's late," he said with a calculating stare before he put the young boy down. "Maybe next time kiddo," he said.
Sasuke watched Naruto as he handled the infant. The blonde seemed absolutely infatuated and an unidentified feeling went through Sasuke. He found himself wondering what Naoyuki had looked like as a baby, as a toddler and he sucked in a deep breath. "What's her name?" He asked. Even though the words sounded forced it seemed to melt some of the tension.
Sakura tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and with blush and a smile she looked toward Naruto as well. "We named her Ayaka. She's five months old," she said.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted and he swore he heard Naruto making plans to steal the baby. "It suits her," He said and tried to ignore the smile it brought to Sakura's face. It certainly did well to conceal her true intentions. It was only a second later that Sasuke's head snapped to the side as pain exploded in his jaw.
"There, that feels better," She said with a smile and shook her hand off before turning to Naruto. "Don't you dare Naruto, she's mine. Come to mommy," She said as she gathered the child to her chest seeming to completely forget about Sasuke.
"Hurts more than you'd think, right?" Naruto said, leaning over to mutter the words in his ear. Sasuke's hand was held to his face and he nodded dumbly. "Just be glad that she was holding back," Naruto said with a laugh as he placed a hand on Sasuke's back before starting to walk. "I'm starving, let's eat!"
"Now it's starting to feel normal again," Kakashi said, hand on Naoyuki's shoulder and he steered the child after the blonde.
"What, you're not going to hit me too?" Sasuke said eyes narrowing.
Kakashi was quiet and he urged Naoyuki to catch up to his dad. "I'd say you're going through enough torture," He said, eyes not leaving Naruto and Naoyuki. "I think that a fist to the gut is nothing in comparison to what you must be feeling watching those two. I wouldn't want the consequences of my actions to end like yours have," that was all Kakashi said before he awkwardly patted Sasuke on the shoulder and continued after the others.
Sasuke grunted and crossing his fingers he started walking, hearing Neji's footsteps start only a second after him. He thought on Kakashi's words, cursing the man for being as observant as he remembered.
He wasn't at all surprised when they pulled up to Ichiraku's, but he was surprised that it was the only thing that remained exactly as he remembered. "Oi, old man! Six bowls on me," Naruto grinned. Sasuke swore he saw tension fade from Kakashi's limbs.
"About time, I'm broke," His former teacher said as he took a seat.
"Sit down Neji!" Naruto said cheerfully and he took a seat with Naoyuki climbing up on the one next to him. Sasuke took this chance to situate himself on the other side of the young boy.
"Oh, you're—" Sasuke looked up as the old man spoke and noticed with some discomfort that the man was staring at him. "Sasuke, it's been a long time," he was more shocked when he saw the genuine smile on the man's face before he turned to start working on their orders as everyone relayed their preferences. They rest of the group fell into a comfortable chatter, even Neji had managed to offer his own input from time to time. He noticed that Naoyuki had remained rather quiet though.
He leaned down after finishing a mouthful, "I hear that you're first in your class, you must work pretty hard," Sasuke said.
Naoyuki was pushing his food around and didn't even look up when Sasuke started speaking. "It's not too hard if you're dedicated, things get easier," he shrugged.
"I was first in our classes when we were at the Academy too," Sasuke said, trying to find some middle ground they could talk about.
"Oh, wow, that sounds as interesting as a class with Grandpa Iruka," Nao said taking a large bite. "Now you can't do anything you learned there," he said and was immediately elbowed by Naruto. "I mean, I'm sorry," He said with a frown, ducking his head seemingly more ashamed that he was heard, than for being caught saying it.
"Apology accepted," Sasuke said, but there was a firm frown on his face.
Kakashi made to stand a short while later, "Nice as this was, I have to get back to m—"
"Just go," Naruto said waving his hand, "Nobody wants to know what you're going to do to Iruka-Sensei," the blonde looked mortified and Sakura let out another laugh.
"I didn't mean it like that," Kakashi deadpanned.
"If you're off to meet Iruka-Sensei I guess that means it's time for me to go pick Shin up? See you everyone" Sakura said and she gathered her things and fell into step with Kakashi.
"Ah, guess we have to show you to your mansion, eh Sasuke?" Naruto said as he stretched, leaving payment on the table. "Thanks old man!" Naruto said with a sunny grin.
"Can't I go with Aunty Sakura?" Nao said as he was ushered out of the restaurant. "I want to see Shin too, I had to miss out on going to school today. I didn't even get to see my friends," He pouted.
"No, I don't think so. You have to clean up the house when we get home and then we have to go drop off some gifts, or did you forget?" Naruto said as they made their way through town.
"No, I didn't forget," Naoyuki said quietly and reached to grab Naruto's hand and remained quiet until Nara showed up. "Shikamaru!" He exclaimed and he bounded over. "Can you take me home while dad's busy? Please? I need to finish my chores so dad and I can go out before dark," he pleaded, Sasuke knew he was trying to escape his presence.
Shikamaru's brow raised and he looked down at the energetic boy and slumped a little. "Well, I was on my way home to take care of my troublesome plant, but I guess I could do that. Did your dad say it's okay?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yeah, it's fine," Naruto said with a smile and when he caught up to the two he leaned forward. He seemed to hesitate just a moment, glancing back at Sasuke before he followed through, catching Shikamaru's lips in a brief kiss. "I won't be too long, but it'd be nice if the house did get done before we head out," he said.
Sasuke watched the interaction and his hands balled into fists at his sides. "I thought I was being taken to my new accommodations, or are your orders less important than idle chit chat?"
"I'm fairly sure that we were going to talk for ten seconds more, but whatever you jerk. Sorry Shika, I'll see you in a bit okay?" he smiled and they parted ways. "Alright, this way your highness," Naruto rolled his eyes as he walked up a hidden set of step just off the street and lead Sasuke and Neji inside a small apartment.
"This reminds me if your old apartment," Sasuke said quietly when he was inside. It was all one room, except for the bathroom and the entryway.
"Hm? I guess," Naruto scratched the back of his head and he moved over to a small closet and slid the door open. "It's a bit more traditional than my old place though, I figured you might appreciate that.
"How kind," Sasuke said, eyebrow raised.
"Che, appreciate it you asshole. That door over there leads to the bathroom, it connects to Neji's half of the apartment. I trust you won't bother him too much on account of the fact that you've dragged him from his own home for a year," Naruto said, brow raised.
"It's not like I asked for this Moron, I think we'll be fine," Sasuke moved to a small closet and opened it up. There were simple clothes inside, majority of it was dark but there were a few white shirts inside. A lot of the shirts were wide at the neck.
"Don't worry about me, Naruto," Neji chimed in, his pale eyes didn't leave Sasuke though. "My house is just a place to sleep between missions, it will be no different here than there," he offered.
"If you say so, who knows maybe when this is all over you can work on finding a home," Naruto said absent mindedly.
"Did you do this?" Sasuke chimed in a moment later, still looking through the closet.
"Sakura helped. I don't know what you want to wear, but it seems like you hate anything with a closed neck. If you don't like them, I guess you'll have to wait it out until you can work. Since I have to pay for this place I don't have much money to be throwing at you," Naruto said.
"Why didn't you just rent out the houses at the compound? You would have been more comfortable than just selling them. You should have consulted someone if you couldn't think that plan up," Sasuke said with a frown as he pulled out a set of clothes to replace the ones he had. He figured life might be a little easier if he didn't look like that Uchiha brat that ran away and looked more like a normal citizen.
"Oi, what do you know? I have rented a few units out, but I don't need to live a life of luxury. I accounted enough for Nao and me to be comfortable, and have a little to put away for emergencies. I wouldn't call this an emergency, but I'm glad I have enough tucked away to swing this place until you can do things on your own," Naruto was pouting. "Which reminds me, here's enough for a month's supply of groceries for the bastard," He pulled out a coin purse in the shape of a frog, it was ratty but Naruto didn't seem to mind. He handed the cash to Neji, "I'll give enough every month until the council is tired of him being useless, and lets him work."
"I doubt you thought all this up by yourself," was all Sasuke said and he moved toward the bathroom.
"Oh, shut up. If you're just going to be a bastard I'm leaving. I have to get home and help clean up anyway. Later Neji," Naruto saluted the pale eyed man with a grin before his body began to fade into thin air. Once his image had dissipated there was a gentle breeze throughout the apartment and Sasuke couldn't feel the blonde's chakra anymore.
Sasuke sighed and he locked himself in the bathroom, simply to change and when he came out Neji was leaning against the wall, presumably waiting to head out and shop for groceries.
They were quiet a moment as Sasuke moved a few things around the apartment. He spent the time rearranging to ponder just where Naruto and Naoyuki were going today, but came up with nothing. When he decided everything was in better order he spoke up, "How long have they been together?" he asked.
Neji was quiet and met Sasuke's gaze in his own time, "I assume you mean Naruto and Shikamaru. It would depend on how you observed their situation. Some might say they've been together for three years," he said.
"Who would say that?" Sasuke frowned. Now that Naruto was gone he seemed to have a better handle on his tone of voice and hadn't let any of his anger seep out.
"Anyone who doesn't know them," Neji said absent mindedly as he pushed away from the wall. "Let's go to the market. Correction, I'll escort you there and you can buy whatever you need," Neji said.
"And what would you say?" Sasuke asked, not acknowledging Neji's request to leave.
"I would say that if you had returned at any point up until a year ago, you would be living back in your old house," He said.
"Hn," came Sasuke's monosyllabic answer. He looked toward the window and cursed his non-existent luck. "So, it was just stress relief?"
"We're leaving, now," Neji said and he moved to the front door. "Make no mistake, they are in fact my friends, and I don't gossip," he said before gesturing to the door.
Sasuke grunted and he moved toward the door, "Uchiha don't gossip," He muttered under his breath. If Neji wasn't in charge of keeping Sasuke in line and evaluating his mental stability he might have struck him. "Let's get this over with."
Sasuke had settled into a quiet lifestyle over the next couple of weeks. He was a little on edge, especially since it was so much noisier than his preferred lifestyle. He had spent most of his time during his travels sleeping under the stars. He only stopped to interact with others when he needed to take a job in order to feed himself. Sasuke was nothing if not durable though, he wouldn't let this neighborhood be his downfall. He had tons of experience with gossip and having it focused on him, he simply needed to put it out of his mind that people no longer worshipped him. On some level, he was grateful for the shift. He and Neji had formed some odd comfortable existence. His Byakugan was more than capable of watching him through the walls so he spent much of his time alone.
Time spent with Naruto and his son was often short, but Naruto had made a point of coming by more than once a week. Naoyuki never said anything to Sasuke without a prompt from Naruto, even if Sasuke asked him a question. It was doing wonders for exercising his patience, but he knew better than to expect miracles. It was Naoyuki's tendency to bolt the second he and Naruto had found something to talk about, Sasuke no longer had any doubts that Naoyuki was ranked at the top of his class with the way he could escape them.
Neji had an uncharacteristic smirk on his usually emotionless face when he stepped through the door to his own apartment. When Sasuke opened the door He immediately heard a click and turned tilted his head to the side just in time to miss a few cardboard shuriken. His eyelids fluttered a moment and he looked over his shoulder to see the flimsy paper on the ground, a corner bent on each one that had been launched. He had a feeling that there were only two people in Konoha who would rig his apartment, and he had a very good idea as to who it was. Naoyuki's ability to run away from him was exactly why he was so surprised to find his apartment with Nao's fingerprints all over it.
He quietly moved into the apartment just before he exited the hall he saw a distinct shine on the ground and his lips pursed, "You know, butter on the floor could seriously injure someone who isn't prepared to step on it," He muttered and he stepped over the slick. He hadn't been expecting an answer. He remained completely serious as he made his way cautiously through his small apartment. He knew why Neji had that smirk, his blasted Byakugan had seen the mechanism set up and he said nothing. The pale eyed man was getting so severely on his nerves that he was sure he'd take a swing at him the second he was released from his sentence. He walked into his kitchenette and his brow rose, "I see you helped yourself to a beverage. Hasn't your dad taught you to put your dish...es, oh who am I kidding, your dad's a slob," He continued hoping it would prompt a reaction. He walked the cup to the sink and his brow raised, his first order of business was to remove the elastic hugging the alternate faucet head, second was washing the two cups on the counter. "You and your friend may as well come out from under the bed," he tried again.
"Shin, I told you that you were breathing too loud!" Naoyuki said and he wiggled his way out from under the bed, another dark haired boy following him. If Sasuke recalled correctly, he belonged to Sakura and Rock Lee.
"You might try and find a better place to hide, I thought you were top in your class Naoyuki, you can do better," Sasuke said, not even turning around to look at them.
"What would you know? Maybe I wanted to see the sorry look on your face when it made friends with the floor!" Nao said with a frown and the sound of him dusting off his clothes could be heard.
Sasuke sighed and shook his head; he knew these pranks weren't Nao's way of reaching out to him. He walked over to the fridge and his brow quirked. He could see the hint of a clear piece of string around the handle and he let out a sigh and thought of how he could turn this around. He placed his hand on the fridge and he could practically feel the boys' eyes burning into his back. He sucked in a deep breath and he pulled the fridge door open and was greeted with a tub of yogurt down the front of his shirt.
He grimaced but when he heard the boys erupt in laughter behind him he decided it was worth it.
"Did you see that Naoyuki? He went through the entire house and didn't think the fridge was set up too!" Shin was absolutely giddy but when Sasuke turned around Shin's black eyes widened considerably. "Uh, my mom's going to be mad if I don't get home soon," he said in response to Sasuke's intimidating stare and he quickly ran toward the window.
"Shin you traitor!" Naoyuki said and tried to make a run for it but Sasuke's hand closed around the back of his shirt.
"Where's your dad?" Sasuke asked with a frown and he walked Nao over to the closet so he could grab a towel to clean himself off with one hand. "I don't remember having yogurt," He mumbled.
"He's on a mission," Nao said squirming a little to get free until Sasuke's hand closed around his shoulder. "Grandpa Iruka let me out to train," he said with a grunt. "Let me go Sasuke!" He said his anger rising.
"I hardly call this training," Sasuke said and he let go but didn't pull back until he was sure Naoyuki wasn't going to bolt. He pulled his shirt off and grabbed a clean one after dabbing at his chest.
"I was practicing setting up traps, of course that's training!" Nao said with a frown. He was quiet for a moment, "You knew that the fridge was rigged," he said, it wasn't a question.
Sasuke sighed and pushing his hair out of his face he looked over to the fridge. "You caught me," He said. He had hoped that maybe submitting to one of the pranks might improve their relationship, even just a little. "Now, are you going to clean this up? Or am I going to have to force Neji to go all the way across town so I can have a word with Iruka-Sensei?" Sasuke said, feeling unusually comfortable in his authority as a parent, even when Naoyuki hardly accepted him.
"You wouldn't," Naoyuki said with a frown. "You aren't responsible for me, you can't do anything," he said defiantly.
"Naoyuki, you might not like me, but if you show up at my house without an escort then I'm afraid I am very much responsible for you. Besides, you wouldn't want your aunt Sakura to know what you've been getting up to with Shin do you?" he asked as he straightened out the collar on his new shirt.
The young boy's eyes widened dramatically, and his once proud stance transformed into something meek. It was only for a moment before a fierce glare was on his face, "You win this time, Sasuke," Naoyuki said and he stalked to the closet and grabbed a towel with the intent to clean not only the yogurt from the floor, but the butter as well. His second task was to dismantle all the mechanisms he had formed with simple everyday items.
Sasuke watched as the boy went to work, his arms crossed as he observed his son. Though there was the expected immaturity of a six year old. Naoyuki was currently working very efficiently and taking everything apart with care that he had ever witnessed in Naruto at that age, or any age really. There was a small smirk on his face and he decided to approach the boy, "Did you think up the construction of these all by yourself?" He asked.
"This one, if you really must know," Naoyuki muttered with his head buried in the refrigerator. "Dad and I made one similar to the one at the door when he was trying to get Nana back for a low ranked mission. He made the design, he asked me if I wanted to help," He said pulling on one piece of the contraption he had fused too tightly. "It didn't work so well, Nana knows everything about everyone," He explained, not realizing how much he was talking to Sasuke.
"I have a hard time believing that your dad came up with that," Sasuke said skeptically only to be fixed with another heated glare from the boy. It only lasted a second before his eyes widened and he fell backwards when the part finally gave way. Sasuke reached forward before Naoyuki could hit the floor, "I've got you," He said calmly, steadying the young boy.
"I could have caught myself," Naoyuki said shaking Sasuke's hands off. "Go away, you're distracting me," He huffed as he grabbed the towel and headed for the slick of butter.
"Having a hard time concentrating on cleaning a mess on the floor sounds much more like your dad," Sasuke said with a small smirk. Naoyuki didn't quite react the same way Naruto did, he was more reserved but it would appear that the boy had inherited some of that fire.
"You sure seem to know a lot for someone who ran away," Naoyuki said as he wiped at the mess he made earlier, a little rougher than he should have. "You should just stick to being a jerk because you don't know anything about my dad," he said before he stood and stalked off toward the last contraption.
Sasuke had to practice great restraint not to flinch at the comment and followed after Naoyuki anyhow. "I know that he wouldn't want you talking about someone you don't know," Sasuke said remaining calm as he watched Naoyuki begin pulling apart the last trap.
"Well, I can't meet all expectations," Naoyuki mumbled with a slight grunt as he tried to yank two cogs apart.
Sasuke's brow raised and he let out a breath before he stepped forward and began working on the other half of the trap. "How about we go out for sweet ice chips? Then you can tell me how much of a jerk I am after you've gotten to know me a little better," Sasuke offered. His voice had been well calculated, but beneath the practiced calm he was frightened that Nao would flat out refuse the offer.
Naoyuki stared at him for a long time, thin brow rose, "I don't know what your game is, Sasuke, but if it gives me permission to call you a jerk then I'm in," He said pulling off the last piece and pushing it aside. "Now?" he asked with a gleam in his eye.
"Now," He confirmed and pushed the door out, completely unsurprised to see Neji leaning against the rail just outside their apartments. "Thanks for the warning," Sasuke said and didn't miss the silent smirk on Neji's face as he followed the two into the heart of the village.
The trip was silent, even when Naruto forced Naoyuki to interact with him the boy rarely said anything. After grabbing their small cup of sweet ice they had found a stone wall to sit on. They sat in silence for some time before Naoyuki finally spoke up. "Did you only do this because you owed me money?" he asked, staring down at the red stained ice chips.
Sasuke blinked and actually smiled at the thought. "Naoyuki, despite your dislike of me, you're my son. I hope you can believe that I only want to spend time with you. No debts, no ulterior motives," Sasuke said.
Naoyuki nodded and he pushed the ice around the small cup he had been given and didn't look up when he spoke again. "Dad says you were a really talented Shinobi. He doesn't tell me much, but he always manages to somehow say that. I know you can't access much chakra so how good are you at Taijutsu?"
Sasuke raised a brow, "I'm confident I could give your taijutsu instructor a run for their money," he said, very careful how he worded his sentence so he wouldn't offend the young boy.
"You think so?" he said, his demeanour picking up. "Do you think maybe you could spar with me a little bit? I'd ask dad, but Nana sent him on another mission," he said.
Sasuke's lip quirked slightly and he stood, offering a hand out to Naoyuki, "I know a great place, follow me," He said as he helped his son to his feet. It wasn't long before Sasuke had led them to the team 7 training grounds, and was pleased to see it uninhabited. He let out a heavy breath; it was the first time visiting this place since he had left. He was quickly pulled from his thoughts when he heard a small laugh; he looked to Naoyuki who was climbing onto the very log Naruto had been tied to.
"This is where dad brings all his genin teams," Naoyuki said as he stood on the log and jumped, ironically to the one Sasuke had sat beside eating his lunch.
"Genin teams?" Sasuke was surprised. Though he had spent little time with Naruto, he had seen enough and experienced enough to know that Naruto had far surpassed his genin days. He was well suited to take a team, but it didn't mean Sasuke had made that connection.
"Yeah, well, team now. He finally passed his first team when I was four," Naoyuki said, practicing a simple form, keeping his balance perfectly before he cleanly back flipped to the ground. "They're all Chunin now, so instead he takes me here when he's not out on missions."
Sasuke walked over to Naoyuki, vaguely aware of Hyuuga settling against a tree in the distance. He placed his hand on the log, and his lip quirked at the memory. "I suppose he finds this place important, I guess I do too," he said, admitting more to himself than anyone else. "Shall we get started?" He asked.
Nao's lip parted as he watched Sasuke but he nodded. "Yeah, let's go," he smiled. It was the first genuine smile Sasuke had seen from the boy and he knew it was just as blindingly bright as Naruto's.
He nodded and he moved back into the open field and when he turned to look at Naoyuki he stretched his arms. "Show me what you know and I'll take the instruction from there, okay? But first," he took his stance and he held out two fingers to the raven opposite him. He didn't miss Naoyuki's widened eyes before the boy mirrored the pose.
When they began to officially spar, Sasuke was happy to see just how far Naoyuki had progressed throughout his life. Naruto had said the boy was talented and intelligent despite his childish personality. It wasn't that he had doubted the blonde, but he was glad to experience it himself. Though Naoyuki was far from his level, but Sasuke immediately knew that he may be more advanced than Sasuke himself was at this age.
"You're leaving yourself open here," Sasuke said as he twisted, his fingers jabbing the boy's ribs gently and immediately saw the change in Naoyuki's demeanor at the criticism. The gaps in the boy's skill grew smaller and the power in his attacks increased all without losing control. Sasuke smiled, "Better," he encouraged.
They continued until Naoyuki was out of breath and Sasuke had firmly pointed out areas that needed strengthening. Then something happened that surprised them both. Naoyuki's hand struck out at Sasuke's side and they both paused just before it struck. "You left yourself open," Naoyuki said, eyes wide.
Sasuke's expression matched Naoyuki's and the only explanations he could think of were that he had spent too much time day dreaming about what this sparring match could lead to in terms of his family, or he relied far too much on his Sharingan and without it he was useless. He shook his head and smiled and he held his hands up. "I concede defeat," Sasuke said before he stood straight and held his fingers out.
"But you made contact far more than I did," Naoyuki said with a frown, but when he wasn't met with any real answer he finally reached out and linked their fingers.
"There, we should probably get you back to Iruka-Sensei," Sasuke said as their fingers fell away.
"I guess," Naoyuki said and his stance relaxed considerably. "Hey Sasuke? Do you think that maybe…we could do this again sometime?" He asked, hands shoved in his pockets.
"I'm free any time Naoyuki," Sasuke said, watching the boy's expression as he started slowly walking back toward the core village. "Can I ask you a question? Why now, and why me?" Sasuke said, wondering if he'd regret asking the question, but much to his delight there was no outburst.
"Dad's usually helps me with things I can't do by myself, but Nana keeps sending him out on missions and Uncle Lee has his own Genin team to take care of. Uncle Neji has to babysit you and Unc—"
"Hyuuga doesn't baby sit me," Sasuke said with a frown.
"Really? Because my babysitters don't pay as much attention to me as Uncle Neji does to you," Naoyuki said as he looked over his shoulder and waved at the pale eyed man who hesitantly mirrored the gesture.
"I'm not entirely convinced that your babysitters should be letting you run around as much as you do, especially if you're going to vandalize my apartment," Sasuke said.
"No! You promised you weren't going to say anything!" Naoyuki said and slumped forward.
"You think I won't keep my promise?" Sasuke regretted that the moment he said it.
"I don't really know enough about you to make that judgement, Sasuke," Naoyuki said. "But, I guess I could give you the, uh, the—"
"Benefit of the doubt?"
"Yeah, that," Naoyuki said. "Just this once, and for the sparring promise," he said pointing behind them in the direction of the training grounds.
"Why didn't you ask Nara?" Sasuke asked, wondering if he was an emotional masochist.
"Shikamaru? We don't do shinobi stuff. He takes me to lunch and teaches me things like shogi. He's trying to teach dad too, but it's not going so well. Plus he's not that great at Taijutsu," he shrugged.
Sasuke blinked and a moment later he let out a chuckle at the thought of Naruto playing Shogi. "No, I don't imagine it would go well. So, wait, I'm good enough?" he refocused, ignoring the heat spreading up his neck.
"Yeah, well…if Dad couldn't make you come back you'd have to be really good at everything." Naoyuki said, "Well, most things. I doubt you could beat him in speed or seals," Nao said with a smile.
"Really? Speed maybe, he's always been hyperactive," Sasuke muttered only loud enough for himself to hear. "But seals?"
"You don't know? Dad's been studying what the Fourth left behind, especially seal work. What did you even talk about when he visited you?" Naoyuki's expression was completely puzzled.
"What we talked about? Not a lot, in fact he yelled at me most of the time, or refused to talk to me the rest of the time," Sasuke said. It was mostly the truth.
"Sounds like dad when he's angry," Nao said as they drew closer to Iruka's house.
"Yeah, it does," Sasuke said with a breath as he saw Iruka step outside of the house. "Are you looking for this?" he said, his hand landing on Naoyuki's shoulder before he awkwardly pulled it away when Nao tensed.
"Oh, Sasuke," Iruka smiled timidly and he looked down to Naoyuki. "I was very surprised to see Shin earlier and not see you with him," Iruka said as he knelt down and affectionately wiped a little dirt off of Naoyuki's face.
"Uh, yeah. We—"
"I ran into them on the street and invited Nao for something to eat. I'm not sure Shin wanted to impose," Sasuke said, not moving any closer to the other two because of Iruka's discomfort. "Come find me if you want any help okay?" He said and when Naoyuki nodded and waved Sasuke turned with a private smile and headed back to his apartment with Neji in tow.
Sasuke hadn't seen Naruto for a few weeks, according to a few people things with a neighboring village were tense and Naruto had taken his former genin team to try and smooth things over. Naoyuki on the other hand, started showing up at his apartment twice a week. Whenever Sasuke was out of the house he'd setup other traps, trying to get the better of him. Sasuke chose to think of it as Naoyuki training than trying to take out any frustration on him.
At the end of four weeks since Naruto had left, Sasuke found himself returning to his apartment from a brief run around the training grounds when the blonde showed up with Naoyuki settled on his back. "Hey Sasuke," He said as he came to a gradual stop, hoisting a tired looking Naoyuki up a little higher. "Do you think I could borrow him for a second Neji?" he asked.
Neji stared at Naruto for a moment and crossed his arms, an elegant brow lifting. "Naruto, I'm not sure," he said simply.
"Don't make me order it Neji," Naruto pouted, "you should take a break every once in a while anyway," he said.
"You can't order me to do anything yet Naruto," Neji pointed out.
"Neji!" he whined, "Can you just? Please?"
"Fine, 15 minutes and then I come looking for him," Neji said, smirking before turning and heading to his temporary apartment.
"Thanks Neji!" Naruto said and he tipped his head. "Come on jerk," Naruto smirked and he led Sasuke a few streets down and sat on a wall. Naoyuki lazily slid off of Naruto's shoulders and sat down beside his dad. It almost seemed the second that he leaned against Naruto's shoulder that his breathing had evened out completely.
"Did he have a long day?" Sasuke asked with a frown.
"Yeah, I got back this morning and he insisted we head to the training grounds to show me what he learned before I could even brief the old woman that I was back. Good thing I have a team to do that sort of thing for me," He grinned.
"He mentioned you had a genin team," Sasuke said softly, eyes moving to Naruto studying his features. He took note of a fading bruise just on his cheek bone and he reached forward to brush his thumb against it. "Are you alright?"
"Quit it, we ran into some bandits. It's almost gone," Naruto flushed as he batted his hand away. "Yeah, they're on their own now, Tsunade sends us out from time to time but they're great, even without me," He smiled softly.
"What's this about ordering Hyuuga around?" Sasuke asked, not missing the odd interaction between the two.
"What? Nothing really," Naruto shrugged.
"Dad's g'nna be the Rokudaime," came a very tired response from Naoyuki who seemed to fall right back into sleep as soon as the words left his mouth. Naruto's eyes widened and he flushed deeper than when Sasuke had touched his face.
"Oh, yeah…that was the reason," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle.
"You did it," Sasuke said with mild surprise. "I'm truly happy for you," he managed a small smile.
"Sasuke, stooooop," Naruto whined flushing even deeper. "I'm not Hokage, I wasn't ready when the old woman asked me," he said.
"But soon, right?" Sasuke smirked. "Naoyuki told me you were studying the fourth's teachings, it seems fitting if you're going to be the Rokudaime," Sasuke mused.
"Or because he's my dad, but whatever," Naruto shrugged.
Sasuke stared at him for a minute in genuine shock, "How did I miss that?"
"Too busy being a self-absorbed bastard? I told you he was already. Anyway, I only have a few minutes. Nao told me what you did for him, and I guess I just wanted to say that I'm okay with it," he murmured. He looked down at the sleeping boy and he brushed his hair out of his face.
"You mean, training with him?" Sasuke asked and he leaned against the wall, carefully observing the two very aware of the calm that came over him.
"Yeah, I know what I said before about the whole, you know? The Sharingan thing, but I'll be away a lot until this alliance is sealed, and if it means Naoyuki spending time with you. What I'm trying to say is thank you, I really appreciate it. He's really happy about it, even if he might not seem like it, he wouldn't stop talking about it," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck.
"Really?" Sasuke was a little shocked. They didn't talk too much when they trained, and when they did it wasn't like father and child. "I think I should be the one thanking you, Naruto, You didn't have to give me any time with him," He said all of a sudden hyper aware that he had just used Naruto's name.
Naruto blinked before he grinned and stood, careful to pick the boy up. "Oh, geez, a thank you. That's new," Naruto said with a small laugh as he cradled the boy to his front. "Alright, I should get you to your place before I head home to put him to bed," he said, petting the back of Naoyuki's head.
"That's a smart idea, that's new too," Sasuke smirked.
"Shut up, bastard," Naruto rolled his eyes as they walked lazily back to Sasuke's apartment. "Hey, Sasuke? Do you maybe want to have dinner with us sometime? At our place? I mean, Shikamaru, Iruka and Kakashi will probably be there but I know Naoyuki would like it if you'd join us," he said sounding nervous.
Sasuke tensed and he thought it over with a frown. If it had just been their former teachers he would have said yes with no hesitations. "When?" he asked gruffly at the thought of spending time with Nara.
"Uh, Last weekend of the month is the next one. It's usually on Saturday," he murmured sheepishly. "I think it would be really good for you and Naoyuki," he admitted as he stopped in front of Sasuke's building.
"I'll think about it okay? Thanks, again for letting me spend time with him, Naruto," Sasuke said before hesitantly reaching up to run his fingers through the boy's hair. He wondered if the blonde knew what it meant to him.
"Yeah, no problem. I better get this one to bed. Let me know," Naruto said before he turned and headed home leaving Sasuke to deal with Neji who had just stepped out to find them.
"You didn't spy on us did you?" Sasuke said, it wasn't a real question. Had Neji done so, he wouldn't be out here looking for them.
"I don't spy on private moments, Uchiha. Besides, I trust Naruto," he said with a shrug as he tipped his head toward the house.
Sasuke made his way up the stairs and when he moved to open the door he looked up at the other man. "He just invited me to dinner with a bunch of people," Sasuke said. They weren't really friends, but Sasuke was pleased with the fact that Neji and he approached things in the same manner. He wouldn't admit that Neji was far more stable than he was, and had a better outlook.
"Strange," Neji said as he leaned on the railings and looked up at the dimming sky. "You know he thinks of Kakashi and Iruka as father figures? Naruto only invites family to their monthly dinners. He doesn't even invite Sakura or Sai," Neji said absent mindedly.
Sasuke blinked and he felt an odd flutter in his stomach. "Is that so?" He asked and began to contemplate the implications.
"That's what I said, wasn't it?" Neji's brow rose before he turned and entered his apartment, done with the conversation.
Sasuke looked up at the sky when he was alone. Family? If this dinner was that important, Sasuke was willing to swallow his pride and attend. There was a rift between him and his family, but he was pleased that he could finally see their silhouettes on the other side of the divide.
TBC…
I absolutely should not be writing an essay right now…actually I should be sleeping since I have class in a few hours. Things should start picking up next chapter. I'm sorry it took so long, my fingers went off script and I had to rearrange some things to accommodate in future chapters before I could even start writing this chapter…oops.
I hope you enjoyed these bitty bonding points. Please leave a review if you have the time, they do make me very happy~
Koric
