Sasuke's chidori skims past Naruto, hitting a tree instead. The impact splits the trunk and the upper half crashes to the ground. The next thing the Uchiha is aware of is a harsh voice ghosting his ear and his arm being wrenched behind his back again. He emits a small cry as his shoulder pops, coming out of its socket. His eyes squeeze shut at the shooting pain that follows.

"What do you want from me?" He hisses, hurling himself forward to hopefully flip the other over.

This isn't what he wanted.

He'd intended to immobilize Sasuke, but not impair his ability to fight. Hearing the sickly pop of his shoulder dislodging tells him he needs to tone it down a notch. The other's putting up a fight, but it just seems off. It puzzles him to no end. Why hasn't he cast any other jutsu on him? Has he not learned anything new in the last couple of years?

Naruto doesn't want to coast on the possibility that Sasuke might actually be letting him win.

His thoughts disperse when he's lifted from the ground, grunting as he's flung to the side. His face smacks the mud and he stills. And waits. He needs to know if…

I need to know if Sasuke will kill me, if provoked and given the chance.

Sasuke grunts as he struggles with his next jutsu, his damaged shoulder inflicting a wave of pain down his arm. He summons his Kusanagi sword and walks to stand over his fallen opponent. There he raises Kusanagi over his head, chakra flowing from his arms and into the blade which begins to emanate blue electricity. He doesn't know what Naruto wants, he doesn't know exactly what brought on this sudden attack. All he knows is, at that moment in time, he can't bring himself to kill the blond.

A hoarse cry escapes his lips as he brings the sword down hard, inches away from the others head. The force splits the earth and a crack forms. As the tip of the sword made contact, Sasuke had already distinguished most of the lightning as even a near-miss could inflict so much damage. Falling onto his knees, his hand still gripping the hilt of Kusanagi tightly, he rests his head on the blunt end. He says nothing.

Crackling light blinds him and Kusanagi buzzes with power.

Naruto will put his faith in his friend one last time. If Sasuke tends to go through with it, he'll move, of course, Naruto's no fool. A couple years back, he could feel the killing intent roll off of Sasuke in waves, now however, it seems absent. In the present time, the other moves hesitantly.

His body tenses, ready to spring away, when his wayward friend lets out a mangled cry. The sword pierces the ground beside him, bits of lightning flicker and eventually die out. He doesn't move until Sasuke's knees follow the same way, planting themselves in the mud.

He can't see the other's face as he pushes himself up, inky hair obscuring all but pale lips pulled into a grimace. Naruto feels so proud for his friend, he is finally allowed to acknowledge that something has indeed shifted in Sasuke's way of thinking. For once, it seems not entirely negative.

Naruto makes a move to crawl closer, reaching out to slide a hand up the other's arm, where the shoulder has been dislocated. Static still dances on the other's skin, after shocks of the Chidori still evident. It makes Naruto's finger tips tingle.

" I'm so…" his lips are still parted and he can't bring himself to voice his thoughts out loud suddenly.

The feather-like touch on his arm sends a shudder through Sasuke's frame and a sharp intake of breath. Naruto starts to speak but doesn't seem to be able to get his words out. For a long moment, Sasuke stays in his position, head bowed and face mostly obscured by a drape of charcoal tresses. The slowly he lifts his head, eyes shifting to the gentle touch on his arm. He swallows, Adam's apple bobbing, then flicks his eyes to Naruto's face.

Naruto's lips are still parted from his halted speech and his eyes that burned with such ferocity only minutes ago, are unfocused. Sasuke's own dark orbs are simply questioning, he makes no move to get up or shove the blond away, nor does he speak. He keeps his gaze on Naruto's face, waiting for him.

He just wants his friend back.

Sasuke's just staring back at him, too. Open gaze stopping Naruto short in voicing his thoughts. There's something about that look that derails his thought process and sets them on a new track. One that is entirely observant. He can see almost every pore on the other, the beginnings of bristle on his chin, the way his prominent jaw works and tenses with every reaction. When did they even start shaving?

He just wants his friend back.

Bewilderment dawns on his face and Naruto tries desperately to reassemble his internal self. Is it completely selfish to long for what could have been? For Sasuke to have been there with him through everything? Jiraiya's death, Pein's attack, the first time Kurama's once evil chakra took hold of his body and seared off his skin ? All the talks he could have had with Sasuke if he hadn't left—they've lost so much time.

Naruto just wants….

His thoughts realign themselves and what becomes of them casts light something in him that had probably always been there. The realization of it all hits with such a force that nearly knocks the wind out of him.

Naruto wants Sasuke. In every sense. He'd loved him since they were children, probably. Maybe there was never a time he didn't.

Blue eyes come back into focus and so do the rest of his senses. Sasuke's skin has goosebumps under his fingers, flesh cold and wet from rain. He vaguely remembers what he had intended to say before. In a near whispers, he continues, " I'm so glad." Eyes downcast, he goes quiet.

Of all the things he'd been able to scream and spit at Sasuke, maybe this was something he couldn't say. And it hurts. He used to dream of him so much, echoes of laughter and past arguments would float through his hazy mind, numbed by sleep. But he's here now, solid and real , but Naruto can't bring himself to move.

Sasuke finds Naruto's gaze to be a little unnerving after a while. It's as if he is being inspected, as if he is exposed. For the first time the dark-haired male feels self-conscious, those penetrating blue eyes are lingering on his jawline. Sasuke knows he's not ugly but the odd time he'd caught his reflection made him wonder why he got so much attention from the village females. Then of course there was Karin..; he shudders. He wasn't oblivious to her advances back then, he just chose to ignore it. He was even complimented by the Mizukage.

None of them looked at me like this though…

The rain is just as heavy as it was when Sasuke first found Naruto clinging to life on the sodden ground, had it really been a matter of hours? It felt like days. Looking up to dark, gloomy skies, Sasuke swears he's sees a glimmer of sunlight trying to push through. At that second he feels weightless and a sense of hope washes over his being. He looks back to Naruto with a small curl of the lips. He tells himself it's to reassure the blond, his heart tells him differently and he tries to ignore the increased beats.

He misses Sasuke's minute smile, resignedly staring downcast.

"Like I said earlier, you can take the shower first, since I've already used it once."

He's missed his chance, most likely, too stunned to do anything useful. He wonders if Sasuke's even interested in those sort of affairs. When they were kids, he'd turn a blind eye to girls pleading for his affection. It would make Naruto livid when he would ignore Sakura. Girls never spoke to him at that age. Hinata had been…pleasant, but more often than not he found her a bit strange. The last time he had a conversation with her, she spoke in a more assertive manner however. Girls will flirt with him in the present time, too.

Naruto braces himself on his knees and rises to stand. Soon, he feels warmth on his back, light pokes through heavy clouds, to reflect in the still falling rain. He always found it peculiar for the sun to be out during a downpour.

Turning back to Sasuke, while not looking directly at his face, he motions for the other to head towards the outhouse.

It's obvious to the Uchiha that something in Naruto has shifted, causing the blond's spirit to plummet and Sasuke can't help but feel he is part of the cause. He just can't pinpoint when the situation turned; one minute Naruto was angry and attacking him, the next he was sullen. It's seems the blond can't even look at him right now and Sasuke feels a pang in his chest. He can deal with angry Naruto, he can deal with annoyingly happy Naruto, but this atmosphere, this dark aura that seemed to emanate from him now; Sasuke doesn't know how to take it.

Resigning himself to the fact that he'd done something to put Naruto in this mood, he complies with his suggestion, getting up from off his knees and turning towards the houses. Thankfully, he manages to relocate his shoulder without too much fuss but then they heave with a weary sigh as he sets off walking. He doesn't glance back, he's scared to. He doesn't know why.

Just when did Naruto become the sullen and broody one? Whenever he had a problem with Sasuke, he'd just smack him, or they'd fight and get over it. Really, he's dancing around the situation like an indecisive child.

He watches the other's receding figure, as Sasuke makes his way towards the outhouse. Eventually Naruto follows, veering off to sit on the stone steps in front of his cabin, too dirty to feel comfortable with going inside. The door shuts behind Sasuke and Naruto turns his gaze to the parting clouds. The rain has begun to thin, in wake of the sun's emergence.

He doesn't really want to talk later. Naruto wishes he could omit the tedious work of confessing to the other. He tries to pick dirt from underneath his finger nails and eventually realizes how pointless that is without running water over them. Uncharacteristically, he gives up immediately, and rests his head in his hands.

" I'm so stupid, so stupid. "

Stepping into the decrepit outhouse and closing the door behind him, Sasuke peeks through a gap in the worn wood just in time to see Naruto disappear around the front of the cabin. A small frown tugs the corners of his lips down as he peels off his clothes. The fabric clung in places making it very difficult in the cramped space to do anything but eventually he is rid of his confines and stands under the spray of the shower.

Tilting his head back to allow the water to hit his face and neck, Sasuke's thoughts return to all that had transpired today. Fate had decided to reunite him with his rival under dire circumstances and at first Sasuke was still fully intent on his plan to see Konoha fall. Once the dobe woke up and was healed he'd expected to face a fight. There were words exchanged of course… Some words that Sasuke still couldn't fathom. Shaking his head he retrieves the soap, lathering it over his skin and hair. It felt good to be clean and not wanting to waste got water, he rinses off hastily, shutting the water off and pulling down a towel from the overhead shelf. He dries himself as best he can manage - which is barely much, then wraps the towel around his waist.

The sun that had decided to make an appearance is a welcome sight as Sasuke exits the outhouse, but it's a little too late in the day and is due to set in the next hour or so. He carefully picks his way across the grass to avoid slipping until he reaches the cabin, pushing the door open. The cabin was quiet and for a heart-stopping moment Sasuke thinks Naruto had made his exit. Those fears are washed away when he shuffles into the main room where said blond has his back to him, looking out of the window.

During Sasuke's shower, Naruto had eventually come out of his stupor, long enough to remember the few scrolls he packed in the bag he brought with him. He had finally learned to properly seal his belongings in them, further providing convenience for himself himself during long term missions. After performing a few lazy hand seals, Naruto managed to summon soft cotton pajamas and a tooth brush.

Fancying a look out of the window to the back garden, he pads over to it, leaning on the window seal.

When Sasuke does reappear, Naruto nearly jolts upright, too dazed to hear the door open. He grabs his clothes before turning to him, " Oh I forgot I had my little scrolls," he starts, " I finally learned how to-" shock washes over him like a cold gust of air. The other has a thin towel held loosely around his waist and Naruto is in full view almost all of his friend's body. It's not like he hasn't seen him in this state before, they used to go to bathhouses back when Kakashi would treat the team during missions in foreign countries. Reserved as Sasuke may have been with other affairs, he was never bothered about nudity. Naruto only scowled at him with envy then.

But now..

Now evokes quite a different emotion for the whiskered man. Red bleeds into his face and his cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. Fumbling with the items in his hand, he brushes passed Sasuke, lips tight and eyebrows knitted together.

Naruto gives a little start before turning to face Sasuke; he mentions something about scrolls and mid-sentence his speech comes to an abrupt halt. His ex teammate is rooted to the spot, a pair of lips slightly parted and colour flooding his cheeks. The Uchiha tilts his head, wondering if Naruto is going to be sick. Maybe they should of left the sparring until they were sure of the blond's recovery. About to voice his concerns, he is interrupted by Naruto suddenly finding his feet and shuffling past him. Their arms make contact in passing and it sends a shiver down into into his fingertips. He follows Naruto with his eyes until he disappears into the other room, a perplexed expression marring his face.

Figuring Naruto is still in a funny mood, Sasuke sits on the edge of his bed, pulling a pair of linen sleeping pants from underneath. As he bends to put them on his mind wanders yet again. It is irritating him that he can't read Naruto's mood swings. Everything considered, he could understand if Naruto was still angry, but that's not what had the Uchiha confused. It was the way Naruto looked at him after he struck Kusanagi into the ground and his subdued nature afterwards. Just now, he looked… well Sasuke's prior thoughts of sickness went out of the window as soon as Naruto left the room. So that leaves him with flustered? Embarrassed maybe? But why?

Puliing his pants up to his waist, he ties the knot as his thoughts continue. He had seen that same expression before, the red cheeks - but not on Naruto. It's a bit like when Sakura looked at him but more intense than that…. wait …

Sasuke's backside hits the bed hard as he finds his legs cannot support him. That stirring feeling is back with full force, he actually feels like he is going to be sick… but not in a bad way. Like pieces of a puzzle, he starts to make connections with things said to him in the past, actions, glances, body language.. surely it can't be?

Naruto likes him… maybe even loves him!

His fingers curl into the edge of the bed; why else would Naruto have followed him everywhere, trying to help him, to bring him back? Why had he sacrificed the chance to become Hokage so the elder could be brought to justice? It's so obvious yet the pessimist inside Sasuke isn't quite ready to accept it. His stomach lurches at the possibility though and he breaks out in a sweat. The Uchiha then comes to his second realisation, something that's been there all along but has been deeply suppressed. The reason his stomach stirs, the reason he can't bring himself to kill the blond; all the times he had dreamt Naruto had died by his hands and woke up with wet cheeks…

He loved the stupid idiot too…

His breathing momentarily halts, as steely look of determination crossing his features. He had to be sure, he had to know for certain. He knows he can not verbally go up and ask so there is only one thing he can do. Rising up off the bed he leaves the room and enters the kitchen. From the looks of things Naruto had just returned from his shower but with no time to hesitate and bottle it, Sasuke takes a deep intake of air before crossing the room. He walks straight up to a startled Naruto, reaches out to cup the back of his head and crushes his lips to the others, his breath coming out in whoosh of air.