"Kakashi says it's time to go Naruto," Sakura came over to where he and the two spirits were conversing. "Are we going to be escorting these people back with us too?"
"We can fend for ourselves," Gobi replied.
"Yes," Naruto nodded. "They're going to come and live with me."
"No," Sakura rolled her eyes in sarcasm. "I thought you were going to have them live with the Hokage."
"The Hokage already has enough to deal with while he's taking care of Konohamaru," Naruto laughed. "Besides, there's nowhere else for them to go. They'll just have to make due with my tiny abode."
"Naruto," Sakura replied. "You're house is anything but tiny. You could probably have all of Rookie nine and their families living in your house with the people you already have staying there and you would still have more room."
"Everyone but Kiba," Naruto replied. "He would stink up the place and then no one would want to live there at all."
"You probably wouldn't want Shino there either," Sasuke spoke up, "then your house would be filled with bugs."
"Ew!" Naruto shivered. He had always hated bugs as a human, but now that he was part fox he tried to avoid them like the plague. He did not want to be getting fleas or any other bug of that nature.
"Well then let's go," Kakashi smiled at them through his facemask. "You'll have to squeeze together in the carriage." Sakura was never so happy that she was to be sitting with Kakashi outside the carriage.
"I'm sure we'll manage. Katsuro and Amateratsu are dating anyway. They'll be just fine with the close quarters," Naruto smiled. Rokubi and Gobi both took that as their cue to return inside their jinchuuriki, allowing said people to come forward again.
"We'll be fine," Amateratsu nodded.
"Amateratsu can sit in my lap if she has to," Katsuro agreed.
"See," Naruto said. "We'll manage."
Sasuke didn't have time to protest before the four of them were stuffed into the carriage and they set off back home. As much as he loved being this close to Naruto, who was still wearing the kimono because he didn't want to take the time to get out of it, he would have much rathered using his ninja skills to get home. That way he wouldn't have the temptation of being so close to Naruto.
Naruto was slightly uncomfortable. He was cramped in between Sasuke and the side of the carriage and his kimono kept getting caught between one or the other and pulling on him awkwardly. He looked over at the jinchuuriki that sat in the carriage with them and found that Amateratsu was indeed on Katsuro's lap and the two of them looked very comfortable as they slept. It was only then that Naruto realized how tired he was. Even with the good sleeps that he had been getting the last couple of days in bed with Sasuke, nightmares were still plaguing his dreams, making it hard for him to get a full night's rest.
"Sasuke?" Naruto asked quietly so as not to wake up their guests.
"Hmm?"
"I'm tired." It was a simple statement, but they both knew that it meant something more than that. It was a question on whether or not it was okay for him to sleep and, even more so, if it was okay for him to use Sasuke as a pillow like Amateratsu was using Katsuro.
Sasuke turned slightly and wrapped Naruto in his arms, being careful not to allow the kimono to catch any more, to pull him onto his own lap. "Go to sleep," he muttered before looking out the window. He knew about Narrator's nightmares and he also knew that Naruto was slowly exhausting himself with the mix of trying to save the world and lack of good sleep. He wanted to do whatever it took to get Naruto through this.
"Thank you," Naruto cuddled in close so that he could feel Sasuke's heartbeat against his ear and, as he fell asleep clutching the front of Sasuke's shirt, he also felt Sasuke wrap his arms around him and run his fingers through his hair. Naruto smiled as sleep overtook him. He always did like to be pet.
"We're here," Sakura said as she opened the door to the carriage only to receive a glare from Sasuke. Not that she blamed him, it really was rare for Naruto to be sleeping so deeply that that wouldn't wake him up. Amateratsu and Katsuro, however, did wake up and they rubbed at their eyes in an attempt to wipe away the sleep.
"I'm going to take Naruto home," Sasuke said. "Will it be okay if I leave the mission report to you?" He would have asked if he could leave it to her and Kakashi, but he knew very well that Kakashi would do everything in his power to get away from it.
"You owe me one," Sakura mock glared. If Sasuke hadn't suggested taking Naruto home, she would have forced him to do it. "Oh, and Naruto promised that we could have some time off now."
"Where do we go?" Katsuro asked.
"You'll follow Sasuke," Sakura replied with a smile. "He'll take all three of you to Naruto's house where you'll stay."
Katsuro and Amateratsu nodded before following after Sasuke.
"He looks so cute like this," Amateratsu said when she caught up to Sasuke who was holding Naruto bridal style in his arms. "When we were captured, he wasn't sleeping peacefully and then, the moment he woke up, he looked a lot older."
"Sleep is the only break we get from the everyday of our lives," and the only break they got from their nonstop mission. Even though Naruto promised time off for them, he knew that Naruto wouldn't take that time off. He was so determined to save the world from the Akatsuki that he was going to destroy himself in the process.