A/N: Hello, dear readers! Er, before any of you start throwing things at me for my lack of updating, I can explain...with some lame excuses.

As some of you may know, I'm a uni student working hard in her classes. Unfortunately, homework does sometimes trump writing updates, so I kept putting it off until recently. It's rather hard to get back into the writing grind, to churn out chapter after chapter once you've stopped for a break. And, even though I had set out a plot beforehand, I found a small anomaly that caused some rather drastic plot changes. So I've been re-planning this story as well.

I'm sorry if my excuses are lame (I did warn you!).

But anyway, as usual, mucho thanks to Harco8059 (again!), Gothic Lust (again!), operagirl76, snlalalandnhreality, DaBunneh, H1d4nSAN, izzy1229anime, Azh Hikari(again!), Emirri, Winter Cicada, and animelee. I promise I won't ever abandon this story as long as you guys don't abandon me. :B

Here's a helping of developing sexual desire, with a dash of cutesy-ness.

Bon appétit~

Sasuke wrung the pink water out of his now-soaked kimono. As he stared hard at the tinted water in the tin tub, shivers prickled up and down his spine. Normally, blood did not faze him, but in this case, the elf was particularly sensitive to any reminder of just how close he was to losing yet another precious person in his life.

It was frightening to think that, in such a short amount of time, Sasuke had already placed much of his trust in Naruto. Perhaps it was partially due to the fact that his master had direct control over his well-being, but even so, he had never before in his life enjoyed a human's presence so much.

Sasuke let go of the delicate material, gripping the edges of the tub as he watched the kimono half float, half sink. Tears pushed their way forward and glossed over his vision.

How close had he been to losing Naruto?

The small, shallow streams from Sasuke's eyes flowed over delicate, fair skin. He sniffed twice, attempted to stem the flow from his nose as well. With a quick swipe of his hand under his nose, Sasuke then pressed the sleeve of his kimono on his eyes, drenching the fabric in seconds. He did not sob out loud, but the uneasy feeling in his stomach would not go away.

"You all right?"

Sasuke jumped, tipping the tub over and spilling the pink water on the dusty ground. The kimono flowed out as well, ending up in a soggy mess a little away from him. He wiped at his wet face hurriedly, then stood to turn to face his ever-proud master.

The blond male had his right shoulder exposed as the top of his kimono was opened loosely. The bloody bandages were enough to make Sasuke feel even more horrid.

"Master, you're awake," Sasuke said as he bowed, breaking his gaze away from the disturbing sight, "Shall I run a bath for you?"

"Please, stop calling me 'Master'," Naruto said as he cringed, "I don't deserve that and neither do you."

Sasuke tilted his head and, with a softer voice, said, "N-Naruto, I'll set up the bath, then."

Picking up the toppled tin tub and kimono off the floor, which was now covered in dirt, the elf scampered back inside while Naruto followed behind slowly.

The elf ran into his room, stashed the tub and kimono there, and bounded into the bathroom with no lost time. Naruto chuckled, but Sasuke ignored this, feeling the back of his neck heat as he tried to recover from calling his master by name so casually.

When Sasuke finished setting up the hot bath, he turned directly to the door and tried to make a beeline exit. However, Naruto stood in his way to prevent him from exiting.

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked, his tone of voice reprimanding "You have to help me bathe."

The bathroom was already warm from the hot tub water, but Sasuke's entire being still got uncomfortably warm. He realized at this point that he would have to see Naruto's body...in all its natural glory.

"Help me with my clothes."

That demand alone made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Sasuke apprehensively approached his master and, with shaking hands, undid the simple knot of his master's kimono belt. Then he removed the draping fabric from Naruto's shoulders, taking care not to get too close to the bundle of bandages.

"And help me take the bandages off, too," Naruto said as he scratched at them.

Sasuke slowly undid the fabric, peeling it off the dried, bloodied wound. His stomach started feeling somewhat queasy, and he swallowed hard as he attempted to look at something else. His dark eyes followed along the muscles on Naruto's body. Relative to that beautifully chiseled body, Sasuke's was nothing like that at all; he lacked any real muscle and any real masculine feature on him, other than the obvious.

He then scolded himself mentally when Naruto cocked his head slightly at him; Sasuke did not realize he had paused in his movements, and was locked in a very intense train of thought. A warm feeling prickled at his skin as he dared not to look up into Naruto's bright, blue eyes.

As the elf threw away the bandages and went to fold the kimono, Naruto went ahead and stepped into the bathtub, letting out a low groan as he sank down into the water.

"Tch. I really hate the asshole that sliced me up," Naruto said bitterly, "I feel like shit."

Sasuke, understanding that his master was not in the best of moods, hurried back over and picked up the wash towel on the rack. He dipped it into the water - his eyes lingering a little too long on Naruto's naked body - and began to scrub the bronze skin clean.

oooOOooo

The fresh bandages wrapped around his shoulder made Naruto sigh in relief. His old, bloody bandages made his (and Sasuke's) stomach queasy.

And now he was getting dressed. Sasuke helped him put his kimono on, slipping his left arm through the first sleeve.

"Thank you, Sasuke. I don't know how I would get anything done without you," Naruto said as he fed his right arm - moving quite slowly as the soreness and pain became more apparent - through the second kimono sleeve.

"You would still be dirty without me, Naruto," Sasuke replied nonchalantly as he carefully tied the obi in the front, "Unless Sakura helped you bathe those other ten times you were attacked."

Naruto remained still and silent as he stared at Sasuke. Despite being an elf, he sure had some chutzpah to say something like that. But, of course, that was exactly what the blond male appreciated about Sasuke; he was helpful and fun to have around.

Then, with a sudden feeling of glee washing over him, Naruto began to laugh. He opened his mouth, and with every last breath in him, let out that particularly hearty sound that made Sasuke stare with wide eyes.

"No, she would never help me bathe, no matter how badly hurt I was. I just waited until I was healed up enough to wash up. Once, I went for a week before I was able to take a bath without crying out in pain," Naruto said as his laughter died down, "And that's why I'm so thankful to have someone like you around, Sasuke."

Sasuke stared straight ahead as he tied Naruto's obi in the front. The elf said nothing in response to Naruto's gratitude, but his eyes had begun to well up again. That kind of reaction was unexpected, to say the least. Naruto had very little idea what was really bothering the elf so much; he had seen Sasuke's red nose and eyes in the backyard when he was washing the kimono, but the blond figured it was best not to press into the matter.

But this was the second time today that Sasuke had looked so crestfallen. Naruto pursed his lips and reached towards the smaller male.

"Hey, what're you crying for, Sasuke?" Naruto asked softly - he wasn't even sure why his voice had gotten so gentle.

With a quiet sniff, Sasuke reached out to Naruto's left hand and held it close to his chest, as if afraid of letting him go.

Sasuke let out a shaky breath, then said in the smallest voice, "I-I was afraid I had lost you."

Flabbergasted at Sasuke's intense demonstration of emotion, Naruto stood quiet for some time, but never pulled away from the elf. He had little idea how to best respond, how to console another. Naruto, after all, never quite had the luxury of someone consoling him when his own parents died.

But still, the blond would have to try. It wouldn't do to have Sasuke be all gloomy when no one had actually died.

"Hey," Naruto started finally with a crooked smile, causing Sasuke to look up with particularly drenched eyelashes, "stop crying. I'm not dead yet."

Rather than the desired effect of cheering up the elf, those dark eyes shut tightly and Sasuke lunged forward to grip much of the front of Naruto's kimono. The delicate fabric bunched up in seemingly frail, pale fists.

"I know. I know you're not dead. But if you were-"

The very thought of it caused Sasuke to bury his face in Naruto's chest. He made no sound other than his staggered breathing. It sounded as if he were suffocating.

"Sasuke," Naruto said firmly as he pulled away from the elf, "I'm absolutely fine. You see me standing here? I'm alive. I'm not going anywhere. You hear me?"

The elf blinked rapidly, the remnant tears in his eyes rolling over his cheeks. He looked down, not daring to meet Naruto's stern eyes. The blond sighed, then, not even caring about the sharp pain that shot through his shoulder, put his arms around Sasuke and held him tight.

"Idiot. You're supposed to cry for me when I die, not while I'm still alive. And wasn't I the one who got injured?"

Sasuke hiccuped. He made another strange, audible noise that sounded as if he were straining his vocal chords. It reminded Naruto of a whining puppy.

Naruto felt slightly guilty for having put Sasuke and Sakura through all this, but for Sasuke especially. He was probably not used to having his master come home all ripped up. And the fact of the matter was that the elf seemed to have grown quite attached to him, so seeing him nearing death was probably as traumatic and disturbing as it could get.

"I'm sorry. If...if I had known how dangerous it was to travel, I would have gone with you," Sasuke said quietly as he looked up apprehensively.

The blond let go of Sasuke as he furrowed his eyebrows and, with a scolding tone, said, "Stop thinking like that. If you had gone with me, there's no doubt they would have tried to kidnap you. And what would have happened with you then?"

With no valid argument to rebuttal that sort of logic, Sasuke remained quiet and stared at the clothed chest in front of him. Naruto let out an audible sigh and walked over to slide the bedroom door open. He turned around to see that Sasuke hadn't moved from his spot, his eyes having fallen to the floor and his hair curtaining most of his face.

"Hey, I have to report to Tsunade. She's been expecting me since last night," Naruto said as he tried to escape from the increasing tension in the room.

Sasuke looked up at him quickly, with his eyes wide and brimming with tears again. "You're going out again?"

Naruto nodded. Before the elf could even begin to argue, he was already heading for the front entryway and grabbed a pair of geta from the closet. As he made to leave the house, Sasuke came running to him and gripped a fistful of his sleeve.

"Please, master, let me come with you."

The pitiful expression on Sasuke's face was almost enough to wrench guilt from Naruto's heart. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to bring him along; after all, he figured he owed the elf something.

"Let's go, then," Naruto sighed.

oooOOooo

Sasuke sat quietly on the comfy sofa in the corner of Tsunade's office. He almost regretted asking to come along with Naruto, mostly because they were spending an awfully long time there and he was getting quite bored of doing nothing. But still, keeping himself in Naruto's presence was worth his boredom.

The elf only barely tuned in to the conversation between his master and the mayor of Konoha. They were speaking about a myriad of things, from the diplomacy status between Konoha and the neighboring village, to the attack against Naruto.

But Sasuke began to pay particular attention when Tsunade scolded Naruto: "No apologies. I just hope you've learned that the world is not the same anymore, Naruto. It's finally time you start defending yourself more properly. I'll have Asuma make you another sword, but this time you have to promise me you'll actually use it."

Naruto leaned forward, propping up his chin as he pressed his elbows onto Tsunade's desk. Sasuke watched his master's back intently, as if waiting for him to turn around. When Tsunade glanced over at him, he turned his head to the side, feigning ignorance. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the busty woman had lifted an eyebrow at him.

The elf stared down at his hands and wiggled his fingers absentmindedly as he went back to listening quietly.

"And as for your stolen funds, I'm afraid I can't do anything about that. Hopefully the payment from this mission will be enough to hold you over until the next one. But I do trust that you have an extra reserve secured somewhere for emergencies like this."

The blond groaned. Sasuke lifted his head up just the slightest bit to look at his master, who was running his hands through his hair. He didn't need to guess that all of his master's money had been stolen by that thief. At the thought, the elf's blood boiled.

Tsunade let out a frustrated growl, "Naruto, you're impossible. Look, I'll cut you a deal; I've been having some paperwork overflow, so if you come in to help me at least a few times a week, I can give you some compensation - just until you get back on your feet."

Sasuke figured his master and the mayor were close, but this secondhand kindness was, perhaps, a token of her fondness for him. He watched even more closely, staring directly at the two of them without care, as Naruto sat up straight and clapped his hands together, bowing over and over again.

"Old hag, you're the best. I don't know what I would do without your kindness," Naruto said, relief evident in his voice.

Tsunade's eye twitched at the insulting pet name Naruto had given her, but the blond female simply thwacked the side of his head. "Brat. Just for that, I expect you here tomorrow at sunrise."

"But-"

"No excuses! Tomorrow. Sunrise. Got it? Now leave. I have paperwork to catch up on. Don't forget to collect your payment on the way out."

Naruto seemed to know when Tsunade was being absolutely serious, for he stood up quickly and, with an embarrassed look on his face, gestured to Sasuke to signal their leave. The elf stood up himself and followed after his master, making sure to shut the door softly behind them as they left.

When they were outside, Naruto rubbed the back of his head and grumbled, "That old hag. I don't know whether to be thankful or not."

Sasuke said nothing in response, and wordlessly followed the blond as they maneuvered their way towards the deployment office to collect Naruto's payment.

oooOOooo

Deciding that the long meeting called for a rewarding trip to the barbecue shop, Naruto led Sasuke into the heart of the village where people were still bustling through the marketplace in the middle of the afternoon.

The elf watched his master's back apprehensively, making sure that no one would bump into Naruto's bad shoulder. He was so engrossed in protecting Naruto that he barely even noticed the people around them staring. If he had paid a little more attention, Sasuke would perhaps have realized that his hair had been tucked behind his ears, showing them off in a splendorous kind of way that inspired and offended humans and elves alike.

"You'll like this place, Sasuke. The old man who runs this place marinates the meat in beautiful sauces," Naruto grinned as they walked through the entrance, past the elves who remained outside the restaurant to wait for their masters.

The eyes that stared and glared at the "spoiled elf" - as most people referred him as - watched enviously as Sasuke followed closely behind Naruto into the building.

Inside, the pair was seen no differently. Patrons looked over, some in curiosity while others in disgust, as Naruto made a noisy entrance. He called out to the shop owner and took a seat at a table in the middle of the restaurant, seemingly unaware of the people staring at him and Sasuke.

The elf's eyes dashed from one end of the room to the other; he could see that most of the customers were staring directly at them. It did not help that Naruto chose to sit in a location that would showcase his strange treatment of a low-class elf like Sasuke. Even with the beautiful garments on, many people glared as the pointed elf ears poked out from Sasuke's dark tresses.

"Na - Master," Sasuke whispered, catching himself from calling his master by name for fear of judgment from the other humans, "Do we have to stay here? Everyone is staring."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked around in an almost exaggerated manner. Most people looked away before they were caught in the blue-eyed warrior's gaze, but some refused to back down as they continued to glare. The blond stared hard into the eyes of a particularly young, grey-haired man with glasses.

"Please," Sasuke whispered again, his voice becoming desperately pleading, "I'll cook barbecue at home. I … I don't want to be stared at like this. I feel like I've been put on display for these people."

A frown weighed down Naruto's face. He scratched the top of his head, then sighed as he got up and gestured Sasuke to move with him. Walking directly to the counter, Naruto ordered a few cooked dishes to take home. As they waited, the elf stood close to his master, eyes cast downwards and hands folded in front of him like a chastised child.

Relief washed over the elf when they got outside. Sasuke insisted on holding the warm, heavy food; he did not want any more people staring at them oddly. But it was hard to avoid attention anyway, because his own ornate clothing was enough to make him stand out from the crowd of plain kimono.

With another heavy sigh, Naruto let the corners of his mouth droop as they started towards the outskirts of the village. When Sasuke looked over at him questioningly, the blond turned back to him and gave him a small smile.

"Let's go home."

oooOOooo

Naruto watched on as Sasuke clumsily gripped his chopsticks and reached over his rice bowl to retrieve a piece of barbecued beef. The warm meat disappeared past shiny, oiled lips into the hungry mouth, shortly followed by a morsel of rice.

"There's nothing wrong with sharing a meal with me in a restaurant, Sasuke. We could have eaten there without any problem, you know."

The elf stopped chewing to stare at Naruto, a blank expression adorned on his face. Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. He understood Sasuke's discomfort from all the stares, but being Naruto's elf should be enough of a reason to not give a shit about that. The blond exhaled sharply through his nose and cricked his neck.

"Ah, would you like a massage, Ma - Naruto?" Sasuke asked as he sprung up from his knees.

Shaking his head, Naruto tried to assure that he was perfectly fine. However, when fragile hands began to rub and break down his tense muscles, all resistance ceased. Naruto sighed and slouched back as he leaned towards Sasuke, who was now kneeling behind him. The blond male let out another content sigh as knuckles pressed against the knots in his shoulders.

Despite Naruto's eagerness to prove to Sasuke that his being an elf should not matter to anyone, he let it go for now. The elf's massage worked wonders to relax his tense muscles.

"You've been taking such great care of me," Naruto said wistfully as he tilted his head to the side, "I thought Orochimaru called you rowdy. But you're nothing like that at all."

It was also a surprise that this elf was so obedient - so utterly nice, despite his reputation at Orochimaru's shop. The dark-haired beauty really proved to be a good investment, Naruto thought.

Sasuke did not reply immediately, but when he did, the pads of his fingers pressed into tense neck muscles as he replied, "I only treat my masters as well as they treat me. It's only right."

Naruto grinned, then chuckled a bit as he tilted his head forward. He could never bring himself to mistreat Sasuke; his beautiful eyes, skin, lips...they were enough incentive to treat him well. The elf had a healthy glow when he was happy, after all. The blond hummed as fragile fingers raked through his hair, fingernails scratching his scalp lightly.

"Oh god, that feels good," Naruto moaned.

And, without him even realizing it, the front of Naruto's hakama slowly rose as heat shimmied down between his legs. His entire body warmed at the sensation.

Sasuke's hands paused and stiffened a bit. Naruto realized that, perhaps, his tone of voice may have given away the arousal that had taken over his being. But the blond male wasn't the least bit embarrassed at his reaction to the more intimate touches; Sasuke had discovered his weak spot all too easily. Besides, it wasn't as if he was a young boy foreign to the concept of sex. He'd had his fair share of sex partners.

"Ah," Sasuke said softly as his hands gripped Naruto's shoulders, "you're..."

Unabashedly, Naruto batted the elf's hands away and made to stand up. He stretched as much as he could without causing himself too much pain and scratched absentmindedly at his stitches.

"I'm going to head over to the brothel. Seems that my time away from the village has built up a lot of tension down there too," Naruto said lightheartedly, "You finish up dinner. I'll be back in a little while."

The blond gave one last smile and patted Sasuke on the head before heading for the front door. Just as he stepped outside, Sasuke pulled on his sleeve, causing him to turn around. The elf had turned his head a little off to the side, his face tinged with a slight pink.

"Sasuke?" Naruto inquired curiously, "Is something wrong?"

Sasuke looked up at him, his face reddening. He pressed his lips together and shook his head, forcing the corners of his lips upwards.

"Nothing's wrong," Sasuke said quickly, "But - uh, come home soon, okay? I'll have some tea waiting for you."

Naruto's eyebrows were far up his forehead as his mouth opened slightly in surprise. He then curled his lips up and let his eyes fall a little.

"Of course. I'll be back soon."

And so the blond male went, leaving his house in the care of his elf - his Sasuke.

Naruto could not help himself as he smiled and whistled all the way to the brothel.