Sasuke sat in the steam-filled bathroom with Naruto sleeping soundly on his chest. He couldn't contemplate what had just happened. He sat there while looking at the ceiling with so many questions running through his mind. 'What was that? Was it really Naruto? What's wrong with him?'

Eventually Sasuke realized that sitting in the bathroom was not the best idea. Slowly he got up and placed Naruto against the wall. Then he grabbed his clothes and got himself dressed.

Silently he picked up Naruto and carried him to his bed. He set him down and let out a sharp breath. 'He's heavy' he thought. He looked at the blonde haired boy sleeping soundly (except that he let out a loud snore once in a while) and his heart was filled with concern. He could do nothing except sit beside him and watch.

Sasuke finally stopped suppressing his urge and he stroked Naruto's hair. The desire was overwhelming and Naruto was still asleep anyway. Naruto mumbled happily in his sleep and Sasuke smirked. 'This idiot.'

Sasuke's stomach grumbled and finally, he began to plan for dinner.

Even after pinching his nose and calling his name Naruto didn't wake up. Thus, Sasuke had eaten dinner and left the rest for Naruto. He washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Then, he sat beside Naruto on the bed in an attempt to wake him up again.

"Naruto, wake up. Are you going to eat or not?" Sasuke asked and pulled his cheek. Naruto, didn't wake up though pulling his cheek was a funny sight. He seemed to feel nothing. He's sleeping as if he's dropped dead' Sasuke thought (though he was breathing). He looked closely to check if he was pretending. 'No he's asleep'

Sasuke looked at Naruto, remembering how frightened he had looked back in the alley. Reluctantly he took his hand to Naruto's hair and stroked it. Sasuke's mind wandered and as he stroked Naruto's hair he realized that his forehead was warm. 'Does he have a fever?' Sasuke thought slightly worried. 'I don't think so. It's not that bad.' he concluded. He continued combing through the blonde strands of hair that had many tangles, yet still managed to look beautiful with it's memorizing shade of blonde.

'This idiot's always getting into trouble.' Sasuke thought, remembering how he had looked, bruised and beaten. The boy had gone through so much. His body and heart were clearly aching with pain. Yet he endured it, even though he looked like a fragile...

Before he realized it Sasuke had leaned in so close that his forehead was only a few centimeters from Naruto's. He blinked in surprise and hesitated, suddenly very aware of his lips. 'This usuratonkachi has kissed me' he thought to himself. 'Twice now'

Instantly Sasuke saw flashbacks of Naruto on top of him, licking his lips and showing his fangs. Naruto sitting on top of him while purring and how he had slid his hands through his hair, across his waist and through his...

Sasuke abruptly stood up, covering half of his face with his hand and thought. 'Crap' His entire face was flustered so decided to head over to the balcony in an attempt to get some fresh air and clear his mind. 'What the hell was that idiot thinki-'. But as soon as he took the first step he felt something tug at his shirt. For a moment he assumed that it was stuck because Naruto's body was pressing against it. He exhaled a breath heavily and turned around.

To his surprise his eyes met a pair of cute, adorable vibrant blue orbs which looked at him desperately. Naruto had his arm stretched out, firmly grasping the edge of Sasuke's shirt . He had such a pitiful look on his face as if he was a 5 year old (at least that's what Sasuke thought).

"Can you stay here, for just a little while longer?" Naruto asked quietly. He spoke as though he was on the verge of tears and he had such a scared look on his face. 'He's frightened' Sasuke realized. 'Also...was he awake the whole time?' he thought feeling slightly embarrassed.

The Uchiha took a long breath and sighed, then sat once more on his bed. Naruto tried to look at him, but Sasuke was avoiding eye contact. He had his face turned in the opposite direction and was biting his lip nervously. Naruto raised an eyebrow 'What is up with him? Did something happen? He usually looks at me straight in the eye.' Naruto pondered about it for a while before asking "Did something happen when I passed out?"

Sasuke tensed and hurriedly replied "No". But his voice quavered which surprised Naruto even more. 'He's so nervous. He only acts like this when he does something embarrassing' Naruto thought. 'Wait...'

"What did you do while I was asleep?" he blurted out.

Sasuke was startled by the question and tensed. "Wha..what did I do? Do you know what you did?!" Sasuke stammered.

'Huh?' Naruto blinked a couple of tried to remember but nothing came up. He began to wonder what he had done. He almost felt guilty and asked "Did I hurt you?".

"No" the Uchiha replied.
"Then what did I do?" Naruto asked, curious.
"I'm not going to tell you" Sasuke replied sternly.

*Silence*

Out of the blue Sasuke asked "Have you been feeling ill lately?"

"Nope. I'm feeling just fine" Naruto replied. Sasuke stared at him as if trying to figure out whether Naruto was lying or not. Nervousness crept into Naruto's heart. 'Why is he staring at me like that?' Naruto thought. "What is it? Do I have something on my face? Is there something wrong with me?" he asked awkwardly.

Sasuke looked away, towards the window. "You weren't yourself." Sasuke said in a quiet tone. Naruto looked at him anxiously, remaining silent to allow him to continue. "Maybe you have a different personality inside you" he said, seeming as though he was talking to himself.

'A different personality...' Naruto's eyes widened as he came to a conclusion. 'The nine tails! Maybe he took control of me or something. I'm glad nothing serious happened but if it happens again...' A look of guilt spread across his face and he closed his eyes.

Sasuke, being very observant noticed the sudden change in behavior and asked "You know what it is, don't you?

Naruto gulped and fiddled with his fingers. "It's nothing. Really" he mumbled.

"Nothing?! Do you what you-" Sasuke stopped speaking and halted in his mental tracks. It was his turn to feel nervous and he took a long breath before speaking once more. "What is it? You know, so tell me." he asked fiercly.

Naruto pressed his lips together anxiously. He certainly didn't want to tell Sasuke. He just couldn't. 'If I tell him he'll hate me. Not that he already doesn't hate me. But I finally managed to talk to him. And we're on the same team, so we'll have to work together. I feel like he's finally shown his good side. But, if I tell him about the nine tails, then..."

"Are you going to tell me or not?" Sasuke said impatiently. Naruto avoided looking at him and whispered "I can't".

Sasuke scrunched eyebrow and said "Huh? Why not?"

"I just...can't tell you" he said anxiously. "It's not something I want you to hear" he said.

As Sasuke heard those words he realized that whatever it was, it wasn't something so simple. 'He doesn't want to tell me because he's afraid of how I'll react. It must be why he has that look of pain in his eyes and why he suffers from anxiety.' Sasuke thought feeling pity for the blonde boy who looked really uneasy.

"If you haven't done anything wrong you should be able to tell me" Sasuke said in a softer tone than usual. "We're teammates. I need to know, in case it affects us"

Naruto was silent. 'I can't...I can't tell him. I just can't tell him!' Naruto thought with a heavy heart. "You won't like what you hear" he said.

"Tch. That's for me to decide, usuratonkachi" he said. He took his hand to Naruto's hair to stoke it and his face had a soft expression with a small smile on it. Seeing Sasuke like this surprised Naruto and his mind stopped working. He could only stare as Sasuke said "So..are you going to tell me?"*

*{A/N: You image this scene with flowers and sparkles, like a BL anime as Sasuke tries convincing Naruto to talk}

Naruto couldn't think straight. He just followed the feeling he had. "Yeah. Ok" he whispered. "But you have to promise me..."

"What?" Sasuke asked.
"Promise you won't hate me. Ok?" Naruto said.
Sasuke sighed. "I won't" Sasuke promised. "Because you're dumb enough already." he quickly added.
"Hey!" Naruto protested.

"Just tell me" Sasuke said impatiently.

...

Naruto closed his eyes. "I have the nine tails fox spirit sealed inside me" he said.

Sasuke's eyes widened. Of course. It all made sense. Naruto had indeed looked like a fox and his chakra was ominous; not something human. The nine tails incident happened around the same year as when he and Naruto were born. It explained why the villagers shunned him and why he was suffering. Sasuke felt shocked and he felt sympathetic towards the blonde haired boy.

Naruto peered at him nervously waiting for Sasuke's reaction. His eyes indicated uneasiness nad insecurity. "Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked at him with eyes full of concern and pity. "You should've said so sooner" he said in a calm manner. "It doesn't matter though. It's sealed inside you, so it probably won't come out."

Naruto, who was tense before finally relaxed. He sighed and let out a small, precious smile of relief. "Thank You" he said.

Sasuke was awestruck as he looked at Naruto. He stared at the boy in front of him who smiled so happily, radiating a kind of warmth. It was a smile that made Sasuke smile and he hoped to see it on Naruto's face always.

"O yeah I forgot" Naruto continued. "Thanks for helping us pass Kakashi sensei's test." he said still smiling.
"I didn't do anything" Sasuke said.

Naruto shook his head "No. It was thanks to you that our team passed. Without you I wouldn't be able to call myself a fully fledged shinobi". As Naruto said it he realized that it was indeed the truth. It was thanks to Sasuke he would actually able to work as a shinobi. "And thanks for saving me today. I owe you one."

Sasuke remained silent. He stroked Naruto's hair and finally said " You can eat in the morning. You look too worn out. Go to sleep."

Naruto closed his eyes enjoying the comfort of Sasuke caressing his hair. Naruto relaxed and as he did he felt something. It was...the fact that someone was with him, by his side and taking care of him. For the first time he wasn't alone and he enjoyed it.

As his mind drifted he began to think. 'Sasuke... he has a really nice aura. It's really cosy.' Yes. Sasuke had a very pleasant aura. In his mind Naruto imagined grasshoppers chirping, as a cool breeze swept through on a summer night. The moon shining bright and reflecting on a clear lake.

Naruto took Sasuke's hand and held it with both of his hands, lying on the side. He hummed with satisfaction when Sasuke slowly grasped Naruto hand as well and caressed it. "Good night" Naruto said, for the first time to someone else.

Within moments Naruto fell asleep. Sasuke watched him and his overwhelming desire sprouted once more. 'It's been a long time since I've been at home with someone.' Sasuke thought. 'Since I don't have a family anymore...' he justified to himself. He leaned forwards towards Naruto. 'Naturally I'd want to fill that gap' he thought.

Gently he put his lips on Naruto's forehead and softly kissed it. He pulled back and whispered "Good Night." It was for the first time in years, after having lost his family and forgetting the feeling of love.