Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of its associated characters!

Summary: Sasuke is tired. Sasuke is hungry. Sasuke is...well, hunting, now. Vampire AU, SNS, will be explicit. Two years later...it's done! New chapter will be up every day until the fic is finished!

A/N: Ahhh second last! Make sure to read the author's note at the bottom for a little bonus something!

Bite Me

Chapter 38: Bite Me

He didn't let Sasuke fall.

Naruto caught him, quickly but delicately, before he could slouch onto the cold concrete. The markings around him lost their glow—the strange life he could feel from them, like this—and it told Naruto that it was time for him to let go, too—

"That's four," Tsunade said, and Naruto breathed.

"He's okay?" he asked, his skin his own again—his head his own again—slow, and tumbling and bit by bit. Naruto felt himself stumble down the stairs from the sky, breathing in to try to get used to the air—it felt so different down here, back here—

"He's alright. Here," Tsunade said, gently pulling Sasuke from his grip. Naruto reluctantly let him go, knowing he needed his rest. Knowing Naruto wouldn't be able to carry him anywhere, anytime soon. In fact, he felt like he could barely…

"I have you," came a voice, and Naruto's eyes fluttered open.

"Dad," he said, breathing in. "Oh, yeah—sorry. Thanks."

"'Sorry,' he says," his dad laughed, crouching behind him to—

"Oh, I can stand—you don't have to—"

"I've carried you before, Naruto."

Naruto laughed.

"I know," he said, swinging an arm around his dad's shoulders—settling for being pulled to his feet. "Um, but I—I don't want to—"

"Leave Sasuke," Iruka finished for him, laughing softly. "I know. You know that I'm not leaving you either, though, right?"

Naruto let out a soft laugh.

"Yeah, I...actually," his head jerked up, "actually—"

"Don't ask me to leave."

"No, I—Dia. Or—or Kusa—I forget what they called her. We haven't left her alone at night, I should—"

"I can check on her," Iruka said, and Naruto settled. "I can even bring her here. Do you want me to bring her here?"

"Yeah," Naruto breathed out, relieved. "Yeah, please. Um. Her crate's in the closet, and her food, but be careful, she's really crafty when she wants to be—"

"I wrangled you around, didn't I?" Iruka said, ruffling his hair. "I'll be alright."

Naruto let out a soft laugh.

"Yeah. Uh. Where do I...where should I…"

"We can try to pull down another mattress," Tsunade offered, but Naruto—

"No," he said, waving a hand, "I just...gimmie a blanket or something…"

He was so tired. So heavy…

He didn't remember closing his eyes.

Naruto was the last to wake. Sasuke just barely beat him out, blearily blinking the fog back from his eyes…and the tears. And the confusion. His head was spiralling with memories he felt like he'd always had, even though he knew—he knew—he hadn't had them a day ago.

But he was back. He could feel the blood in his veins. The chill of the room around him, the way he breathed and, most of all, the rumble in his stomach.

Sasuke let out a small laugh.

He was actually hungry.

He was actually human. And the scar on his hand had disappeared long ago, but the one on his neck...oh.

It was gone, too.

Sasuke rested his hand on the smooth skin, feeling around for the rough, raised edges he knew should have been there. It felt like a dream. Not in a good way—and not in a bad way, either, he thought, looking down at Naruto—

But in a...hazy way. Remembering the taste of blood and the need to bite and the hum of warmth in humans around him—it was strange to be able to remember all of those senses, without feeling them now. And he didn't feel even one. Not one, except…

Naruto.

Naruto was still so warm.

Blue eyes flickered open, and Sasuke couldn't help but smile.

"Morning," Sasuke said softly. "Remember me?"

Naruto breathed out—once, and then again, in soft, surprised laughs. He sat up, rubbing at his face—

"That's what I should be asking you!"

"Me," Sasuke said, letting out a laugh. "I'm the one who's been looking for you this whole time."

"You've been...what?"

"In the city. My best friend. Usuratonkachi—"

Naruto flung himself into his arms.

"I had no idea. Sasuke," he said, voice muffled and tight, "I—I thought you—"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sasuke whispered. "Why didn't you—Iruka would have taken you back."

Naruto pulled back, and Sasuke stared at him.

"Why didn't you come back?"

"I did," Naruto said, something shaking in his lips. "Not with Iruka, um...I took the bus. Twice. I—I was gonna knock on the door but I figured there was a reason we never did and then you were obviously not around anymore so I—I just sort of figured that you'd—"

"Left you," Sasuke finished for him. "Like everyone else."

Naruto breathed in a thick, trembling breath.

"I never did," Sasuke told him.

A tear leaked out of Naruto's eye.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he whispered, wiping at it. "You found me—at the art classes, did you—did you know? Before you were—did you know it was me?"

"I didn't want to ruin it," Sasuke answered softly. "I didn't want to find out it wasn't you. Or that you didn't remember me."

Naruto huffed out a breath—

"Of course I'd remember you! You were my best friend! I didn't even know your name or what you looked like or—how did you know it was me? My voice?"

"Your eyes. There's a hole in the fence that I would look through."

"There was a hole that whole goddamn time?!"

Sasuke let out a soft laugh, and Naruto threw himself back into his arms.

"I can't believe I didn't know," he said, his voice muffled against Sasuke's skin. "I can't believe I almost missed you."

"I can't believe I almost lost you all over again," Sasuke said, and Naruto let out a trembling laugh as he pulled back.

"How do you feel? Are you—"

"Perfect," Sasuke said immediately. "Amazing. How do you feel?"

"Me? I'm fine, I'm not the one who—"

"Saved my life? Multiple times?" Sasuke laughed and Naruto shook his head—

"I didn't really—"

"You did. You always have."

Naruto breathed out, and Sasuke pressed his forehead to his.

"I love you," he said, feeling it all at once. "I think I've fallen in love with you twice, now. In case you had any doubts."

Naruto let out a breathless laugh, opening his mouth to answer—

"And this part of my life still looks good," Sasuke said, not letting him. "Even with all of my memories."

Naruto ducked his head, but all that did was let him rest it to Sasuke's shoulder.

"I love you," he said softly. "I...you think you loved me before? Actually?"

He looked up, and Sasuke—

"Well, I didn't not love you…"

Naruto laughed, and Sasuke looked away, feeling himself flush. It only lasted a second, though—Naruto pulled Sasuke's hand to himself, kissing the back of it with another breathless laugh, and Sasuke immediately forgot what he was supposed to be embarrassed about—

"I can't believe it worked," he said, and Sasuke had to give him that. "You're—look at you. Show me your teeth?"

Sasuke laughed and bared them.

"Yeah, those canines aren't even better than mine."

Sasuke shoved his stupid face away, and Naruto pushed it right back.

"Any urge to bite?"

"Well, I could, if you'd like," Sasuke deadpanned, and Naruto laughed. "I'm sure Kusanagi would be happy to step in for me, too."

"Kusa—so it is—is it actually Dia? Is she—"

"It is," Sasuke said. "I have no idea how she found me. We should—"

Someone meowed at the door.

"Oh."

Naruto laughed.

"I asked dad to bring her," he explained. "Wow. I really didn't give that girl enough credit."

"Maybe she really does have all the powers Kiba thought she did," Sasuke muttered. "Are you okay to stand?"

"Me? Yeah, yeah, 'course—"

Sasuke helped him to his feet, listening to the soft scratching noises above them. And something clinking, as if glasses, and muffled voices he knew like the back of his hand…

Naruto let out a breath.

"Whew," he said softly, "I'm sore. I'm fine, just like—my body just aches a little. Like I just ran a marathon."

He stretched up and wobbled, and Sasuke automatically slipped an arm behind his back—

"I'm good," he said, throwing Sasuke a grin. "I'm okay, I promise. We should go before Dia breaks down the door. Or, uh—Kusanagi—"

"Either or," Sasuke said. "She's certainly still diabolical."

Naruto laughed, and Sasuke let his hand fall until their fingers intertwined.

Naruto squeezed his hand.

"Ready to meet my family?" Sasuke asked, scanning him.

Naruto's grin widened.

"Yeah," he said, "s'long as they don't try to bite me."

Sasuke laughed and pulled him up the stairs.

A/N: Annnd that's it! For now. Still the epilogue to come tomorrow, because I know there's still so many questions left unanswered, but this is always where I wanted the story to end.

That said, I have a surprise for you! I can now finally, finally reveal to you all that the random one shot I wrote? The Best Best Man? That's Bite Me canon. It always was, and let me tell you, it was so hard not to say anything when I posted it! I was just so into Bite Me at the time that I had to write within that universe. It takes place about a year after now, but before the epilogue. Feel free to read it now - you might find a little extra joy in tomorrow's chapter :)

But, for now, and for the last time for this fic...

See you tomorrow,

- Kinomi