Hey everyone! Sorry for the insanely long wait. I have no excuse this time as to why I took so long...I just kept putting it off. I'm so bad, sorry!

Okay, so I'm really confused about this one. I don't know what you'll think of it, but I hope you'll like it. Thank for reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. His eyes, his face, his hands, his hair, his everything else, belongs to K. Masashi [and to Sasuke!]

Here it is everyone, the absolute last chapter; ENJOY!

It had been two years since the day the blonde and the raven had come back to the village, the blonde grinning broadly.

They had been greeted with a warm welcome by all their friends and remember having been asked endless questions to what had gone on during the battle.

Three days after their return, Itachi's heart had finally stopped beating and he had lain motionless atop the hospital bed. He had been buried outside the village walls, where he had chosen to go after annihilating his family during his youth.

Naruto had been treated and there was now a very faint scar across his eye. Not many knew about it. Sasuke would run a hand over it every morning when they woke up; reminding himself of how much better he still had to get to protect those around him.

They lived in the Uchiha complex now and were trying to get more people to move into the empty houses.

Tonight, Naruto and Sasuke were huddled up together under a blanket, sitting on the couch and sipping some sake.

It had been several days since the couple had gotten a chance to spend time together as they were always being sent out on missions.

Things had mostly returned to "normal" since they had returned, but the blonde sometimes flinched whenever someone touched him knowingly, even Sasuke.

It had taken a while for the dobe to get used to things, but the raven had helped him immensely and he was grateful for the support.

Sasuke had his arm around his Kyuubi, as he liked to call him some times, and the blonde in return lay his head on his chest. It was moment like these that the two loved the most. It felt like an eternity between them and the blonde always wished for it to go on forever.

Unfortunately, it never did go on forever; there was always some sort of interruption. And it was almost always either Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, or Shikamaru. And for some reason, it always felt like they planned it. Sometimes, Sasuke even wished they were back in hiding; no one would have been able to find them that way.

But, today, they had made sure no one would come barging in on them. Today was a special day, so they had told all their friends that they were off on a mission, and even if they did some how happen to find out the truth, they had locked all the doors and windows.

The blonde sighed softly, and took a sip from his cup. It was so peaceful, so quiet.

"Hmm, Naruto..." the raven purred in his ear.

Naruto giggled, despite himself. "What, teme?"

"Your plan to lock us inside tonight has been your most brilliant idea ever." he was looking at a far off distance, a blissful smile on his face.

The blonde looked up at him, about to get mad for being called an idiot, but changed his mind as he realized that his lover hadn't meant it that way.

Sasuke looked down at that blonde's bright blue eyes. He could see the love and happiness he felt, but there was also a hint of sadness, of loneliness; there always was.

The villagers' attitudes hadn't changed at all over the past couple of years. The blonde ignored them, and told Sasuke to do the same, but the raven could always tell that it got to him, no matter how much he tried to hide it.

Sasuke put his empty cup of sake down on the small table in front of them and held the blonde in his arms tightly, fearing that if he let go, the blonde would vanish.

He felt the warmth of tears on his shoulder and he drew back slightly, looking at the silently sobbing blonde.

"Naru-" But he was silenced as the dobe put a hand at his lips.

"I'm so happy today Sasuke. I can't tell you how much this all means to me, how much YOU mean to me." he straightened up a bit, put his cup down, and brought his arms around his lover, snuggling into the nape of his neck.

He smiled, aware that Sasuke couldn't see his expression. The felt the arms around him tighten and looked up to give his raven a quick kiss.

They parted and the raven stood up, taking the empty sake cups back into the kitchen. When he sat back down, Naruto laid down, resting his head on the Uchiha's lap. He looked up at his lover with a coy smile spread across his lips.

"I love you, Sasuke."

"I lo-" The raven was cut off. There was knocking at the door.

The lovers glanced at each other.

You told everyone we'd be gone, right? The blonde mouthed to the Uchiha.

Sasuke gave a curt nod.

They sat in silence, waiting for the person at the door to leave.

No one should have known they were home, not even Lady Tsunade.
Though the light in the room was on, there weren't any windows connected to the front of the house.

The raven pointed his finger up, then rolled his eyes in annoyance; something he'd never do in front of anyone else.

Naruto nodded, and they got up and crept their way up the stairs. They entered the room giving view to the front and looked down to see who was at their door. It wasn't too dark yet, so it was quite easy to make out the figures standing at their door-step; Sakura and Lee.

The raven grumbled in annoyance, and Naruto gave a pout. This was the first time in a long time that the two of them had gotten time to spend by themselves, and they did NOT want to be disturbed, especially by Sakura or Lee.

Snippets of Sakura and Lee's bickering could be heard and the raven and blonde hoped they'd be gone soon.

"See? I told you they weren't home!" Sakura was saying. "We'll come again when they're back."

"Nonsense, I am sure I saw Naruto's youthful presence go inside just earlier today." Lee replied.

They argued for a few more minutes, but then decided to head back.

After making sure they were gone for good, Naruto and Sasuke went back down, speaking in low voices, as an extra precaution.

"How could he have seen you come in here? Lee never hangs out in this area; Sakura takes him everywhere she goes." Sasuke said to the blonde. He was walking slightly behind his blonde so he could watch him; the way his golden hair moved slightly with every step he took, and the way his clothes hung loosely off his body, just perfectly. He reached out a hand to put around his lover, but at the same moment, the blonde stopped and turned around to face the raven. Sasuke quickly brought his hand back down by his side.

"It's probably just Lady Tsunade having people make sure nothing happens to me. She hasn't gotten off my back since the whole thing with Itachi." He spoke the older Uchiha's name in contempt. But what he said was true enough; there was always someone following the blonde wherever he went, except during missions. The two never discussed it much, but it was pretty annoying, knowing that someone was watching everything you did.

Sasuke never liked having Naruto think about that, it always made him depressed.

"Want some ramen?" he asked casually.

"W-what? Now? Can I?" the blonde's asked, his eyes wide open in surprise.

The raven chuckled to himself, inwardly. If his blonde had little kitsune ears on the top of his head, they would have just perked up right now, and his tail would have been wagging playfully from side to side.

"Yes, now...you can."

Of course, Sasuke knew this was as absolutely absurd time to be having ramen, especially now that they had had their sake. And perhaps it was the sake that made him suggest this in the first place. No, wait, that can't be it, I never get affected by only one cup, the raven thought to himself.

The blonde led the way to the kitchen, got two cups of instant ramen from the cupboard and started to make them.

Sasuke sighed and sat down at the table, letting the blonde do what he did best, hoping it would take his mind off other, more depressing things.

Naruto finished with the first, and brought it over to his lover, setting a pair of chopsticks along beside it. Then he went back to finish the other one.

Sasuke stared at his cup of ramen. He didn't like ramen, not at all. Naruto knew that. At least, Sasuke thought the blonde knew that. He sighed again and picked up his chopsticks. It was still hot, so he started blowing on it lightly to cool it down. When he was satisfied, he went to have a taste. And just as he was about to, he heard a loud splash and then a clank of metal hitting the floor. Naruto let out a howl of pain.

Sasuke immediately turned his head to the side to see what had happened.

Naruto was on the floor, the front of his shirt soaked and steaming, with a pained expression on his face, his eyes full of tears. He was surrounded by boiling hot water.

The raven rushed over and kneeled down beside him. He quickly got the shirt off his lover. Underneath, the skin across his chest and middle was bright red, and hot.

Shit.

"Naruto! Are you okay? What happened?" he asked the blonde frantically, helping him to get up.

Naruto whimpered, shut his eyes, and took a deep breath, trying to block the pain of his burning hot skin.
"M-my hand slipped." he said, voice trembling.

"Dobe," the raven cursed under his breath. He brought the blonde over to the couch and got him to lie down. He rushed back to the kitchen, got some cold, icy, water and two hand towels.

Reaching the blonde again, he dipped one towel into the water, wrenched the excess water out, and put it over the blonde's chest. Naruto gave a small grunt, but then finally relaxed as his skin started to cool down. The raven took the other towel and started to dab it onto the rest of his lover's body.

He was glad to know that there wouldn't be any permanent damage...unlike the ever lasting scars inflicted by Itachi which were practically glowing red due to the burn.

Sasuke continued what he was doing until the blonde finally got enough control over himself and enough of the pain was gone for him to sit up. He then got some clear ointment for the burns.

Sitting beside his shirtless blonde, he took some ointment ands started to apply it onto the front of his lover's chest. It wasn't very messy and it smelled sweet.

"Are you alright now?" he asked the blonde as he continued to spread the ointment.

"Y-yeah, I think so." He winced slightly as the raven's hand passed over his previous wounds.

"Lie down and stay still for a while, okay? I'll go and clean up." Sasuke said as he gently pushed the dobe back down onto the couch. Then he stood up and started towards the kitchen. Before he could take another step, however, Naruto grabbed has hand, stopping him.

"Wait! Don't go! This is the only time we've got together after such a long time, I wanna spend it with you." His eyes were wide with innocence, and the raven could tell he was deeply sorry for the slip of his hands just now.

The Uchiha gave just the hint of a smile and sat down on the floor, leaning against the couch facing his lover; the blonde still hadn't let go of his hand. Naruto have a wide grin and squeezed the raven's hand. Sasuke held the blonde's hand tightly and raised himself to kiss him.

It was a deep kiss, and Naruto enjoyed every moment of it. He let out a moan and deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring, again, the inner crevices of Sasuke's mouth that he knew all too well and missed so much. When they parted, he let out a gasp, wanting it to go on.

Sasuke leaned his head on the blonde's side and trailed the scars with his unoccupied hand. Naruto gave a shudder as his lover's fingers touched his skin ever so gently. He looked at the raven, whose eyes were so depthless, and yet so empty at the same time. He looked lost, but safe at the same time. Why...?

"Sasuke," was all he said; he knew the raven would tell him what was wrong, he always did. That sent a wave of guilt to the pit of the blonde's stomach.

"I was thinking...the only reason you have to bear with these," he slid his hand gently over Naruto's injured. "The only reason is because I couldn't protect you; I wasn't strong enough. I should have defeated him before any of this could have happened. I'm so sorry." He looked up to face the blonde, his eyes full of guilt and despair.

Naruto started deep into his lover's eyes, his mind disbelieving what he jus heard. He leaned hi head back on the armrest and closed his eyes. "You're wrong, Sasuke. I was the weak one, I should have been able to fight back...but, Sasuke, I was so scared. I was so scared of what he would do to you. I didn't want you to get hurt." is eyes welled up with tears as he remembered those torturous nights, the nights when Itachi would look at him with pure evil and make him beg for death. "Sasuke..."

He gasped. He couldn't control it, he broke down, sobbing. Remembering the terror he had had to endure, it was too much. And that one time when Itachi had almost...He sobbed harder, tears streaming down his face.

Sasuke gripped the blonde's hand. He knew this would happen, but it wasn't good for the dobe to keep everything pent up inside...it was eating him up. He raised his hand and wiped away the tears as his lover started calming down.

"Naruto, it's okay, he's gone, and you're safe now. You don't have to remember anymore," he said soothingly. He was now sitting on the couch's armrest, with the blonde in his arms, cuddling up on his chest. He leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips. "I love you."

The blonde smiled slightly, slowly overcoming the terror in his heart.

"You want ramen? I'll go get mine for you." Sasuke offered, not knowing what else to say. But the blonde shook his head and snuggled more deeply into Sasuke's arms. In turn, Sasuke coiled his arms around the blonde's beautifully toned body. His hands glazed over the muscles that slowly moved in rhythm to the blonde's breathing.

They sat like that for a few minutes and then the blonde jumped up onto his knees, turned around and gave the raven a most passionate kiss. Sasuke wrapped his arms around the blonde, as the blonde did the same, touching the raven in ways the ninja's fan girls would kill for.

The Uchiha slowly pushed the blonde onto his back, ravishing his body, planting kisses wherever he could. Naruto arched his back slightly, encouraging the raven in his attempts. But Sasuke stopped, raising his head, and looked deep into his lover's eyes. They fell into a deep kiss once again and the raven hands started to make their way down, arousing the blonde to new heights.

Naruto had one hand wrapped around the raven and the other undoing his belt. His body was heating up and he his breathing quickened.

"Ai shiteru."

The next morning, Sasuke woke up, light spilling on his face. He blinked, focusing his eyes. The light that passed through the fabric of the curtains made their way to the couch where he and the blonde had cuddled up last night after a night of pure bliss.

He smiled, remembering the night before. Looking down, he saw the beautiful face of his angelic blonde, still sleeping. He got up and made his way to the kitchen, dreading the mess. It smelled of ramen and the floor was kind of sticky, still wet. He sidestepped around the main mess and got himself a glass of water. He could hear the blonde stirring.

Walking over to the blonde, he greeted him with a quick peck on the cheeks. "Morning."

"G'morning," the blonde replied still sleepy. He drank the water Sasuke offered him. He was still shirtless and he looked amazing, making the raven smirk, and trying to hide his blush.

"Hey, dobe, guess what?"

"Huh? What?" he asked confused. "And don't call me that, teme!" He gave a pout.

The raven gave a larger smirk, walked up to the blonde and whispered into his ear. "You're cleaning up."

It took a while for the dobe to understand what Sasuke meant, and by the time he got it, the raven was halfway up the stairs, heading towards the bathroom to clean himself up.

"Hey! HEY! TEME, COME BACK HERE! That's not fair!" He shouted after his lover. "I'm still injured, look! LOOK!" He pointed to his chest, showing where his burns had been, but were no longer there. "Grrr," he grumbled.

"I SAW PLENTY OF WHAT I WANTED TO SEE LAST NIGHT, DOBE, AND I LOVED EVERY BIT OF IT!" Sasuke shouted back from the bathroom, savoring the fact that the blonde couldn't see his red face.

Naruto smiled, blushing. But then he gave a pout again. "W-wha-? Hey! TEME!" He shouted again, realizing he still had to do the cleaning up. Sighing, he got up and walked over to the kitchen where the mess lay. He knew Sasuke would be back soon enough and would help, but he got started on it anyway. Another day of work and no fun, he thought, pursing his lips in a frown.

Then he laughed, despite himself, at everything that had gone on during the day before. He was happy knowing that, with Sasuke, he would be able to face what ever came in the future. There was no more Itachi and the past was behind him. He could finally be at peace with himself. He smiled. He was finally happy.

Yay, I finally finished! After how long? ZOMG! Oh, I sux, I know. But I hope everyone enjoyed it. XD

So, several things I wanna say:
1) This chapter might have a lot of changes in mood because I'm a very moody person and I wrote this over the course of nearly three months.
2) I'm so happy this is finished, I feel so proud now, -Nya!-
3) About Naruto's burn: it wasn't anything serious, it just heated up his skin pretty bad, and with the ointment and Kyuubi, it healed! Yay!

I'd really like everyone's opinion on this. Was it fitting for a "sequel" type thing? I wanted to make it more fluffy, but it wasn't working out...I don't think I'm very good at writing like that, I dunno. What do you all think?

Oh yeah...I didn't want this to be a lemon. I've never written a lemon before, so I didn't want to ruin this by writing one. You can all use your imaginations, right? RIGHT? Hahaha.

UPDATE: I've started writing a SasuNaru Christmas fic recently, as well as another angsty piece. I think you might like it.
Also, I know this fic is complete, however; if you have any suggestions or anything you'd like for me to fix, or if you would just like to say how much you like it, please let me know! I'm still interested in your thoughts since it would help for other ideas I have for future fics. Remember, it's all for the fans...well, it is for me anyway.

So, please REVIEW!