Conviction

Chapter 7: The Tides Swell and Recede

Naruto's barely conscious mind registered the shift in the air as a presence entered his room. His eyes shot open as the hostile chakra closed in. He jumped, twisting in the air to land on the ceiling.

He peered down at his attacker. His brows furrowed in confusion as a very pissed off Sasuke glared up at him. The Sharingan spun in slow, almost hypnotizing rotations.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, eying him warily. "What are you doing here?" As he was upside-down, his shirt had fallen with gravity. It gathered uncomfortably around his torso. By the look on Sasuke's face, though, his shirt was the least of his concerns.

Naruto felt his chakra rise around him in thin wisps, an immediate defense against the anger accumulating in those red eyes. He leapt from the ceiling to the floor by the doorway just as Sasuke lunged upward.

"Damn it, Sasuke, why are you attacking me?" Naruto crouched on hands and feet, eyes flashing red as Sasuke continued to glare at him, now from his spot on the ceiling. "I was just falling asleep too."

He quickly rewound the day's events in his head, wondering if he'd done anything to inadvertently piss Sasuke off. Maybe the tea at Ichiraku had given him gas—it'd happened to Naruto once. He didn't see how bad tea had anything to do with him though—he hadn't forced Sasuke to drink there.

"All worn out, are you?" Sasuke said, voice low.

Naruto opened his mouth to question him but he lunged again. He caught Naruto by the shoulders and they tumbled backwards, their bodies spilling into the hallway. Naruto's head hit the floor with a loud thud and an even louder curse. Sasuke quickly shifted, pinning him to the none-too-soft carpet.

"Sasuke?" Naruto whispered. He abandoned his gut reaction, which was to kick Sasuke's ass, in favor of tempering the man long enough to figure out what the hell his problem was.

Sasuke stared down at him, the red of the Sharingan fading slowly to black. His expression had drawn back into a familiar blank slate, but his eyes remained troubled. Naruto tried to lift his hand to touch Sasuke's cheek, but Sasuke pushed down on him harder, stilling the movement.

Naruto scraped his nails irritably across his carpet, since he couldn't move any other body part. Sasuke usually had a reason for his erratic mood shifts—Naruto decided he would be generous enough to hear him out.

Sasuke's eyes closed briefly as he reigned himself in. Now that Naruto was pinned beneath him, his rational side conceded that attacking Naruto with a less than calm mindset might not have been the sanest course of action. But Sasuke could hardly fault his instincts. Hinata had been wearing his shorts.

"What did you do with her?" he asked. He was grateful for sounding much steadier than he actually felt. Even in the dim light, he could see a dark flush creep up Naruto's face at the question. He felt his heart drop and his body stiffened, fighting the emotions that threatened to capsize at the implications of that damning blush.

Naruto's eyes widened at the look in Sasuke's eyes, realizing what conclusions he must have drawn. He wrestled free of Sasuke's hold with a painful grunt. But instead of pushing him away as Sasuke expected, Naruto wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut as Naruto buried his face in his neck.

"Don't look that way, Sasuke," Naruto whispered, his voice breaking and hating himself for the weakness. Don't look at me as if I've betrayed everything we were to each other..

Sasuke lay still on top of him, the rough carpet chafing his elbows. He drew in slow, even breaths and clung tenaciously to his anger. He braced his palms against the carpet and shoved backward, breaking Naruto's hold. He allowed himself an ounce of satisfaction as his fist smashed down into Naruto's startled face.

Naruto grew limp beneath him, head lolling. "Sasuke... god, you ass..." he mumbled, blinking rapidly and waiting for the lights to stop dancing behind his eyelids. There had definitely been chakra involved in that punch. Sasuke always had to react with violence, he thought tersely.

Sasuke leaned over him again, hissing in his ear. "Was she a good fuck?"

The fury in his steely voice jarred Naruto's swimming vision back into awareness. He turned his head to squint at Sasuke. His left eye and temple throbbed although he could already feel Kyuubi's healing powers at work.

"I didn't sleep with her," he said evenly. "We just kissed, that's all." Feeling too much like he was making excuses for himself, he added, "Besides, it's none of your business what we do."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and his hand gripped Naruto's neck. It was on the tip of his tongue to argue that Naruto was, in fact, his business. But the state of their relationship, or lack there of, was evidence enough that Sasuke had no real claim to him, despite the insistence of betrayal twisting his gut. Sasuke's jaw clenched angrily as he found himself unable to reply.

Naruto grasped Sasuke's hand, which was slowly cutting off his oxygen, and wrenched his neck free.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Naruto wheezed. He tilted his head back, dragging in air. He glared irritably up at Sasuke, unable to summon the energy to be angry with him. He understood that Sasuke felt betrayed and he couldn't deny the guilt that sat more heavily against him than Sasuke's weight, even if they weren't together anymore.

But that didn't mean killing him was a justifiable means of venting.

Sasuke pulled his hand free of Naruto's grip before grabbing a fistful of blond hair and lowering his face. "Did you forget this so quickly?" he whispered and then dragged his tongue down Naruto's jaw.

Naruto shuddered as the sensation shot straight to his groin. He grit his teeth and twisted his head away. "Sasuke, you can't just punch me and then expect me to want you."

Sasuke gave him a derisive snort. "But you do want me." To emphasize his point, his free hand slid between them and cupped the soft flesh between Naruto's thighs. Sasuke smirked as Naruto groaned softly.

Why, Naruto thought resentfully, couldn't it have just been gas?

He bit his lip to stifle any more sounds. He reached down between them, fingers wrapping around Sasuke's wrist to still his movements. He wiggled his hips in an attempt to dislodge the man, but Sasuke's legs tightened around his own, keeping him down.

"Stop, Sasuke." Naruto gasped softly. The anger he'd been too guilty to feel earlier was easily rising now that Sasuke had resorted to what Naruto considered foul play. He wouldn't be manipulated into letting Sasuke have his way.

"Why? Didn't you want this with Hinata?"

Naruto growled and, exerting just enough chakra, shoved upward. Sasuke fell back, just far enough for Naruto to slam his fist into Sasuke's side. Sasuke grunted and rolled off of him, curling an arm around his bruised waist.

Feeling thoroughly harassed, Naruto avoided eye contact as he rose and shifted onto his knees. He cast a glance at Sasuke, who was lying on his back, rubbing his side.

After a moment, Sasuke sat up and propped an arm on his knee. He sighed softly, sounding just as exasperated as Naruto felt. Honestly, Naruto thought with a toss of his head, what the hell were they doing fighting on his bedroom floor in the middle of the night? He rubbed his elbows where he was certain he'd gotten rug burns.

"Sasuke," Naruto finally said, bracing himself for Sasuke's reaction, "eventually you're going to have to let go and move on."

Sasuke stiffened. Then he rolled his shoulders to dislodge the tightness in his chest.

"So you've been saying." He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I can barely stand half the women in this village, Naruto. If you're so adamant about me finding someone, then why don't you suggest one for me?"

Naruto grew still at the remark, turning the idea over in his head. It wasn't completely without merit, he mused. There had been a challenge in Sasuke's voice, one he didn't expect Naruto to accept.

Naruto straightened his shoulders and shook his head. "Fine."

Sasuke arched a dubious eyebrow in response. He watched as Naruto pushed himself to his feet and moved to sit at the edge of his bed. He reached over to turn on the bedside lamp.

"Leave it," Sasuke said. "I like it dark."

Naruto directed an annoyed look at him, but left the light off. Sasuke stood and walked over, settling lightly beside him on the rumpled sheets.

"So?" Sasuke prodded.

Naruto's mind drew an immediate blank. Sasuke would need a strong woman, preferably a kunoichi. Even so, the majority of kunoichi their age were either their friends or women who, as Sasuke had just said, he could barely stand. Naruto's lips pinched irritably. He couldn't ask Sasuke to change from antisocial bastard to social butterfly just to appease a woman, even if the woman was to be his wife, but it would have made things easier. The only woman Sasuke felt anything for was Sakura.

Naruto blinked. A sad smile tugged at his lips as he thought back on how much and how long Sakura had loved Sasuke. She was a capable ninja and medic, one Sasuke himself complimented on the rare occasion. She was one of the few people who understood him the way only a teammate could. Sakura deserved to be happy.

But still the silence stretched on between them. Naruto ran a hand through his hair and Sasuke crossed his arms impatiently.

Just as Naruto had once thought of Sasuke like a brother, Sakura had become like a sister to him. He loved her without question. But could he bear to give Sasuke to her? Would he watch them together, see her happiness and resent her for it? Naruto fisted his hand in his lap. Was he really still so selfish after all this time?

"I can't," he said. He fixed his gaze on his lap, knowing Sasuke was probably looking smug. "Whoever it is you marry, I don't want to know her."

Sasuke felt his brief moment of triumph deflate at the way Naruto's shoulders slumped. His head fell back, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. He didn't understand how Naruto could cling so stubbornly to the belief that Sasuke would move on simply because he told him to. When had Sasuke ever taken the idiot's advice?

Reviving his clan had been an important goal once. But somewhere between Orochimaru, Sound, and all the years and the things Sasuke would have done to defeat his brother... he had put to rest that particular hope because hope had become an unnecessary distraction. Especially since death had always been the inevitable outcome.

Sasuke rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze falling to settle on Naruto's bowed head.

Then, in the end, Naruto had given him a new hope. And Sasuke had never been very good at letting things go.

Naruto shifted, growing uncomfortable with the silence. Sasuke uncrossed his arms and sighed.

"Naruto, tell me one thing."

Naruto straightened his back and turned to face him, relieved to see that Sasuke's expression was neutral—for the moment. He raised a brow, indicating without words for Sasuke to continue.

"Why was she wearing our clothes?"

The proverbial light bulb lit up. Naruto let out an annoyed breath of air and rolled his eyes. "So that's why you went postal on me."

"Just answer me."

"She spilled tea down the front of her kimono. She needed something to wear."

"So you gave her my shorts?" Sasuke asked dryly.

"Your hips are slimmer than mine," Naruto mumbled, feeling ridiculous for having said that aloud.

Sasuke snorted. "She probably did it on purpose."

Naruto's head snapped up, face scrunched in confusion. "Why the hell would she ruin her kimono on purpose? You're an idiot."

Sasuke wanted to smack the back of his head for being so naïve. Even if it didn't seem characteristic of Hinata, she had gone off with Sakura. It seemed like the sort of feminine manipulation Sakura would concoct. "And you're a naïve moron," he said.

"Sasuke, I'm not going to talk to you about Hinata. You dislike her simply because she's with me."

"As if you wouldn't feel the same," Sasuke said.

Naruto opened his mouth, but found he couldn't argue. Sasuke stared back pointedly.

Naruto heaved a resigned breath and rubbed his eyes wearily. "I'm really tired, Sasuke. I'd like to sleep now."

They sat together in silence for a moment longer. Naruto eyed him, wondering if Sasuke was refusing to acknowledge the dismissal. He contemplated throwing him out the window. That would be a dismissal the bastard couldn't ignore.

Before Naruto could act on the thought, Sasuke nodded. He stood and began tugging off his shirt.

"What do you think you're doing?" Naruto jumped to his feet, eyes wide. He flailed a bit, wondering if perhaps he ought to heave himself out the window instead to escape.

"Staying here. I don't feel like going back to my place." He tossed his shirt on the floor and started pulling off his pants.

"S-Sasuke! Stop it!" Naruto shouted, turning away. He could feel the blush rising on his cheeks as he remembered their indiscretion the night before. He abruptly smacked his forehead to remove the images.

"Relax, Naruto, I just want to sleep." Which was a complete lie, but he figured they'd fought enough for one night. If he tried anything else, Naruto would remove him bodily from his apartment.

He crawled onto the bed, sliding across the width of the narrow mattress so that he was against the wall, giving Naruto plenty of space to spread out. He pulled the sheets up to his waist then turned, presenting Naruto with his back. Naruto stayed on his feet beside the bed, watching him intently for any sign of trickery.

"I'll... sleep in the living room," he said.

A hand grabbed his wrist before he could turn away. Sasuke had shifted to face him, propped up on his elbow. The only sources of light were the dim lamps scattered across the street below his apartment, which just barely filtered in through the window. It was only because of their superior night vision that they could see each other's expressions at all. And right then, Sasuke was smiling that small smile that Naruto had always found difficult to turn from.

"Stay, Naruto. I just want to sleep."

Naruto swallowed. It really wasn't a good idea. He rubbed the heel of his foot against the carpet, wavering between the bed and his none-too-comfortably sofa.

Against his better judgment, he slid into the bed beside Sasuke. The two men lay facing each other, neither touching for fear of being unable to pull back.

"Good night, Naruto."

Naruto swallowed again, his throat dry. He shifted his head against his pillow, feeling restless despite how tired he was. "Night, Sasuke." This is such a bad idea, he thought before his sensible side smacked his doubts away and reminded himself that he was a ninja. He could damn well control his own hormones.

Several minutes passed before he recalled something.

"Sasuke?" he whispered.

"Hm?" came a sleepy reply.

"Did you follow me and Hinata to my apartment earlier?"

Sasuke cracked open his eyes just enough to frown at him. "I'm not a stalker, you idiot."

"I'm serious."

He closed his eyes again. "No, I arrived as she was leaving your apartment. Why?"

Naruto bit his lip, brows furrowed, and shook his head. "It's nothing."

oOo

"What do you think, Shikamaru?"

"I think I'd like to be sleeping too."

Neji frowned and crossed his arms. He coughed loudly.

The pair curled around each other on the bed didn't stir. Sunlight streamed in through the single window but it didn't seem to bother the dozing couple.

Neji shook his head in disappointment. They had just let two elite ninjas sneak in as they slept. They would both be dead by now if he and Shikamaru had been enemies.

He moved to the side of the bed, his footsteps falling loudly in the hopes of jarring the two men. When they didn't so much as twitch, Neji gripped a corner of the pale blue sheets. He closed his eyes, prayed they weren't naked, and jerked the sheets back.

Except the sheet didn't go very far seeing as Sasuke was suddenly holding onto his corner of it.

"Do you mind, Hyuuga?" Sasuke's voice was slurred from sleep, but still held a good degree of irritation.

Neji smirked. So at least Sasuke had sensed their approach. "Hokage-sama has called a meeting."

Sasuke lifted his head from where it rested against Naruto's bare shoulder and cracked open an eye to look from Neji to Shikamaru. Shikamaru shifted on his feet, gaze fixed on something outside the window.

He expelled an annoyed breath of air and began extracting himself from Naruto's limbs.

"Nnnn... five more minutes." Naruto reached blindly for the warmth he'd been wrapped in, which, incidentally, had been Sasuke.

Neji's jaw clenched briefly at the sight. Naruto and Sasuke were equal in rank to him so he couldn't remark on their behavior. Even so, it was fortunate the Hokage had sent him instead of Hinata to fetch Naruto.

"Naruto, wake up," Sasuke said. "We have company."

"Hurry up, Naruto," Shikamaru said, sounding miffed. "The Hokage's waiting and you're making me drowsy."

oOo

The lack of warmth was what had roused him at first. But it was Shikamaru's voice, which sounded out of place in his bedroom, that made Naruto open his eyes. He found himself almost nose to nose with Sasuke's sleep-softened face. His eyes widened and he yelped in surprise, jerking away. His gaze flew from Sasuke to the other two occupants in his room.

His eyes bulged and his face turned beet red. He opened his mouth to spout denials but Neji cut him off.

"Thank you, Sasuke, for saving us the trouble of having to find you as well. Hokage-sama wants to see us now that we've all returned and rested from our missions. We're to be briefed on our mission to the chuunin exams. Be there in fifteen minutes."

His gaze lingered on Naruto's for a moment—Naruto looked down, swallowing uncomfortably—before turning away. Shikamaru rubbed his head and cast the two men an awkward glance as he and Neji left via the window. As soon as they were gone, Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"I can't believe I didn't hear them come in! And what were you doing holding me like that? What will they think? What if Neji tells Hinata?"

Ignoring Naruto's tirade, Sasuke stood and began pulling on the clothes he'd worn the night before. Frankly, Sasuke hoped Neji did tell Hinata.

"Sasuke, are you listening to me?" Naruto shouted, arms flailing. He kicked the sheets off his legs.

Sasuke turned back to face the man who was still sitting up in bed and glaring at him for being ignored. He smirked, taking in Naruto's rumpled state.

"Best night's sleep I've had in a while. I'm stopping by my place first. I'll see you at the tower."

Ignoring Naruto's indignant sputtering, he moved to the window, which had suddenly become the main means of entering and exiting Naruto's apartment.

Naruto glared at the dark head as Sasuke disappeared from view. He jumped off his bed and reached out to slam his window shut. He winced as the pane shuddered but the glass remained intact. Then he flopped back on his bed and sighed.

Neji was going to kill him. Unless he didn't, which could very well happen—or not happen, depending on the standpoint. Naruto shook his head. He was confusing himself.

He rubbed his eyes and pushed to his feet, ready to start his day despite the uncertainty. Duty called, after all.

Besides, the old hag would threaten to pull him from the mission if he skipped out on the meeting.

Still, as he quickly cleaned up, a reluctant smile tugged at his lips. It'd been the best night's sleep in a long while for him as well.

oOo

When Naruto and Sasuke were sworn into ANBU, they had been surprised to discover (it had in fact only been Naruto who'd been surprised as Sasuke hadn't particularly cared) that ANBU headquarters provided a social lounge with furnishings as lavish as the mansions in Konoha's eastern district, which was where the more affluent and political members of society had made their homes. Sasuke's apartment was on the east side.

At the moment Naruto was seeking shelter in the ANBU lounge. His long body was stretched out over a plush chaise of velvet brocade, his legs crossed at the ankles. He grunted softly as his eyes skimmed over a random article in the magazine he flipped through.

He appeared almost out of place lounging there on that ostentatious piece of furniture, clothed in black from neck to feet and crowned by a thick cap of unruly blond hair. A discarded white vest lay unheeded at the foot of the chaise.

The only thing lacking in the spacious room was a window, for obvious security reasons. However, as consolation, a large detailed painting of Konoha and the Hokage mountain spanned the entire left wall, framed by richly embroidered moss green curtains. As a result of the lack of natural lighting, light fixtures had been installed into each corner, casting the room in an ambient glow. Naruto found the effect soothing.

Booted feet crossed silently over the thick carpeting towards the reclining ninja.

"Hey, Naruto. You busy later?" Shikamaru dropped down onto an armchair. He crossed his ankles, sinking into the cushions.

Naruto's brows knit as he flipped another page. "I don't have any plans." His thumb idly scraped along the edges of the remaining pages.

"The girls want everyone over for dinner tonight at Sakura's," Shikamaru said, his gaze traveling up to the ceiling.

The ceiling was completely at odds with the rest of the room. Uneven layers of chipped plaster constantly threatened to shower them with a sprinkling of white flakes. It didn't help that some of them had taken to throwing various pointed weaponry at the jagged surface, betting at who could leave the most uniquely shaped hole.

"It's been a while since so many of us have been available," Shikamaru said. "The only people still on missions are Chouji and Shino and they should be back before the week's through." He rolled his shoulders back, popping a joint, and stood. "Well, see you tonight if you come."

Naruto rolled onto his back and laid the open magazine across his chest, having lost interest in its contents. His eyes wandered the mutilated white landscape of the ceiling. He raised an eyebrow appreciatively at a depression that distinctly resembled Kakashi.

The muffled thrum of a rock song blared from the headphones of another ANBU member dozing on a sofa across the room. Naruto's finger tapped unconsciously against the discarded magazine to the barely audible beat.

It was true he wanted to see everyone. He wanted to congratulate Lee for becoming jounin even though his promotion had been half a year ago. There had simply never been time between missions to seek out the ninja with an affinity for green spandex. He actually wanted to get his ass kicked by Shikamaru at go and belt out drunken ballads with Kiba while sober (it had always seemed funnier to Naruto to feign drunkenness). He wanted to exchange harmless flirtation with Ino because over the years, the two blondes had developed a friendly, teasing rapport.

Despite the scene that morning, he wanted to catch up with Neji because even though the man wasn't much of a conversationalist, he was typically very pleasant to be around.

Unfortunately, he would also have to face Hinata and Sasuke, both of whom he'd been avoiding since the meeting with Tsunade several hours earlier. Sasuke he was avoiding for obvious reasons and Hinata because he wasn't yet certain how he should behave around her anymore. The kiss had complicated things.

His ears caught the whisper of steady footfalls. He barely resisted scrunching his nose as his senses recognized the approaching presence.

Sasuke's hands rested comfortably in the pockets of his baggy pants as he made his way over to Naruto and settled in the chair only recently occupied by Shikamaru.

"Hey," he said by way of greeting.

Naruto watched him curiously. At the meeting Sasuke had been rather...civil. Sometime within the 15 minutes it had taken for him to leave Naruto's apartment and arrive in Tsunade's office, Sasuke had apparently decided to return to the friendly camaraderie the two men had been able to share (for the most part, considering their past) before the Itachi—and thus, subsequent alley—incident. Naruto had yet to determine what Sasuke's real motives were, but part of him was relieved at not having to deal with an emotionally charged Sasuke for the time being.

"Hey," he finally said in response. He slid the magazine off his chest and tossed it blindly onto a settee several feet away. It landed perfectly atop a stack of other magazines.

"Sakura will have your hide if you don't go," Sasuke said. He slouched in the chair, finding a comfortable position, legs spread wide.

Blue eyes briefly acknowledged the provocative pose before looking away. "I know. I suppose I'll have to go. I want to see everyone anyway."

Sasuke smirked, absently tracing the curling patterns of the upholstery with a slender finger. "You just want to go for the food. I've seen how you stuff your face with Sakura's cooking."

Naruto flashed a grin, which Sasuke knew was far from sincere, and ruffled his own hair with a shrug. "As long as she makes ramen, I'm so there."

Naruto tensed as Sasuke stood and crossed the few steps it took to reach Naruto's side. He shoved at Naruto's hip. "Scoot over."

Naruto raised a dubious eyebrow. "What, are you serious? Find your own spot."

Sasuke smirked and lay down anyway, elbowing and shoving until he'd claimed half the space on the chaise for himself.

Naruto grumbled a few choice insults before turning on his side away from Sasuke's warm body.

"About last night," Sasuke began.

Naruto winced at the reminder.

"Forget it happened. I don't like it when I lose my temper like that."

Naruto turned so Sasuke could see his irritation. "You don't like it? Try being on the receiving end some time."

Sasuke shrugged. "Like I said, just forget it. Although," the right corner of his lip curled upward, "afterward was nice."

Naruto didn't deem to respond, merely turning his back once again.

Both men lay quietly, the silence broken only by the distorted drone of music still thumping in their only other companion's ears.

The last words of a conversation floated through the entrance as voices approached.

"...should go, Neji. I think it'll be fun."

Neji, Tenten, Hinata, and the fourth member of Neji's team, a young woman named Akiko, filed into the lounge.

Neji acknowledged them with a nod, Tenten and Akiko a friendly wave, and Hinata a small smile although she was looking at the floor.

Sasuke turned away, responding to their greetings with only a small grunt.

Naruto sat up, a bright smile welcoming the arrivals. Neither Neji nor Shikamaru had yet to mention what they'd seen that morning. Naruto was grateful. The last thing he needed was inquiries regarding the nature of his and Sasuke's friendship. Not for the first time, he was glad he had friends who knew when not to get involved.

"Naruto," Hinata said, sitting in a loveseat adjacent to where the two men shared the chaise. "You're going tonight, aren't you?"

"Wouldn't miss it. It'll be really nice to see everyone again. I haven't even congratulated Lee on making jounin yet."

Naruto perched at the edge of his seat, debating on whether to remain where he was or join Hinata on the loveseat. Seeing as Sasuke wasn't paying him any undue attention, he opted to remain where he was.

Akiko dropped into the armchair that first Shikamaru then Sasuke had abandoned, honey brown eyes glancing surreptitiously at Sasuke. Sasuke piled his hands behind his head and shifted, having more space to stretch out now that Naruto was sitting up.

"So what do you guys think about the mission? Hokage-sama sure is playing it safe, eh?" Akiko's question had been directed at everyone although her gaze continually returned to Sasuke who had closed his eyes, pointedly ignoring her attempts to catch his eye.

"I think it might be fun. I doubt anything serious will happen with so many of us going. It'll be like a vacation," Tenten said.

Neji snorted softly. "Vacationing in Sand? Hardly what I'd call relaxing."

"Well, I'm kind of looking forward to it. Not the sand part; that stuff is a pain. I just can't wait to kick Gaara's ass again." Naruto snickered into his hand, looking for a moment like his thirteen-year-old self again.

Hinata smiled warmly and reached out to gently ruffle his hair. Naruto paused, his eyes meeting hers. Then he ducked his head and gave her a lopsided smile. With only Sasuke as experience, he was at a loss for how to respond to her gesture.

"You don't laugh as much as you used to." Hinata abruptly slapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened, looking surprised at having blurted her thoughts to everyone.

Naruto looked equally startled. He turned her words over in his head, his expression thoughtful. Sasuke had opened his eyes just long enough to give her a curious look.

After a tense moment, Neji stood. "Hinata, train with me for a bit. Your father is not available today."

Hinata lowered her hand from her mouth. She stood, looking reluctant. "Sure. I'll see you later, Naruto."

Naruto straightened and offered her a smile. "Do you want me to pick you up later?"

"Oh, that's all right. I'll just come with Neji. See you tonight." She raked a hand through her short black hair, looking as if she wanted to say more.

Naruto bit his lip and waited. But Hinata just shrugged lightly and smiled before turning away.

"See ya." He didn't watch her leave. Instead, his eyes trekked slowly over the likeness of Konoha spread across the opposite wall. Hinata was right. But then again... there really wasn't much to laugh about anymore.

Contemplative blue eyes paused on the painted veneer of the Third and he felt a familiar pang in his chest. Would you be proud of who I've become, old man? he wondered. His gaze moved onto the Fourth.

Sasuke watched as a hardness crept over the angles of Naruto's face. For all the emotion in them, his eyes might as well have been chiseled from stone, like the true forms of the images which currently held him rapt in some grim vein of thought.

"We'll catch you boys later." Tenten and Akiko stood to follow their teammates.

Both men responded rather mechanically. "Later."

The women exchanged amused looks as they left the lounge.

Sasuke reached out, the callused pads of his fingertips brushing over the sleeve of Naruto's shirt.

Naruto blinked, focusing vacant blue eyes on the man spread out beside him. Warmth returned to soften the edges of his eyes and his smile.

He lay back down beside his friend and closed his eyes, relaxing as Sasuke's body heat warmed his back.