The smell of boiled noodles and the sound of cutting filled the air as Naruto finally walked out of the bathroom. He had stayed there for a while contemplating on many things before finally dressing himself and grabbing both wet towels to dry them outside.

As he walked towards the balcony he briefly looked at the kitchen where Sasuke was working. It was a while before he reluctantly turned his head away. Having reached the balcony he spread out the towels to let them dry. Then, he realized he had nothing to do.

Sasuke was cracking some eggs when he saw Naruto standing at the entrance of his kitchen. "Can I help?" the blonde asked timidly, averting his eyes.

"Stir the noodles" Sasuke replied.

Slowly they began working together. They ignored the awkwardness and pretended as though nothing had happened between them. Sasuke began teaching Naruto on some basic ramen making procedures.

"Check the noodles to see if they're cooked" Sasuke instructed.
"Umm. How? Do I eat it?" Naruto asked sneakily.
"Yes, but only a pinch. Don't go eating it for real usuratonkachi" Sasuke said in a threatening tone.

"Teme" Naruto scoffed. But as he spun around to grab a dry cloth his head spun with dizziness.

The two boys were standing at two sides of an intersecting corner in the kitchen. So when Naruto stumbled Sasuke managed to catch him in his arms. He carefully wrapped his arm around the blonde and asked him in a soft voice "Are you okay?"

As Naruto's head settled, the feeling of being in Sasuke's embrace made his heart speed up. He tried to relax by taking a deep breath in.
That's when he noticed Sasuke's scent. It brought a strange thought to Naruto's mind. 'It smells like...roses...and...'

"Chocolate" Naruto suddenly said out loud.

"What?" Sasuke asked. "You smell like roses...and chocolate" Naruto said dreamily. Sasuke looked at him blankly and ended up chuckling. "Your chakra isn't stable. Go sit down for now" he said patting Naruto's back.

Sasuke let go of Naruto and went to check on the noddles. Meanwhile Naruto lifted himself up and sat on the kitchen counter (thought thankfully away from all the food). Sasuke was about to complain, but seeing the cheeky smile on his face he just couldn't.

As Sasuke cooked Naruto blabbered about a bunch of things (mostly ramen), asked Sasuke what he was doing and swiped the ingredients every now and then. In the end instead of help, Sasuke had an annoying little brat who was almost about to finish everything before dinner was even prepared.

Yet, he didn't feel annoyed. Even though he argued, scolded and elbowed Naruto, in his heart he was smiling. The feeling of companionship and seeing this little troublemaker goof around made his heart light. The intense hatred and the lurking desire for revenge were slowly fading...

Finally, the ramen was ready. Naruto stared at it eagerly his eyes sparkling and his mouth drooling. He took a big sniff and hummed pleasantly. "Go sit down" Sasuke ordered as he brought out some bowls and two pairs of chopsticks.

Naruto scurried to the table and sat down, waiting impatiently. After a while Sasuke placed a steamy bowl of ramen in front of him. Naruto giggled excitedly and with a joyous "Itadakimasu!" he began his devouring of the ramen.

Sasuke also began eating. He watched as Naruto ate the ramen and widened his eyes in amazement. "Sasuke..." he whispered."Hm?" the Uchiha said eyeing him.

"You should work at Ichiraku!" Naruto exclaimed. "How'd you learn to cook?" he mumbled as he ate.

Sasuke felt a stab of pain in his heart. His hand froze and his noodles flopped back into his bowl. The one who had taught him to cook...

Naruto observed Sasuke carefully. His eyes had suddenly clouded over and his face was shrouded in pain. Seeing this Naruto remembered 'The Uchiha Massacre. I totally forgot about that'. He decided to change the subject but Sasuke spoke before he did.

"My mother... and my big brother" Sasuke said.

Naruto stopped eating momentarily and asked "Was it nice..? I mean being with them?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto, the boy who had never known familial love in his life. He gave a small smile and replied "Yes, it definitely was".

Naruto looked deeply into Sasuke's eyes and seemed to be lost in those onyx orbs. He felt his heart flutter slightly at the smile on his face. "So...does it feel like...how we are right now?" he asked.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly and he considered it for a moment. 'How we are right now?' he thought. "Yes" his mouth spoke for him immediately.

"Well I guess I would've taken it for granted. If I knew exactly what it felt like" Naruto said in a sad tone.
Sasuke looked at Naruto's blue eyes which seemed to have lost its life. "You do now" he said. Naruto looked at him once more and smiled. "Guess I do" he said joyfully.

A warm feeling settled in both of their hearts. The feeling of kindness, love and sympathy only felt from loved ones. Sasuke let his emotions flow and found that he suddenly felt peace and a bit of joy rising inside him.

Naruto enjoyed the ramen and felt the care and love which had been put into making it. In his heart he finally felt a sense of belonging, something he thought he would never feel.

Afterwards, Naruto called for some more and more ramen. In the end he finished four bowls while Sasuke slowly finished his second.

"Haah...That was good" Naruto sighed in satisfaction as he patted his belly. Sasuke watched him in amusement as he picked up the dishes and put them in the sink to wash.

Naruto went over and asked if he could help. Sasuke replied "You put on the soap, I'll wash"

So Naruto stood with Sasuke in the kitchen, putting soap on the dishes and handing them over to Sasuke. He was clumsy and was scolded a couple of times but soon he got the hang of it, (especially considering how Sasuke had threatened him if he broke anything).

As they worked, their shoulders brushed against each other. Naruto felt his heart turn inside out which made him lower his face. Something was different...this strange feeling which made his heart feel weird...this feeling which made him smile instinctively and...made him want to be with Sasuke, as if the slightest touch from him made something spark inside his heart. 'It feels weird and different. It feels nice but why is it so...'

'Uncomfortable?' he wondered.

Sasuke peeked at him from the side and saw that his expression was...off somehow. "Naruto" he called.

The blonde stared at the sink for a good second or so before seemingly jerking awake. "Huh? What is it?" he asked.
"What're you thinking about so much?" Sasuke questioned.
"Um. Nothing. It's just; we have our first mission tomorrow right?" Naruto mumbled. His heart was racing all of a sudden and he couldn't understand why he hadn't tried to explain his feelings.

As he said this Sasuke looked at him feeling as though there was something he was hiding. But he quickly brushed it aside and instead he said "Tomorrow we'll have to get things from your house. So try and wake up early, got it?"
"Yeah. Ok" said Naruto.

After finishing the dishes Sasuke went to pack his things for their upcoming mission. Naruto wandered into the bedroom and flopped on the bed. He sighed thinking 'Why am I so tired?'

As he lay on his stomach the smell of the bed sheets, pillows and quilt reached his nose. 'It all smells like...Sasuke' he thought. He slid his palm across the bed sheet and once again pondered over the strange feeling that lurked in his heart.

Sasuke came into the bedroom to see Naruto sniffing his pillows. It was quite the strange and amusing sight.

"Oi, usuratonkachi, what are you doing?" Sasuke asked. Naruto peeked at him and gave a shy smile. "Nothing" he mumbled. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him thinking 'Little dobe. What's up with you?'

Naruto then noticed Sasuke had two bowls in his hands. Naruto looked at it wondering what it was as Sasuke gave one to him. Looking at it Naruto realized that it was rice pudding. The sweet fragrance made Naruto's eyes sparkle with joy. "Whoa! Thanks Sasuke, you're the best!" he exclaimed, as he scooped up a spoonful of it and plunged it into his mouth.

Sasuke felt the same warm, comfortable feeling igniting his heart as he watched Naruto. It made him smile even though there seemed to be no reason to do so. He had no idea why he even considered buying rice pudding. Sure, it was common courtesy to treat guests well. But still, Sasuke just didn't know why he had kept buying and buying and buying just to make this little idiot happy

As they ate Naruto decided to ask a question that had been bothering him. "Hey Sasuke? What exactly happens when I...when the nine-tails controls my body?"

Sasuke almost choked.

'What happens? How am I supposed to explain that?' Sasuke thought, panicked.

Naruto looked at him eagerly. Sasuke's chest suddenly clenched tightly and he replied in a flustered voice "Figure it out yourself"

"But I wanna know!" Naruto whined. He moved slightly closer to Sasuke which made the other boy's heart speed up even more. "You annoy the hell out of me either way!" Sasuke blurted out. His mind was suddenly filled with the endless thoughts of the moments where Naruto had turned into the beast...

Naruto felt guilt piling up in his heart. He felt bad for having Sasuke bear the consequences of his problems. 'He's done so much for me. But I haven't been able to do anything for him' he thought. As he was thinking he noticed something.

A piece of rice was stuck on Sasuke's cheek. He hadn't noticed it yet and was still eating. Naruto's mind suddenly went a little fuzzy. "Sasuke?" he said softly.

The Uchiha turned towards him wondering why his tone had changed.

Naruto was about to lift his hand but at that moment his heart made him do something stupidly daring.

Naruto shifted closer towards Sasuke. Thoughts of his beautiful skin, deep onyx eyes and beautiful hair rushed into his mind. He didn't know what he was doing, he just felt that this was...right somehow.

Sasuke's chest was now clenching even tighter. Naruto being so close to him made his entire body feel like it was being hit with a tsunami. Moreover the look on his face was different than usual. His eyes were soft with a hint of longing.

Naruto tilted his head to the side where his nose brushed against Sasuke's cheek. Then, as Naruto put his lips on the same spot Sasuke felt his heart give a big leap.

Naruto swiftly licked the rice from Sasuke's cheek.
Sasuke's heart exploded and his mind went blank. His face was one of pure astonishment.

Naruto seemed to pause for a moment.

Then, a sweet kiss was planted on his cheek. Sasuke's heart now made itself aware that it had survived the whole ordeal by beating uncontrollably. His stomach flipped at the same time almost instantly. The kiss seemed to linger even after Naruto pulled away.

"I'm sorry" said Naruto in an apologetic tone.

Sasuke was speechless. He only answered after a good minute or so.

"Why did you do that?"

"Huh?" Naruto finally snapped out of his daze. "Wha-? I mean-" Naruto considered it and struggled to answer. "Well then, why'd you do it when we were out on the balcony?!" he asked, his face flushed at realising what he had just done.

Sasuke didn't answer.

Why had he done something so intimate?

Naruto looked away for a moment before saying "I guess it's... normal with like...family and stuff...right?"

Sasuke seemed to consider the idea and nodded. "Sort of" he said.

Yet he truly couldn't believe so.

"Oh" Naruto said. But he also felt that deep down something wasn't right. So he decided to ask another question. One that had seriously been bothering him.

"What were you trying to do when?—"

"It's getting late. We'd better go to sleep for tomorrow's mission" Sasuke said, quickly interrupting. His heart was still beating crazily and he felt that he couldn't stand it any longer. He put the dessert bowls on the far side of the bedside table deciding he would wash them in the morning. Then he went and switched the lights off, walked to the bed and lay down facing in the opposite direction.

Naruto was perplexed by Sasuke's behaviour. As he lay down he stared at the ceiling wandering what Sasuke's thoughts might be. He couldn't help but think 'What's going on ...?...Why do I have this strange feeling, for Sasuke..?. It feels like...like...'

As Naruto's mind became engrossed in his thoughts of Sasuke he felt something overcoming him. His heart suddenly felt warm and fidgety. 'Sasuke...' he thought,

It only took a short moment for the beast to awaken. ¨

Sasuke, who was almost asleep, was suddenly pushed flat onto the bed. His senses went on high alert as he searched for the attacker.

"Purrr~ " the beast said as it sat on top of him. 'Hey~ Miss me?' it seemed to say.

Sasuke stared at it, his heart jumping and beating crazily. However there was no fear lurking there at all. Rather Sasuke felt...

Naruto the beast nuzzled Sasuke's neck and purred saying something like 'I missed playing around with you'

Sasuke felt anticipation.

He looked into the beast's eyes and slowly put his hands on the blonde hair. He stroked it softly which made the beast happy. It purred once again saying something like 'Mmm. Good. I like that~ '

Meanwhile Naruto once again found himself in front of the nine-tails cage. "Again?!" he shouted. "How does this keep happening?"

"Humph. That's a dumb question" the nine tails growled.
"Oh shut up! What would you know?" Naruto said.

The nine-tails merely chuckled as if it knew something grand that Naruto didn't.

"Whatever. I don't have time to be talking to you" said Naruto. He closed his eyes and concentrated, hoping to go back.

In a flash he saw that he was on top of Sasuke and that the latter's hand was on his hair. Naruto seemed to be moving closer towards him and...

Naruto stopped abruptly and opened his eyes in shock. Remembering what had happened last time his cheeks started turning red.

The nine-tails then laughed. "AHAHAHAHA. Little brat. Are you scared?"

"What?! NO!" Naruto shouted. Still, he couldn't help but feel his heart flipping just thinking about it.

But then all of a sudden Naruto felt a surge of energy rushing from somewhere. It washed over him and slowly he began to lose consciousness. 'Wait...No. I have to go back...'

"Ah. I see it's finally happening" said the nine-tails.

The beast purred, slowly closing the gap between them and putting its arms around his neck. It softly brushed its nose on Sasuke's and then purred seemingly saying 'You ready?'

Sasuke's mind had completely abandoned all thoughts of common sense, decency and denial. He couldn't think and simply let things happen. He went ahead and wrapped his hand around the beast's waist.

The beast smirked and licked it lips. It moved its body further up and set his lips on Sauske's ear. Sasuke tensed which made the beast purr. 'Sensitive are you now?' it seemed to say. Then it licked his ear enticingly making Sasuke scrunch up his body and instinctively grab tighter onto the beast. The beast then slipped its tongue down to Sasuke's neck making the Uchiha gasp.

By now the beast had gathered a certain amount of chakra. Sasuke was too distracted to notice and would only remember so afterwards.

The beast then put his lips on a certain spot and nibbled at it for a while. Sasuke was breathing heavily and felt his chest clenching tightly.

The beast, with its sharp fangs then bit his neck.

Sasuke was shocked. He arched his back and gasped for air. The beast dug its fangs even deeper making Sasuke claw at its back.

Yet...he didn't feel pain...at all.

Instead his body was filled with an indescribable sensation. One that felt as though soft vines struck at every corner of his body spreading an intense electrifying feeling. A sensation like a pure wave of energy that swept across his body. An incredible, enticing sensation of...of...

Naruto the beast let go and looked at him. It grinned seeing the panting face of astonishment and disbelief. It purred saying something like 'Oh~ You liked that didn't you?~ '. Then its eyes drooped as if it was exhausted. It softly rested its head on Sasuke's chest and snuggled into him. It gave a final satisfied purr and soon fell asleep.

Sasuke lay there with Naruto in his arms, his mind blank and his heart racing. A tingling sensation lingered around the place where he had been bitten. Still breathing heavily he tried to remember what the sensation he had felt earlier could possibly be.

After a long while, Sasuke finally understood the feeling which had overtaken him.

It was the sensation of pure ecstasy.