Well now...I have to say I'm a little upset with this story now. Clearly not a lot of you are happy with the longer chapters because the pay-off I get (your reviews) has dramatically dropped per chapter. I do recall asking before I closed the first poll that if I were to do longer chapters I would ask for 10-15 reviews per chapter. Now though, I count myself lucky if I get over 5. This story is twice as long SO FAR than 'With Snow Comes Change' and that story has twice as many reviews...not seeing the love for this story here folks. It is my longest and most time consuming project, as well as highest emotionally invested piece I have done to date. And I'm working on the third 'Thunder' series part now, along with the outlines of a NEW project. I will still keep to my schedule for updates but if I don't start seeing some feedback here, this story is going to be put on the back burner for a while.
Getting to the actual meat of this chapter, I won't lie; I think it's pretty boring. But we do get a little further plot-wise and a lot of SasuNaru fans that have read this from the beginning until now will very much appreciate what's in here. In the next chapter though we get back into the heat of things, but you'll all just have to wait for the next update day! That is if I get some appreciation here...mad thanks to crzyanimemom though since she's been so awesome since the start of this thing! She's been with me since 'WSCC' and I'm hoping I'm not letting her down in this chapter. This one is all yours darling!
DISCLAIMER: As usual I own nothing but the plot, all rights and ownership belong to Masashi Kishimoto and other such persons who claim legal rights to the Naruto and Naruto Shippuden franchise. Credit for the inspiration of this fanfiction belongs to an episode of Criminal Minds and they belong, again, not to me.
Itachi now had the information he needed in order to set his plan in motion – he just needed his little brother and Naruto to cooperate with him and maybe agree to some more drastic parts of it all. He was hell-bent to keep the two boys safe and no girly-pansy-boy was going to get in his way if his colleagues had anything to say about it. If all went well then they could finally bring Zabuza down as well, but it would take time and that was the one thing they didn't have at the moment. Itachi looked at his little brother and nearly flinched at the dormant rage that showed on his face. Sasuke was clearly livid but he was also trying not to frighten Naruto any more than he already was. Naruto meanwhile seemed to be lost in his own little world and Itachi couldn't say that he blamed him. Being tormented by an unknown assailant for months and having the boy you love dragged into the hell as well wasn't something easy to deal with no matter who you were. Naruto had demonstrated just how strong he was emotionally and Itachi was proud of him, but now the blonde needed to rest and recuperate. Itachi stepped back and addressed the two families that had yet to say anything since the forensics expert left.
"Minato, Kushina can I ask a favor of the both of you?"
"What is it Itachi?" Kushina asked in a hollow voice. Seeing her only child so close to his end on the screen and also having the stress of a hospital visit catch up to her was more than she could handle. She had seen many things as a marine but nobody told her that motherhood would be more deadly than combat. Minato wrapped his arm around her and nodded for Itachi to ask his question.
"If you would let me, I would like for Naruto to meet with the other members of my cell in Akatsuki. We do have a plan to keep him, and my little brother, safe but I would like to know if you'd both be comfortable with it before we execute anything."
"Do what you need to do, Itachi. Kushina and I trust you."
"What's going to happen to him?" Kushina questioned again. This time her eyes were on Itachi and the dead gray that he met almost scared the young man.
"He's going to be saved, Kushina. I can promise you that, but I have to tell you that the less people know about the plan the better it will be."
"Itachi, do what you feel needs to be done. We'll worry about the boys regardless of what we're informed of but just make sure that this asshole is either put behind bars or strung up in a tree for what he's done. Just give my boy his peace of mind back…that's all I want."
"I'll do whatever I can, Kushina."
"Sasuke, Naruto? We're ready to leave now whenever you are," Minato called to them.
Sasuke spun around and stared at the man in surprise while Naruto continued to zone out. After registering that they were both fine and their families were the only ones in the room with them, the raven gently shook his love to get his attention. Naruto was startled into awareness before he looked at Sasuke again and sighed in relief. Minato and Kushina came up behind him and the older blonde gripped Naruto's shoulders while smiling at him.
"We're ready to go home now, son. You're coming back to the suburbs with us."
"What about my school? I just started everything; I don't want to let Haku-"
"He doesn't deserve the use of his name – he is going to be referred to as stalker-bitch from now on," Sasuke almost growled. Naruto looked at him again in confusion.
"Why 'stalker-bitch'? Shouldn't he be called 'stalker-bastard' instead?"
"No; he looks like a girl and he wants to be sneaky so he's a bitch. I don't care what you call him but it won't be his name."
"Okay then, I don't want to let stalker-bitch take away my education just because he wants to sleep with me."
"Naruto, there is a member of my cell in that school that can get you whatever materials you need for your studies so that you can do them at home. We can also bring in a couple of your teachers privately so that they can give you lessons and assignments. I highly doubt you'll be missing your education with the connections both of our families have," Itachi said as he smirked in triumph. Fugaku and Mikoto also nodded their heads to affirm what their oldest child just said. Naruto smiled slightly as he looked at the Uchiha family and his own to see that they were all serious about their devotion to him and to his situation.
"So will he be staying with us or his parents?"
"I think it would be a good idea for him to stay with us. He's familiar with the Uchiha Manor already and I doubt the stalker-bitch knows the plans for the house like we do. We also have a security system already installed so if anyone does try to breach the grounds we would know immediately."
"Yeah but Mikoto wouldn't he just have to kill the power to shut down the security?"
"Usually I would have to say yes, but our security system runs on not one but two back-up generators, Tsunade."
"Leave it to a technology company to have more than one back-up generator for their compound. Naruto will be fine with the Uchiha's; if anything it will help him sleep a little better," Jiraiya said as he walked up to stand next to his wife. Tsunade glowered at the man before sighing and giving in to what he said.
"I would be worried about your behavior regarding our grandson's safety if I didn't already know that this is how you handle your stress. Well what are we waiting for? Let's get all of you out of here and on the road home before traffic starts up. It's already past one and even on Sundays these roads will have you wishing you were walking."
"Hold on, before we go home we have to go back to Naruto's apartment."
"What for teme?"
"I packed a bag with some clothes of yours in it but I forgot it when I left with Itachi to go to the hospital to see you."
"Plus darling we need to get our car; we came here with your grandfather remember?"
"Yeah…Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha can I ask a favor?"
"Sure sweetheart what is it?"
"I know you don't have any pets at your place but…could I bring my cat to stay with me if I'm going to be staying with you? I'll make sure he's good and won't destroy anything, so can he stay with me?"
"Oh Naruto, of course he can stay with you. And what do you mean we don't have pets? We have Tsuku and Yomi our two cats," the Uchiha matriarch answered him.
"Mother, we got the two of them for me as graduation presents; Naruto hasn't met them yet," Sasuke said with a slight blush on his cheeks. He had forgotten about his cats when the police came to get him at the office therefore he forgot to mention them to Naruto when they were alone yesterday.
"Why didn't you tell me you got cats teme?! Now I have to worry about Kyuubi getting along with them and they won't eat him! Kyuubi is still a baby and I don't know the first thing about your cats!"
"Calm down dobe, I just forgot about them what with everything that's happened since I've seen you! Tsuku and Yomi are both about six months old so they're not much older than Kyuubi – and they'll be fine with him. They're usually so wrapped up in each other that they sort of ignore everyone else except me and Itachi."
"You two can fight about this later, for now we have to get going. I want to make it home before dinner if you two are alright with that," Fugaku spoke. Sasuke blushed slightly and Naruto sheepishly ran a hand through his hair in embarrassment. Mikoto giggled a little and Kushina sighed as she thought about putting her son's kitten in his carrier again. Minato smiled and Itachi just shook his head at their antics but said nothing since the two boys were acting normal again.
The two families left the police station with the promise that the officers would continue their investigation and headed for Naruto's apartment. This time Naruto rode with the Uchihas so they didn't all have to go up to the apartment. Minato and Kushina agreed that they would go on ahead to the Uchiha Manor after they had gotten their car when Mikoto made the suggestion. The Uchihas had just pulled up to the complex and parked when Minato and Kushina waved goodbye to them and sped off for home. Sasuke let Naruto out of the car before the rest of the family exited as well and followed the blonde to his apartment. After a few minutes they got to the door that was sealed with police tape and faced a dilemma.
"Do you think we should wait for an officer to come and take the tape down to let us in or should we go ahead and open the door?" Naruto asked.
"I saw an officer downstairs; you, Sasuke and Itachi wait here while Fugaku and I go get him," and with that the two adults left. When they disappeared in the elevator Itachi took out a small case from inside his jacket. Naruto was about to question it but Sasuke just shook his head and told him that it was better not to ask. Itachi quickly picked the lock and opened the door before he turned around and gestured to both of the boys to enter.
"It would have been just as easy to wait for the officer to come up here and take the tape down for us. Now they'll have to catalogue anything that's out of place or missing when we leave and it might give them a false heading."
"Naruto shut up and let's get your cat and suitcase. The sooner we get in and get the stuff, the sooner we can leave and inform the cops of what happened," Sasuke said as he pushed Naruto under the tape and through the door.
"Alright, alright, you don't have to shove. Kyuubi, where are you boy?"
The three boys heard a small meow and both ravens looked around in all directions to try and find the kitten. Naruto though smiled and got down on all fours before he stuck his hand under the couch. More meowing was heard and Naruto brought his hand out as he laid it flat on the floor for the kitten to try and grab. Sure enough a small red fluff ball followed the hand and pounced on it before Naruto snatched him up with his other hand. Startled at first, the kitten squirmed to try and get away but when Naruto cooed at him he stopped looked at his owner.
"Did my boy get scared by all those strange people in the place? Were you hiding from them?" Naruto spoke to the feline as though it were his child. The kitten meowed and licked Naruto's thumb before Naruto hoisted him in the air.
Naruto smiled, slowly stood up, and brought the cat to his face to rub his forehead on the kitten's forehead. Kyuubi placed his paws on Naruto's face to try and push him away but Naruto only laughed and let the kitten snuggle up in the crook of his now bent arm. Itachi and Sasuke both had to smile at the image, though in Itachi's case it was more of a slight smirk, before they wandered further into the apartment to get Naruto's suitcase. Sasuke went back to the blonde's bathroom to gather the toiletries he would need for his stay at his house that he hadn't packed that morning because of the confusion. Traveling to the bedroom to grab his own overnight bag, Sasuke took a final look around the room to see if he had forgotten anything. Then he remembered his idea of taking Naruto clothes shopping and that he needed to run the idea past the blonde. Finishing his task quickly he came back out to the living room to see the amusing sight of his older brother and self-proclaimed boyfriend trying to make the small kitten go inside of the cat carrier and failing. After laughing to himself for a little while, Sasuke walked over to help them. Sasuke took Itachi's place beside the carrier and stood it up on its' end so they could just drop the kitten inside. Naruto wrapped Kyuubi up in a soft fleece blanket before he placed the blanket gently inside of the carrier. Sasuke shut the door and laid the box back down before he picked it up. Kyuubi, not happy with being tricked, started to paw at the side of the carrier and meow his little lungs out. Naruto stuck his hand in front of the door and the kitten immediately calmed down.
"Please tell me he won't be like that once he's in the car," Itachi said.
"Kyuubi falls asleep pretty easily if he's moving around. That's why he doesn't have a bed but a swing."
"He has a swing?" Sasuke asked warily.
"Yeah, like ferrets have. It's also got a heated blanket for the winter."
"Where is this swing and do we have to bring it with us?"
"Mom and dad didn't bring it back with them so I'm guessing it's still at their place. I can get it whenever I see them once we get back to your place."
"Alright then, I also have another question for you about something else," Sasuke said.
"What is it?"
"You need to update your wardrobe in case stalker-bitch knows everything you wear. I thought that since none of your friends have seen you since you left we could call Sakura and do some shopping for you."
"That sounds okay…but what else were you thinking?"
"What should we tell her about why we're talking again?"
"Good point. I can't exactly tell her that I have a stalker and he got you involved too, now can I?"
"Why don't you tell her that our families came to visit you for your birthday last week and you two worked things out from there?"
Naruto and Sasuke stared at Itachi dumbstruck and then at each other.
"That sounds like a good excuse."
"Yeah…like we just kept to our tradition or something like that."
"Thanks Itachi…that helps a lot."
"I've thought about ways to get the two of you speaking again just as much as Sasuke has and I've been waiting to use that one for a week."
"It figures; you always have one thing or another brewing in that head of yours," Sasuke rolled his eyes as he started to glare at his brother. He hadn't wanted Naruto to know that he tried thinking of different ways to contact him for a while. Naruto was nice about it though and didn't laugh at him. Instead he smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek.
"Why don't you give Sakura that call? Itachi, if she's free today do you think it would be okay if we went shopping with her when we get home?"
"Dobe it's already almost two and it's a two hour drive back to the suburbs. She probably has class tomorrow like I do and the mall closes at ten. You know how she likes to make shopping an all-day thing."
"Teme, you forget who she'll be shopping for. You know as well as I do that she's wanted to rearrange my closet since we got to junior high school so I'm sure she'll push everything aside to do it. Plus how do you know her schedule?"
"Like I told you at dinner last night Naruto, Sakura has come over to the mansion plenty of times to visit with Sasuke since you two stopped talking to check up on him and she told him during one of her visits. She's attending a local beauty school so that she can take over her family's company when her mother retires."
"What happened to her going to medical school?"
"She's taking night classes without her parents knowing but next year she'll be taking the entrance exam for the same school your grandmother studied at. By then she told Sasuke that she should have enough for her tuition and an apartment."
"Do her parents not want her to become a nurse?"
"Dobe of course they don't. She's their only heir to the company so if she takes a different career path they can't retire to the Bahama's early like they planned. It was another reason I didn't like being around her. Her parents would always pressure me into dating her so that our companies would merge if we got married."
"I remember that much teme, it's not like a two month silence erased my memory or anything."
"Anyway, we got what we came for so let's go. Mother and father are probably waiting for us in the parking lot," Itachi stated as he checked to make sure they had what they needed before they all left the apartment. Itachi pulled the door shut before they left and make their way to the elevator.
"Hang on a second. Didn't they go to get that police officer?"
"You're a moron; there was no police officer. They just left so that we could get in without anybody coming up and stopping us," Sasuke said.
Naruto huffed and muttered 'I knew that' before Sasuke rolled his eyes and answered with his own 'sure you did' and kissed Naruto's cheek. The elevator ride was short and the three made their way out of the building and towards the parking garage before they loaded the back of the Enclave with the suitcases. Itachi climbed into the driver's side window seat, Naruto crawled into the middle and Sasuke got into the passenger's side window seat with Kyuubi sitting on Naruto's lap. Fugaku was in the passenger seat while Mikoto was patiently waiting to start the car so they could all go home.
"Well boys, did you get everything you needed?" she asked as she twisted her body to look at the three. Her eyes landed on the cat carrier and she smiled.
"Yes, we got everything. And I promise he'll be quiet; he'll probably sleep the whole way home," Naruto promised as he gestured to his kitten. Mikoto smiled at him and turned back to face the steering wheel. She turned the key and started the engine as everyone buckled their seatbelts and she backed up to leave. Once they got on the road, Naruto put his head on Sasuke's shoulder and closed his eyes. Sasuke looked at the boy and smirked but rested his head on top of the blonde hair as well. True to his word, Kyuubi had fallen asleep and the rest of the ride was spent in a comfortable atmosphere. When they stopped to get some coffee and stretch their legs a bit, Itachi turned to check on the boys since they had been quiet for so long, and found that the two had fallen asleep. His little brother looked so at peace with the blonde and it was a drastic improvement from earlier this morning. The chilly October air was beginning to creep into the car through Itachi's open door and Naruto snuggled further into Sasuke's shoulder seeking warmth. Sasuke too adjusted his head to accommodate his love and he snuck an arm behind Naruto to get more comfortable. Itachi snickered and shook his head slightly before his mother came back out to the car.
"Itachi did the boys say what they wanted yet or-"
Itachi cut her off before she got too close to wake the two up. She peered inside the vehicle and awed at the boys before she smiled and handed Itachi his double shot espresso with two sugars and caramel flavor shot. Fugaku came back shortly after Mikoto did and he too looked inside the back of the car to see the boys but he didn't comment or gesture, he just smiled and walked back to the front of the vehicle to get in. He pulled out his cell phone and gave Minato a call to see where they were and how long it would take them to get home from where he told the blonde man. They had already been driving two hours through all the traffic, Tsunade hadn't lied when she said traffic would be bad, which was why Mikoto had driven. From the speaker phone, Minato had said that they were about forty-five minutes away from their home so they were about an hour away from the Uchiha mansion. Fugaku told him to call the mansion and inform their butler that they would be coming and to let them in with no problem to which Minato laughed and said it wouldn't matter either way; that they would get in whether the butler opened the door for them or not, before he asked how Naruto and Sasuke were doing. The leader of the Uchiha clan quickly snapped a picture of the two in the backseat before he sent it to his best friend to which the man laughed a couple minutes later. Fugaku exchanged goodbyes with the man before the family once more set out on the road, only Fugaku drove while he let his wife take a break. Twenty minutes later, Sasuke groaned and started to awaken from his slumber. Groggily, he picked his head up and blinked several times to try and establish his location. Looking around a bit he noticed Naruto on his shoulder, his mother in front of him, his brother beside Naruto and his father in the driver's seat. Itachi smirked at him and let his baby brother continue to try and see where they were. Finally he chuckled and addressed Sasuke.
"Did you have a good nap little brother?"
"Oh is he awake?" Mikoto asked as she turned around.
"Where are we? How long have we been driving?" the younger raven mumbled sleepily.
"We left the city line about half an hour ago and we've been driving for almost two and a half hours. It'll be another hour or so until we get home, son," his father said.
"How long was I sleeping?"
"What was the last thing you remember?"
"Leaving Naruto's apartment and passing the college he goes to."
"You've been out for about two and a half hours then," his brother chuckled. Sasuke glared at him and was about to hit his brother but Naruto sighed and moved again so that he was practically sitting sideways in the seat and leaning on Sasuke.
"Naruto has been asleep for about the same amount of time Sasuke, nothing really interesting has happened and you both needed the nap. Kushina and Minato are about half an hour away from our house as well."
"Mother, how did we take so much longer than they did if you drove most of the way?"
"Traffic was that bad, snow angel. I also think Kushina knew another way out of the city, that little minx. She always was the better navigator on our trips," Mikoto sighed fondly remembering their vacations to various countries together before shaking her head and going back to whatever she was doing to keep herself occupied for the ride.
"Whatever, just wake me up when we get home."
With that Sasuke settled back against Naruto after he moved the cat carrier so that Kyuubi wasn't lying on the side of the box since it had shifted when Naruto moved. Mikoto smiled again and Fugaku grunted his acknowledgement at his sons' actions. Itachi, knowing that he could use this to his blackmailing advantage, took out his phone and started to stealthily take pictures. Finally, after another hour of driving and five different vibration patterns coming from Naruto's and Sasuke's phones respectively, the Uchiha family pulled into their parking garage and tried to wake the boys up. Fugaku noticed Minato's Jaguar at the end of the driveway and immediately went inside the house. Mikoto told Itachi to grab Kyuubi and Naruto and Sasuke's bag as she continued to try and stir Naruto awake. Sasuke was already up and out of the vehicle, stretching his legs since he hadn't moved in a good three hours but Naruto just flopped into Sasuke's seat without so much as a flinch.
"Naruto, honey come on, you have to wake up now. We're home and we're about to start making dinner. Come on sweetheart, you can lie down in your room whenever you get inside," she coaxed. Still Naruto didn't stir.
"Mother, let him sleep – it's been a long day for him and it's barely six. I'll just carry him in."
"Alright; just set him down on the couch for now so that I can clean up the room we keep for him here. But you had better make sure he wakes up for dinner; he hasn't eaten much of anything today and I'm sure he's starving."
"He'll be fine, once he smells it he'll be up and hyper like he always is, you'll see."
The woman only smiled at her son before she joined her other boys in the house. As she walked away, Sasuke got Naruto unbuckled and sat up before he slid his body over towards him. Sasuke slipped one arm behind Naruto's back and pulled so that his upper body was out of the car, so that he wouldn't accidentally hit his head, and placed Naruto's arm over his shoulders. When Naruto's upper body was safely cradled against Sasuke, Sasuke put his other arm under Naruto's knees to lift him up. With Naruto now being held bridal style, Sasuke used his foot to shut the door of the car, cringing as he heard the heavy slam and made his way to the front door. Itachi met him three quarters of the way there and held the door for him. Skipping the front entryway, as grand as it was, he moved towards the living room and found Kushina sitting on the couple's chair petting one of the cats, Tsuku.
"Sasuke dear, I don't know which one this is but he is simply adorable! Oh, Mikoto already placed a pillow on the long couch for Naru, so go ahead and leave him with me."
"Umm, you've got Tsuku right now; Yomi should be somewhere close by. Do you know where they put Kyuubi? I want to make sure that he's close to Naruto when the dobe finally comes around."
"Kyuubi is still in his carrier but they left him in the foyer. How long has Naru been asleep?"
"He's been out apparently since we left his apartment. He and I slept almost the whole way home," Sasuke said as he adjusted Naruto on the couch. He propped Naruto's head up on the pillow and laid him on his side so that he was more comfortable. Sasuke then grabbed the blanket that was always draped across the back of the arm chair to cover Naruto with so that he wouldn't get cold. It may have been October but the weather was still chilling off and it was starting to get darker faster in the evenings now. Positioning the blanket how he knew Naruto liked it, pulled up to his chin and tucked in around his feet and ankles, Sasuke sat down on the floor in front of him. Kushina smiled tenderly at the boys and Tsuku jumped off of her lap to make his way over to his owner's arms. Sasuke scratched behind the black Abyssinian's ears before he picked it up and put it in his lap. The animal quickly lost interest in his owner though as it finally caught sight of the strange new person sleeping in it's favorite spot. Getting up on his hind legs, the cat's front paws were found perched near Naruto's head. Sniffing cautiously around the foreign being Sasuke petted the creature's soft fur again before pulling it back down to his lap.
"Now Tsuku be nice and let Naruto sleep. He'll be staying with us for a while so get used to him but don't sit on him like you sit on me. You're small now but you'll get bigger."
The cat only meowed at him before he settled down but just as he got comfortable, another cat sauntered into the room to investigate the disturbance in the house. The white Abyssinian rubbed its body against Sasuke's back before it too popped it's head up to see what was on the couch. Not having a good enough view though, the cat jumped onto the arm rest and proceeded to walk across Naruto's leg and side until it came to his arm before Sasuke picked it up and set it down on the floor.
"Yomi, I just told your brother now I have to tell you to let Naruto sleep. Either stay with me or go find Itachi," Sasuke scolded the cat. The white feline simply meowed and purred as he twisted around Sasuke's body hoping to be petted. Kushina laughed and tried to beckon the cat over to her but even though it was a social breed, he wasn't about to distance himself from Sasuke until he had the proper loving that he wanted.
"Sasuke they're adorable. Are they littermates?"
"Mother said they were and they're both purebred Abyssinians; I got their papers and everything when she brought them home for me."
"Well it looks like your mother and I had the same ideas for you and Naruto when you both graduated. We got Kyuubi for Naruto as a graduation present slash moving companion. I'll stay here with Naruto do why don't you go ahead up to your room and change into something more comfortable and wash up before dinner? I'll also keep your cats company, so don't worry about them," the woman smiled at him. Although he doubted the cats would stay where he or his brother were not, Sasuke wasn't about to turn down a quick shower and an opportunity to change into sweatpants.
"I'll take you up on that offer then, Mrs. Namikaze. I also have to make a phone call to a friend of mine and Naruto's so if you would please excuse me, I'll leave Naruto here with you."
Sasuke got up, after he set Tsuku down on the floor and Yomi stopped circling him, and bowed slightly to show his respect. He went up to his room, grabbing his cell phone on the way and dialed Sakura's number for the first time. He had never initiated contact with her before, it was always the other way around. He didn't have to wait very long for the girl to answer.
"Hello?"
"Sakura…it's Sasuke."
"Hi Sasuke! Oh my god I never thought you would call me! What's up?!"
"You're too excited, calm down. Anyway I have something I want to ask you."
"If you want any information on Naruto, I'm sorry but for the millionth time I can't give anything to you."
"I don't need any information on him, in fact I need your help with him."
"Sasuke, if he doesn't want to talk to you then I can't make him talk to you. Plus he's in the middle of the city; it's not exactly a hop, skip and a jump away you know."
"Haruno, listen to me; Naruto and I made up. We're fine."
"WHAT?! When did this happen?! Who made the first move, what were you guys doing, how mad was he at you, when were you going to tell me?!"
"Woman, I said calm down! I went with my family and his family to his apartment last week to celebrate his birthday and we talked it out then. Long story short, we sorted out our problems and we're friends again. Not that I ever considered the two of us not being friends before but that is beside the point. Anyway about the favor I have to ask you."
"I'm not doing anything for you until I get some real answers! Do you know how bad Naruto suffered our ENTIRE senior year because of what you and Suigetsu did? He was beyond heartbroken Sasuke, I think he was borderline depressed! Sai and I tried everything to make him forget about the whole thing but he just wouldn't let it go! It was bad enough that you got a boyfriend, which itself is not a bad thing, but you practically FLAUNTED it in Naruto's face! Things started to go downhill for the two of you in the middle of the year after Valentine's Day but jeez did you have to rub it in?!"
Sasuke tuned the girl out as she continued to rant his ear off and he was in no mood for a lecture. He had forgotten that he hadn't told her about the fake relationship with Suigetsu but the girl really didn't have a right to dig in his business. Naruto had better be worth the trouble he's going through right now to do this for him…and Sasuke immediately knew that he was.
"Sakura listen to me; Naruto forgave me for all of that shit, now can you just listen to the favor I have to ask you?!" Sasuke shouted finally losing the grip he had on the tiny string that was his patience.
"Okay, okay, what do you want?"
"Naruto, as you know, already started college and he told me that he might need to update the things in his closet…."
"Sasuke Uchiha…don't tell me…."
"I wanted to know…if you would take him clothes shopping…while I paid for everything to make up for what I did in high school."
Sasuke heard a loud scream followed by a shout of 'I knew it would happen it was only a matter of time' and too many 'oh my god's for him to count. Sasuke had to hold the phone away from his ear until she finally started to tone it down by repeating the word 'okay' a million times.
"Oh my god, I'm totally going with you! I can bring Sai and we can invite Kiba and Hinata, and oh! You guys can totally come to my house for pizza like we did for junior prom! Oh dammit the mall closes in three hours, why didn't you ask me about this sooner?! Okay, okay, okay, okay so when do you want to go into the city to meet him? Or is he going to come back home to shop here? Is he back home already?! Sasuke Uchiha answer me!"
"First, no one but you, me and the dobe are going shopping for him. Second, he's staying at my house for the time being because of certain circumstances with his schooling. Third, we just thought about the idea this morning and I just remembered to call you now. Fourth, I wasn't about to answer you while you were screaming at me through the phone and firing too many questions at me at once."
"Wait…what do you mean 'he's staying with you because of certain circumstances'? Is he with you already?"
"Yes, he's here with me, but he's passed out on the couch. It was…a long car ride."
"But you have class in the morning and he has class in the afternoon."
"I'm only going long enough to take my last couple finals before I go on break for three weeks. Naruto's school had an…incident with a couple teachers so his classes got canceled," the raven lied hoping to trick the rosette and bring her questions to a halt.
"Okay…I'll leave it at that for now but when I see you next I want answers. Oh and I've been meaning to text you; is everything okay?"
"What do you mean? Everything is fine."
"Well I looked online and saw that Kiba posted on his wall that he saw you at the hospital today but he didn't know why you were there. I asked him what was going on and he told me that you looked like you just lost your mother or something. When Sai came over he said the same thing but he didn't know why you were there either."
Sasuke was stuck now. He had almost forgotten that the two boys had seen him earlier that day and that he hadn't given them any excuse as to why he was at the hospital. Coming up with things off the top of his head hadn't really worked for him in the past if the fake relationship with Suigetsu said anything, but he didn't know what to tell the girl to get her to dismiss it.
"Yeah well Itachi had a business meeting in the city yesterday and on his way to the hotel last night somebody rear-ended him. We were all with him last night and I hadn't slept yet when I saw Kiba and Sai."
"Sasuke, I've seen you with no sleep and you just look more pissed off than you usually do – not like you're staring death in the face. Plus you have a love-hate relationship with Itachi most of the time; you wouldn't get that upset over a car accident, let alone a fender-bender. What were you really there for?"
"I told you; I was there for my brother. Look, are you going to take Naruto shopping or not? If not I can always call Ino."
"Don't you even dare to think about calling Ino-pig to take Naruto shopping! I called dibs on that job a long time ago and everyone knows it! Hell yes I'm taking him shopping; but you never told me when. I'm free this Thursday after ten, do you think you could have him awake and ready by then? We can meet at the Brew House for coffee and soft pretzels before we head to the mall; does that sound fun?"
"That sounds fine, I'll tell Naruto when he wakes up. I have to go now; mother has dinner ready and you know how she is if anyone is late. See you Thursday, bye."
Sasuke hung up and heaved a frustrated sigh without letting the girl speak anymore. Yes…Naruto had better be worth this trouble. He was a little disappointed that they couldn't get this job done sooner, but he would have to take what he could get at this point. Hurrying to take his clothes off, Sasuke went to his bathroom, started the shower, set aside a towel and jumped in to give himself a quick soap-down and rinse-off. Fifteen minutes later he was clean, felt refreshed and he was now drying off with a smirk settled on his face. He ran his towel through his hair, drying it as much as possible, before he wrapped it around his waist and ventured to his closet to get his favorite sweatpants and a muscle shirt. Finding said pants, all black with a stripe of red symbols from his favorite band 'Sharingan', and a plain black muscle shirt, he rushed to pull said clothes on before he joined the people downstairs.
His stomach suddenly gave a loud grumble and he put a hand against his belly to try and quiet the noise. It hadn't helped at all that he could smell the delicious scent of sausages cooking in the kitchen. Going back downstairs, he checked on Naruto again in the living room, mildly surprised the scent of food hadn't woken him up yet, and then wandered into the kitchen. There he saw his mother and Naruto's father cooking up peppers and onions to go on top of the sausage sandwiches as French fries were being pulled out of the oven to be salted. Sasuke walked behind his mother and hugged her as she jumped slightly in surprise before laughing at her son.
"Dinner will be ready in a few more minutes, Sasuke. Why don't you be a good boy and go get your brother and your father? They should both be in the study; and please for the love of all that is holy, dry your hair properly! I don't want you to get sick and potentially give a nasty cold to Naruto. The last thing that child needs is to get sick."
"His immune system has always been better than mine; if anything he's the one that would catch the cold and he wouldn't even know it," Sasuke said as he stole a French fry from the metal tray in front of him. Tsuku and Yomi were twisting themselves around his feet meowing desperately and climbing his legs hoping to find food. Sasuke smirked and aimed to snatch another fry before his hand was slapped.
"Sasuke Uchiha, you know better than to give the boys table food. They're already large breeds; I don't need them to be fat on top of it. Now go and get your father and brother," the woman sternly scolded him. Sasuke nodded and kissed her cheek before he finally left the kitchen. Instead of going all the way up to the study, Sasuke simply picked up the phone on the intercom and dialed *07 and waited for his father to pick up on the other end of the line. The man flashed on the screen and so did his brother.
"Yes Sasuke, what is it?"
"Mother says that dinner will be done in a few minutes. She wants the two of you to come down."
"Very well. Is Naruto awake yet?"
"That's what I'm about to go do. His mother is with him but I'm not sure if we let his cat out yet."
"Just make sure Tsuku and Yomi don't torment the poor thing."
"They're already screaming to be fed; in case you don't hear them from up there."
"Your brother and I will be down in a minute. Go wake up Naruto."
Sasuke's father hung up and the screen went dark before Sasuke too put the phone back into its cradle. Having enough of the two cats meowing his ears off, Sasuke went down the hallway and into the 'play room' as his parents liked to call it when he was younger. The space had been converted into a den of sorts when his parents had the renovations done but right now the room served as the 'kitty room' complete with climbing tower, scratch boards, catnip pillows, squeaky toys, feathered ropes and more. Going to the far right corner, Sasuke lifted up the black food dish and the white food dish to take into the cabinet. The cabinet held their bin of food and all of their treats and catnip. Sasuke put half a scoop of dry food and half a can of wet food into each of the bowls, both felines crying desperately, and set them back down on the floor in front of the two. Finally having peace, Sasuke left the room and made it back to the living room.
Kushina was reading a book, one of his mother's best sellers if he knew the cover well enough, and apparently Kyuubi was let out of the cage – only to resume his slumber in the crook of Naruto's arm. Naruto though was stirring in his sleep, but it wasn't a nightmare stir like the night before. It was more along the lines of trying to figure out what the hell is going on type of stir. Sasuke smirked and knelt beside the blonde once more to shake him awake. Kushina quietly informed Sasuke that she was going to help Mikoto set up the dining room table and she would meet him there once Naruto was awake. Sasuke nodded and didn't question her, but he figured that a few minute alone with his love couldn't hurt. After two shakes and pinching Naruto's cheek rather harshly, Naruto woke up with a scowl on his face and unfocused, hazy eyes. Naruto looked at Sasuke and then around the room confused but Sasuke could only think he was cute.
"Where am I? What happened to the car?"
"Trolls took you away in your sleep and brought you back to live under their bridge with them, but I beat them up and brought you home instead. We got back an hour ago, dobe; you've been sleeping since we left the city."
"What time is it?"
"A little after seven. Mother has dinner ready; I'm sure you'll remember you're hungry once your olfactory senses kick back in."
"Teme I can smell it just fine. Sausage sandwiches with French fries and peppers and onions."
"Sometimes I think your nose is better than Chouji's."
"I'm not that good bastard but thanks. Did I sleep on you in the car?"
"Yeah, but I didn't mind. I used you as a pillow too."
"Oh…was I comfy?"
"You were a little lumpy but I blame myself for beating on you so much when we were little."
"Ha, ha very funny. I gave back as much as I received and you know it."
"I still have problems with my left knee thank you very much. Anyway, why don't you put your cat down so he can meet the other two and have something to eat as well?"
"Where is he?"
"He's in your arms, dumbass. Look down."
Naruto looked down and indeed saw his kitten looking up at him.
"Oh. When did you get there Kyuubi?"
"Your mom must have gotten him out and set him there because I was upstairs in the shower before I came to wake you up."
"It doesn't matter. Where are your cats? I want to meet them."
"You met them while you were sleeping if that counts for anything. They're in the play room eating right now. We can take Kyuubi back there after dinner."
"Okay. Can you let me up now? I kind of want food."
"Kiss me and I'll carry you to dinner," Sasuke smirked as he leaned in close. Naruto chuckled a little before he touched Sasuke's lips and punched him away.
"I don't need you to carry me; I just want up."
"So cruel, but at least you kissed me."
"Well I figured you deserve some kind of compensation for having such a lumpy pillow."
"You mean all I get is a peck and a punch? I think I should get more than that, don't you?" Sasuke joked. Naruto though simply sat up and huffed before he stretched a little. Sasuke furrowed his brow at being ignored.
"You know I was being sarcastic, right dobe?" Still Naruto did not answer him.
"Oh come on, for all the things you give me the cold shoulder for, it's calling you lumpy? Babe please-"
Sasuke was cut off quickly as Naruto captured his lips once again in a deeper kiss. Sasuke blinked a couple times before relaxing a bit and closing his eyes at the feeling. Naruto pulled away after a few seconds and Sasuke opened his eyes to see the wide grin on the blonde's face.
"I'll count that as my first victory as your boyfriend. You called me 'babe' first, not the other way around."
Naruto laughed until he realized that Sasuke hadn't responded. He stopped his brief celebration in favor of looking at the raven, who seemed to take on the appearance of someone who had just had an epiphany. Sasuke's mouth was slightly opened; not enough to show teeth but enough to know that he was surprised, and his eyes were wide with shock. Naruto tilted his head and waved his hand in front of Sasuke's face. Slowly, Sasuke brought up his hand and pointed to Naruto, almost robotically, before he slowly started to speak.
"You just…called yourself…my…boyfriend…."
"Yeah…? Wasn't that what you wanted?"
"But…earlier…you said you…didn't know…what we…were."
"Well I…I think that by now…you've kind of proven that…you're serious. I mean you stayed at the hospital with me, and you didn't get mad at me about the stalker; plus you actually apologized for the whole Suigetsu thing. I know you're not really one for apologies but…I'm happy you did. Now though…I don't want to let my stalker control what I decide to do with my life. Now that we know who he is, it'll be easier to apprehend him so…I don't see a need to…put off 'us' anymore. So…? Can we be official?"
Naruto blushed and bit his bottom lip, unable to do anything but wait for Sasuke's answer. For what he thought to be the most embarrassing things he's ever said to another human being, the reward he got was beyond worth it. Sasuke's face split into the most beautiful smile he'd ever made in his life; eyes narrowing and pearly whites showing as a single tear rolled down his cheek in happiness. Sasuke laughed lightly and embraced Naruto in an effort to hide his joy but Naruto let him. Sasuke tightened his arms around Naruto and simply responded back.
"Only you would ask if we could be official when we both know that's what we want. At least you can finally admit it."