Sign

A/N: Okay guys, I am about ready commit homicide against the damn reviews page! It won't load! I'm so fucking sick of it not loading! Grrr... Oh well, at least I have fun new SasuNaru AMV's to entertain myself, and calm myself with. Thanks to all of you who reviewed my new one, Moment. I wasn't really expecting anything for that, so that cheered me up a little too. Thanks guys. I'm still not over the writer's block, but I plugging along anyways. I keep telling myself if I stop I'll never start again. So I am continuing through the disease. One thing that does inspire me is thanking my reviewers! It boosts my ego and makes me feel better. So, I'm gonna do that now. Oh, wait, before I start, the last chapter title was from "Like a Stone" by Audioslave. I forgot to tell you. Now I'll thank the reviewers. Today's treat is doughnuts. Spelled donuts here, since I'm lazy.

Puppy Kicker: OOOOO. Cheesy goodness. I feel hnoured that ou would save me a slice. I'm glad you liked the chapter, I was afraid the kiss for a kiss thing was going to be completely too cliché for you guys and that you would revolt against me. I'm glad you haven't though. And as for your review for the Trigun fic, since I'm talking to you anyways. It is too bad about Wolwood. Him dying made me very sad, even though I already knew it was gonna happen. They're my favorite Trigun couple. Not my fav over all, but definitely for Trigun. Glad you liked this one too. Since you reviewed extra, and in the spirit of Trigun, I am giving you a deluxe sized box of donuts. Enjoy!

Yugi-obsessed: Hmm... If you keep getting fatter and fatter, I think I would definitely get stronger and stronger until the point when you got so fat when your rolls of fat swallowed me up, and then I would be no more, lost in the void of fattiness. But I don't think that will happen for a while. So you can stay up there for a bit longer...as long as you like actually, until I fear I'm in danger of being swallowed. That would be a horrible way to go. I'm glad you liked the chapters, you're welcome for not moving. Thanks for reviewing again! Here are some donuts for you. (I was considering making them low fat, but decided that would be no good for you.) Enjoy.

Third Degree Run: I know the feeling, I never used to squeal, but one day, all the need to squeal built up inside of me and I ended up giving this colossal squeal as I was walking down the hallway and remembering something I'd read. It was not pretty. These days I usually just let myself squeal in private. –nods- I'm glad you liked the hair scene, I was kinda hoping to make people laugh with the 'yay' thing. I did. Thanks for the review. Here are donuts.

Kyuubi-kun: I'm glad you thought the lyrics fit, I would probably say fuck you if you didn't, but I'm glad you did. Yay! I kinda figured Sasurin meant something along those lines, but I just didn't know what, and now I do. I am officially going to start calling him that sometimes. It's fun! Thanks for reviewing, and telling me this wonderful little piece of info. Here are donuts for you!

Cheeseboi: Yay! I made you smile...apparently a lot. I love making people smile. I kinda like the hair ruffling myself. I think it's sort of a nonchalant way to show that they are close, without having them make out! Plus it's cute. Glad you liked. What's the story you have? I want to read it... although probably not for a while. I keep getting distracted from writing by reading... Oh well. What is it anyway? Tell me. Tell me. Here are donuts for you...for rreviewing...and...yeah...that's the treat. Enjoy.

AlterEthereal: Woo Hoo! You liked this chapter...and the messy Naruto hair...AND you thought I sounded coherent. I'm so happy. I'm glad you liked moment too. I thought it might be weird giving him a birthday present from Sasurin's (hahahahaha I used it! I just learned this nickname two reviews ago!) point of view, but then I was like, well it kinda shows him what's in Sasuke's heart, so it was okay! Glad you liked, thanks for the review! Here are donuts for you.

Hieisbestbuddy888: Wow, okay I've go three reviews from you, I don't know where to start. I guess I'll start with did you get my e-mail? I wasn't really sure if I typed your address in right or not. I know you said you had a suggestion for this chapters title, but do you think we could bump the suggestion to next chapter, since I've obviously posted this already? Okay. Please tell me if you didn't get my e-mail...it had some weird subject like I'm not some psycho who you don't know, well actually I am but I'm Mercury Bohemian too, or something of that sort. I was making sure you knew who I was... in a totally pointless way. Oh well. Just tell me if you got it, or e-mail me back or something. This might sound redundant if you did get my e-mail, but, I'd love to be your friend! Whee for friends. You do give me some of my best reviews, after all! Thank you for the praise, both English and latin... and thanks for the extremely long reviews. I just love them, they make me feel good. Thanks for reviewing Moment too, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I had lots of other stuff to say, but it just slipped straight out of my mind, so I guess this is it. Thanks for reviewing. Since I got such long reviews from you, you get extra donuts and a cupcake!

YoungSasuke: Oh dear...did what again? I so don't remember. –scans back through reviews in inbox, decides there's too many to find review where first offence occurs and scolds the review page for not working- I guess since I don't remember I can definitely forgive you. I have such a short term memory! Oh, do you mean not reviewing? Hmmm I never really hold a grudge for that. I have the same problems as everyone else, although I must say, I don't review as often as I should. –looks guilty- Oh well. That sucks about your parents, I know the feeling, sort of. It's okay if you don't review those other chapters... I really don't mind that much! Thanks for the cookie! Here are some tasty donuts for you!

Lady Lemonade: Thank you so much. I find it very flattering hen people tell me my writing is beautiful, especially when I'm suffering in the jaws of writer's block. I'm glad you liked this chapter. I figure something light was in order after my accidental angst fest the past...forever. I totally didn't even mean for this story to be angsty at all. Oh well. Fluff is good, though. I'm glad you liked it, and I'm glad you appreciate my slowly developing plot. (I've just realized once again that it's only been, like, a week. I might have to skip a small chunk of time. Oh well.) I love you for loving AFI! I'm all excited because they did a cover of "Head Like A Hole" by Nine Inch Nails, another of my favorite bands, and it's awesome. I might even like it better than the original. Thanks for the congrats. Here are donuts...you get extra for liking AFI. Enjoy.

Queen Of The Paperclips: Yay! I'm glad you love cotton candy, and my story! I always try not to put notes at the bottom, but I always end up having something I can't go without saying. It's good to know that someone appreciates them. Thanks for reviewing. Here are donuts. You get extra, since I've ripped you off in the reply length section. (I'm tired of typing real world stuff.) Thanks for the review!

Alrighty, I think that's everyone. Sorry if I left anyone out. I know someone asked what the lyrics at the bottom of the page were, and I must have missed it or something, but whoever asked, they're the lyrics to Sasuke and Naruto's favorite songs! This said, thanks to everyone who reviewed moment, and here is chapter 22!

But Home Is Nowhere...: Twisted Fire Starter

Naruto sighed in relief as he popped his cup of ramen into the microwave. He felt light, cheerful even as he thought about their afternoon. It had been exhausting asking and answering the questions they had, each in turn comforting and needing to be comforted, but it had been worth it. He felt like there was a weight lifted off of him that had be dragging him down for years, getting heavier with every passing moment. He had never in his recollection felt more relieved than he did at this moment, and it was all because of Sasuke. It was nice.

They ate in a sort of euphoric calm, neither speaking, both enjoying the noise of silence. Sasuke was eating the left over pizza, chewing thoughtfully as Naruto slurped his noodles. The blonde thought that this was perfect. He thought that this was what he wanted to be doing in ten years, or twenty, hell even eighty years. He wanted to be sitting at a table eating in comfortable silence with someone who he could easily refer to as a friend. Someone he could easily love. The thought made him smile again.

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Sasuke watched Naruto as the blonde watched him, enjoying the way his blue eyes had begun to mist over as he slipped into deep thought, leaving noodles hanging from his mouth. It was nice, he thought. The usual feeling of distress and undue weight caused by silence was gone, dissolving away into nothingness as Naruto's tongue flicked out to gather the end of the noodle he was munching.

His hair was still a wild mess, easily adding to the child like image that he seemed to be radiating at the moment, and Sasuke couldn't help but smile. His lips twitched upwards slowly, and as he swallowed his last bite of pizza, he felt a full blown grin coming on. 'He's so cute.' He couldn't stop himself as the thought came into his head, and this time, he didn't let himself push the notion away. Instead, he continued staring as Naruto slowly came out of his little daydream, his eyes sliding back into focus, and his gaze settling back on Sasuke. And when those beautiful full blue eyes came into contact with his, he felt a small ache in his chest. It felt good.

"What?" Naruto's head was tilted a bit to the side, and Sasuke's eye was drawn once again to the whisker markings that were there. He looked like some sort of baby animal. A fox, maybe.

"Nothing." Sasuke's smile softened. "I was just wondering what you were thinking..." he paused for a moment before adding, "Kitsune."

The blonde looked confused when he gave a small, "Kitsune? What does that mean?"

"It means 'fox' in Japanese."

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Naruto thought this over for a moment, before deciding he liked that. "Oh. That's nice." Sasuke just smiled. "I was thinking about how much I like sitting at the table and eating with you. I was thinking that I could see me doing this in eighty years, when I'm not a loser any more and you're not the most popular guy in school, although you'd probably have all the ladies in the nursing home coming after you. I thought that would be nice." Naruto felt his cheeks get hot, and realized he was blushing. It took him a moment to understand why.

'I can actually see myself with him for the rest of my life. Oh god. What does that mean? I sure as hell hope I would be able to quit thinking about how sexy he is by the time my whole life is over.' Naruto let this thought run through his head a couple times and was about to resume thinking when Sasuke gave a quiet,

"Yeah, that would be nice."

They sat in silence for a moment as Naruto's mind began to reel. 'He can see us being friends for the rest of our lives. That's good.' All of the sudden he didn't want to be eighty without Sasuke. The prospect of living to be old without Sasuke seemed like a horribly bleak one, and he found himself realizing that he wanted to be near Sasuke for the rest of his life. Naruto was brought out of his mind again by the sound of Sasuke's voice.

"Itachi, my brother, always used to tell me that the one good thing my mother ever said was that loving someone means wanting to stay with them forever. She used to tell him that one day he would meet someone who would make him feel like he couldn't live the rest of his life without them by his side. He used to tell me that he believed that, and that I should too. And when I met that person that made being old alone seem like the most pointless thing in the world, then that was the person that I should devote myself to." Sasuke paused for a moment, looking down at the floor. Naruto thought he could see a small blush on his face. When he spoke again, though, he looked straight at Naruto, blush and all and said quietly, "Let's eat together when we're ninety."

Naruto smiled. "Okay."

TBC...

A/N: Okay, I know this chapter didn't really go into why Sasuke said these things, but next chapter, I promise we'll see his side of the thinking. I can't decide if I like this chapter or hate it. It seems rather poorly written, but I like the idea. I guess I'm just having trouble stringing words together today. Oh well, maybe my writer's block will go away when I start writing the next chapter. Hmmm. Who knows. This chapter's title is from Firestarter by Prodigy. 'Till Next Time...

Mercury Bohemian Signing Off