A/N: Ok, so I've found a slightly more reliable internet connection.

Um...right, so I counted three people who wanted to shoot Itachi's brains out. That was funny. In regards the mention made here about Iruka getting married, I covered that in 'Don't Let Me Go'.Willow was never a permanent fixture, was just waiting for the right time to kick her out. This seemed like it.

I appreciate the reviews, they make me laugh so hard! It's hilarious how Fluffyz babe just 'dies' or how people get out their guns and start firing at Itachi. Good times...

Onward...

Chapter 14

Naruto reached the house ahead of Sasuke and unlocked the door. It was midmorning. "Hello?" Naruto called as he propped the door on his foot and slid his key out of the lock. "Anybody home?" Sasuke closed the door behind them.

"Listen," Sasuke said.

Naruto cocked his ear toward the ceiling. The unmistakable sound of a headboard slamming into a wall could be heard. He shook his head.

"I swear, it's no wonder Willow is pregnant again so soon. They never let up." He wandered into the living room, shedding his vest and dropping it on the floor as he went. "I guess Raiden and Aimi are at the sitter's right now, neh? Want me to pick them up or do you want to?" Naruto yawned widely and flopped onto the couch. He put his head back and groaned.

Sasuke could see that his blond demon was exhausted, but he wanted to talk to his brother. "You go. I need to ask Itachi something."

"'Kay. In a minute," Naruto yawned again. Then he heaved himself to his feet. "Actually, I'll go now. The kids probably missed us."

Sasuke nodded as Naruto went back out the door. He made his way upstairs where the banging sound was louder. He decided that a shower would do wonders for him. Besides, it didn't sound like the banging would stop anytime soon.

The hot spray of the shower was like heaven. There'd been no opportunity for such niceties during the mission. Sasuke put his head back and let the water wash away a month's worth of grime and filth, using his nails to scrub at his itchy scalp. He mused that the shower would have been even better if Naruto had been there to share it with him.

By the time he stepped from the tub, Sasuke reasoned that his brother should be available. He took a few moments to go to his room, dress and run a comb through his hair before knocking on his brother's door.

Gaara answered. The smell of sex hit Sasuke's nose as he looked past the redhead to see his brother lounging in the sheets. Itachi looked ready to fall asleep. He smiled at seeing his younger brother.

"Sasuke," Itachi wrapped the sheet around his waist. He came to his brother and they clasped forearms. "When did you get back?"

"Little while ago. Naruto's gone to get the kids. They're okay, aren't they?"

"Yes. At least, I hadn't heard otherwise."

"Good," Sasuke said. "I wanted to talk to you, if you have a moment?" He looked back and forth between Gaara and Itachi. Gaara waved them away.

"Go ahead. I have a letter to write to Temari before I speak with Danzo on a few things," Gaara said. "Take your time."

Itachi stood back and let Sasuke into the room as Gaara exited it. Sasuke saw Itachi watching the way Gaara's naked ass flexed and released as he walked. He cleared his throat to get Itachi's attention.

"What is it," Itachi said, going back to the bed. Sasuke took a seat in Willow's rocking chair. "Was the mission successful?"

"Yeah, it went fine. Dragged on forever, but we completed it successfully. I wanted to ask you about Danzo. Have you noticed that the Genjutsu has worn off?"

At that precise moment, Naruto was engaged in a heated argument with the village sitter.

"What do you mean my kids aren't here? Where the hell else would they be?!" he shouted into her frightened face.

"B-but Naruto-kun, you and Sasuke- kun came to pick them up a month ago. D-d-don't you remember?"

"Impossible. Sasuke and I weren't even here a month ago. You better start explaining to me exactly happened or this village will be looking for a new babysitter. Start talking."

The elderly sitter looked up into the livid face of the big Jinchuuriki and felt her bladder loosen. Naruto-kun's hands were on his hips, but she could well imagine the big fingers closing around her frail throat. She swallowed with difficulty as she began the short story from the beginning, stammering badly throughout the entire thing.

"Well, I just assumed it vanished when Aimi did," Itachi said after he confirmed that he had indeed noticed the Genjutsu was gone.

"Vanished?" Sasuke asked blankly. "What do you mean when Aimi vanished?"

"The same day you and Naruto accepted the mission, the children were requested by Willow's friend to help her in her world. All of the children went with her, Raiden and Aimi included. Hiashi's daughter, Hanabi, happened to be in the house at that time and got sucked along with the rest of the children. Actually, that caused me no small headache. And your son is indirectly, though I prefer to think of it as directly, responsible for Willow leaving. Gaara was heartbroken."

Sasuke was struggling to follow along with what his brother was saying. "What? I don't understand-"

"SASUKE!! ITACHI! GAARA!" Naruto's voice boomed through the house as they heard the front door slam. "Get your fucking asses down here right the fuck now!"

Sasuke had been eyeing his brother suspiciously. He jumped up now and ran down the stairs at hearing the stark panic and rage in Naruto's voice. His entire body was tight with dread as he skidded into the living room, Itachi right behind him, struggling to keep the sheet from tripping him. Gaara appeared a moment later.

Naruto had his back to them, hands on his hips, staring at the wall. He was quivering. Sasuke recognized it as a posture that meant Naruto was trying hard not to kill someone.

"Our kids are gone, Sasuke. Your righteous fuck of a brother kicked them out of his house, the sitter said. She also said you and I picked them up from her house the same evening that Itachi dropped them off. A month ago. Ask your brother if he's seen our kids in the past month, Sasuke. If I look at or talk to him now, I'll kill him. I swear to God, I will."

Sasuke turned to his brother with a half smile of disbelief. He was sure there had to be some mistake. His brother wouldn't have kicked his own niece and nephew out of the house…no way. At seeing the closed expression on Itachi's face and the way Gaara dropped his eyes, Sasuke's smile evaporated. "Itachi?"

"I had to do it, Sasuke," Itachi said stonily. "Raiden sent my children to a hell dimension, nearly got them killed, got Willow's friends all killed, caused Willow to leave us for good…I left him with the sitter for you to deal with when you got back. I didn't say he couldn't come back here ever, just that he could never be around my kids again without you or Naruto present."

"You put my children out, Itachi?" Sasuke's voice was very soft. His eyes wore Sharingan.

"I will not let anything endanger this clan, Sasuke. Not even your children. You-"

Sasuke held his hand up, turning his head away from him to speak to Naruto. "What do you mean the sitter saw us pick them up?"

"That's what she said. It couldn't have been us, of course. I'm thinking clones."

"But Raiden would know the difference."

"Exactly," Naruto said. After Raiden had been kidnapped by Madara the last time, and once Sasuke was alive again, Naruto had spent time helping the kid learn the difference between Kage Bunshin and the real thing.

"And if Raiden were forcibly taken in Genjutsu, we would have heard something from him, right?"

"I don't know. I didn't hear anything when Madara took him. But if he was in pain or afraid we would have known."

"Right. Which means…what? Raiden left with the clones willingly?"

"No. I know my son. He probably made the clones himself and left to go somewhere. Those clones were made to fool the sitter not Raiden."

Sasuke digested this as he turned back to Itachi. "When's the last time you saw Raiden and Aimi?"

Itachi was staring at the back of Naruto's blond head. He could sense the man calling up his chakra. He turned his eyes to Sasuke now. "The night I dropped them off at the sitter's."

Sasuke stared at Itachi. "You were under the impression that Naruto and I would be gone a week. When you saw that we were gone for a month you didn't think to go and check on my kids? Because you think Raiden sent your brats to a hell dimension?"

Itachi pursed his lips in annoyance. "He nearly got them killed, Sasuke-"

"Raiden wouldn't do that. He'd never be vindictive like that." Sasuke said. "Never."

"How would you know?" Itachi spat. "You're never around him anyway, all you do is fuck Naruto day and night when you're not wor-"

Sasuke's fist crashed into his brother's face, sending the older man flying in a spray of blood. He followed up with a Chidori spear through his brother's shoulder, pinning him to the wall. He drew his sword from his back with his other hand and held the tip at Itachi's throat. "Say one more word," Sasuke hissed. "And you and I are going to have a serious problem on our hands."

Itachi remained still. Sasuke couldn't take him, he knew that. He didn't want to alienate his only brother, though. He'd wait until Sasuke calmed down, until it was explained to him the magnitude of his son's actions.

Naruto approved of Sasuke's treatment of is brother. He turned towards his own brother now. "Gaara."

Gaara looked away from Sasuke and Itachi to meet Naruto's blazing eyes. "Yes?"

"Don't 'yes' me! If you're my brother how could you let my kids be thrown out like that?"

"I didn't agree with Itachi's decision."

"You didn't go against him either, did you?"

"He's been living here with Raiden full time…I've been away in Suna…I thought he had more right to decide Raiden's immediate punishment than I did. I'm sorry, Naruto." Gaara lowered his eyes again. "You have every right to be angry with me. I've failed you."

"Yes," Naruto said spitefully. "You have."

Gaara winced, making Naruto smile tightly. Good. The bastard should feel bad.

"Call Raiden," Sasuke said to Naruto. He still had his brother pinned to the wall. "See where he is and if he's alright."

Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated.

Raiden was just sitting down at a small desk when he heard his daddy's voice in his mind. This was his first day of kindergarten. He and Wyatt had hung their bags and lunchboxes in their cubbies. They'd chosen seats side by side and the teacher was addressing the classroom full of nervous, big-eyed kids.

Raiden? Where are you, are you okay?

Raiden seriously considered not answering. His parents had not bothered to wonder where he was for a whole month. Piper and Leo were taking good care of him and Aimi. He had Wyatt. He could stand the monstrous pain of losing his family so long as he had Wyatt. He looked over at his friend. Wyatt gave him an encouraging smile.

The first few days with the Halliwell's had been hard on Raiden. He'd find himself crying for no reason, sometimes long into the night. He missed his family terribly, even his cousins. Wyatt was always there to comfort him, though, no matter how long or hard Raiden blubbered. Piper had consented to Raiden sleeping in Wyatt's bed when she saw how much calmer the abandoned boy was around her son. Raiden was very grateful.

During the following weeks, Raiden slowly came to terms with the fact that he'd really run away and wasn't going back. He kept expecting his daddy and Papa to try contacting him when they discovered that he was missing, but they didn't. He got a panicky and extremely painful feeling in his chest whenever he thought about never seeing his parents again, so he stopped thinking about it. Sometimes the magnitude of his actions would catch him at odd moments and he'd feel like he had to go to the bathroom, but generally his resilience let him forget that his family had cast him and his sister aside.

Aimi was fine so long as Raiden was around. She didn't communicate with him using words but he knew that though she missed Papa she would remain with her brother.

But here was his daddy contacting him at last. Mad as he was, Raiden couldn't deny the fierce tidal wave of happiness that had coursed through him at hearing the familiar and painfully beloved voice in his mind.

Raiden decided to answer his father.

I'm with Wyatt's family. I'm fine. I'm not coming back.

Dammit, Raiden, this isn't a game. Get your ass back home right now.

A part of Raiden wanted to immediately obey as he was accustomed to doing whenever his parents gave him an order. Raiden firmed his resolve, though it left him shaken to do so.

Uncle Itachi kicked me and Aimi out. I don't have a home there. This is my home now.

A lot of cursing rage came through to Raiden at this statement. It made his stomach hurt and his hands sweaty just thinking about how he'd defied his father. Like, blatantly defied him. He'd never done that before and sure as hell wouldn't have had the balls to do it now if his daddy weren't on a completely different world.

There was quiet from his father for a few minutes. Then:

Raiden, your Uncle Itachi was worried about his kids, that's all. Your Papa and I are so going to kick his fucking ass for him. You have a home with us, baby, please don't do this. Just come home, okay?

Raiden didn't answer. He clenched his teeth to keep from folding to Aimi and Booming back to his daddy. His teacher had just introduced herself as Ms. Jennings.

Raiden? Please? We miss you and love you very much. Come home. I don't care if you sent Itachi's kids to-

I didn't. It was Aimi. She did it for me and I'm happy she did. I hate my cousins, I hate Uncle Itachi and you've been gone a long time. Leave me alone.

Before he could be tempted further, Raiden did something that blocked his daddy's voice from his mind. He didn't know he could do that. He took a deep breath and concentrated on what was going on around him.

Raiden listened carefully as Ms. Jennings went over the classroom rules.

Damn that kid! Naruto opened his eyes. He looked at Sasuke.

Sasuke thought he'd never seen such a muted look of horror on his man's face before. He released Itachi and went to his demon, folding him into a tight hug, bracing himself for whatever bad news was coming.

"Our babies," Sasuke choked. "Are our babies…?"

"They're fine, as far as I can tell." Naruto related everything Raiden had told him. He watched Itachi's face over Sasuke's shoulder. At hearing that it had been Aimi who'd sent the kids to hell, Itachi's eyes widened.

"He's not coming back?" Sasuke asked, pulling out of the embrace. "But…why?"

"I got a bunch of peripheral images from his words. Seems he told Itachi that he was innocent and Itachi kicked him out anyway. And the kids said some mean things to him. He's right, we have been gone a long time. We haven't paid much attention to him since you came back from the dead." Naruto scrubbed his hand through his hair. "I'm thinking your brother needs to be dealt with, and then we can figure out how to get our kids back.

Sasuke had been standing as if frozen. It struck a deep chord in him to know that his own son felt abandoned. He knew that feeling. Back before Itachi had come back from Akatsuki and before his mom had quit drinking, he'd felt completely and utterly alone. All he'd had was Naruto. Here it was Raiden had all this family and the kid had still felt discarded? Screw that, his kid had been discarded. By his own blood relatives. How much must that have hurt his sensitive son? Raiden was like Naruto: tender, compassionate, a giver. He empathized with people, was friendly and social with everyone he met. To be rejected…no. How could this happen?

And he and Naruto had played a part in it. They'd been so wrapped up in each other that Raiden didn't even want to come home now.

Yes. Dealing with Itachi was the first order of business. Then they would get their children. "Let me handle it," Sasuke said in a low voice.

Itachi watched them, his hand covering the wound in his shoulder. If they thought they were going to drag him into one of their nonsensical solution-for-everything brawls he had news for them. He braced himself.

It shocked Itachi when Sasuke stepped up to him and said, "So. My son pleaded innocence and you ignored him. You kicked a child of three and an infant out of the house because you didn't have the balls to deal with them. My son. You upset him so much that he's run away and your ever-fucking kids have once again hurt my family. How do you feel about that?"

Itachi had to take a moment to rearrange his thoughts. Never in his memory had Sasuke been so angry with him. Not even when Kaito had tried to kill him.

"Sasuke," he began. "I apologize. Of course I regret how my actions made Raiden feel and I'm sorry he ran away, but obviously I was right to put them out. Aimi is an unknown. Who can say what she'll do or why she'll do it? She's proving to be just as powerful, if not more so, than Raiden. I can't have such dangerous people around my family, Sasuke."

"They are your family, Itachi." Sasuke's face and tone were bewildered. Itachi wasn't the slightest bit remorseful. Nor did he answer this last statement from Sasuke.

Naruto had been staring hatefully at Itachi. Now he turned to Gaara, who'd remained silent throughout the discussion. "I thought I could count on you, Gaara. It took me awhile to really accept you as my brother, but you kept insisting that you'd never let me down, kept showing me that you had my back no matter what. I left my kids here with peace of mind. I never would have thought you'd betray my trust by letting my kids be put out to please your lover. Family just doesn't do that to each other."

"Naruto," Gaara said in a tormented voice. "Please, I-"

"No. I don't want to hear it. You couldn't even be bothered to check up on them and discover that they were missing. My kids could have been dead for all you knew. I think it's better if we just remain acquaintances from now on. I don't need brothers like you."

Naruto turned away from Gaara's stricken face and went up to his room. Sasuke watched his demon retreating up the stairs for a moment before turning to his brother. "You're dead to me, you hear? I never want to see you again. Never speak to me again, Itachi. Fuck you and fuck the clan, may you never know any peace from it."

"Sasuke, no, please," Itachi reached his bloody hand towards his brother. Sasuke spat at him and followed Naruto up the stairs.

He found the blond packing everything they owned. "All of Raiden and Aimi's clothes are gone," Naruto said shortly. "Our brothers didn't even notice that detail. God. And Danzo being currently Genjutsu-free at the moment doesn't help. We might have convinced him to give us some place to stay."

Sasuke pitched in with the packing. "Fuck him. We'll find a place to stay on our own. We're adults. It's time we started acting like it and provided a stable home for our kids."

"You're right. But I now understand why ninja families traditionally seem to have one combat-oriented parent and one parent who stays home. Someone has to be there for the kids. Neji and Kiba can get away with having their spouses be ninjas because they have a large familial support system. Which is what I thought we had here, but we don't I guess. We're on our own. Again. You and me, Sasuke. And our kids." Naruto leaned his hands on the suitcase he was packing, briefly overcome with guilt.

The night Sasuke had come back, Naruto had made Raiden a promise to take care of him and not let him down again. How spectacularly he had failed to live up to that promise! Mikoto had been right: he wasn't ready or prepared to be a father.

Naruto grit his teeth and took a breath as Sasuke watched him. Well, he was a father and he had a family to put back together. He straightened and resumed packing. Sasuke continued with him.

"What about our jobs? Are we going to give those up?" Sasuke asked.

"No. You're going to stay home to cook, clean and bear my children just like the uke you are. It's only right." Naruto gave a sanctimonious little nod.

Sasuke hurled a full suitcase at the blond's head. Naruto ducked.

"I'm serious," Sasuke said.

"So am I. At least about the staying home part. We can't accept joint missions anymore. One goes, the other stays with our kids. No more sitter. We can alternate."

"Okay, that sounds better than the other statement."

They had their junk together in record time. "Listen, I have an idea of where we can stay," Naruto said as he straightened from closing the last bag. "Why don't you let me handle it?"

Sasuke made his eyes big and worshipful, batting his eyelashes madly. "Awww, look at my man being all seme and in control! You go, boy! Do your thang, you know I love it when you take charge. Mwaah!" He blew a juicy kiss in Naruto's direction.

"Ew. Something is seriously wrong with you," Naruto shuddered. He left hurriedly.

Itachi and Gaara had apparently worked up the courage to approach Sasuke and Naruto. They were coming up the stairs. Naruto pushed them down the entire flight on his way out the door without speaking to them.

Sai learned from Danzo that Naruto and Sasuke were back in the village. He sat in the house he shared with Kiba, thinking.

He didn't want to spy on his friends. How he was expected to get information on Sasuke and Naruto's children without alerting them, he didn't know. The entire thing made him distinctly uneasy. He had been relieved to report a few weeks ago that the children, Raiden and Aimi, were nowhere to be found. Danzo had been interested to hear this, particularly since Itachi's kids were clearly back home.

Sai didn't want to go against his friends, but he couldn't go against his superior and Hokage. It was a dilemma. He decided to seek advice from Shino.

Shino just happened to return from his own four-day mission that morning. He was standing in his apartment, naked, Hinata lifted so that her legs wrapped around his head with his face in her pussy. He supported her weight with his hands.

Hinata was coming profusely in his mouth when the knock sounded on his apartment door. Shino ignored it. He lowered Hinata so that she was impaled on his tumescence, even as her body shook through the aftershocks of her orgasm. Her womanhood was slick and buttery with her climax, easing the passage of his thick organ. He slid her up and down lazily, drawing out the pleasure for them both. Her head was thrown back as she clung to his shoulders and Shino buried his face in her abundant breasts.

He came before too much longer, emptying his seed into her tight sheath. Hinata did not climax again, having already done so several times during their coupling. She collapsed against his neck as he walked from the living room to their bedroom and deposited her on the bed there. She would get up soon and return to her duties as head of her clan, he knew. Shino wrapped a kimono around himself, located his shades and went to see who was at the door.

Sai leaned against the jamb patiently, as if he had all the time in the world. Shino stood aside to let him in. They sat on Shino's gray couch and matching armchair, facing each other.

Shino didn't press Sai for the reason for this visit. He knew his long-time friend well. Sai would get to it in his own time. Shino sat back and enjoyed the drained feeling of just having sex.

"If you'd been ordered to betray a friend by your superior, what would you do?" Sai asked after awhile.

Shino took his time answering, turning the question over in his mind. "If I felt the consequences would not affect my family, I would choose friendship over the orders of my superior. If going against my superior would endanger me or my family, then I would find a way to appear to comply with the order while still preserving the friendship. I would choose not to betray my friend no matter what."

"Yes," Sai said miserably. "That's what I want to do, too." If only going against Danzo didn't mean death. He loved Kiba, he didn't want to end what they had by dying.

Perceptive as ever, Shino spoke again. "Danzo is a dangerous enemy to have. Perhaps you should enlist the aid of the friend he wants you to betray in deceiving him."

Sai brightened. "Shino, that is an excellent idea. I'll be able to appear to give Danzo information without betraying my friends at all. Perfect." Sai gave one of his rare and thoroughly beautiful smiles. Shino nodded in acknowledgment

.

Kaito snuck out of the academy during recess. He'd been planning his escape for several days now. He wasn't sure if Kurenai-sensei would see through his clone or not. Probably, but he didn't care.

He had to see how Hanabi was doing.

Kaito hadn't seen or heard a word about her since her father had dragged her from the Uchiha house. Not like he ever really saw her before that fateful day, but he used to catch a glimpse of her now and then around town, surrounded by Hyuuga guards. Now he never saw her at all.

He'd mapped out a plan to get into the Hyuuga estate some nights ago. He'd spent the past few weekends standing on a tree outside the place with Hiroko while she cast a Genjutsu that cloaked them. He'd painstakingly drawn up a rough blueprint of the estate. Once completed, Kaito had stood outside various parts of the enclosing wall and tried to sense Hanabi's chakra signature. He finally managed to locate a thin pulse of it at the very northwestern tip of the estate. Kaito concluded that Hanabi's room must be somewhere in that area.

Getting Hiroko to show him how to cloak and layer had been easy. Actually mastering the task had not. They spent long hours at night going over and over it. Hiroko was determined to help Kaito succeed. Eventually Kaito did, but he could only layer five times. It was enough.

He stood outside the estate now, dutifully cloaked and layered. Kaito looked nervously up and down the street anyway, making sure no one was around. The street was deserted. Most likely everyone was inside eating lunch and resting.

Kaito leapt nimbly up to the wall and was over within seconds.

He landed with a soft thud right behind one of the Hyuuga elders. Kaito held his breath and remained perfectly still as the man turned around and regarded the space behind him. Eventually the man turned and continued his walk around the courtyard.

Kaito breathed an inward sigh of relief. He stood to his full height and made his way to the section of the estate he thought Hanabi's room was in.

Hanabi was brushing out her long, sable hair when the barely audible knock sounded at her door. She paused with the brush hovering over her head, frowning. No one ever knocked. Her father or her guard always just barged right in. After a minute, she set her brush down and went to her door. She was mildly curious.

The first thing she noticed upon opening her door was that her guard was staring blankly into space. The second thing she noticed was that the air right in front of her seemed to shimmer. The shimmer solidified into a person. Kaito stood excitedly before her, shoving her back into her room and closing her door before she could say a word of protest. She watched as he pressed his ear to her closed door, listening.

Hanabi had not been allowed out of the house since that horrible day and night a month ago. She'd remained in her room most of the time, not wanting to see her father or anyone else. Hinata had come by a few times to ask if she was alright and if she needed anything, but Hanabi had pretty much ignored her. Hinata stopped trying to get her sister to open up. Hiashi had cursed her and beaten her for leaving the house to go to the Uchihas. Hanabi had not bothered to correct his assumption that she'd gone over there of her own free will. She didn't think he would believe her. And she hadn't wanted to sell out Kaito's relative.

For the past month, all Hyuuga Hanabi had done was think about the boy who'd said he loved her.

She couldn't get him out of her mind. She'd worked out that she'd been brought to the Uchiha house because he'd wanted to see her. She'd experienced the greatest danger she'd ever known because of him, but she'd also never felt more alive than when she was fighting by his side. The moments that stood out for her from those frightening twenty-four hours were the moments Kaito had spoken to her, protected her, saved her. She felt an aching in her chest whenever she thought of him. Every detail of his person was imprinted on her brain, down to the smell of his body and the memory of his sweat. His voice haunted her dreams. The song he'd sung played in her mind on a continuous loop. Sometimes, at night, when all was dark and quiet, she would whisper his name over and over to herself. It helped lessen the ache in her chest, helped make her life more bearable. It was the only thing that brought relief, that eased her all-encompassing need to be near him again. The sound of his name on her lips wasn't much, but it was something.

Hanabi concluded that she was going insane.

And now, miracle of miracles, he was standing in her room. Right there at her door, not two feet from where she stood. He'd actually touched her just now when he'd rudely shoved her. Her hands came up to brush her shoulder where his hands had touched.

Her stomach hurt. Her throat felt full and constricted. Her skin felt feverish as her eyes ran over him. Kaito had one hand splayed near his cheek on the door. She noticed that his fingernails were dirty. He finally turned around to look at her.

"Whew," Kaito whispered to her blank face. "Nobody seems to know I'm here. Good. The Genjutsu I put on your guard should last awhile. I was only able to layer it five times, but still. Should give me enough time."

Hanabi found herself shaking. Really trembling. His whispering voice did strange things to her legs. Her face felt hot and cold at the same time. God, what was wrong with her??

"So," Kaito continued in that whispering voice. He gave a small smile as he stepped closer to her, away from the door. Hanabi gripped the hem of her shirt in both hands. "I came by to see if you were alright. Are you? I mean after what happened…"

Kaito took a long look at her as she stared at him. She was wearing some kind of ivory satin ensemble. The top didn't have sleeves. The pants came to her knees. The hem of the shirt, bottom of the pants and edges of the sleeveless top all ended in an inch of eyelet lace, threaded with a thin blue ribbon. Kaito thought her clothes were very pretty. Her hair hung around her shoulders to her waist in rich brown waves. Her long lashes and finely arched brows called attention to her creamy skin and pale eyes. Her lips were pink and smooth, perfectly shaped in a bow. A thin horizontal scar marred her cheek. He suspected it was a souvenir from their battle in the hell dimension.

She didn't answer him. Kaito leaned forward. "Hanabi? Are you okay?"

Hanabi had his sweaty smell hit her nose when he leaned forward. She inhaled it deeply. Why was he taller than she was? He was asking her something.

Kaito saw her nod and relaxed. "How come I haven't seen you around the village? Are you on house arrest or something?"

Hanabi swallowed several times before she was able to whisper back. Honestly, this boy destroyed her nerves and composure. "My father thinks I left the house to go to your father's house that night."

"Oh. Well. Thanks for not telling on Raiden, I guess. Nobody is supposed to know about what he can do. You'll continue to keep it a secret?"

Hanabi found that she wanted to do anything Kaito wished of her. She nodded once.

"Good. It would mean my hide if uncle Sasuke found out I let Raiden's secret out. So, what do you do in here all day?"

Kaito turned away from her to look around her room. He shoved his dirty hands into his pockets as he walked around the sunny space. Hanabi followed him with her eyes. She saw Kaito stop at the small flowery notebook open on her bed. He reached for it and Hanabi moved at last, reaching the bed and taking the book before he could see what she'd written. She wasn't quite quick enough.

Kaito repeated what he'd been able to see before she snatched the book up.

"Eyes black as midnight

They draw me in, where I melt

I live in his smile."

Kaito appeared to think about the words as he looked at her. Hanabi felt mortification that he should have read the haiku she'd written about him.

"That's nice," Kaito said. "Who is it about? Anyone I know?"

He tried to make his voice light, but the stab of jealousy he felt was sharp and painful. Here he was worried about her and she was writing about some guy. His brothers were right, Hyuuga Hanabi was out of his league. She was probably already engaged to some jerk of a Hyuuga. Who was he, a mere twelve-year-old, to think he had a chance with a fifteen-year-old goddess, anyway? Kaito suddenly felt foolish and insecure. Neither feeling sat well with him.

"Well, I see you're okay so I'll leave. Sorry to have bothered you." Kaito said this as he made his way to the door.

Hanabi had of course been unable to answer his question about the poem. She'd felt sure he must know it was about him. She hugged the open notebook to her chest as she watched his stiff strides across her room. He was leaving!

"Wait," she said softly.

Kaito turned with his hand on the knob. "What?"

"I…do you have to leave?"

"I probably should…your guard might come out of that Genjutsu at any moment."

"Would he remember seeing you?"

"I wasn't visible when I cast it."

"Then he won't come in here. I…have other poems, if you want to see."

Kaito had never heard her speak so much. He let go of the doorknob to come over to her. He wasn't averse to spending more time with her.

Hanabi sat on her white bed cross-legged. Kaito sat in front of her, acutely aware that being in a girl's bedroom felt very strange all of a sudden. He looked at her bare feet tucked under her knees. They were smaller than his own feet and very clean. He wondered what they smelled like.

That was actually the only haiku Hanabi had written about Kaito. She opened the book to the first pages and handed it to him. He took it and turned the book so that he could read. Hanabi felt exposed as his eyes ran over her words; she'd never let anyone read her poems before. No one even knew she wrote poetry.

Kaito found that not all of her poems were haikus. Some of them were pages long. All of them displayed a quirky, warped and funny way of looking at the world around them. Keen observations were made and presented in a light that had Kaito stifling his carrying laughter more than once. Hanabi felt pleasure well up inside her at seeing her writing affect him this way. She smiled as she watched the sunlight play in his black hair, gilding the strands.

There was one poem about kissing. It told of the longing felt for a first kiss, of imagining what it would feel like, how it would taste…it made Kaito feel funny. He remembered wanting to kiss Hanabi a month ago. He found that he still wanted to. He glanced up at her and caught her smile.

He was blown away. Her smile transformed her face into something beyond the capabilities of his vocabulary to express. The book lay forgotten in his hands as he stared at her.

Hanabi didn't know what he was staring at her for, but it made her body tingle. She reached over and took the book gently from his slack hands. She looked at the page he was reading. Her face warmed at seeing the poem she'd written.

She'd been thinking of him, of course, when she'd written it. It had been dawn and she'd woken from a dream of him. In the dream, they had been leaning toward each other, faces almost touching. She'd woken up right before their lips could meet. Later, she'd known that she would never actually dream of kissing until she'd kissed in real life. It was then that she'd written the poem.

"Are you engaged?" Kaito asked suddenly. He startled her by breaking the silence so abruptly.

"No." She looked at him curiously.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Why was he asking such personal questions? He had a slight frown on his face, Hanabi saw. "No."

"Is there a man you're interested in?"

There is just a boy I can't forget. "No."

"There isn't?"

Hanabi shook her head. Kaito wondered who she wanted to kiss and who the haiku was about. He didn't want to ask. Bad enough he'd blurted his feelings to her when she'd been at the house. His face darkened in shame every time he thought about the ridiculous song he'd sung for her.

Kaito suddenly wanted out of that white room.

He unfolded his legs and got off the bed, heading for her door with unseemly haste. Hanabi got up and followed him. At the door, Kaito turned, ready to make his goodbyes and whatever, but he found Hanabi standing right behind him. She was clutching her book to her chest.

Hanabi thought it unlikely that he would visit again. She took her courage in her hands and blurted, "The haiku is about you."

Kaito blinked down at her. It was a few seconds before understanding came to him. When it did, he felt gut punched. "I-it is?" He could feel shock stiffening his face.

She nodded slowly.

"Oh." Kaito went over the words of the haiku in his mind and felt an explosion take place inside him. She felt that way about him. Holy shit. "Oh."

Kaito had his back pressed against her door, his hands kneading the material of his shorts nervously. Hanabi kept looking at him and he found that the poem about the kiss wouldn't leave his mind. Kaito had never really been a shy person.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked in a hoarse whisper. He didn't want to end up inside a wall again.

Hanabi locked her knees to keep herself upright. She couldn't answer. She just couldn't. Her eyes glazed over with longing.

Kaito didn't hear her say no, so he thought it might be safe to risk it. His hands came up to grasp her cool, bare arms and pull her forward. He was rough with his anxiety. Her lips were cold and rigid, his hot and hard. He pulled back, but Hanabi let her book drop and placed her hands on his shoulders, walking forward so that her body pressed against the length of his. Kaito gasped and then his mouth closed over hers and the kiss changed from being close-mouthed to some kind of soft-lipped, wet exploration between them.

Kaito's mouth was still hot on hers. It warmed her until Hanabi's face was flushed. Her hands tightened on his shoulders, his smell all around her. His hot hands left her upper arms to come around her slight frame. She was drawn close against his hard body, feeling his heart hammer against her own pounding one. His breathing was harsh on her cheek. She felt his hands tangle in her hair, then his arms tighten around her back as he lifted her against him and kissed her harder. Hanabi was dizzy. A soft moan came from her throat. Not a man, but not a boy, either, Hanabi thought fleetingly.

Then it was over and he was lifting his head from hers. She was set on her feet again, right on top of her book, actually. His arms dropped reluctantly from around her as his eyes went Sharingan.

"I have to go now," he whispered. He watched as she licked her lips of his taste. She nodded.

"Will you come back?" she asked.

"Do you want me to?"

"Yes," she whispered desperately. She would die if she didn't see him again.

"Then I'll come back."

Kaito cloaked and layered himself into invisibility. Hanabi opened her door. Her guard looked questioningly at her as she felt Kaito slip past them both. She asked for a glass of water before she shut the door and leaned against it. Her heart was still beating frantically in her chest.

"Where are we going," Sasuke asked. Naruto had come back to the house an hour after leaving it and said everything was arranged. He'd proceeded to make ten clones to carry their things and told Sasuke to follow him. Sasuke, eager to get away from his brother's pleading looks, had been quick to comply. They'd been walking for the past twenty minutes.

"To our new accommodations, of course," Naruto answered. "We lucked out, really. I think it'll do fine. You'll see."

What Sasuke saw was that they were standing outside Ichiraku Ramen. The old man was standing in front of it, apparently waiting for them. He beckoned them with a smile.

Naruto followed the old man, Teuchi, around the back of the restaurant where a set of iron stairs led to the apartment above. Teuchi pulled a key out of his apron and opened the door.

The apartment was actually pretty decent. It had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a spacious living room. The bathroom even sported a tub. There was a balcony off one of the bedrooms and the other bedroom had a small terrace. The entire place was bright and airy, receiving lots of sunlight.

Naruto watched Sasuke's face, gauging his reaction. "Since Ayame-san married Iruka-sensei and went to live with him, the old man has been living in the two rooms behind the restaurant downstairs. He says all this space up here is too much for him by himself. The rent's reasonable," Naruto explained. "Especially since it's furnished already."

"I like it," Sasuke said. "You chose well, Demon."

"Love it when you call me that," Naruto said happily.

Naruto handed the old man three months worth of rent and received two house keys. Sasuke directed the clones to set the luggage in the living room. The clones disappeared as Sasuke went to inspect the bedroom more thoroughly. Naruto took Aimi's crib and began assembling it in the smaller bedroom, opposite the single bed. Sasuke came in after a moment.

"I really want to fuck you right now," Sasuke began.

Naruto looked up at him with a screwdriver in his mouth. His hands stopped what they were doing. "Oh?"

"But you were right about putting our children first for a change."

Naruto went back to what he was doing. He had the crib set up, a sheet on the mattress and the bumpers in place in a short time. He turned to look at Sasuke. "Any ideas on how we can get to Wyatt's world?"

"Not really. We need to think about that."

"I had the old man send up some ramen. We can talk about it while we eat."

"Dude, take a shower first. You're still wearing all the dirt you picked up on the mission." Sasuke wrinkled his nose.

Naruto looked down at himself and saw that Sasuke was right.

Sasuke had the food portioned and ready to eat by the time a freshly scrubbed Naruto emerged from a steamy shower. They talked, discarding one idea after another as they ate, drank, washed the dishes and headed for the bedroom.

"Whatever we decide, we won't be able to do anything without sleep," Naruto yawned as he slid into the cool sheets.

"You have a point here." Sasuke stripped to his boxers and got in with Naruto. He held the big man from behind, curving his body to fit Naruto's. He closed his eyes, ready for sleep.

Naruto wiggled his ass against Sasuke's crotch. He tossed and turned, sighed and sucked his teeth. He scratched and fidgeted, plumped his pillow and muttered under his breath. Finally Sasuke spoke, eyes still closed.

"Wanna fuck?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Naruto cried gratefully. He grabbed Sasuke and pulled his boxers off.

Sasuke lay quiet as Naruto attempted to engage in foreplay. The Uchiha rolled his eyes. He reached into the bedside table. He'd stashed their bottle of lube there when he'd inspected the bedroom earlier, knowing this would eventually happen.

"Oi, Mr. Foaming-at-the-mouth," Sasuke drawled as he tossed Naruto the lube. "Just fuck me already, I know you can't wait. A month without sex has you almost crazy with lust, am I right?"

Naruto caught the bottle with the faintest murmur of thanks, squirting it into his palm. He slathered it onto his aching erection before shoving two fingers quickly into Sasuke's hole. Sasuke winced.

Naruto rode Sasuke hard for several long, blissful minutes until he came with a short grunt of satisfaction. He melted against Sasuke with a sigh.

"Right," the blond said a few minutes later. "How about we try that again, only slower this time?" He was still hard inside Sasuke. Sasuke could feel the big cock pulsing in time to Naruto's elevated heart rate.

"Thought you'd never ask," Sasuke grinned.

Naruto brought his lips down to Sasuke's, his blue eyes making Sasuke's heart contract painfully with love and desire. It was amazing how missed the touch of lips was. Not a single opportunity to even think about sex had presented itself during the mission. It had been years since they'd engaged in anything that took their minds completely off of each other. Maybe nothing ever really had since they'd gotten together at the age of fifteen. Kissing now felt like a cool drink of water to a man dying of thirst in the desert: anticipated, sweet and nowhere near enough.

Sasuke deepened the kiss, drawing Naruto's soft lips into his mouth, then the blond's tongue. His hands slid along the broad shoulders above him, his fingers exploring the dimples behind each shoulder blade. Naruto cupped Sasuke's head in his hands, supporting his weight on his forearms as he groaned into Sasuke's mouth.

They rolled and Sasuke lay atop Naruto. Naruto's organ was dislodged by this action, making the blond mutter in protest. Sasuke laughed as he scooped some of his demon's cum from his ass to rub in Naruto's hole. Naruto's eyes widened in alarm right before Sasuke entered him forcefully.

"Son of a bitch," Naruto gasped.

"You're my bitch now, Demon," Sasuke nibbled Naruto's ear and had the big man mewling in delight. Naruto's body went limp. "That's more like it," Sasuke said smugly.

He never got tired of bottoming for Naruto, but Sasuke definitely enjoyed topping once in awhile. Something about making the dominant blond submit to him just turned him on so badly. He leaned up on his hands so that he had more leverage.

Naruto braced himself for a rough ride and was glad he did. Sasuke seemed intent on fucking him through the mattress. Thank God this bed didn't have a headboard and was made of iron. Naruto was forced to lift his legs and give Sasuke greater access as he fucked Naruto harder and harder.

"Scream for me, Demon," Sasuke panted.

"Hell no," Naruto bit out.

"We'll see about that."

Sasuke angled his thrusts and slowed his hips. When he'd located Naruto's prostate he stopped thrusting altogether, only rubbing the tip of his cock against that sensitive spot.

Naruto arched his back, gritting his teeth against the cry of pleasure that wanted to come out. "Grrzzhhh…"

"What's that?" Sasuke asked innocently. He applied a tad more pressure, increased his tempo just a bit.

Naruto panted. His bottom lip got caught in his teeth. Sasuke could see him biting down on it as his eyes squeezed shut. "Vvvmmmmfh!"

"Speak up, Naruto."

The blond head shook furiously from side to side.

"Have it your way, then."

Sasuke drew back and slammed himself against Naruto's prostate. The blue eyes flew open and Naruto's mouth sagged soundlessly. He gripped Sasuke's arms tightly as his hips bucked upward. A whoosh of air escaped him, but as yet no scream.

Sasuke set about pounding that one place in Naruto mercilessly. His body became slicked with sweat as Naruto's strong legs attempted to push Sasuke off of him. Sasuke bent his head and bit Naruto's ear. That put paid to the leg action. Sasuke pumped harder.

"Uhhhhh," Naruto moaned weakly.

"I said scream, Demon," Sasuke ground out.

"Nnnnnnnnng," Naruto grabbed his cock and began pumping it.

"Say my name, Naruto."

"Asshole," Naruto hissed. God, Sasuke fucking him felt so good!

"No pet names allowed. My given name." Sasuke found a little more strength to apply harder thrusts to Naruto's prostate. Naruto wheezed for air, digging his short nails into Sasuke's ass.

"Ohhh," Naruto groaned. Then, "Oh my…holy sh-…Fuck…Oh. My. G-"

"Say it, Demon."

"SA-HA-HA-HASUKEEEEE!" Naruto screamed. He angled his cock so that it shot all over Sasuke's face and chin in long, hot spurts. Sasuke bent his head to catch it, sticking his tongue out so that some landed on it.

Sasuke released the orgasm he'd been holding back with increasing difficulty, thrusting hard throughout. He collapsed against Naruto, completely fagged out. Their bodies stuck to each other with sweat and semen. "Whew. Now, was that so hard?" Sasuke said tiredly.

He belatedly became aware of Naruto's erection pressing against his stomach.

"I'll give you hard, you fucking monster," Naruto bit out. He wrenched himself from under Sasuke, climbed onto the prostrate man, spread his ass wide and entered him swiftly. Sasuke moaned in pleasure.

"I'm all yours," Sasuke sighed.

Naruto took his revenge for the next few hours. Then they fell asleep.

The next morning dawned bright and early. Naruto woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon. He trudged into the kitchen stifling a yawn. Sasuke was just setting toast on the small island in the kitchen. Both men ate in silence, their hair standing on end.

Naruto did the dishes while Sasuke unpacked for them. The blond noticed that there were groceries in the fridge and wondered when Sasuke had had time to do shopping.

A joint shower woke them up properly. That and a slow fuck under the spray. Once dressed in tight t-shirts and jeans, they sat facing each other on the living room floor.

"I figure it's like this," Naruto said after moment. "Raiden's a combination of us, right?"

"Well, I hate to break this to you, but…I cheated on you with one of Gaara's men in his harem while I was female. It happened while you were sleeping. There's a good chance Raiden is his, not yours."

Naruto observed that Sasuke was entirely too happy after a decent fucking. "Can you be serious for a second? God, you're acting like me."

"Okay, he's the sum of us. And?"

"So if we join we should be able to Boom like him, right?"

"Join…what?" Sasuke asked skeptically.

"Our chakra."

"Oh." Sasuke's brow cleared. Then it furrowed again. "How?"

"I'm thinking I call up Kyuubi chakra and my own. You pull out Curse Seal chakra and your own. We stir, mix, Boom to Raiden."

"Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Who'd be leading?"

"Probably Kyuubi."

"Can he do it?"

"Wait, lemme ask."

So can you?

Very doubtful. Even if we could come up with the power, the precise knowledge of how to travel dimensions escapes me. And I am aware of other realities in only the vaguest sense, not enough to visit them.

How can we improve upon that?

I don't know.

But can you try? Can you at least try to Boom? Maybe once we all have our chakra up and running you'll figure out a way, neh?

Perhaps.

"He's willing to try, but isn't optimistic about the outcome," Naruto said as he opened his eyes.

Sasuke nodded. "I'm not sure if I can call out both kinds of chakra at once," he said as his seal leaked across his skin, "But I'll give it a shot."

"Yosh."

Chakra leaked, then gushed, then blasted out of both men as they set about trying to retrieve their children.