.
.
.
Glazed blue eyes gazed unseeing at the young moon as a memory drifted to mind. A soft, fond smile painted slightly dried lips as it played in the blonde's mind.
With a sigh he plunged back, drowning in the memories of the days not so long ago yet feel so far away.
.
The sun was setting as a raven haired child sat stiffly onto the small plank dock of a pond. The child had his brows furrowed in anger, or as much anger as a child could feel.
"…maybe later Sasuke, I'm busy…" the child murmured to himself in a somewhat mocking voice as he tried hard to lower his high pitched boyish one. "…why don't you ask father if he could teach you…?" again he harshly whispered to himself throwing another pebble on the pond absently watching it bounce on the surface a few before flopping lifelessly into the water.
"…don't bother your brother much Sasuke, he has responsibilities that take prior than your needs…" he further gritted out before taking all the stone by his side on the dock and throwing it all to the water with an angry huff.
"I GET IT! I'M NOT STUPID!" he bellowed out into the pond as he bolted to his feet before collapsing onto back to his seat with a tired huff.
"Yes, I agree… I would word it 'moronic' instead…" a small voice said from behind him making the raven turn his head over with a sneer.
A small smile was offered to him as the small blonde boy moved to sit beside him. A grunt was all the brunette gave before letting himself fall in a daze completely ignoring the newcomer.
"Why are you here alone…?" the blonde had asked in a soft careful voice.
A grunt was all he got in reply that he quickly returned with a sigh.
"…you're so popular at school and all the others want to be around you so why are you watching the sunset here alone…?" the blonde tried again watching the other in the corner of his eye.
He waited; and was only answered with another grunt.
They sat in silence for a while, watching the sky slowly darken as the horizon bleed with the red of the setting sun.
"What's it to you…?" the raven suddenly asked, eyes still on the horizon.
"…I felt as though we're the same…" the blonde replied quickly as if there wasn't a pause in the conversation. "…I felt that you were lonely." He added earning a snort from the other who faced away from the blonde.
"…I'm sure you know who I am…" the blonde started laying on his back onto the dock. "…I grew up not knowing my parents." He paused with a sigh lying on his side facing the other boy who had his face turned away still. "…though I don't miss something I never had…" he continued watching the other turned to face him slightly. "…it doesn't stop me from wanting them." He said simply, watching the raven lie on his back and turned on his side to face him.
"Were you never lonely…?" the raven asked softly staring at the bright blue eyed blonde intently.
"…always." The blonde replied with a small sad smile. "That's why I wanted to try and make friends…" he added with a humorless chuckle. "…but I don't think they like me very much…" he said with a sigh.
"What's your name?" the raven inquired quietly.
"…Naruto." The blonde answered just as quiet.
"…I'm Sasuke." The raven returned watching with wide eyes as the blonde smiled beautifully.
"…I know." He whispered.
.
"Stop being a tight-ass!" Inari bellowed out as he spun in the air and landed in a crouch on a wall of a nearby building dodging restraining chains along the way.
"…you expect me to let you go without me?" was the dry reply he got from his bonded mate which only elicited an eye roll from the redhead.
"It's not like I'll be gone forever…" Inari drawled in an exasperated sigh. "…I'm sending Sasuke to Naru-chan and when the ritual's done, we'll all be coming back…" Inari explained quickly dodging out of the way as the brunette whipped the chains over to him yet again. He jumped again, using a stray electric wire as foothold to maneuver himself away from a swarm of insects coming after him. "Besides, I'm still pissed at you!" he screamed before going over a set of seals and grinned as he watched the places he touched glow in response before conjuring shackling chakra strings weaving themselves around the unprepared brunette earning a gurgled curse as the strings overlapped and weaved together forming a tight cocoon.
.
"Naruto-san…" Asuka called softly stopping a few paces away from the lounging blonde on the small wooden dock; eyes gazing out into the silver of the lake as the moon illuminate it.
"…I know." Naruto mumbled softly almost drowsily as he unclipped a blood red stoned pendant and handed it over to the silver haired royal.
Swiftly, the man bowed his head some and received the pendant before turning to leave; tossing a glance at the blonde clone that stepped into his pace.
.
"Okay let's go…" Inari said scowling before looking over to Sasuke, who shuffled his feet every other minute, tugging a grin from his lips.
Flexing then stretching his shoulders, Inari walked over to the raven and heaved him into his arms with a grunt ignoring the indignant squawk the teen let out along with the amused snort from the silver haired man crouching on the floor of the picture the two made.
"…alright, I'm ready…" Inari nodded to Kakashi who stood up from his crouch and checked over the seal he'd written on the floor feeling a harsh wind breeze over them. Absently, he roams his eyes over the village before looking back at the two and promptly letting out a smothered snort at the awkward picture of taller teen in the arms of the shorter man. Inari then stepped into the circle, enjoying the brief growl of impatience from his ward and nodded to the silver haired Hokage with a grin.
"Hold on tight to Inari Sasuke you wouldn't want to fall off in the middle of the shift and fall who knows where…" Kakashi commented lightly earning only a disinterested grunt.
Shrugging, Kakashi crouched back down onto the edge of the circle and placed his hands palm down the very edge and pushed his chakra onto it making the ground tremble with his power. Taking in a deep breath he pushed another wave of chakra and looked up to Inari who nodded and closed his eyes before breathing deep and pushing a wave of chakra onto the seal making the air shift and almost throb with power.
BOOM!
"…Wha…" Kakashi looked up sharply towards the explosion earning a hiss from Inari when his chakra swayed before stabling in a split second.
"…FOCUS! It's just Shino…" he barked, hissing when his own chakra almost faltered.
"…INARI!"
"…fuck…" the redhead flinched at the close approximate voice. "…push your chakra faster Kashi-kun, I'll handle it…" he urged earning a jerky nod and immediately felt a throb of power in the circle. With a shuddering breath, he touched upon the chakra with his own and shifted both faster, feeling the responding pull of his necklace with his caller.
The ground shook with power from both the seal and the sudden bursting of insects from the doorway leading to the rooftop.
"Inari…" the new arrival hissed, struggling against a trap seal he activated.
Barely flinching, the red head reached out to the pull of the necklace and yanked at it harshly. With a grin resembling a fox, Inari flashed the snarling brunette a bright mocking smile before pulling harder at the connection that heaved at them and suddenly, the two were gone leaving a snickering Hokage to deal with an enraged Aburame.
.
"I'll bet you Sasuke will blow up soon as he notices Naruto's not here…" The brunette summon threw to his companion who other than a smirk gave no indication of amusement for his jest.
The blonde clone chuckled, eyes closed as he did the job his original should be doing. Feeling another harsh tug from the necklace, he molded his chakra in a thick rope and reached out through the connection, before heaving the two with a harsh tug.
"I leave the rest to you then…" the clone huffed, as an explosion of smoke erupted in front of them before it disappeared in a puff of smoke himself after tossing the blood red pendant to Asuka who catches it unflinchingly.
.
Inari groaned at the harsh pull but let it carry him through the jump. And suddenly, the world shifted and a wave of nausea hit him.
"I hate rushed jumps…" he groaned before depositing his burden on the ground earning a growl from it. Absently he called on the wind and let it blow the smoke away revealing his two summon companions. "…wassup? You guys missed this mug?" he jested in a poor attempt of a modernized accent, cupping his chin in an arrogant manner.
"Always a pleasure seeing something hideous to amplify my beauty…" Asuka said in all seriousness that brought chuckles to his companions. He gave a soft chuckle before moving his gaze to the raven. "Welcome, Uchiha Sasuke…" he welcomed, inclining his head some before straightening.
The raven nodded and watched as the three summons lined up in front of him and stood tall and intimidating, despite their slimmer builds.
"…there is one clue of which is to be given to you upon his order." Inari said eyes glazed over as if he was listening to another.
"Only one clue to make sure you know him as well as you assume…" Jin continued eyes clear signifying the words were rehearsed.
"But not before a test for your worth of this clue…" Asuka said eyes hard and unwavering as he stared the other down.
Ah, he's the one who wrote the script then… Sasuke thought blandly before giving a nod for them to continue.
"What is the reason and purpose of this chase?" the three asked in sync before all was quiet.
The nightly orchestra played in the background as Sasuke furrowed his brows. Isn't the reason the courting ritual and the purpose to see my worth as a suitor… he thought to himself. And yet he couldn't say it.
Was it really that simple? He asked to himself.
What was it that pushed Naruto to flee the village and starts this charade of a chase…? He paused, eyes narrowing at the unconscious slip of the word in his mind.
Charade of a Chase…? The thought swam in his mind for a while before frowning.
Why did he leave so abruptly? Waiting a few years wouldn't have matter… Why leave the village in the first place? He loves… that village the thought struck him like lead and a clenching feeling dropped to his stomach as his heart felt like it was stabbed.
"Revenge… for what I did before…" he said out loud which the three nodded in acceptance.
"You have your reason." The three announced. "…do you know the purpose then?" they inquired.
Taking a shuddering breath he gave a broken smile. "To show me he's only human…" he paused running a hand to his hair and releasing a breath. "…that he gets hurt, that forgiven doesn't mean forgotten, that there's no happily ever after without trying times…" he continued on, his smile growing more alight as he goes on. "…we'll fight and we'll argue about even the littlest and stupidest things, we'll hurt each other unintentionally… but…" he paused taking a big breath and letting a smile slid onto his face.
"…but we'll go through them with each other…" he finished and blinked at the teary eyed Inari who pulled out a handkerchief and was dabbing at his eyes and blowing his nose, then to Jin who was sucking up air to keep from sobbing while small prickle of tears edged his eyes and to Asuka who gave him the most serene smile he'd seen equal to his dying brother.
"Naruto is in a place similar to where you've really met… without the masks to protect you, without anyone, judging you… he said that you'd know just with that…" he said with a gentle smile.
"Just so you know, we can't answer any of your questions…" Jin said blowing his nose from the sleeve of his shirt earning a smack from the royal who wrinkle his nose in disgust.
"…so you'd have to ask one of the locals if you want to ask for directions…" Inari continued, seeing as the brunette was in no condition to.
.
"…a bit slow aren't you Sasuke?" Naruto asked with an amused grin as he looked at Sasuke upside down from his lounging on the platform.
Heaving a calming breath from all the running he'd done, Sasuke tossed the blonde an irritated look. "…did you factor in that the majority of the citizens here doesn't speak our language?" he asked a bit ticked as he approached the blonde who scooted over, making space for him.
"…hmmm yeah, and I figured, with the sharingan, you'd learn the language in a breeze…" he commented, curling into Sasuke's side when the raven lied down on his back beside him.
"…the pronunciation got me in a bind, it was too soft and the letters roll a bit different than most eastern tribe dialects I know." He stated loftily with a shrug.
"Showoff…" Naruto murmured contently against Sasuke's chest.
Silence reined over them as they lay there onto the wooden platform enjoying the other's warmth and the nightly song of the forest and quiet lake across from them.
Naruto hummed a song that he'd remembered he learnt from a friend upon catching a glimpse of the red star. Softly, his low voice drifted into the wind like a caressing lullaby that somehow brought a feel of solemn into the night.
"I love you, dobe." Sasuke spoke suddenly, halting the melody from the blonde's throat.
"I know…" the blonde replied smiling; then continued on with his song. Suddenly he sputtered when a hand raked down his side in a firm warning.
"You're supposed to say-"
"I love you too, teme…" Naruto said moving so that he straddled the raven, looking down on his face that was illuminated by the moon.
"Hn…" Sasuke hummed with a smile. "That's more like it…"
Naruto snorted before settling himself atop the raven, tucking his head onto his neck and resumed his humming, again settling into a peaceful lull.
Then suddenly Naruto stopped humming and asked. "What do you think of kids, teme?" he asked peering up at the raven who had cradled his head in his arm.
"They're alright I guess… so long as they're not too noisy…" he said absently, eyes closed as he stroked the blonde tresses on Naruto's head.
"How about babies then?" Naruto asked again leaning his chin on his twined hands on Sasuke's chest.
"…" Sasuke frowned and took a beat before answering. "…they're tolerable I guess…" he said finally as if pained.
Naruto gave a small chuckle before going back to his position of his head tucked into Sasuke's neck. Calming himself, Naruto gazed at the shining lake before discretely swallowing the lump on his throat and nuzzling his face to Sasuke's chest before sitting up.
"Sasuke…?" he asked with a terrified voice which had the raven sitting up in concern.
"What is it?" the raven asked softly, urging the blonde gently.
"I'm pregnant…" he said seriously, staring at the ebony eyes of his lover that grew as the words registered its meaning.
"H-how?" Sasuke choked out, eyes wide as plates.
"Remember that one time a week after we got back from… the drinking party… the uh, guys' night we had last two months I think…?" he gestured vaguely before shifting in his seat, cheeks flushing. "…uh, the hormones kinda flared and we got ahead of ourselves and something happened…" he drawled, voice going softer and softer.
"I know when… just h-how are you able to, to… uh… c-conceive?" Sasuke tried to sound calm and failed magnificently when his voice cracked.
"Kyuubi and the guys, you know, the other beasts told me of a surprise… something of a gift they said… and uh… uh… I-I guess, this is it?" Naruto explained eyes on the ground.
"How long have you known?" Sasuke asked quietly.
"…two weeks ago I think?" Naruto pondered. "I asked Asuka to check for me since I noticed the other chakra in me… he said I was two weeks along… but then I got a bit…"
"…scared?" Sasuke asked in almost as a whisper.
"…yeah, I thought, well… you did left me once." Naruto stated with a little hurt slipping into his voice.
Wincing, Sasuke nodded and brought his arms around the blonde and embraced him tightly. "I'm not going anywhere, this time around…" he murmured into Naruto's hair feeling the blonde nod against him.
They stayed like that, unmoving just feeling and comforting the other. They let the sounds of the night wash over them.
"If it's a girl I want to name her after my mother-"
"I'm gonna name her after mom if it's a girl-"
The two spoke simultaneously, eyes locking and then leering before again, they broke into another fight.
Though this time, it's their first as lovers.
.
.
.
A/N:
Is it ending? Yes…
Is it the end? Nope…!
I have no excuse on why it's so late… I've had had many self-debates on how to end it and well, this is the result, I do hope it wasn't unsatisfactory since I kinda like how I did with this chapter…
Well in any case, thank you for continuing to read and support this story, and I hope you have had a good read… I'll answer any questions on PM if there are any… and again, see you on the next chapter…
P.S. I do wish no one reports this story for the upcoming lemon :