Well, this is sort of like the epilouge to the whole story. Sorry it took so long. I got lazy and bored. I'm glad I could finally finish it, even if it is a piece of complete crap. Well, it WAS my first multiple-chapter fanfiction project, so...

Let's hope I get better at writing and please don't throw bricks at me if it sucks too bad.


8. Acceptance and Future.

Naruto woke to the sweet smell of bacon cooking, sizzling away on a frying pan. His nose immediately jerked upwards from underneath the covers but as he tried to move more, a dull ache stopped his body and he fell back into the soft bedcovers, limp.

"Saaaassuuuuukeeeeee!!" he called desperately into the kitchen.

"What?" the raven answered, not moving away from the stove.

"I can't move!" Naruto groaned, rolling over.

"Why is this my problem?"

"You bastard!" all pain seemed to disappear as naked determination took over the blonde's limbs and he stomped into the kitchen, waking his black-haired partner on the back of the head. "Because you're the one who jumped me, pervert."

"Merry Christmas to you too, dobe." Sasuke growled, glaring at the blue-eyed and rubbing his head.

"Ooooh…" suddenly remembering, Naruto threw his arms around Sasuke's neck lovingly. "Yeah!"

"You're one braid-dead blonde." Sasuke snarled, his eyes glued to the bacon as he flipped the pan over and deposited the cooked meat onto a plate. Naruto grabbed one of the strips, chewing on it happily.

"Oh Shuddup. You don't mean that."

Sasuke hummed and put on some more strips of uncooked meat, watching them change color as they cooked. Naruto's hands stubbornly refused to leave his neck, but it wasn't as if he minded at all. The boy's touch was soft and warm, and it felt like it belonged.

"Hey Naruto…"

"Yeah?" the younger one's smile was wider than ever.

"I was just thinking… I want to ask you something." Sasuke poked the bacon with a fork. Was he actually going to do this? He'd spent the whole lone morning having a major fight inside of his head. As if it was politics, and two completely different ideas were going at each other.

"Yeah?"

Obsidian eyes met cerulean ones. Mentally, Sasuke nodded at himself.

"I have a gift for you, too."

XxX

Another week, and a New Year's Day spent together and they returned to school, where Sasuke was met with a huge hug from Sakura as Naruto glared from afar. But soon they fell back in step with their regular lives, things going on as usual. No one realized the truth. No one probably would. Because Sasuke and Naruto were certainly not gay. Certainly not.

Sasuke calmly accepted the gifts from his fan-club, treating each with care to the affect of only raising another tsunami of compliments that washed over him. Silently, he amused himself by watching as a couple of girls actually gave presents to Naruto, as well. The blonde seemed completely taken aback by this – he hadn't expected anyone to give him gifts except Hinata-chan. What amazed him most was the fact that Sakura actually gave him a present as well. A box of home-made chocolates, much like the one she gave to Sasuke, only, of course, considerably smaller. They were shaped like snowflakes and covered with blue frosting. Naruto gaped at her, openmouthed until she finally smacked him on the head and yelled at him to say 'thank you'. Which he did.

The teachers weren't too crazy about just letting everyone goof off, however. Immediately, homework was a part of their crazed-up lives again and everyone was hurrying to get things done, to study for the tests that came in the spring. Sasuke and Sakura suddenly began running around the school as if everything was a marathon, carrying out their student-council duties. Naruto lazily watched them from afar, chewing on food. He didn't mind them being together constantly anymore. Sasuke might have had something to do with soothing his worried heart, for the raven made sure to pull Naruto aside whenever they were alone and to kiss him soundly, making sure that they both knew where they were in this crazy relationship. Naruto was content. No, more than content. He knew that finally, he was truly, genuinely happy. This was where he wanted to be, and things were going great. So as long as he didn't fail the exams and got into 11th grade, he'd be just dandy. As long as.

February came to with crisp morning air, snow still resting on the naked cherry trees in the school yard, and Naruto sat in the empty classroom, staring outside sleepily and ignoring the bento lunch that sat on his desk right beside some papers. Sakura came in to place the copies of the hand-outs on the teachers' desk and then turned to him. He smiled at her tiredly and stretched.

"You look wasted, Naruto-kun." The girl noticed, coming over to sit on the edge of his desk. "That's pretty weird, considering that you barely do any work at all."

"I do work!" Naruto mumbled, resting his head on his folded arms. "I do different kind of work."

"The 'sleep in class' kind of work? Or maybe you mean the 'pull pranks' kind of work." Sakura teased, poking his forehead. He batted her hand away in annoyance. "You should at least do your homework." Her green eyes lowered to the items on his desk. "Naruto-kun, what's this?" she picked up a piece of paper with a list on it.

"Bills." He responded lazily.

"Bills?" she repeated.

"Bills. Cable bills, water bills, apartment rent." He yawned. "You know the stuff you have to pay for."

Sakura held the paper in front of his face and waved it back and forth. "This doesn't say your name on it. It's Sasuke's."

Naruto grinned apologetically, suddenly losing his sloth face. "Yeah, well. He tricked me into doing it."

"How so?" Sakura's expression grew darker as if she suspected something.

"W-well…" Naruto tried to find an easy way out of this conversation and failed. "B-because we're friends now and…"

"And…?"

"And I… well he said… we're…" Naruto took a deep breath, deciding to get it over with. "I live in his apartment now!"

There was a minute of silence. Naruto sat behind his desk, trembling with fear of what Sakura's reaction might be. Her beloved Sasuke, living with the person who was once rumored to have kissed the Ice Prince. But he simply couldn't say no. Not back then, when they were both so comfortable together, standing in that kitchen and when Sasuke plainly and bluntly told him that he was an idiot and it would be a lot easier for both of them if he moved in. Naruto was so happy. In reality he'd agreed to do the bills himself. He promised to get a job, too. Such things were a small price to pay for what Sasuke's suggestion was. They would live together. Just like they were now.

"You two are… living in one apartment?" Sakura asked, as if she didn't believe it to be true.

"Y-yes…?" Naruto tried quietly.

Sakura looked at him as if he was delirious. Then, she looked at him as if he had done something wrong.

"You two, living in one house? I don't like this. I don't like this at all." She glared at the blonde. "I bet you tricked him into doing it, you baka."

"Ah… I…"

"I do hope you sleep in separate rooms." She snapped.

No, actually, you see, it's a bit hard to trudge to a different room at 12:00 midnight once we're done…

"Of course!" Naruto made a noise of disgust. "I wouldn't dream of being in the same room with him!"

"And I hope you don't force Sasuke to cook for you in the mornings."

Well, actually, he always cooks because he thinks that I can burn water.

"N-no! His food would be poisonous, I bet!"

"And Naruto…" she leaned in close to his face. "If you even think of walking home together with him…"

Uh, well, he does insist that we take different routes. He walks part of the way with you and then we meet up and walk home together but if you knew that you'd kill me and him alike.

"Of course not."

She let out a sigh of relief. Naruto did, too, but quietly. He slumped in his chair as she shut the door behind her, walking out of the classroom.

"You're really that scared of us being in the same room?"

Sakura turned to look over her shoulder at Sasuke who was leaning casually against the wall on the side of the door that lead into the classroom. It was quiet in the halls, too. She smiled.

"Sasuke-kun."

"It was my idea."

She smiled even wider, although this smile was a little sadder. "I figured."

"You don't mind it, then?" he asked quietly.

"Don't mind what?"

"Us living together."

Sakura looked away, her smile still lingering, but it was misty, as if it might dissolve at any moment. "It's what you wanted, obviously. I can't help that." She turned around completely and walked away, her shoes echoing back to Sasuke for a long time. He turned and walked back into the classroom, greeted by a happy Naruto. He kissed him again, but lightly this time.

"Yes, this is what I want." He whispered.

"What?" Naruto asked, not understand where this sudden sentence had come from.

"Just shut up, dobe." Sasuke chuckled, his fingers traveling through the blonde hair.

"Teme." Naruto mumbled, but he closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the touch of the one he loved as fresh February snow fell in the background. This was what they both wanted, and not all the Sasuke fan girls in the world could change that.


Fear my terrible writing skills. And yes, I rpomice that someday I will make chapter 7 better.

Someday.