Sealed
XIV

Author: Ms. Trick

Note: Reviews make my life. No seriously.

Chapter 14

After only three full hours of sleep and change, Sasuke was wide awake again, staring into space as the room got lighter by snail-paced degrees. Pressed into Sasuke's side, Naruto was lightly snoring, his unconscious body happily sprawled out and taking up as much of the bed possible.

Last night, after finding the blonde passed out on a bench, Sasuke hadn't bothered attempting to wake him and had ended up just carrying him home. He figured he could simply wait until morning to ask his rival for the story leading up to sleeping in a public place. As the room got a fraction of a shade brighter, Sasuke noticed that the forehead protector he had placed on the nightstand wasn't Naruto's as he'd assumed. Unlike the blonde's well-loved one, there were no scratches on this forehead protector, a detail that had gone unnoticed in the dark.

A sleep-slurred murmur drew his attention back to the other male and Sasuke leisurely rolled onto his side to face him. Their noses were now a scant few inches apart. Slowly, almost shyly, Sasuke began closing the distance. He was abruptly thwarted when Naruto twisted away to swat absently at something seen in his dreams. Sasuke blinked and turned to stare at the ceiling. Annoyed with himself, he sat up and rested his elbows on his knees.

He felt the keen edge of impatience press into him. Waiting for his brother to come to him had never been part of his machinations of revenge, but it seemed that's how things had turned out. Itachi would come for Naruto--that was a guarantee. One that Sasuke planned to take full advantage of.

Naruto chose that moment to turn over to again escape from an imaginary something or other and promptly rolled into Sasuke's sitting form.

Sasuke was drawn out of his thoughts as Naruto resprawled out, this time with an arm coming to rest against the back of Sasuke's waist. The sudden band of warmth above the waist of his boxers sent a tingle up the ladder of Sasuke's spine. The dark-haired teen resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his body's enthusiastic reaction. He felt like yelling at it: "I know I'm attracted to Naruto. You can stop constantly reminding me!"

Regardless, he found his attention glued to the muscular body spread out next to him and debated how guilty he'd feel indulging in his physical desires knowing that Naruto would feel betrayed later if or when he learned Sasuke was using him as bait.

The bed sheet had been thoroughly and completely kicked to the foot of the bed by Naruto's vivacious sleeping self but the morning was a warm one, so Sasuke didn't mind too much. He reached out and let his hand hover, tempted, over Naruto's abs.

The concept of future guilt dissipated like steam and first Sasuke's fingers, then his palm ghosted down to rest on the taut stomach. He began a slow upwards stroke, smoothing his calloused hand over the ridges and planes of Naruto's stomach and chest. His thumb rubbed over a nipple before his hand's caress grew so gentle that only his fingertips feathered over the blonde's sensitive neck.

Sasuke noted with a measure of satisfaction that as his hand glided back down Naruto was beginning to follow and lean into his mildly rough touch. He smirked and casually twisted into a position that allowed him to place both hands on Naruto's stomach. Then he stroked back upwards and his somewhat coarse palms trailed tantalizingly over his rival's nipples again.

Naruto let out a short pant and lightly arched into the touches like a purring cat getting its fur stroked. Though half-awake by now, he still had his eyes closed. Sasuke's hands disappeared off his skin for a moment and, suddenly missing their warmth, he foggily wondered why. He felt what had to be Sasuke's knee graze across his lower stomach horizontally and then felt the weight of the other teen gently settling onto him in a straddle.

Naruto's eyes opened a crack and he gazed up at Sasuke blearily. He identified a somewhat blurry, mischievous smirk as Sasuke's face hovered over his. The blonde blinked in sleepy confusion when the dark-haired teen's mouth didn't meet his own lips as he had assumed, instead dropping down to sink an open-mouthed kiss in the hollow of his throat.

Another pant escaped Naruto's lips and Sasuke's new position let him know exactly how much his rival was enjoying this. With only their boxers between them, Sasuke could feel Naruto's hardening erection pushing into his backside as his mouth inflicted sizzling nips and licks and kisses to the blonde's neck.

Naruto whimpered slightly as Sasuke's mouth wandered down across his chest to a nipple. A rough tongue swiped over it and Sasuke suddenly felt two hands groggily tangle into his already sleep-tangled hair.

Sasuke dragged his nails lightly down Naruto's sides while his mouth lavished attention on the other nipple and then slowly started making its way further south. Naruto squirmed and writhed under him deliciously, and Sasuke shifted backwards so that he was now resting his weight on the blonde's thighs while he bent over his torso. Naruto's erection was now pressing needily against his chest.

A warm, wet tongue dipped into Naruto's bellybutton and his back arched up into the contact. Sasuke felt a small tremor run through the hands in his hair and he slid his thumbs into Naruto's boxers before dragging them down just far enough.

"Sa-sasuke," the jinchuuriki said through an unsteady breath as the fabric slid over and off his hard length.

New at this, the dark-haired teen licked his lips and recalled what Naruto had done the previous afternoon. Remembering his own instinctive bucking, he splayed his hands just below his rival's hips and dipped his head to take Naruto's straining length in his mouth.

The blonde moaned at the unexpected heat engulfing him and in want of more, as anticipated, he automatically tried to thrust into it. But the pressure of Sasuke's hands on his waist and Sasuke's body on his thighs forced Naruto to lie prone while Sasuke's mouth swallowed around and delectably sucked his manhood.

Naruto grit his teeth at his inability to properly squirm in pleasure and his hands gripped dark hair tight. Rough, leisurely strokes of Sasuke's tongue down the entire shaft and firm sucking at the head were driving him crazy. His head thumped heavily into the pillow and he gulped thickly as a warm hand ran over, caressed, and then firmly cupped his balls.

Sasuke's mouth and hand languidly continued their ministrations and he sensed the approach of the blonde's climax in the short grunts and pants escaping from him unchecked. A choked gasp was heard, the muscles of the entire tan body writhing beneath him all tensed at once, and then Sasuke felt a succession of creamy spurts hitting the back of his throat.

He made a small sound of discomfort but figured if Naruto could swallow, so could he.

A bone-deep sigh escaped Naruto as Sasuke calmly drew back and hands gently slid out of that dark hair. Wide-awake now, he energetically sat up and caught Sasuke's mouth in a long, deep kiss that contained emotions Sasuke wasn't sure he should be allowing himself to get lost in. But it was so hard to stop himself. Naruto's hand was cupping the back of his neck possessively and it was making Sasuke melt.

They pulled back sluggishly. Suddenly, the grip on the back of Sasuke's neck tightened in obvious alarm.

"GAH! Hinata's gone! I have to tell the Hokage!" Naruto just about shrieked.

Sasuke frowned in confusion at the sudden volume of and the apprehension in the blonde's voice. Panicked, Naruto gracelessly tumbled out of the bed and scrambled towards the door, only stopping suddenly when a voice dully said, "Dobe."

"What?!"

"Get dressed first."

"Shikamaru! You have to have more than a cup of coffee for breakfast! You've got a mission!" Ino admonished, her voice far too shrill for Shikamaru's preference this early in the morning.

That mission was the only reason he was awake this early, otherwise he'd be happily snoozing until noon. From his slumped position at the table, he sleepily peered over his steaming coffee at his glaring wife, who was standing with one hand on her hip. The other was holding a plate of toast. As she approached the table to set it down, a wince crossed her face.

"Ino? You okay?"

She absently rubbed at the thick bandaging around her right wrist and gave him a smile. The sprained wrist and the nearly fractured shin were mementos from her last mission. Though they were merely what remained of much worse wounds after a medic-nin's healing. The mission was a reoccurring one for her. Every few months or so she'd be called away to play the double of a Rice Country (1) princess she was apparently the spitting image of. She usually had very little trouble on those missions though this last time there had been an unanticipated assassination attempt.

The doorbell rang and Shikamaru quickly set his coffee down.

"I'll get it."

She snorted and put her good hand on his shoulder, pushing him back into his seat. "I've got it, I've got it," she scoffed at him as she left the room.

He eyed her shin, which was wrapped in bandages instead of the usual mesh piece, noting gladly that her limp was better than yesterday. After a pause, her voice called to him from the front hall.

"Shikamaru, messengers from the Fifth are here to see you."

Not too much later, Shikamaru found himself at attention in front of the Hokage's desk, the windows around them full of grey, early morning light.

"You won't be going on your scheduled mission today. You're needed elsewhere," Tsunade said, bypassing any greetings. She looked tired. "Late last night, Inuzuka Hinata left the village. We have reason to believe she is heading to Otogakure."

"Left? Why?" Shikamaru asked in surprise, a deep frown settling on his features.

"Orochimaru lured her. Why else?"

"For the same reason he wanted Sasuke?"

"Supposedly. But that's not the issue at hand. We don't have time to lose."

"A retrieval mission?" Shikamaru guessed, wondering how many of his comrades he would possibly need to capture the usually meek Hinata. If she was alone, he would probably require only one shinobi as back-up.

"This mission needs to be completed quickly, as you know, but there could be some trouble. Unlike before, there is a high possibility that Orochimaru's subordinates are guiding Hinata."

Shikamaru frowned again. He weighed these complications while in the back of his mind, he mulled over how he'd always thought of Hinata as a kind, reliable person.

"I can't spare you any jounin or most of the chuunin because of the enhanced state of village security. So in the next thirty minutes, gather whatever ninja from your age group you can find and set off on your mission."

Shikamaru's face was stone serious as he turned to exit her office. He paused before he got to the door and looked back at the Hokage.

"I'll do what I can."

She scrutinized him for a second and then said.

"Take both the Uchiha-Uzumakis."

Shikamaru hesitated. Tsunade noticed.

"Both of them?" He asked.

Tsunade's honey-coloured eyes narrowed slightly. "Sasuke has earned this trust, Shikamaru. He's an asset we can't afford not to use right now."

The chuunin gave a short nod and instead of a 'Good Luck!' the Godaime said, "I'll send on others once I find them. And for god's sake, be on alert for the fucking Akatsuki."

"Back already?" Ino chirped, munching on some toast.

"Need to grab supplies and then head out. I've been assigned an immediate pursuit mission. Damn, I'm out of exploding tags."

"Take mine," she said, obligingly emptying her pack onto the table.

"Thanks," he said, taking as much as he could carry.

She watched him keenly, knowing better than to drill him for mission details right now, and then simply told him to be careful. He paused in his hurried activity and leaned over the wooden kitchen table to brush a kiss onto her lips.

"I bet I taste like toast," she mumbled as he pulled back.

He met her light blue eyes and affectionately smiled.

"Goodbye Nara Ino," he said in a playful monotone as he speedily made to exit.

"Don't die," she called.

"Whatever you say."

"I'm serious!!"

The morning air was warm but crisp as it rushed by their ears and the weighty humidity that bogged down Konoha's warmer seasons had yet to gather though the sun was already sitting on the horizon.

Shikamaru barely registered the weather as he jogged along the familiar paths that would lead them out of the village. He explained the mission over his shoulder to Chouji, Naruto, and Sasuke above the sounds of their sandals slapping the cobblestones.

"Shikamaru, are we bringing anyone else?" Naruto injected when Shikamaru paused for a breath.

"I want to but we're running out of time. If we don't meet anybody by the time we reach the village gate, then this will be i--"

He was cut off as they turned a corner and Naruto nearly ploughed straight into Neji (who had the reflexes to sidestep the impending collision). In an attempt to stop and avoid at the same time, Naruto managed to trip over absolutely nothing and landed with a crash on the footpath.

"...ow," he grumbled.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Usuratonkachi."

Shikamaru hesitated for a split second before concluding that Neji would probably be a benefit to their mission despite his personal connection to Hinata. As Naruto clambered back to his feet and Sasuke brushed some dirt off his entirely black ensemble, Shikamaru summarised the situation to the jounin as succinctly as possible.

Neji's face remained an impenetrable blank the entire time and when Shikamaru was done, all he said was, "I see." But he agreed to come.

"Just don't do a repeat of that chuunin exam," Naruto muttered as they continued their unprecedented morning jog.

Neji's face remained a perfect blank, letting on no indication of whether or not Naruto had been heard. Nothing more was said until they suddenly found themselves in front of the towering entrance gates.

"Time's up," Shikamaru decreed gravely as the massive doors creaked open. "At least we have five people."

"Make it seven," a voice barked out. (2)

They all looked over, startled.

"Kiba." Neji stated.

Kiba stood there looking ragged, Akamaru at his side. There was a pregnant pause and the morning seemed to still.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to take you on this mission," Shikamaru finally said, his eyes turning to the sky in his patented 'how did I get so deep in this mess so quickly?' look.

Kiba's red-rimmed eyes narrowed dangerously, his temper roiled inside him and his mouth became a grim diagonal line.

"But..." Shikamaru continued with a sigh. He slipped into the role of the team leader that had become so familiar to him over the last few years and turned his gaze to meet Kiba's. "I know you'll follow whether permitted to or not and that's bothersome...You will not be allowed act on your own terms and you will follow orders. Do you understand that it is possible we will have to use force to persuade Hinata to come back with us?"

Kiba's hands fisted and though he thought ardently that all he would need to do was talk to her, he answered affirmatively. He was still a shinobi.

"Would you be willing to fight her if it came down to it?"

"Yes," Kiba gritted out. "It's my fault she left. I'll do whatever it takes to get her back."

"It was her choice to leave." Shikamaru sighed again. "Maa, I'm still not sure it's a good idea. But we can always use another man."

A snort sounded from Akamaru and drew the chuunin's attention. "And a dog," Shikamaru amended.

Placated, the large dog pawed the ground. Naruto's blue eyes glinted warmly as he marvelled at the lazy teenager. It was becoming obvious that Team 7 hadn't been the only ninjas to grow over the last three years.

Kiba joined their circle as Shikamaru turned to address everyone. "Listen up. I'm not as close to Hinata as some of you. But she is a Konoha ninja."

Naruto gloomily thought of her forehead protector on their nightstand but didn't say anything.

"She is our comrade. And we will put our lives on the line to bring her back. That's what we do in Konoha," Shikamaru finished. He surreptitiously glanced at Sasuke and the corners of Sasuke's mouth quirked upwards.

He assumed Shikamaru had guessed (accurately) that Sasuke was wryly reminding himself that yes, he was a Leaf-nin too.

Neji appeared lost in thought and Kiba stared moodily into space while he absently stroked Akamaru's crown.

Why? Why hadn't he just forgiven her? Why had he lost his temper? He thought gloomily.

As Shikamaru concocted the most efficient formation for them to travel in to obviate the possibility of ambush, Kiba tucked his melancholy regrets away. It was time to reconcile them; lugubriousness was an outright distraction to a ninja. Especially seeing as his position in Shikamaru's line formation was the front.

His and Akamaru's noses made them prime frontrunners. Shikamaru put himself directly behind them to allow him easy communications with the rest of the line. Naruto and Sasuke were the two in the centre because their quick reactions would allow them to cover an attack from the front or the back. Then Chouji followed as second to last because he packed the biggest wallop and would act as a final blow. And assigning Neji the position of rear lookout was a no-brainer. Everyone knew his Hyuuga eyes could handle that best.

The sun climbed another step higher in the clear sky and far below it, six ninja and a nindog raced out to try and save a kunoichi from herself.

Author's Note:

(1) It was Rice Country, right? I couldn't find the episode.

(2) Just to clear up possible confusion, Kiba said "Make it seven" instead of "Make it six" because in the series Akamaru is always referred to as a team mate rather than Kiba's dog. So I just continued that attitude.

Thanks a million to Alley-Oop, Lazy-Hime, Clemen, derawr, Kai'sgrl, coldfront, Gonrie, neofilly, Roz-chan (and Roz-chan's sister too), Muffin234, HoshitheHorse, Stalker-san, Tirra Lirra, Mrs.NarutoUzumaki, YumiAngel, and dustori.

FREAKSHOW1 – Hehe, your reviews always make me smile.

asylum-bound – Lemony enough for you? ;) Thanks so much for your warm comments!

TimeForTea – Love the name change. Well...maybe I just love tea. Thank you for the review!

Kitsune Onna1 – Thank you for the, um, rather angry yet encouraging review. Lol. Hope breakfast/lunch/dinner was good!