Epilogue!~ The very last little bit of 'Day In, Day Out'. Thanks to everyone who has been reading this thing and even more thanks to those who have reviewed! You're seriously awesome :D
"Hyuu~!" Naruto made an impressed whistling noise as he stood back with one arm up to shield his eyes. Before him, an old building stood, all freshly painted and new fixtures.
"It's really coming along nowadays isn't it," commented Sakura on his left as they admired the place. "Much more fit for children." Naruto nodded.
The building in front of them was an orphanage that Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke had taken to coming to visit every now and then. As the stood at the gate, the big, wooden front doors swung open and the master of the establishment stuck his head out.
"Hey, you guys if you're out here you should come up and knock so we know!" He called, moving fully onto the concrete steps and putting his hands on his hips. Naruto giggled and Sasuke, on his right, snorted. Sakura stifled her own laughs behind her hand. There was no way to take the man seriously in his pretty yellow apron and the thin red headband he was wearing to keep hairs that strayed from his ponytail off his face.
"Ok Iruka sensei! We're coming in now!"
The small group came through the rusted, (next on the list to be fixed up) white gate and up the path. Taking advantage of the opened doors, a few children slipped out from behind Iruka and came running down the path to meet them. They were children who after Kakashi had written a stern and well worded letter, had been released from slavery. They now lived here under the care of Umino Iruka, most of their families lost in other towns or already passed away. They were happy here though.
"Naruto! Sakura! Sasuke!" Two boys ran circles around Sasuke and Naruto and the girl quickly came to Sakura's side, slipping her hand into the older female's. From the side of the orphanage building a few more kids appeared, including one particular young man with a shiny bowl cut and thick eyebrows who approached Sakura with a grin and a flower clutched in his hand.
"You look very pretty today too, Miss Sakura," he told her, offering the flower and Naruto and one of the other boys sniggered to each other. Sakura took the flower graciously and allowed the boy to hold her free hand.
"Why thank you, Lee."
They proceeded inside and more and more children appeared from sun rooms and bedrooms full of bunk beds. As they walked down the hallway, one of the little ragamuffins that Naruto had come to know as 'Kiba' tried to sneak up on Sasuke but before he could pounce on the young Uchiha, Naruto grabbed him by the collar and dragged him in front of him, pushing him toward the shy girl named 'Hinata'. Kiba shot him a dirty look for foiling yet another one of his plans to surprise the 'cool and calm' Uchiha Sasuke but Naruto ignored him. Keeping that kind of thing away from Sasuke was a job he'd given himself. Because Sasuke didn't like surprises.
Blue eyes drifted to the man walking on his right. He was looking straight ahead but turned his face to Naruto when he felt his gaze, expression quizzical. Naruto just smiled before Sasuke turned back. The blonde went on looking, his mind wandering.
Yes, it had been about a year since Sasuke had come to free him from slavery, but still there were things that took more time to heal than skinny bodies and spider bites.
Naruto made a loud noise in his throat before he reached out and skimmed his fingertips across Sasuke's shoulder. Thankfully the raven didn't flinch or shiver.
Sakura called it something to do with "post traumatic". The effects of living as a slave and experiencing what Sasuke had still carried today. It hurt to see the man still jump at loud noises, like the slam of a door or the clatter of a pan on the floor. Sasuke was also very anxious when it came to Naruto touching him unless he knew it was coming. Naruto had developed a habit of calling his name before he took the other's hand or making noises; clicking his tongue, humming- before touching places Sasuke couldn't see like the backs of his arms or his shoulders.
So Naruto couldn't let Kiba jump on the unaware Sasuke, especially from behind. Even if he was just a kid.
The only time Sasuke didn't seem as nervous about contact was in bed. Naruto assumed it was because it was just the two of them and Sasuke let himself open up a bit more. The first night they had been back together, when Naruto had come to bed to find Sasuke awake again, he'd asked, "Are we lovers? Kakashi said we're lovers and I… Well, you heard it earlier.." Naruto had felt himself blush and told him, "Lovers implies that we er… make love together."
"You kissed me. And you… you love me?"
"Yes. I love you."
"So how come…" Sasuke had looked so awkward that it made Naruto awkward too.
"Well, when I k-kissed you that time in the shower you said you 'you didn't dislike it' so I didn't really know how you truly felt…"
"Well could we-"
"Be lovers?"
"Something like that, yeah."
Since then they hadn't gone all the way but Sasuke had let Naruto touch him. Sometimes the blonde wondered if that was more because Sasuke had never been touched like that before and wasn't scared of it in the same way he was about having sex after being raped, than he actually trusted Naruto with his body. Trusted he'd make him feel good.
Not hurt him.
Sakura had said it would probably take a long time for Sasuke to be ready for everything. She'd scolded Naruto for being impatient and advised him to talk to Sasuke about it properly over trying to figure out how much he could handle through actions. However Sasuke usually wasn't that keen on talking about feelings. Especially when it involved his past.
"I'll get us some tea." Naruto blinked and found himself on the back porch sat down in a chair at a table next to Sasuke. Iruka was heading inside. Hinata was sitting in Sakura's lap and on Sasuke's knee, another boy- Sai, was drawing butterflies, leaning over to the table as Sasuke watched over his shoulder with warm eyes.
If Naruto asked him now, "why are you so happy watching Sai draw?" Sasuke would toss his head and reply with a smarmy remark probably completely off topic but later tell the blonde something like "its calming" or "it's nice to see them free to do whatever they want".
But all Naruto could gather from in the field of important things- what had happened to Sasuke that caused him to once answer "dead and gone" to the whereabouts of his parents and siblings, was pieces of Sasuke's terrified ramblings as he lay in Naruto's arms, half aware after waking from recurring nightmares.
In Naruto's mind, as he pieced together what Sasuke had told him, he saw Sasuke's older brother (the 'Niisan' Sasuke always seemed to scream) taking a young Sasuke from his bed and putting him somewhere, hiding him all trembling child body in his night shirt and shushing him with gentle yet panicked hands in his hair. Sasuke always referred to it as "he put me away. He put me away". Maybe into a cupboard somewhere as 'Niisan' tried to fend off a number of intruders who had apparently already murdered Sasuke's parents elsewhere in the house. Sasuke had never taken Naruto to see the place where he was born and raised but judging by the amount of money Sasuke had had that day and the aged yet still fancy clothing he'd retrieved (most likely his father's), the family had been pretty wealthy, making it an appealing target for bands of thieves.
Not that it really mattered that much anymore. Sasuke didn't want to share right now but maybe one day he would be. Naruto hadn't told him anything about his parents either. So for now it was fine. They were happy this way.
They finished their tea in the warm sunlight on the back porch, talking about anything and everything with Iruka. They spoke of Kakashi's next check up on the children and Iruka joked that he'd better stop beating the little brats before then (Sasuke had tensed and Naruto had taken his hand under the table, the movement of his arm obvious to warn Sasuke) and about what they were all up to these days.
Sakura was working at the surgery still and Naruto had been hired by none other than Jiraiya. The man had come to Kakashi's surgery after hearing from the guard a doctor had once been with the slave he wanted and asked if, for a little money, Naruto would work doing odd jobs for him at his place. (He really had just wanted a bit of help when he'd come looking for a slave).The blonde had easily taken the job. Despite the circumstances they had met under, Naruto really liked the guy, he had a good vibe about him and earning a little money made him feel better about both him and Sasuke relying so heavily on Sakura. It wasn't everyday which he liked and jobs ranged in length, sometimes he stayed over at Jiraiya's manor to finish things up and came home the next day, others took only a few hours and he'd go home with a handful of coins he'd put in a jar for Sakura to use as she saw fit. Naruto sneakily wondered if the old guy just liked having someone around; calling him around for every little thing. He and Jiraiya got on really well afterall.
Sasuke did a little at both of their work places. Sometimes he went along with Sakura and had become rather good as a second nurse at Kakashi's. Plus all the ladies, young and old, always swooned and came back that one visit more after asking "will you be here next week?" and hearing a smooth, polite "yes, I will, please come and visit again" from the dapper young Uchiha. Other times he accompanied Naruto and they worked together chopping wood or replacing roof tiles. Jiraiya always paid them something each and they usually had lunch at the manor on days like that. Sasuke's face always seemed to light up when the tomato sandwiches came out. Sakura didn't like tomatoes much and generally wrinkled her nose when Naruto and Sasuke did the shopping (which they still did together, always) and bought the red fruits.
When the group stood to leave, the children began to whine and complain, tugging on their hands and clothing until they promised to come back next week when they all had time to play properly. Kiba seemed most disgruntled that all the 'big kids' had done while they had been there was "look at boring old paint jobs and drink their damn tea" without any tag or rough housing. More dirty looks at Naruto who usually played with him.
"Next time, Kiddo," Naruto told him with a hand ruffling the boy's thick brown hair.
"I'll bring some cool things to play with next time, you guys don't have enough toys here," Sakura vowed to Hinata as the girl nodded shyly and tried to hide her disappointment that it was time to leave already.
"I have some better pencils than the ones you have now somewhere, I'll bring them for you," Sasuke said to Sai as the two males stood without hugging or looking sad. Both quiet and subtle body language. Naruto watched them from where he was waiting at the gate.
"That would be nice," Sai replied with a small smile that Naruto recognized as something that actually said a lot more than the thin appreciation it seemed to convey.
"See you later then."
"Bye, Sasuke."
They left to a line of waving children and Iruka and started the walk home.
Naruto took Sasuke hand again and then Sakura's too as not to have the girl feeling left out. He grinned as they walked in the sun and then spontaneously lifted both of the two hands and kissed the backs in turn.
"What?" asked Sasuke, taking a small side step in his pace to walk closer to Naruto.
"Nothing, I just… like this happy ending," he said, laughing sheepishly as he heard how silly it sounded. Sakura knocked the side of her head against his shoulder and chuckled warmly. Sasuke just squeezed his hand.
Thee End~